Review: Under-16 Girls Week – Day 2
Four sides – Golden Lions, Blue Bulls, Western Province and Border– kept their winning streaks intact at Jeppe High School in Johannesburg on Wednesday, as Day Two of the SA Rugby Under-16 Girls Week concluded.
The standard of play again provided the spectators with excitement and drama, even more so as the hosts just managed to scrape through with a 12-10 win in their match against the Pumas.
Day Two did not deliver any blow-out results, but with 611 points and 104 tries being scored, the crowd were treated to a number of very competitive matches.
Such a match was between the Free State Cheetahs and Griffons. The clash between the two Free State teams proved to be a real battle for provincial bragging rights. The Griffons will claim that thanks to a try by flyhalf Lusa Vanga, which confirmed the 10-7 win over the Cheetahs.
The Griffons got the only try of the first half thanks to lock Maki Disenyane and held a five-point lead at the break. Free State scored a try and a penalty in the second half, but it was all in vain as the second try by the Griffons gave them the edge at the final whistle.
Boland responded well after a heavy defeat against the Blue Bulls on Monday, to outplay the Leopards 32-22 in a match that yielded 10 tries. Two Boland players, Jayme Julies (prop) and Cassia Julius (wing) scored three tries apiece. The Leopards held a 10-5 lead at the break, but could not quite keep up with the pace of the game played by the Cape side.
The Blue Bulls keep their winning streak intact with a solid 22-7 win over Border Country Districts. It was a dominant performance by the Blue Bulls pack that laid the foundation and No.8, Marema Mpja, used this platform to score three tries of her own. The Pretoria side were 10-0 up at half-time and kept that dominance in the second half, where both teams managed a try apiece.
The South Western Districts Eagles got their first win in Johannesburg with a 24-5 defeat of the Sharks. The Southern Cape side scored four tries in the second half of their match to outlast the KwaZulu-Natal team. The Sharks were up 5-0 at the break following a try by prop Sinothile Bhengu, but the outside backs of South Western Districts proved deadly in the second half. South Western Districts made things hard on themselves though, with three yellow cards due to various infringements.
Griquas delivered a surprise of sorts by outplaying Valke 20-7 after leading 15-0 at the break. The Valke had a good win over Free State on Monday (29-10), but found the other heartland team much more demanding. Lively No.8 Mikyla Bennett scored a brace for the Kimberley side to earn them a first win at the tournament.
A much-anticipated clash between Pumas and Golden Lions delivered all the drama expected. Both teams scored at will on Monday, but this time around, defence ruled the day as the home side edged their easterly counterparts 12-10. Both sides scored two tries, with flanker Katlego Legodi’s effort the only points of the first half. Legodi secured her brace in the second half, with Anele Xaba’s conversion the deciding factor as the Pumas could not convert their five pointers scored by prop Lindi Mazibuko and flyhalf Nontokozo Nkosi.
Border stayed on the winning track by outplaying Limpopo 29-7. They had a strong first half and scored four tries to jump into a 24-7 lead. They scored the only try of the second half, as the Limpopo side tightened their defences. Impressive Limpopo lock, Vaina Ubisi, scored her team’s only try to add to the brace she scored on Monday.
The Western Province side is an entertaining one, but also not scared to do some defending. They did that pretty well against EP Elephants in their 22-6 win, restricting their Eastern Cape opponents to only two first half penalties. Once WP, who were up 12-6 at the break, found their stride, they scored two unanswered tries in the second half to keep their unbeaten record at the tournament.
Girls Under-16 Week Results, Day 2
Blue Bulls vs Border Country Districts, 22-7
Boland vs Leopards, 32-22
Border vs Limpopo, 29-7
Golden Lions vs Pumas, 12-10
Griffons vs Free State Cheetahs, 10-7
Griquas vs Valke, 20-7
South Western Districts Eagles vs Sharks, 24-5
Western Province vs Eastern Province Elephants, 22-6
Girls Under-16 Week Results, Day 1
Blue Bulls vs Boland, 41-7
Border vs South Western Districts, 41-22
Eastern Province vs KwaZulu-Natal, 22-14
Free State Cheetahs vs Valke, 29-10
Golden Lions vs Griffons, 53-0
Limpopo vs Griquas, 36-12
Pumas vs Leopards, 39-0
Western Province vs Border Country Districts, 40-0
The Under-16s have a rest day on Wednesday, while a full set of matches in the Under-18 Girls Week are down to be played at Jeppe Boys High.
Under-18 Girls Week Fixtures, Day 2 – Thursday, 19 June 2019
10.00: Pumas vs Griffons
10.00: Border Country Districts vs Leopards
11.15: Boland vs Free State
11.15: Golden Lions vs Griquas
12.30: Border vs Sharks
12.30: Eastern Province Elephants vs Limpopo
13.45: Zimbabwe vs Blue Bulls
15.00: Western Province vs South Western Districts Eagles
•The Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) Week will conclude at Sentraal High School in Bloemfontein tomorrow.
The main match will be between two undefeated sides, Western Province and SWD Eagles.
The 14 matches played on Monday and Tuesday produced 115 tries and 742 points at an average of just over 50 points per match and more of the same is expected on Thursday as the teams play their last matches of the tournament.
LSEN Week Fixtures, Day 3 – Thursday, 19 June 2019
09.00: Golden Lions EE vs Pumas
09.00: Eastern Province Elephants vs Griffons (B-field)
10.20: Sharks vs Free State Cheetahs
10.20: Leopards vs Gauteng XV (B-field)
11.40: Golden Lions vs Blue Bulls
13.00: Valke vs Boland
14.30: South Western Districts vs Western Province
LSEN Week Results, Day 1
Free State vs Pumas, 24-15
Gauteng XV vs Golden Lions EE, 29-0
Golden Lions vs Leopards, 26-24
Griffons vs Sharks, 69-17
South Western Districts vs Boland, 59-29
Valke vs Blue Bulls, 38-13
Western Province vs Eastern Province, 34-18
LSEN Week Results, Day 2
Blue Bulls vs Boland, 18-14
Eastern Province Elephants vs Gauteng XV, 25-17
Golden Lions EE vs Sharks, 37-5
Golden Lions vs Pumas, 38-12
Leopards vs Free State Cheetahs, 53-24
South Western Districts vs Valke, 29-17
Western Province vs Griffons, 48-17
Issued by SA Rugby Communications
