Richards Bay’s cup curse continues, but Gabriel finds silver linings

Richards Bay coach Ronnie Gabriel cut a proud yet reflective figure after watching his side fall 1-0 to Orlando Pirates in the Carling Knockout Cup semi-final on Saturday — a result that condemned the Natal Rich Boyz to their third consecutive exit at this stage of the competition.

While the loss was another painful chapter in the club’s growing list of near-misses, Gabriel was adamant there was little to fault in his team’s attitude and effort against the star-studded Soweto giants.

“It was a commendable performance by our group (Saturday),” Gabriel said, after the match. “We didn’t start the game well in the first half and gave Pirates the ascendancy.”

Pirates’ dominance in the opening exchanges saw them take the lead through Tshepang Moremi just before the break, but Richards Bay refused to fold. Instead, they grew in confidence and began to push back after the interval, unsettling the Buccaneers with a more aggressive and high-tempo approach.

“As the game progressed, we felt we started to dominate the exchanges, we pressed higher and played quickly on the attack and that paid dividends for us because we created a few goalscoring chances,” Gabriel added.

His analysis was accurate. Richards Bay’s intensity in the second half forced Pirates to defend deep, with the Durban crowd sensing the growing momentum of the home side.

“We gave Pirates a lot of nervous moments,” Gabriel continued. “It even ended up where Pirates were time delaying and their goalkeeper ended up with a yellow card because it’s seldom you see a Pirates team under so much pressure.”

It was a remarkable turnaround from a side often criticised for being too conservative in big matches. Gabriel’s approach — blending tactical discipline with attacking bravery — gave the Natal Rich Boyz every chance to change the narrative of past disappointments.

Ultimately, though, the breakthrough never came. Pirates’ experience in managing tense cup fixtures once again proved decisive, leaving Richards Bay to wonder what might have been.

Even so, Gabriel refused to dwell on the heartbreak, choosing instead to highlight his team’s growth and maturity.

 “We are disappointed with the result but not with the performance,” he said. 

“I felt it was a gracious defeat. We would have loved to go to the final of course but we’ll take the positives and continue to grow towards the league.”

The defeat means Richards Bay have now fallen at the semi-final stage of the Carling Cup three seasons in a row, each time agonisingly close to reaching the final. Yet, under Gabriel’s calm leadership, there remains a clear sense of direction and belief.

As the club turns its focus back to the Betway Premiership, Gabriel will hope that the lessons learned from another semi-final heartbreak will fuel their fight for consistency — and perhaps, one day soon, silverware.