The Shimlas have now played two matches on the bounce in wet and muddy conditions and will be looking to use that to their advantage come Monday.

The match between the old rivals could very well be played in similar conditions with rain predicted for Monday at this stage.

During round three the Shimlas lost their first match of the campaign with a surprise 22-7 defeat to the UCT Ikeys in Bloemfontein. The visitors used their superior knowledge of wet conditions on the day to record the victory. Although a week later in Potchefstroom it was the Pukke who beat the Ikeys 20-15 in similar conditions.

On Tuesday the Shimlas played a much more patient game to earn the right to score and this proved to be the difference in the match that could have gone either way.

The Shimlas winger, Marco Mason, who had an outstanding game with the boot in the slippery conditions to have slotted five penalties and a conversion, said they want to master playing in the wet, especially due to the fact that it’s something they aren’t used to.

“We are just happy for the win, as you know Bloemfontein doesn’t get a lot of rain,” said Mason.

“With wet games two weeks in a row we want to learn. We had a hiccup last week against UCT so we want to correct that in any wet weather game. We’re just happy for the four points.”

Mason agreed that patience is definitely an important factor playing in wet weather and welcome any opportunity to hone their skills.

“We’ve a bunch of guys who are definitely not used to playing in wet conditions and it’s not something that gets learnt overnight.

“We are glad to play in these conditions and the Pukke aren’t used to it either.

“We just have to get better at what we have to do on the day”.

The match between the Shimlas and Pukke at Shimla Park in Bloemfontein on Monday kicks off 19:00, and it will be a televised game. 

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport