Author: froberholzer

Secunda managed to come out on top against table toppers Oos-Moot  by 45-41 in the SDC Noordvaal Cup Shield-division on Saturday.

It was a game of two halves, with Secunda playing with the wind in the first 35 minutes, they managed to build up a lead of 21 points by half time.

The platform was laid by the speedsters at the back, capitalizing on the hard work done by the big men upfront. Secunda’s left wing, Luan Lottering, impressed once again from the tee with another 100% success rate as well as contributing two tries to his teams’ tally.

Among the big men it was Secunda’s ever-present hooker, Henrico Fourie, who lit the fire for the team from Mpumalanga. He announced his presence with a remarkable display with the ball in hand as well on defence.

Oos-Moot fought back very well after the break and quickly shut down the lead of Secunda with them using the stiff breeze to their advantage in the second half. Charl van der Sluis was once again very good with his kicking game, taking full advantage of the wind behind his back to pin the opposition down in their own half.

Van der Sluis’ accurate kicking allowed the home side to capitalize on continued pressure as they started pilling on the points, but it deemed not to be enough as they lost by 45-41 at home.

Ligbron has become the dark-horse in the Shield division after beating Lichtenburg 21-17 at home on Saturday. The men from Ermelo lead from the get-go as they dominated the physical battle upfront to set the stage for the speedsters at the back to play their expansive running game which continuously caused problems for the Lichtenburg defence.

Lichtenburg struggled to find any sort of continuity as the Ermelo based side kept disrupting their ball at ruck time and capitalized on the unforced errors from the hosts to claim an important win to keep their hopes for a Semi-final spot alive.

Scorers:

Secunda 45 (31) – Tries: Jarno Haaroff (2), Luan Lottering (2), Henrico Fourie, Tyron Moolman. Conversions: Lottering (6). Penalty: Lottering. Oos-Moot 41 (10) – Tries: Tapiwa Rfawa (2), Gert Hendrik Grobler, Jacques Benade, Ewald Wolmarans. Conversions: Charl van der Sluis (5). Penalties: Van der Sluis (2).

Ligbron 21 (14) – Tries: Ayanda Mkwebane (2), Henco de Bruin. Conversions: Diean Swart. Lichtenburg 17 (7) – Tries: Tommie Scott, Lukie Benson, DG Jacobs. Conversion: Albert Joubert.

Other teams:

u16: Secunda 10, Oos-Moot 10; Ligbron 13, Lichtenburg 10.

u15: Secunda 24, Oos-Moot 12; Ligbron 33, Lichtenburg 8.

u14: Oos-Moot 20, Secunda 7; Ligbron 19, Lichtenburg 3.

Kempton Park, who’s currently sitting in second place in the SDC Noordvaal Cup Plate-division, will look to stay on track to secure a home Semi-final when they travel to Pretoria to take on Zwartkop on Saturday.

Kempton started of well after the holiday break and put together a comprehensive team performance to beat Hoërskool Middelburg 39-19 last week. The men from Kempton ran in five tries at home to seal the deal. Although, it was inside centre, Marco Opperman, who had his kicking boots on with a 100% success rate from the tee. Joshua Meyer makes another appearance in the familiar position at fullback and will look to continue his purple patch on attack when they take on the Zwarries.

Upfront, the loose trio from Kempton, have been a menace in the competition thus far. Milano Hattingh (blindside flank) and Preston Smith (eightman) will look to bring the physicality.

The Zwarries’ struggle for continuity continued last week with a loss against Montana on home soil. Waldo Smit has been a shining light at 9 for the men from Pretoria and will once again look to capitalize on any weaknesses in the Kempton defence sniping around the fringes. Smit has been well supported by Denilson Metcalfe (right wing) and Kyle Blignaut (outside centre) with both being strong ballcarriers out wide for the Zwarries.

Upfront Leonard Lotriet (blindside flanker) will look to counter the physical loose trio from Kempton and give back some of their own medicine. Lotriet has been instrumental in lighting the fire among the big men in the trenches.

Motana will travel to Middelburg to face Hoërskool Middelburg on Saturday.

The Monties’ finally got some rhythm against Zwarries last week and looked a different outfit after the break. Their ever-present hooker, Christiaan Coetzee would like to put in another big shift upfront to lead his side to what might be somewhat of an upset if they can come out on top on Saturday.

Middelburg will have other ideas after their loss last weekend and will look to capitalize on home ground advantage to keep their hopes alive for a semi-final spot. Ronin van Niekerk has been instrumental for his side thus far with his remarkable work rate and will once again aim at being the rock in Monties’s shoe at ruck time.

HTS Middelburg will still be hurting from their one-point loss against the table toping Rustenburg last week but will take tremendous positives from that as they still search for that elusive first victory in the division this season when they face Klerksdorp in Middelburg on Saturday.

Both teams have struggled throughout the competition with Klerksdorp also searching for their first win thus far.

Transvalia will face a tough ask when they take on the table toppers from Rustenburg on Saturday. The men from Vander Bijl are currently sitting in third position and a victory away from home could somewhat ease their path to secure a home semi-final. Rustenburg are still unbeaten and playing at home will make the ask so much tougher for Transvalia.

The teams:

Zwartkop vs Kempton in Pretoria at 12:30:

Zwartkop: 15 Johnathan Wilson, 14 Denilson Metcalfe, 13 Kyle Blignaut, 12 Zander Farmer, 11 Declan Grobler, 10 Kieraan Krotz, 9 Waldo Smit, 8 Ian van der Westhuizen, 7 Leonard Lotriet, 6 Adriaan Janse van Vuuren, 5 Nathan van Aswegen, 4 Johan van Heerden, 3 Brogan Ackerman, 2 Reagan Smith, 1 Xavier Boikano.

Kempton: 15 Joshua Meyer, 14 Andre du Plessis, 13 Marko Opperman, 12 Tiaan Delport, 11 Tian Aucamp, 10 Zander de Jongh, 9 Ryan Smith, 8 Preston Smith, 7 Milano Hattingh, 6 Ruben Turketti, 5 Luann Schreuder, 4 Divan Francis, 3 Adrian Labuschagne, 2 Brendon Gerber, 1 Zeke Shaw.

Hoërskool Middelburg vs Montana in Middelburg at 13:30 :

Middelburg: Mthokozisi Yende, 14 Swelihle Sibiya, 13 Smiley Sibande, 12 Luke Geldenhuys, 11 Blessing Hamandishe, 10 Crawford Joubert, 9 Simtha Maseko, 8 Kaylin Maputha, 7 Tyrell Isaacs, 6 Ronin van Niekerk, 5 Rogan van der Walt, 4 Wandisa Mthobeni, 3 Tebogo Nkosi, 2 Fumani Chuake, 1 Shuan Marx.

Montana: 15 Divan Nel, 14 Joshua Fouche, 13 Liam de Villiers, 12 Roald Matthee, 11 Ryan Nel, 10 Rigard van Rensburg, 9 Ewan Korb, 8 Ivaan Koltzow, 7 Devan van der Merwe, 6 Eduard Retief, 5 Justin Herbst, 4 Hein du Preez, 3 Divan Nel, 2 Luan Theunissen, 1 Rico Heroldt.

HTS Middelburg vs Klerksdorp in Middelburg at 12:40 :

HTS Middelburg: TBC

Klerksdorp: 15 Brink von Wielligh, 14 Asif Sumara, 13 Lebogang Wageng, 12 Leonard Bevan, 11 Papino Maluleke, 10 Decon Loots, 9 Izak Nienaber, 8 Pedri Snyman, 7 Vuyo Msagala, 6 Kobus de Waal, 5 JJ Nel, 4 Heinrich Hovener, 3 Liam Pretorius, 2 Janu de Wet, 1 Juan-dre Botha.

Rustenburg vs Transvalia in Rustenburg at 12:30 :

Rustenburg: 15 Lorenzo Snyers, 14 MC Smit, 13 Adriaan Liebenberg, 12 Awie Alberts, 11 Zulu Khumalo, 10 Jayden Meyer, 9 Nathan van Aswegen, 8 Adrian Young, 7 Sybrandt Byleveld, 6 GJ Steenberg, 5 Pedri Human, 4 PJ Engelbrecht, 3 Carlo van Wijk, 2 Zander Steenkamp, 1 Werner Kinnear.

Transvalia: 15 Danie Grobler, 14 Zintle Motsomai, 13 Siya Khambula, 12 Brandonlee Smit, 11 Ruben Claasen, 10 Duan du Toit, 9 Anro Nagel,8 Anro Labuschagne, 7 Xander Mchniel, 6 Wynand Stols, 5 Dane Beytel, 4 Victor Brits, 3 Stiaan Breedt, 2 Junior van Wyngaardt, 1 Arne Botes.

 

Eldoraigne will look to cause an upset when they travel to Brakpan on Saturday for their SDC Noordvaal Cup Bowl clash against a very strong Die Anker team.

Eldoraigne got some continuity going after the break beating Wesvalia in a cliff hanger last week, coming out on top 24-23.

Die Anker on the other hand just kept going where they stopped beating Merensky, who managed to beat Eldoraigne in the first fixture of the season, by a whopping 63-10.

Die Anker has been unstoppable coming out on top in all their Bowl division fixtures thus far. Their fullback and player of the match from last week, Damien Muller, will be in action again this weekend and will certainly look to continue his brilliant run of form. Muller crossed the whitewash twice last week with some remarkable runs from the back, showing his clean pair of heels.

Up front it will be the lock pairing in Ruben Herbst and Reagan Pretorius to look out for as the look to set the stage again with their imposing physicality among the big men. The pair has impressed with some good performances throughout the season, Herbst’s probably coming from last week against the light blues as he also contributed ten points to his team’s total.

Eldoraigne certainly have the necessary fire power upfront to match Die Anker’s physicality, with their stalwart lock, Myburgh van Wyk, returning after a shoulder injury. Together with Anroux du Plessis on the side of the scrum, the battle upfront promises to be a spectacular one.

At the back the points machine from last week, Reynier Kidson, takes up the berth in the ten jersey again this week, looking to continue his good kicking form and to neutralize the threat in the form of his opposite number, Benton Giessing.

Pietersburg will travel to Klerksdorp to face off against Wesvalia in their first Noordvaal fixture after the break. The team from Limpopo proved too good for Potch Gimmies in an unofficial warm up match last weekend, beating the side from Potch 20-18.

Wesvalia fell just short of putting a cat amongst the pigeons with their narrow defeat against the Eldo’s last weekend. Looking at results and the recent from both teams this promises to be another nail bitter.

Dr. Malan travels to Tzaneen to face a wounded Merensky side, but the light blues will be a horse of a different colour in their own back yard. Going unbeaten on home soil thus far, the light blues will look to capitalize on that advantage in search of redemption. Dr. Malan on the other hand, has not won in the bowl division so far and will look to add more salt in the wounds with a victory away from home.

The teams:

Die Anker vs Eldoraigne in Brakpan at 12:20:

Die Anker: 15 Damien Muller, 14 Marcel Engelbrecht, 13 Duhan du Plessis, 12 Branden Crous, 11 Christiaan Nell, 10 Benton Giessing, 9 Danie Smit, 8 Hanru Pienaar, 7 Divan du Plooy, 6 AJ Roux, 5 Reagan Pretorius, 4 Ruben Herbst, 3 Daniel du Toit, 2 Dihan de Villiers, 1 Buks Britz.

Eldoraigne: 15 JP Meyer, 14 Hendru van Zyl, 13 Marchand Nel, 12 Ivan Vermeulen, 11 Rynardt Gelderblom, 10 Reynier Kidson, 9 Donnevin Naude, 8 Johan Coetsee, 7 Anroux du Plessis, 6 Divan de Jager, 5 Myburgh van Wyk, 4 Shane Henery, 3 Willie Diffenthal, 2 Wickus Diffenthal, 1 Jayden Niehaus.

Wesvalia vs Hoërskool Pietersburg in Klerksdorp at 12:30: 

Wesvalia: 15 Marno Dreyer, 14 Teboho Sekonyela, 13 Deon Viljoen, 12 Philip Janse van Rensburg, 11 Werner Kruger, 10 Richardt van Heerden, 9 Justin Ludick, 8 Hanre Venter, 7 Hennoh Visser, 6 Francois Dumond, 5 Marco Dreyer, 4 Vian Botes, 3 Koos Kleynhans, 2 Juniot Kuhn, 1 Heinrich Jansen van Vuuren.

Pietersburg: 15 Dian van Tonder, 14 Devon Janse van Rensburg, 13 Heno van Zyl, 12 Wian Terblanche, 11 Neil Smith, 10 Vincent Luckhoff, 9 Divan Brown, 8 Henre Venter, 7 Reuben Weyer, 6 Keegan Baker, 5 Dewan Gobey, 4 Jayden de Bruyn, 3 Floris Venter, 2 Dewald de Beer, 1 Jan-Hendrik Venter.

Merensky vs Dr. Malan in Tzaneen at 12:30:

Merensky: 15 Caleb Mokglaotse, 14 Clifford Ledwaba, 13 Klokke Mohlala, 12 Ulrich Mare, 11 Mahlatse Semosa, 10 Byron Hendricks, 9 Dirk de Nysschen, 8 Waldie Haasbroek, 7 Tian Viljoen Krugel, 6 Hardus Terblanche, 5 Zander Heydenrych, 4 Luan Verster, 3 Tirelo Mashapa, 2 Ruan Marcos, 1 Divan Pietersen.

Dr. Malan: 15 Collyn Fouche, 14 Ethan Williams, 13 Andreas Botha, 12 Francois van Niekerk, 11 Dante Morat, 10 Dian van der Berg, 9 JP Kinghorn, 8 Juan Jardin, 7 Xander Boshoff, 6 JJ Bester, 5 Clayton Button, 4 Liam Giacomozzi, 3 JT Swart, 2 Duhan Rheeder, 1 Kananelo Mtlambo.

Strap in ladies and gentlemen, this one’s going down to the wire when one meets two in this all-important clash to secure vital home semi-finals.

The Jacaranda City can look forward to a titanic battle when Oos-Moot welcome Secunda in their SDC Noordvaal Cup Shield-clash on Saturday.

Oos-Moot are currently at the top of the log in the division being unbeaten thus far, with their most recent win coming from a convincing performance in Lichtenburg, beating the Liggies 41-32.

The men from the Moot have seemed to be unstoppable, playing a very impressive brand of rugby, with their stalwart, Gert Hendrik Grobler, at the fore front. Grobler has been an invaluable asset with ball in hand, with most struggling to stop the Pierre Spies like eight-man when he get’s going.

Together with Grobler his colleagues in the loose trio, Wade Williams and Nathan Kleynhans, has helped lit the fire among the big men upfront.

At the back it has been, Charl van der Sluis, who’s been remarkable with his kicking from the tee as well as his tactical kicking. Other than his kicking performances, van der Sluis has been impressive with ball in hand, taking on the defence and creating opportunities for the speedsters on his outside.

Secunda will come out firing with Jean du Toit coming up against van der Sluis in the ten-jersey in a battle of its own. Du Toit has been strong on defence in the all-important flyhalf channel throughout the season and has been instrumental on attack creating something out of nothing with his ability to attack the smallest of spaces.

Tyron Moolman will also be a force to be reckoned with coming of a fantastic performance against a spirited Ben Vorster side last week. Moolman will once again be linking up with his ever-impressive centre partner, Tian Steyn who’s been equally impressive in the 12- jersey thus far.

Among the big men, Hanre Hattingh, has been irreplicable for the men from Secunda, as the workhorse upfront continues his great run of form. Hattingh has been well supported up front by his loose head, Jayden Shnuir, who seems as if he might be wearing the wrong number on his back, troughing his body around all over the field like a seasoned loose forward.

In the only other fixture in the division for the weekend, Lichtenburg will look to shrug of last week’s defeat to get them back on track for a semi-final spot when they welcome Ligbron Akademie on Saturday.

This won’t be no easy feat for the men from North West, knowing that Ligbron caused a major upset as they beat Heidelberg Volkskool 31-19 in Ermelo last week. It will undoubtedly be an arm wrestle up front when Kyle Alves and his pack squares up against a strong Liggies pack.

At the back it will be a sure test on defence for either side, with both showing no fear when it comes to expansive running rugby and exceptional handling skills.

The Teams:

Oos-Moot vs Secunda in Pretoria at 12:30.

Oos-Moot: 15 Jeandre de Bruyn, 14 Jaydan la Douce, 13 Stian Oosthuizen, 12 Ruwan Allen, 11 Tapiwa Rwafa, 10 Charl van der Sluis, 9 Jacques Benade, 8 Gert Hendrik Grobler, 7 Wade Williams, 6 Nathan Kleynhans, 5 Jaydon Botha, 4 Deon Badenhorst, 3 Christian Smit, Ryan Scott, 1 Braam Bezuidenhout.

Secunda: 15 Tiaan Delarey, 14 Ryan Erasmus, 13 Tyron Moolman, 12 Tian Steyn, 11 Luan Lottering, 10 Jean du Toit, 9 Jarno Haaroff, 8 Mike Pretorius, 7 Hanre Hattingh, 6 Sibusiso Ngubane, 5 Armand Kwooitz, 4 Zack Loock, 3 Tumelo Mtshali, 2 Henrico Fourie, 1 Jayden Shnuir.

Lichtenburg vs Ligbron Akademie in Lichtenburg at 12:30 .

Lichtenburg: 15 Collen Peraira, 14 Johandre van der Walt, 13 Lukie Benson, 12 Benre Pollard, 11 Tiaan Crowther, 10 Albert Joubert, 9 Willem van Niekerk, 8 DG Jacobs,7 Tiaan Booysen, 6 Abrie Coetzee, 5 John Kleynhans, 4 GJ Malan, 3 Tommie Scott, 2 JJ Jonker, 1 Ockie Lotriet.

Ligbron Akademie: 15 Khaya Mahlangu, 14 Ladulwasi Nkosi, 13 Anele Ngwenya, 12 Sithelo Zikhali, 11 Asanda Mabuza, 10 Khulekani Maseko, 9 Diean Swart, 8 Kyle Alves, 7 Vannie Fourie, 6 Ayanda Mkwebane, 5 Senothile Madosenla, 4 Arno Koekekmoer, 3 Mpho Ngwenya, 2 Henco du Bruyn, 1 King Nhlapho.

 

Die Anker ran rampant in Brakpan in their clash against Merensky in the SDC Noordvaal Cup Bowl-division on Saturday.

The hosts scored ten tries to beat the light blues from Tzaneen convincingly by 63-10.

Damien Muller (fullback) and Ruben Herbst (Lock) were at the forefront of the onslaught, both crossing the whitewash.

Muller was also rewarded as man of the match for his remarkable performance.

The platform was laid at the front with Die Anker’s massive pack rumbling forward to gain the upper hand early in the contest, which meant ample space for their flyers at the back to breach the Merensky defenders on a regular basis and pile up the points on the scoreboard.

Muller and Herbst’s performances were backed up with good performances from flyhalf, Benton Giessing, who took advantage of a deteriorating Merensky defence by putting the flyers on his outside into the acres of space provided and hooker, Dihan de Villiers, who played like a fourth loose forward and could be seen all over the park.

With this being the light blues second loss in as many matches, they will definitely need go back to the drawing board and reset before their next clash against Dr. Malan.

Eldoraigne snuck home in their first encounter after the break claiming a difficult victory against a spirited Wesvalia side in Pretoria.

Eldo’s manged to hold to their lead and come out on top by only one point 24-23 with none being better than the hosts’ flyhalf, Rynier Kidson. 

Kidson put up a remarkable display of attacking rugby and scored 14 of his side’s 24 points which included a five-pointer. His kicking boot proved to be the deciding factor between the two sides as he steered the Eldo’s home with a 100% success rate from the kicking tee, earning him the mantle of player of the match.

On the visitor’s side, Rickard van Heerden played a vital part in his teams’ performance. The fullback kept his side in the hunt as he ticked over the scoreboard from the tee. From the side of the scrum, blindside flanker, Heinrich Visser, put up his hand with a physical display, as well as scoring five points for his team.

Potchefstroom Volkskool managed to shrug of their loss against Eldoraigne to secure a comprehensive victory over Hoërskool Alberton. Volkies ran in six tries in their 34-5 victory.

Flyhalf, Christo Rose, was back to his best, as the playmaker managed to cross the tryline and created some spectacular opportunities for the men on his outside. Ludwich Schuld had another good outing in the midfield capitalising on the space and opportunities set up by Rose.

Scorers:

Die Anker 63 (22) – Tries: Ruben Herbst (2), Damien Muller (2), Dihan de Villiers, Reagan Pretorius, Benton Giessing, Brandon Crous, Marcel Engelbrecht, Christiaan Nell. Conversions: Crous (3), Giessing, Hanru Pienaar. Penalty: Crous. Merensky 10 (10) – Try: Luan Verster. Conversion: Byron Hendricks. Penalty: Hendricks.

Eldoraigne 24 (17) – Tries: Janko Janse van Rensburg (2), Reynier Kidson. Conversions: Kidson (3). Penalty: Kidson. Wesvalia 23 (6) – Tries: Hennoh Visser, Deon Viljoe. Conversions: Rickardt van Heerden. Penalties: Van Heerden.

Potchefstroom Volkskool 34 (17) – Tries: Ludwich Should, Francois Smit, Christo Rose, Wian Alberts, Johan van Tonder, Andre van Zyl. Conversions: Rose (2). Hoërskool Alberton 5 (0) – Try: Carlos Madjiedt.

Other teams:

u16: Die Anker 36, Merensky 10; Alberton 24, Potch Volkies 0; Eldoraigne 7, Wesvalia 5.

u15: Die Anker 41, Merensky 3; Potch Volkies 28, Alberton 0; Wesvalia 17, Eldoraigne 7.

u14: Die Anker 19, Merensky 10; Potch Volkies 45, Alberton 14; Wesvalia 12, Eldoraigne 7.

Montana managed to come out on top against Zwartkop by beating them 28-18 in their SDC Noordvaal Cup clash in the Plate-division on Saturday.

The injury ridden Zwartkop continued to struggle to find any continuity as unforced errors stemmed their flow.

Montana on the other hand, looked they are finally beginning to find some rhythm in their season and looked a different team.

The Monties’ started of slow but got going after hitting their straps and from there on it seemed like it would be one way traffic for most of the game.

Montana played fast paced rugby at high intensity which made it hard for the men from Centurion to keep up.

The Montana based team had the upper hand among the big men up front and shifted the ball from side to side continuously challenging the Zwartkop defence. Their second rower Hein du Preez and ever-present hooker, Christiaan Coetzee, were the two who set the fire among their counterparts.

This made it easy for their dangermen at the back to get into their stride on attack, none being better than their flying outside centre, Liam de Villiers. De Villiers proved to be a constant threat on attack and would later round of a brilliantly set up try.

On the side of Zwarries, it was their flyer on the left wing, Danlison Metcalfe, who stood out among the rest with a good performance, which included a visit behind the Monties’ tryline. Waldo Smith (scrumhalf), tried valiantly to get his team in the game with good performance from the kicking tee, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a better Montana team on the day.

HTS Middelburg made use of their home ground advantage to make Rustenburg sweat for their victory of 22-21.

As the case in the other fixtures, the break seemed to be good for the men the from Middelburg as they looked renewed and was able to match Rustenburg physically.

The men from North West struggled to get going with a lot of unforced errors creeping in to their game as the Rooibulle kept on pilling up the pressure.

Although Rustenburg’s general, Jayden Meyer, showed his composure as he put a good performance at ten also contributing five points for his team. Awie Alberts’ boot proved to be the deciding factor for his team with an important performance from the kicking tee.

Kempton Park secured a good win over Hoërskool Middelburg to keep them in the race. The men from Kempton crossed the whitewash five times in their victory of 39-19. Upfront it was Milano Hattingh (blindside flank) and Preston Smith (eighthman) who brought the physicality, to set the stage Josh Meyer to shine.

Meyer’s illusive running proved to be problematic for the defences of Middelburg as he joined the attack from fullback scoring one of his team’s five tries.

Scorers:

Montana 28 (14) – Tries: Christiaan Coetzee, Hein du Preez, Liam de Villiers. Conversions: Roald Matthee, Rigard van Rensburg. Penalties: Matthee (3). Zwartkop 18 (6) – Tries: Danilson Metcalfe, Kyle Blignaut. Conversion: Waldo Smit. Penalties: Smit (2).

Hoërskool Rustenburg 22 (14) – Tries: Zander Steenkamp, Jayden Meyer, Zulu Khumalo. Conversions: Awie Alberts (2). Penalty: Alberts. HTS Middelburg 21 (14) – Tries: Dewald Pieterse, Alex Pretorius, Chris Skonsana. Conversions: Zander Erasmus (3).

Kempton Park 39 (26) – Tries: Divan Bouwer, Milano Hattingh, Keagan Trollip, Ryan Smith, Josh Meyer. Conversions: Marco Opperman (3). Penalties: Opperman (3). Hoërskool Middelburg 19 (19) – Tries: Kaylin Maphutha, Zulu van Niekerk, Mthokozisi Yende. Conversions: Divan van der Westhuizen (2).

Other teams: 

u16: Zwartkop 19, Montana 15; Rustenburg 48, HTS Middelburg 0; Middelburg 43, Kempton Park 9.

u15: Zwartkop 46, Montana 0; Rustenburg 38, HTS Middelburg 15; Kempton Park 34, Middelburg 7.

u14: Montana 24, Zwartkop 17; Rustenburg 31, HTS Middelburg 0; Middelburg 20, Kempton Park 5.

 

It was without a doubt a different Ben Vorster Buffels team that took the field on Saturday against Secunda in Tzaneen.

The men from Tzaneen came close to causing a massive upset falling agonisingly short with 23-17. The clash between the two sides is part of the Shield-division of the SDC Noordvaal Cup.

Both teams struggled for rhythm early on, but it didn’t take Secunda very long to hit their straps, which definitely brought out the best in the Buffels’ defence.

Jean du Toit had another remarkable performance at ten for the visitors. Du Toit dictated play after absorbing relentless pressure from the Vossie defence.

He sealed the deal with an excellent try just after half-time. Left wing, Luan Lottering, also had another outstanding performance from the kicking tee with a 100% success rate, backed up by a phenomenal display of tactical kicking, keeping the Tzaneener’s under continuous pressure.

Upfront it was once again the leader of the side, Hanré Hattingh, who raised his hand with a fantastic all-round performance with ball in hand and an impressive display on defence.

For the Buffels it was their inside centre, Chadwin Storm, who laid the platform for his sides impressive performance. Storm set the midfield a light keeping the two Craven Week centres from Secunda on their toes for the full 70 minutes. He was well supported by the man on his inside Divan Spangenberg who has a knack of creating something out of nothing with his remarkable vision on attack.

The battle upfront was one to behold with Buffels’ eight man, Aza Mabe, getting stuck in, bringing a lot of physicality to the table, supported by his captain in the second row Aldo Blignaut the pair constantly wrecked havoc at ruck time and was the back bone of the hosts’ defence, but it deemed not to be enough as Secunda snuck over the line to claim another victory.

Oos-Moot managed to come out on top 41-32 in difficult conditions in Lichtenburg. The men from Pretoria got out of the blocks quickly to head back to the sheds with a 14-point lead at the break. For the visitors it was their stalwart from the back of the scrum Gert-Hendrik Grobler who shone with another two tries to add to his already impressive tally for the season.

Albert Joubert kept the hosts in the game with a solid performance from the kicking tee, backed up his captain and eighthman, Renier Rall, who had other good outing and also managed to cross the white wash.

Hugenote (Springs) bagged a much needed win against Jeugland to keep their hopes alive in the division. Their winning performance was led by their burly hooker, Aiden Mazirelle, who was all over the park and scoring a well-deserved try too boot.

Ligbron caused what might be arguably the biggest upset of the season thus far, beating Heidelberg Volkskool in a dominating performance on home soil.

Their eighthman, Kyle Alves, put in another big shift and showed why represented the Pumas at the Craven Week a couple of weeks ago.

Scorers: 

Secunda 23 (13) – Tries: Juan du Toit, Jayden Schnuir. Conversions: Luan Lottering (2). Penalties: Lottering (3). Ben Vorster 17 (7) – Tries: Damian Bye, Aza Mabe. Conversions: Divan Spangenberg (2). Penalty: Spangenberg.

Oos-Moot 41 (24) – Tries: Gert-Hendrik Grobler (2), Stian Oosthuizen, Zander Kuhn, Jeandré de Bruyn. Conversions: Charl van der Sluis (5). Penalties: Van der Sluis (2). Lichtenburg 32 (10) – Tries: DG Jacobs, Renier Rall, Tiaan Crowther, JJ Jonker. Conversions: Albert Joubert (3). Penalties: Joubert (2).

Hugenote (Springs) 17 (10) – Tries: Aiden Mazirelle, Diaan Pretorius, Miquelle Schults. Coversion: Schults. Jeugland 8 (3) – Try: Billy Rheeder. Penalty: Marnu Maritz

Ligbron 31 (14) – Tries: Henco de Bruin, Sithelo Zikali, Kyle Alves, Asanda Mabuza. Conversion: Diean Swart. Penalties: Swart (3). Heidelberg Volkskool 19 (7) – Tries: Lian Pelzer, AJ Engelbrecht, Daniel Munro. Conversions: Kayle Venter.

Other teams: 

u16: Ben Vorster 8, Secunda 5; Ligbron 15, Heidelberg Volkies 5; Lichtenburg 24, Oos-Moot 19; Hugenote 17, Jeugland 7.

u15: Ben Vorster 32, Secunda 14; Heidelberg Volkies 14, Ligbron 12; Lichtenburg 10, Oos-Moot 5; Jeugland 17, Hugenote 14.

u14: Ben Vorster 38, Secunda 0; Ligbron 8, Heidelberg Volkies 6; Oos-Moot 42, Lichtenburg 7; Hugenote 22, Jeugland 7.

Zwartkop will face a tough task when they cross swords with Montana in the SDC Noordvaal Cup Plate-division on Saturday.

The injury ridden team from Centurion will take the field with no less than five of their regular starters sidelined due to injuries.

Zwarries have been struggling to hit their straps this season only managing one victory against HTS Middelburg (37-24) as the continuous injuries stem their quest in search of any continuity.

Their openside flanker, Jandre Hanse, has been a shining light, putting his body on the line for his team throughout the season. Hanse has also been veracious at ruck time and plays a pivotal role on defence as well. At the back scrumhalf, Waldo Smith, will be one to look out for. Smith is a continuous threat around the fringes and has the ability to provide quick, clean ball to a dangerous backline.

Montana will be looking to build some continuity after they too managed to beat HTS Middelburg 24-16 in their last fixture before the break.

The big men upfront Hein du Preez (lock) and Ivaan Koltzaw (eight man) have been in good form. Du Preez and Koltzaw have featured heavily with the ball in hand and have been instrumental on defence for their side.

Monties’ fullback, Divan Nel, has proved to be a danger from the back with his ability to counterattack from anywhere on the field.

With both teams having an extensive break and being well rested this promises to be a totally different ball game which will go the full 70 minutes.

A wounded HTS Middelburg side will look to cause the upset of the season when they welcome Rustenburg on Saturday.

The men from North West are unbeaten in the competition thus far, with flyhalf, Jayden Meyer, and fullback, Lorenzo Snyers, being the danger men for their side as they look to continue their good form from earlier in the season and secure yet another victory as they look to come out on top in the Plate Division.

The Teams:

Zwartkop vs Montana 12:20 at Zwartkop:

Zwartkop: 15 Declan Grobler, 14 Milton Naude, 13 Kyle Blignaut, 12 Al-Zander Farmer, 11 Danilson Metcalfe, 10 Kieraan Krotz, 9 Waldo Smith, 8 Ian van der Westhuizen, 7 Leonard Lotriet, 6 Jeandre Hanse, 5 Nathan van Aswegen, 4 Johan van Heerden, 3 Brogan Ackerman, 2 Reagan Swanepoel, 1 Xavier Boikano.

Montana: 15 Divan Nel, 14 Joshua Fouche, 13 Liam de Villiers, 12 JF Venter, 11 Roald Matthee, 10 Rigard van Rensburg, 9 Ewan Korb, 8 Ivaan Koltzow, 7 Devan van der Merwe, 6 Eduard Retief, 5 Justin Herbst, 4 Hein du Preez, 3 Divan Nel, 2 Christiaan Coetzee, 1 Rico Heroldt.

HTS Middelburg vs Rustenburg 12:20 at HTS Middelburg:

HTS Middelburg: TBC

Rustenburg: 15 Lorenzo Snyers, 14 Adriano George, 13 Adriaan Liebenberg, 12 Awie Alberts, 11 Zulu Khumalo, 10 Jayden Meyer, 9 Nathan van Aswegen, 8 Adrian Young, 7 MC Smit, 6 Reuben Delport, 5 Sybrand Byleveldt, 4 PJ Engelbrecht, 3 Carlo van Wyk, 2 Zander Steenkamp, 1 Werner Kinnear.

Merensky kicks of their second half of the SDC Noordvaal Cup Bowl Division against Die Anker in Brakpan on Saturday.

The light blues have continued to impress after beating Eldoraigne 32-22 in their first encounter of the competition.

Although, they have a mountain to climb when they face Die Anker in their back yard. Die Anker have been impressive this year, only losing twice in their season thus far. The flank pairing AJ Roux (openside flank) and Divan du Plooy (Blindside flank) have been a menace at the break downs and will aim to disrupt as much Merensky ball as possible.

At the back the ever-impressive, Benton Giessing, slots in at flyhalf. Giessing has been in remarkable form this season proving to be vital in the dangerous attack his team possesses at the back.

Merensky on the other hand, possess some firepower of their own up front in the imposing figure of Waldie Haasbroek at the back of the scrum. The Craven Week eight man has nearly been unstoppable with ball in hand and has been the backbone of a very strong Merensky defence.

Byron Hendricks will look forward to the battle of the ten’s as he will look to outshine his opposite number in the ten jersey. The red-hot fullback for the light blues, Klokke Mohlala, moves to outside centre to make an already attacking backline more dangerous.

Potchefstroom Volkskool will host Alberton in their first fixture after the holiday break. Alberton has gained some momentum with their recent win over Dr. Malan (29-12) and will look to create some continuity against a wounded Volkies side. Volkies will want to put their recent loss against Eldoraigne (54-15) behind them to regain momentum in their hunt for silverware.

The teams:

Die Anker vs Merensky 13:30 at Die Anker:

Die Anker: 15 Damien Muller, 14 Marcel Engelbrecht, 13 Duhan du Plessis, 12 Branden Crous, 11 Christiaan Nel, 10 Benton Giessing, 9 Danie Smit, 8 Hanru Piennar, 7 Divan du Plooy, 6 AJ Roux, 5 Ragan Pretorius, 4 Ruben Herbst, 3 Daniel du Toit, 2 Dihan de Villiers, 1 Buks Britz.

Merensky: 15 Caleb Mokglalaotse, 14 Clifford Ledwaba, 13 Klokke Mohlala, 12 Ulrich Mare, 11 Mahlatse Semosa, 10 Byron Hendricks, 9 Dirk de Nysschen, 8 Waldie Haasbroek, 7 Tian-Viljoen Krugel, 6 Hardus Terblanche, 5 Zander Heydenrych, 4 Luan Verster, 3 Tirelo Mashapa, 2 Ruan Marcos, 1 Divan Pieterson.

Alberton: TBC

Potch Volkies: TBC

 

 

Ben Vorster will be looking to capitalise on home ground advantage whey they take on Secunda.

The action in the SDC Noordvaal Cup Shield division returns on Saturday the 22^nd of July after the June-break. The Buffels have a big task on hand when they welcome Secunda in Tzaneen.

Secunda have been the team to beat thus far and will be returning injury free after most of their players partook in the different national weeks.

Captain, Hanre Hattingh, returns to the side of the scrum to lead his side. Hattingh has been the stalwart upfront, providing empathise to an already intimidating forward pack.

At the back, vice-captain, Tian Steyn (inside centre) and Tyron Moolman (outside centre) will look forward to linking up to wreak havoc among the Vossie-defenders and gain an early advantage it what seemed to be a wet and cold fixture.

The Buffels will have to make due without their busy loose-head prop, Meyer Jacobs, but have a more than capable replacement in Lethabo Sejake, who slots in at hooker and Christopher janse van Vuuren moving tight-head. Hattingh’s opposite number, Layton Nel, will also be a force to be reckoned with his burly ball carries and impressive defence. In the midfield Chadwin Storm (inside centre) also returns unscaved after impressing in the Academy week in June. It will undoubtedly be a battle between the two centre pairings as Tihandre Reyneke (outside centre) pairs up with Storm for the Buffels.

Oos-Moot will make the trip to Lichtenburg to face what might be their toughest challenge yet.

The Men from Pretoria are still unbeaten up to date and will want to get the second half of their campaign of to a flying start to keep their momentum going. Wade Williams returns to the side of the scrum to complete an imposing loose trio, with Charl van der Sluis taking up the mantel of general again in the ten-jumper.

Lichtenburg will certainly make things difficult as they too return injury free. Captain, Renier Rall, slots in at number eight, where he will be able to inject some emphasis with the ability to play more freely.

A titanic battle awaits upfront with both teams fielding their strongest packs.

It will indeed be another action-packed weekend in the Shield Division as the race for the title starts heating up towards the business end of the competition.

The teams:

Ben Vorster vs Secunda in Tzaneen at 12:30:

Ben Vorster: 15 Neo Sephuma, 14 Ruan Sutherland, 13 Tihandre Reyneke, 12 Chadwin Storm, 11 Damian Bye, 10 Divan Spangenberg, 9 Cilliers van Heerden, 8 Aza Mabe, 7 Laython Nel, 6 Mias Koen, 5 Aldo Blignaut, 4 Nkateko Phakula, 3 Christopher janse van Vuuren, 2 Lethabo Sejake, 1 Chris Snyman.

Secunda: 15 Tiaan Delary, 14 Ryan Erasmus, 13 Tyron Moolman, 12 Tian Steyn, 11 Luan Lottering, 10 Jean tu Toit, 9 Jarno Haarroff, 8 Mike Pretorius, 7 Hanre Hattingh, 6 Sibusiso Ngubane, 5 Armand Kwooitz, 4 Zak Loock, 3 Tumelo Mtshali, 2 Henrico Fourie, 1 Jayden Schnuir.

Lichtenburg vs Oos-Moot in Lichtenbureg at 13:30:

Lichtenburg: 15 Collen Peraira, 14 Johandre van der Walt, 13 Antonio Vasjel, 12 Benre Pollard, 11 Tiaan Crowther, 10 Albert Joubert, 9 Willem van Niekerk, 8 Renier Rall, 7 Tiaan Booysen, 6 DG Jacobs, 5 John Kleynhans, 4 GJ Malan, 3 Tommie Scott, 2 Eddie du Preez, 1 Ockie Lotriet.

Oos-Moot: 15 Jeandre de bruin, 14 Jaydon la Douce, 13 Stian Oosthuizen, 12 Ruwan Allen, 11 Tapiwa Rwafa, 10 Charl van der Sluis, 9 Jacques benade, 8 Gert Hendrik Grobler, 7 Wade Williams, 6 Nathan Kleynhans, 5 Jaydon Botha, 4 Zander Kuhn, 3 Christian Smith, 2 Deon Badenhorst, 1 Braam Bezuidenhoud.