“Why not do it straight after the game? Why wait until to see the Dolphins are in a good position? Things were done behind closed doors,” Knights captain Dane Piedt told Independent Media on Wednesday.

“Things happened with the Dolphins. All of a sudden, they felt that they were in the competition and then, give them the points because they needed to qualify. So, those are the things that doesn’t sit pretty. But it is what it is. We’ll see how it goes.”

Joining the Knights in the relegation zone are the Warriors, who sit at the bottom of the overall standings, and Western Province, who sit in second-last position.

This means that this week’s fixture between the Knights and the Warriors could decide which team will be likely relegated.

Equally, Western Province play the Titans at SuperSport Park in Centurion from Thursday, and a loss there could further sink them down the table.

Piedt emphasised that all the Division One teams are under pressure this week, and that some are playing to win, while others are playing to survive.

“I think all teams that are playing this week are going to be under pressure, and it’s all different kinds of pressure. People are trying to push to win and other people are trying to survive, you know,” he said.

“A lot of s**t has happened in the last two weeks. It’s pretty fu**ed up, to be honest. But, you know, the situation is the situation, and the rules are the rules.

“Certain things that CSA haven’t done towards removing the Warriors’ win out of the column and the net run rate. All of those types of things are things that CSA need to handle and should handle.

“Because it only makes sense to everyone out there. So, a lot of stuff has happened, but the more we sit and talk about it and worry about it, after day one, we’re going to be on the back foot trying to survive.

“As long as we stay tight as a team and not worry about what’s going on around us, those types of things will take care of itself. At the end of the day, if we win the game, regardless of net run rate and all that bulls**t, we’ll be on top.”

The contest between the Warriors and the Knights will be held at St George’s Park from Thursday, 19 March to Sunday, 23 March.