Craven Week: Day Four review, Day Five fixtures
WRAP: It was a little warmer in Bloemfontein on Day Four of the Craven Week and the Academy Week and there was less wind.
There was also a magnificent thriller to end the Craven Week matches of the day when the Blue Bulls came from well behind to beat the Western Province XV by a conversion.
Western Province will be playing the Blue Bulls in the prestigious main match of the Craven Week and Border in the main match of the Academy Week.
Below we have the results of both weeks and Saturday's fixtures.
Under-18 Craven Week, Day 4
The individual matches each has its own report on Rugby365, website. To read it, CLICK HERE!
Results
Day 4 - Thursday, 4 July 2019
Blue Bulls vs Western Province XV, 36-34
Border vs Golden Lions, 39-26
Eastern Province Elephants vs Griquas, 43-12
Griffons vs Blue Bulls XV, 50-22
Limpopo Golden Lions XV, 46-24
Day 1 - 1 July 2019
Free State Cheetahs vs Sharks, 46-24
South Western Districts Eagles vs Pumas, 43-22
Valke vs Leopards, 43-24
Western Province vs Boland, 50-24
Day 2 - 2 July 2019
Blue Bulls XV vs Golden Lions XV, 32-21
Blue Bulls vs Border, 35-24
Griffons vs Eastern Province Elephants, 28-24
Griquas vs Limpopo, 35-24
Western Province XV vs Golden Lions, 18-14
Day 3 - 3 July 2019
Boland vs Valke, 36-31
Pumas vs Leopards, 54-19
South Western Districts Eagles vs Sharks, 39-31
Western Province vs Cheetahs, 51-14
Fixtures
Day 5 - Saturday, 6 July 2019
A Field
08.00: Sharks vs Griffons
09.30: Golden Lions vs Free State Cheetahs
11.00: Border vs Boland
12.30: South Western Districts Eagles vs Western Province XV
14.00: Western Province vs Blue Bulls
B Field
08.00: Griquas vs Golden Lions XV
09.30: Leopards vs Limpopo
11.00: Valke vs Blue Bulls XV
12.30: Eastern Province Elephants vs Pumas
Academy Week
Match Summaries
The SA LSEN XV had no answer for the in-form Griffons Country Districts, with the team delivering a top-class showing for a rewarding 59-0 victory. Their effective attack and finishing saw them run in an impressive nine tries – with prop Imi Alam and wing Moeketsi Kgongoana each scoring twice – while their effective defence shut out the opposition completely, denying them a point. The team scored a whopping 40 points before the break and added 19 more as the match progressed.
The Blue Bulls XV also dominated their clash against the Golden Lions Academy XV to register a convincing 57-12 victory, which marked their second win of the tournament. Such was their supremacy they cruised to a 31-5 halftime lead and they maintained this hot form in the second half to touch down a rewarding nine times. It was a memorable day for a few Blue Bulls XV players, with Bongani Ndlovu (centre) scoring a hat-trick, and George Van Der Merwe (scrumhalf) and Ruan Venter (No 8) braces.
Namibia registered their first victory of the tournament thanks to a quality performance against Griquas, which saw them win 39-17. The interplay between their forwards and backs was effective and the team did well to create try-scoring chances and convert them. Five players crossed the tryline for Namibia, with flyhalf Geraldo Beukes making a notable contribution with a try, four conversions and two penalty goals for 19 points.
Valke centre Louis De Bruyn was in hot form for his team as they outplayed the Pumas 48-29, scoring three of his team’s seven tries. The Valke used their chances in the first half, and this allowed them to bump 26-17 ahead, and they built on this in the second half to touch down seven times in the match. The Pumas tried hard to make their presence felt and their efforts earned them four tries, but the opposition were just too good on the day.
Border overcame a tight first half against Griffons to register a 41-27 victory, marking their second win of the tournament. The East London outfit held a slender 19-15 lead at the break, but they found their rhythm later in the game and made their presence felt to outscore the opposition seven tries to four. Border lock Grant Pretorius scored two tries in the match, while another five of his team-mates crossed the tryline in a rewarding team effort.
The SA LSEN team and Griquas Country Districts were involved in a tight tussle, but a strong second-half showing by the LSEN outfit allowing them to overturn a 22-12 deficit for a 36-29 victory. SA LSEN wing Leroy Kiewiet was a key figure for the team as he scored three of their six tries, while Griquas Country Districts scored five – two of which were by No.8 Winston Tuck.
A hat-trick by South Western Districts Eagles flyhalf Berthal September and a brace by wing Royden Jonkers proved vital in the team’s gripping 31-27 victory against the Golden Lions. The match was hard-fought from the outset as both teams threw everything at one another, but South Western Districts edged 12-8 ahead at halftime and managed to hold their nerve in a competitive second half to secure the win. The Johannesburg side scored three tries in the second stanza, but this still left them short on the scoreboard.
Academy Week
Results
Day 4 Thursday, 4 July 2019
Blue Bulls XV vs Golden Lions Academy XV, 57-12
Border vs Griffons, 41-27
Griffons Country Districts vs SA LSEN XV, 59-0
Namibia vs Griquas, 39-17
SA LSEN vs Griquas Country Districts, 36-25
South Western Districts Eagles vs Golden Lions, 31-27
Valke vs Pumas, 48-29
Day 1 - 1 July 2019
Boland vs Zimbabwe, 45-29
Leopards vs Sharks Country Districts, 27-24
Limpopo vs Eastern Province Elephants, 47-24
Pumas Country Districts vs Border Country Districts, 20-17
Sharks vs Free State, 41-38
Western Province vs Blue Bulls, 73-10
Western Province XV vs Eastern Province Elephants Country Districts, 41-17
Day 2 - 2 July 2019
Blue Bulls XV vs Griffons Country Districts, 26-24
Border vs South Western Districts Eagles, 26-8
Golden Lions Academy XV vs Namibia, 22-19
Griffons vs Griquas, 64-5
Griquas Country Districts vs SA LSEN XV, 45-33
Pumas vs SA LSEN, 52-15
Valke vs Golden Lions Academy, 36-31
Day 3 - Wednesday, 3 July 2019
Blue Bulls vs Leopards, 19-15
Eastern Province vs Zimbabwe, 43-19
Free State Cheetahs vs Boland, 45-26
Limpopo vs Western Province XV, 50-33
Pumas Country Districts vs Eastern Province Country Districts, 41-21
Sharks Country Districts vs Border Country Districts, 30-5
Western Province vs Sharks, 41-19
Fixtures
Saturday, 6 July 2019
GCB A Field
08.00: Namibia vs Old Mutual Zimbabwe
09.30: LSEN vs LSEN XV
11.00: Free State Cheetahs vs Valke
12.30: Western Province vs Border
GCB B Field
08.00: Griquas Country Districts vs Border Country Districts
09.30: Eastern Province Elephants vs Pumas
11.00: Sharks vs South Western Districts
12.30: Limpopo Blue Bulls vs Griffons
Windmill A Field
08.00: Eastern Province Elephants Country Districts vs Griffons Country Districts)
09.30: Boland vs Blue Bulls Country Districts
11.00: Golden Lions vs Blue Bulls
Windmill B Field
08.00: Sharks Country Districts vs Pumas Country Districts
09.30: Griquas vs Golden Lions Academy
11.00: Leopards vs Western Province Country Districts
Issued by SA Rugby Communication