U19: New Format for Championship
Ten teams will battle it out in two sections in the new format of the SA Rugby Under-19 Championship, which will be hosted in Paarl and Johannesburg respectively over one week in September 2019.
The Coastal Section, which will run concurrently with the Iqhawe Week at Paarl Gymnasium, features four teams, namely Boland, Eastern Province, Western Province and the Sharks.
The Inland Section, which will be hosted at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, will feature six teams, namely the Blue Bulls, Valke, Free State, Golden Lions, Leopards and Pumas.
The teams in the Coastal Section will each face each other once during pool play, with the top team on the standings at the end of the three rounds advancing to the final, while the Inland Section will be played in a knock-out format based on the teams’ log positions from the 2018 season, with the top team earning their place in the final.
The final will be hosted at the home ground of the winner of the Coastal Section on the first weekend in October. Should Western Province host the final, the match will be played as a curtain-raiser for the Springbok Women’s Test against Scotland at City Park in Athlone.
Western Province will face Boland in an entertaining Western Cape derby on the opening day’s play of the Coastal Section on Monday, 23 September 2019, with Eastern Province taking on the Sharks.
The first round of the Inland Section will see the Blue Bulls take on the Valke, the Golden Lions face the Phakisa Pumas, and Free State and Leopards take on one another.
This will be followed by the second round of matches on Wednesday, 25 September, and last round of pool games on Friday, 27 September 2019.
SA Rugby Under-19 Championship Fixtures
Monday, 23 September 2019
Coastal Section
Western Province vs Boland
Eastern Province vs Sharks
Inland Section
Blue Bulls vs Valke (QF1)
Golden Lions vs Pumas (QF2)
Free State vs Leopards (QF3)
Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Coastal Section
Western Province vs Eastern Province
Boland vs Sharks
Inland Section
Semi-final 1: Winner of QF1 vs Best loser (based on points’ difference)
Semi-final 2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF3
Playoff: Two other sides face each ther
Friday, 27 September 2019
Coastal Section
Sharks vs Western Province
Eastern Province vs Boland
Inland Section
Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2
Four other sides to play for rankings
Final – date and venue to be decided
Issued by SA Rugby Communications