Four Unbeaten U13 Teams
There are 18 teams taking part.
Wednesday is a day of rest for the players who play again on Thursday and Friday,
The Blue Bulls powered their way to a 22-0 victory against South Western Districts as the team played to their strengths by using their bigger players to force their way through the defence, which they backed up with good support play. South Western Districts tried hard to force their way into the Blue Bulls half throughout the match, but the Pretoria side’s solid defence combined with their ability to win turnovers stop the George side from scoring a single point.
The clash between Eastern Province and KwaZulu-Natal was nail-biting as the teams fought until the end, with the Eastern Cape outfit just pipping their Durban counterparts. Eastern Province outscored KwaZulu-Natal three tries to two in what was a tight tussle from the outset, but it was Eastern Province’s defence that stood out as they shut out the determined KwaZulu-Natal team close to their try-line on several occasions in the dying minutes.
KwaZulu-Natal have now lost both of their matches.
The Golden Lions produced an effective performance to build up a 15-0 half-time lead against Border. But the Eastern Cape side fought back strongly in the second half and scored two tries by Litelihle Bester, one which was converted. A second-half penalty goal by the Lions, however, saw them secure an 18-12 victory.
Western Province overcame a strong challenge from the Limpopo in a physical encounter to register a 41-10 victory. The Cape side was particularly strong at taking advantage of the opposition’s mistakes and using their support play to sneak their way through the gaps and around the defence. This earned them a rewarding seven tries, while they limited the Limpopo side to two.
Namibia ran circles around Border Country Districts on attack. Their forwards laid a solid foundation up front and their backs ran hard on attack and snuffed out the gaps on the defence. This effective display earned them a staggering 14 tries, with centres Jurenzo Julius and Louw Rossouw each scoring a hat-trick, which they also converted, to guide the team to a 92-12 victory.
The Griffons dominated their clash against the Pumas from the outset and they did well to force their way over the advantage line, which earned them two first-half tries and a 17-0 lead at the break. They added another try in the second half, while Pumas wing Samkelo Ntshapela touched down twice for his team. But these efforts were not enough, and left them settling for a 22-10 defeat.
The clash between the Falcons and Griquas was quite physical as the teams used their forwards in an attempt to gain ascendancy. The Falcons, however, had the upper hand as they managed to break through the gaps in defence and they used their chances well to run in six tries, while they conceded only one, for a 36-7 victory.
Leopards flank Divan Pieters was a star player in his team’s 66-7 victory against Zimbabwe as he scored four of the side’s 10 tries in a one-sided encounter. Zimbabwe managed to score only one converted try in the first half and they were unsuccessful in their attempts to add to this in the second half as the Leopards defended with intent.
Boland put their speedy backs to good use in their clash against hosts, the Free State, which paved the way for their 26-10 victory. Boland scored two tries in the first half and added two more after the break, while Free State No.8 Johannes Hendrik Botha scored in each half in what marked the hosts’ only points.
Under-13 Craven Week Results
Day 2
Blue Bulls v South Western Districts, 22-7
Boland v Free State, 26-10
Eastern Province v KwaZulu-Natal, 17-14
Golden Lions v Border, 18-12
Griffons vs Pumas, 22-10
Leopards vs Zimbabwe, 66-7
Namibia v Border Country Districts, 92-12
Falcons v Griquas, 36-7
Western Province v Limpopo, 41-10
Day 1
Blue Bulls vs Free State, 45-12
Border vs Pumas, 18-15
Eastern Province vs Leopards, 32-15
Golden Lions vs KwaZulu-Natal, 23-14
Griquas vs Namibia, 21-19
Limpopo vs Boland, 15-14
South Western Districts vs Falcons, 14-14
Western Province vs Griffons, 71-0
Zimbabwe vs Border Country Districts, 45-0
From SARU Communications
