Preview: Vodacom Cup, Round Three
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The Vodacom Cup picks up speed this weekend with action in the South Section getting underway.
The first match in the South Section is on Friday is in George, where the SWD Eagles host the Free State XV.
Three more matches in this section follow on Saturday, one of which will see the defending champions in action when Griquas travel to Port Elizabeth to take on the EP Kings.
The other two South Section matches are scheduled for Durban (Sharks XV v Border Bulldogs) and Caledon (Boland Cavaliers v Western Province).
The biggest match in the North Section is on Friday when two of the three unbeaten sides, the Golden Lions and the Blue Bulls, square off in Johannesburg.
On Saturday, the action in the north moves to the platteland, more specifically Lichtenburg (Leopards XV v Falcons) and Secunda (Pumas v Limpopo Blue Bulls).
The two rising stars featured this week both hail from Boland, were in the wider SA Schools squad in 2012 and played junior rugby in Pretoria before heading to Cape Town and Durban respectively – Western Province prop Wilco Louw and Sharks XV lock Hyron Andrews.
Rising Star #5 – Wilco Louw (Western Province)
Most props are solid chunks of meat and Wilco Louw is no different.The Western Province prop, who is in line to make his senior provincial debut on Saturday in Caledon, is 1.85 metres tall and weighs in at 130 kilograms, making him one of the heaviest players in South Africa.
Louw’s budding career has taken him from Boland via Pretoria to Cape Town. He made the SA Schools side in 2012 before making his mark as junior for the Blue Bulls’ Under-19 and Under-21 sides in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Last year Louw made an impression on the national selectors and was rewarded with a spot in the Junior Springboks side to New Zealand, where he featured at tighthead prop in all five of their matches.
The 20-year-old was born in Ceres and finished his schooling at Drostdy Technical High School in Worcester and was lured back to the Western Cape at the end of last season and is another in a long line of very promising young props in the Western Province stable, including Springbok Frans Malherbe, Steven Kitshoff and Oli Kebble.
Louw made his Super Rugby debut as a replacement for the Stormers in the first round earlier this year and brings raw power and tenacity to the Western Province side and will no doubt be a tough customer to deal with come scrum time.
Rising Star #6 – Hyron Andrews (Sharks XV)
Sharks XV lock Hyron Andrews is another member of the 2012 wider SA Schools squad who is in line for a senior provincial debut this weekend.The 19-year-old Andrews, a string bean at 2.02m tall and 104kg, moved to Pretoria when still at school and quickly established himself as a genuine prospect, representing the Blue Bulls’ at Under-16 and Under-18 levels before his elevation to the SA Schools team in 2012.
Last year the Paarl-born lock, who matriculated at Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria and was a member of SARU’s Under-16 High Performance squad in 2011, moved down to Durban where he joined the Sharks Academy and was a stalwart of the Sharks Under-19s who reached the semifinals of the Provincial series.
He worked hard in 2014 to improve his power and gain weight, which he did successfully without losing any of his speed or agility.
Andrews, a lock in the Victor Matfield-mould who trained with the Sharks’ Super Rugby squad at the end of last season, is still eligible to play for the Junior Springboks this year and a number of strong performances in the Cup are sure to put him on the radar of the national selectors.
Round Three fixtures:
Friday, March 20
Golden Lions v Blue Bulls
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 15.00
Referee: Quinton Immelman
SWD Eagles v Free State XV
Venue: Outeniqua Park, George
Kick-off: 19.00
Referee: Rodney Boneparte
Saturday, March 21
Leopards XV v Falcons
Venue: Lichtenburg High School, Lichtenburg
Kick-off: 14.30
Referee: Francois Pretorius
EP Kings v Griquas
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Kick-off: 15.30
Referee: Tahla Ntshakaza
Sharks XV v Border Bulldogs
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 15.30
Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni
Pumas v Limpopo Blue Bulls
Venue: Secunda
Kick-off: 16.00
Referee: Archie Sehlako
Boland Cavaliers v Western Province
Venue: Caledon
Kick-off: 16.30
Referee: Jaco Pretorius
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