Stellenbosch fully focused on Premiership survival after CAF exit, insists head coach Gavin Hunt

The Cape Winelands club secured their place in the continental competition with a third-placed finish to the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season.

This term though they are involved in a relegation battle in 12th place on the standings with 15 points from 15 games - one clear of Orbit College in the relegation/promotion places.

Hunt took charge of Stellies at the end of 2025 as a replacement for Steve Barker and took charge of four Confederation Cup games.

They ultimately missed out on qualification for the quarter-finals but the former Bidvest Wits and SuperSport United boss has revealed he used the matches to give game-time to some of the fringe players in the squad.

Stellenbosch were more recently knock out of the Nedbank Cup, 1-0 by Golden Arrows, meaning they can focus solely on survival.

"I had a chat to the board before I came and I said, we're second bottom of the league – this Africa, is fantastic but I need to have look at the players and in the next four games, I did that, I gave everyone a game," Hunt said on iDiski times.

"We didn't do too bad actually, we didn't score but we did okay, but it gave me a chance to look at everyone, I didn't really know most of the squad. I know them but don't really know what they're all about and what they can do.

"So, we used the four games, well I did – with the knowledge of, obviously you want to do well, we were one victory away from being in the next round, but it certainly would have been a hinderance for us – in our squad, definitely."

Stellies responded to their Nedbank Cup exit with a 2-1 league win over Kaizer Chiefs on Tuesday.