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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another Women’s Premier Division final, another chance for the Bulls Daisies to underline their dominance in South African women’s franchise rugby. After dominating the group phase, the Pretoria side will face Western Province in the decider on Saturday, 29 March 2025. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two-time defending champions the Daisies are aiming for a hat-trick in the interprovincial women’s rugby contest, having won the national title in 2023 and 2024. Before that, it was Border Ladies that had done the double. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now the Daisies are strong favourites to clinch a three-peat, especially with the form the Gauteng side has shown throughout the slightly tweaked edition of the 2025 Premier Division. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year’s campaign was brought forward by a few months in order to provide the Springbok Women’s team with ample preparation time before the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup — which commences in August. Due to this, there were no semifinals, with the top two teams in the league booking their spot in the final.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The change in schedule did not alter the status quo though, with the Daisies once again dominating their rivals to finish at the summit of the league table — without tasting a single defeat in seven league outings. In fact, they have only lost one match in their last 36 outings. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So peerless were the Daisies that apart from avoiding defeat throughout the league format, they also scored a mammoth 512 points in their seven matches. That’s an average of 73 points per game. The next-best side, the Boland Dames (who finished third), managed 366. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What truly sets the Bulls apart though is their imperious defence. They only conceded 37 points in their seven league games. The Dames were once again the runners-up in this regard, letting in a total of 150 points. That’s a massive difference between their defence. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Daisies’ dominance is not coincidental. They are, after all, the only professional side in the eight-team Premier Division. </span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2650700\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/TL_2042204-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1682\" height=\"2560\" /> <em>Bulls Daisies head coach Hayden Groepes. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SA Rugby is currently working towards changing this. Although details and specific timelines are still being fleshed out, Springbok Women assistant coach </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-20-bulls-daisies-maintain-undefeated-streak-in-womens-premier-division-as-title-race-heats-up/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laurian Johannes-Haupt</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hinted as much to Daily Maverick during an interview in February. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“SA Rugby plans to invest in a contracting system, so that we have a super league happening. That’s all still in discussion. But that’s what we are planning on doing — to make our league a bit more professional — with the best of the best playing each other,” Johannes-Haupt said. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite not being a professional entity like the Daisies, Western Province are into their fifth successive final in the domestic competition. They have lost all of the previous four — two to Border and two to the Daisies. They will be hopeful of finally snapping out of their rotten run in domestic deciders. Nevertheless, the Daisies will not be pushovers, as their coach Hayden Groepes said before Saturday's final. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“The ladies have been process-driven each week, and they have shown immense consistency within that process as well, which has accumulated to some top performances and results over the season,” said Groepes.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“This season has been great for us as we discovered how to find our connection within the team, and as a team. That has been monumental off the field as well, because it has allowed us to work hard during the week leading to the weekends. 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"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another Women’s Premier Division final, another chance for the Bulls Daisies to underline their dominance in South African women’s franchise rugby. After dominating the group phase, the Pretoria side will face Western Province in the decider on Saturday, 29 March 2025. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two-time defending champions the Daisies are aiming for a hat-trick in the interprovincial women’s rugby contest, having won the national title in 2023 and 2024. 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They are, after all, the only professional side in the eight-team Premier Division. </span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2650700\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1682\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2650700\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/TL_2042204-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1682\" height=\"2560\" /> <em>Bulls Daisies head coach Hayden Groepes. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SA Rugby is currently working towards changing this. Although details and specific timelines are still being fleshed out, Springbok Women assistant coach </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-02-20-bulls-daisies-maintain-undefeated-streak-in-womens-premier-division-as-title-race-heats-up/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laurian Johannes-Haupt</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hinted as much to Daily Maverick during an interview in February. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“SA Rugby plans to invest in a contracting system, so that we have a super league happening. That’s all still in discussion. But that’s what we are planning on doing — to make our league a bit more professional — with the best of the best playing each other,” Johannes-Haupt said. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite not being a professional entity like the Daisies, Western Province are into their fifth successive final in the domestic competition. 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Bulls Daisies head coach Hayden Groepes. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu / Gallo Images)