Under-13 Craven Week - Day 3 results

Match Reports

Thursday was Day 3 of the Under-13 Craven Week taking place in Oudtshoorn, and there was a surprise result.

The first major upset of the tournament saw Limpopo, formerly Far North, beat KwaZulu Natal by a huge score and another highlight saw the determined Mpumalanga team beat the Blue Bulls after earlier in the week seeing off Western Province.

Limpopo vs KwaZulu Natal, 39-0
 
Both sides were without a win going into the match but the winning margin was unexpected based on their previous performances. Limpopo scored seven tries, which included a hat-trick by prop Johan Maree. They led KwaZulu Natal 27-0 at half-time. First half tries were scored by Maree (2), wing Pshegane Maponya, centre Nicephore Omba and eighthman Tiaan Gerber, one of which was converted by flyhalf Harold Vorster. Further tries were added by scrumhalf Johan du Plessis and Maree, and Vorster added a second conversion to seal a comprehensive win for Limpopo.

Eastern Province vs Griffons, 45-0

The winning margin was surprising as the Griffons had shown great promise in their first two matches, losing narrowly to SWD and then winning against Zimbabwe. But it was a case of everything falling into place for Eastern Province. Their seven tries were scored by centre Ruwellyn Isbell (3), Zuko Ndela (2), hooker Frans Gerber and centre Kirwan Ceasar with flyhalf Andreas Nel kicking five conversions.

Free State vs Boland, 15-5

Free State bounced back from their loss to the Blue Bulls on Tuesday to record a hard fought 15-5 win over Boland. It was Free State’s second win at the tournament. The teams were tied at 5-5 at the break. Boland opened the scoring with a try by wing Alexis Fillies midway through the first half and Free State drew level on the stroke of half-time when centre Johannes Ferreira went over for a try.  Free State made the better use of their chances in the second half, adding further tries through centre Marco Badenhorst and eighthman Henco Greyling to secure the win.

Mpumalanga vs Blue Bulls, 17-13

Mpumalanga scored their third consecutive win at the tournament. It was the Baby Pumas second big scalp at the Week after their 17-14 win over Western Province on Monday. With the two starting the game with unbeaten records, the match had a “derby” feel about it with neither side giving an inch. They both played open, attacking rugby with the ball regularly finding its way down the line to the wings. The Blue Bulls led 13-10 at half-time and the Pumas were made to fight back for the win. Centre Morné du Plessis opened the scoring with a try for the Blue Bulls, and they extended their lead to 8-0 after fullback Willem Strydom kicked a penalty. Wing Neil Meyer pulled a try back for the Pumas but the Blue Bulls extended their eight-point cushion when prop Timothy Nhlapo forced his way over. Mpumalanga narrowed the deficit on the stroke of half-time through a try by wing Zithulele Vilikazi. Vilikazi scored the decisive try midway through the second half after a great build-up from the Pumas. the Blue Bulls pressed hard in the final minutes but were unable to get the breakthrough.

Golden Lions vs Leopards, 22-3

In a match up between two of the “form” teams at the Week, the Golden Lions took full advantage of their better forward pack and physical strength to subdue the talented Leopards team 22-3. The Golden Lions, who led 10-3 at the break, established their forward dominance early on and enjoyed good quality and abundant possession throughout. They broke the deadlock midway through the first half when eighthman Anthony Kapp scored a try, which was converted by flyhalf Andrew Smith. Leopards Flyhalf Gerhaan Pieters reduced the deficit to four with a penalty but Smith restored the seven-point lead directly from the restart after the Leopards infringed in front of their posts. The Golden Lions extended their lead through a try by wing Boetman Grobler early in the second half and midway through they went further ahead after flank Ruan Steenkamp scored a try and Smith converted to make it 22-3. The Leopards never gave up but some poor handling and their failure to get the ball to their pacy back three contributed to their undoing.

Griquas vs Border Country Districts, 17-0

Griquas registered their first win as well as their first points at the tournament. The Northern Cape side had made a poor start in suffering successive losses to the Leopards (40-0) and Eastern Province (22-0). But they played better on day three and came away with a deserved result. They led 5-0 at half-time through a try by scrumhalf Zane le Roux and added second half tries via flank Graham De Reuck, converted by centre Jaco Buys, and wing Juan Cloete to hand Border Country Districts their second defeat at the week.

Boder vs Valke, 8-8

Border and the Valke shared the spoils 8-8 in a match that was marred by the yellow-carding of two opposing props for fighting during the final minutes. Both sides had lost their previous encounters after beginning the week with w win each and it was bound to be close. Border went ahead via a try by prop Yakha Qinela and held a 5-0 lead until the break. They went further ahead when flyhalf Justin Haynes kicked a penalty early in the second half. The Valke got on the board midway through the second period via a penalty by scrumhalf Adriaan van Heerden. With just a minute to play and both teams down to 14 players, Valke flank De Wet Meyer scored a try to level matters at 8 apiece. Van Heerden missed the conversion that would have given the Valke a win.

Zimbabwe vs Namibia, 10-10

Zimbabwe were denied victory in the derby encounter between South Africa's northern neighbours, after a spirited second half comeback by Nambia saw the two share the spoils in a 10-10 draw. Zimbabwe led 10-0 at the break after a try by wing Sean Zeederberg and a penalty and a conversion by flyhalf James Forrester. Namibia struck back early in the second half when wing Rheinhard Seibeb went over for a try. Zimbabwe held on bravely but Namibia hooker Gert Lotter leveled matters with a try 11 minutes from time.

Western Province vs SWD, 22-0

Western Province scored a deserved 22-0 win over hosts South Western Districts to record their second consecutive win at the tournament. It was a disappointing result for the Baby Eagles who have now lost their last two outings after making a bright start against the Griffons on Monday. As was the case in their previous match against the Valke, the Western Province pack provided the platform for the win. Western Province led 10-0 at the break following tries by eighthman Ranier Bruyns and wing Anthony Abrahams. With their pack dominant, Western Province extended the lead with a third try by scrumhalf Philip Molnar, which was converted by flyhalf Jean Rossouw. On the stroke of fulltime, Western Province sealed an outstanding performance with a fourth try scored by fullback Erich Engelbrecht. The good performances by both of these young sides was tainted somewhat when two players were sent to the cooler after some fisticuffs in the closing minutes.

Previous Results

Day 1

Blue Bulls vs KwaZulu Natal, 15-3
Border vs Namibia, 38-5
Free State vs Limpopo, 22-10
Golden Lions vs Eastern Province, 31-8
Leopards vs Griquas, 40-0
Mpumalanga vs Western Province, 17-14
South Western Districts vs Griffons, 7-5
Valke vs Boland, 16-10
Zimbabwe vs Border Country Districts, 10-3

Day 2

Western Province vs Valke, 15-0
Blue Bulls vs Free State, 10-5
Golden Lions vs Border, 26-0
Leopards vs SWD, 14-5
Boland vs KwaZulu Natal, 20-15
Mpumalanga vs Limpopo, 19-5
Border Country Districts vs Namibia, 12-5
Eastern Province vs Griquas, 22-0
Griffons vs Zimbabwe, 24-5

By Anthony Mackaiser

Day 4 Fixtures

Zimbabwe vs Griquas
Namibia vs KwaZulu Natal 
South Western Districts vs Limpopo
Border Country Districts vs Griffons 
Eastern Province vs Valke
Border vs Boland 
Free State vs Leopards
Blue Bulls vs Western Province
Mpumalanga vs Golden Lions