Can Richards Bay FC beat Pirates? Zothwane responds

Richards Bay FC co-coach Papi Zothwane has deflected talk of his team being motivated by the desire to beat Orlando Pirates in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) of South Africa on Wednesday.

The coach was responding to questions on whether he is determined to complete a double over the Soweto giants this 2026-2027 PSL season.

📰 Zothwane Downplays “Soweto Double” Pressure

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The Natal Rich Boys caused one of the biggest upsets in the ongoing Betway Premiership campaign after getting the better of Kaizer Chiefs via a 1-0 victory last Tuesday at Umhlathuze Sports Complex.

Coincidentally, the next league assignment for Bay FC is against Pirates, a sworn rival for Chiefs, at Orlando Amstel Arena in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Zothwane on prospect of Richards Bay FC beating Pirates

Meeting both Soweto rivals back-to-back presents Zothwane and his men a chance to prove that the victory over AmaKhosi was not a fluke.

However, the former Buccaneers’ midfielder is not thinking too much about upsetting the Chiefs rivals, but rather coming back from Johannesburg unscathed.

Asked if he was motivated to strive to beat both Soweto giants this Premier Soccer League season, the former Bafana Bafana star insisted otherwise.

“I don’t want to put ourselves under pressure,” the coach told his team’s website. “We will take the games as they come. Every game we play, we play to win, and we will certainly give them a good fight.”

How last Pirates v Richards Bay meeting ended

In the last meeting between the two teams, the Soweto giants prevailed over Bay via a 1-0 victory in in a Carling Knockout semi-finals last November at Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The Durban-based outfit occupy ninth place in the Betway Premiership standings, with 23 points after 19 matches.

On the other hand, Pirates have dropped to second place swapping top spot with Mamelodi Sundowns following the holders’ 2-0 victory over Orbit College FC at Olympia Park on Tuesday.

Having a game in hand, the Buccaneers can reclaim top spot with a huge win over the opponents from Durban.