Sergeal Petersen stood by the side of Clayton Blommetjies when he said “I do” in a grand affair that was aired on Top Billing last year.
But on Saturday when the two friends meet again, it will be as foes when Petersen’s Western Province travel to Bloemfontein to face Blommetjies’s Free State Cheetahs in what is effectively a Currie Cup quarterfinal clash.
With the Capetonians currently out of the top four heading into the final round of the competition, the best Petersen and his teammates can do is win with a bonus point, which will secure them a place in the final four.
Having played for the Cheetahs before moving to the Mother City last season, Petersen says he will have to put his friendship on the backburner for 80 minutes.
BEST MAN: Petersen at Blommetjies wedding. Photo: Supplied.
He explains: “I was the best man at Clayton’s wedding, so we are really good friends.
“But while I am excited to see some of the guys again, we have a job to do and we have to do that job first before we can hang out with the guys.”
Petersen doesn’t miss Bloemfontein and says: “It’s my second year in Cape Town and I’m at home here. I’m very happy to be here.”
Petersen and Blommetjies will both play key roles for their respective teams in what is expected to be an open game.
Of what he expects of the game, Petersen adds: “The Cheetahs in Bloem will come hard at you in the first half.
CLOSE FRIENDS: Clayton Blommetjies. Photo: Deryck Foster/BackpagePix.
“I played there for three years and played some nice running rugby over there, so I’m looking forward to going there.
“Hopefully we can get a lot more ball in hand.”
As it stands, the Cheetahs can also miss out on a place in the semifinal if they lose to Province, effectively making this a quarterfinal clash.
Currently second on the log, a bonus-point victory will see WP leapfrog them, while the Lions can claim top spot if they beat Griquas and the Sharks, who play the Blue Bulls, can also overtake the Cheetahs. The race is on. . .