Sports Reporter

JOHANNESBURG’S Bree Primary School will once again be the favourites in the Gauteng finals of the Under-12 Danone Nations Cup scheduled for Boksburg this Saturday.

While team manager Dave Kalicharan downplays his team’s chances in the tournament to take place at the WJ Clements Stadium in Reiger Park, rival coaches believe Bree will be the team to beat.

That’s the venue where the competition’s national tournament – involving eight provincial champions – will take place two weeks later.

The winner of the tournament will represent the country at the Danone Nations Cup world finals in France later this year.

Bree Primary School represented South Africa in Morocco in that edition in Morocco.

They are back at the provincials again, after beating Makola Primary on penalties in their regional final last week.

Kalicharan, is relieved his school is back in the running again but says his team is not as strong as previous years and every school they have played against to date has gone all out to beat them.

Opposing coaches nonetheless are not reading much into Bree’s current form.

“Bree Primary experienced that in Morocco last year and that will give them valuable experience and make them very tough opponents at the provincial finals,” says Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg coach, Morgan van Rooyen.

Sunnyside Primary School from Tshwane believes Bree will be their biggest competition.

“Their team is very strong and the coach has good coaching skills having taken the school twice to the world finals,” says coach Phila Pereira.

Vusi Mputhi, Tshegofatso Ngke and Mncedisi Nguse are tipped to shine for Bree, who will contest alongside nine other schols.

-Guardian