CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 29: Jurenzo Julius of South Africa U20 scores a try during the World Rugby U20 Championship 2024 match between South Africa and Fiji at DHL Stadium on June 29, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
The Junior Springboks started their 2024 World Rugby u20 Championship in commanding fashion at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday by beating Fiji 57-7 in their tournament opener. They led 31-0 at halftime.
The South Africans scored eight tries in a strong showing of their intent and bar some second-half lapses in concentration and a yellow card to Jurenzo Julius, played with good commitment and purpose throughout.
They secured their four-try bonus point in the first half and went on to score eight tries in total, while Fiji managed a solo try in the second half.
In his reaction, Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko said his team did well to secure a good win against a physical Fijian side, by doing the basics right.
“We took some time to get going in the opening minutes, did well to stick to our fundamentals and then get the job done,” said Nhleko.
“We will take the win, there’s obviously work-on, but we know it will get tougher with Argentina and England in our pool, who are two physical and well drilled teams on attack as well as at set piece.”
The Junior Boks’ win was built on a solid performance by their hardworking pack of forwards.
“We spoke in the week about our set piece, and how important it would be to be disciplined and stick to our structure, so I’m glad we could do that,” said Nhleko, who added they were also happy to give the wider match-day squad playing time.
The SA U20 mentor said: “It’s going to be important to manage the load of the squad throughout the tournament, and we could do that today (Saturday), thanks to the good platform provided by the pack.”
The SA Under-20’s face Argentina on Thursday in their second pool game, and with that in mind the Junior Bok coach said it was important to keep an eye on player load management.
“We learnt some harsh lessons in the past, so we must get the balance right. We will keep the spine together as we look at managing the squad because the Argentinians are a tough, physical team.”
Replacement scrumhalf Ezekiel Ngobeni was stretched off after a tackle collision late in the second half.
“He was taken to the hospital for a check-up, but he is okay, he is a warrior,” said the coach.
The team will undergo a recovery session on Sunday and resume training on Monday. Thursday’s game against Argentina kicks off at 19h00 at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch.
On Saturday, day two of the u16 SASHOC National Week, the reigning champions, Western Province A, continued on their winning ways at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein.
Coach Louise Conradie’s side was pushed hard but they held off Northern Blues A to claim a 2-1 victory.
Frank Cassidy opened the scoring in the first chukka and Camryn Corner made it 2-0 in the second chukka. However, Northern Blues pulled one back shortly after the break, with Lenique Vogel striking. Province’s defence held sway the rest of the way, but Vogel’s goal was the first time they had conceded in three matches.
With three wins from three outings, Province tops Pool A, but they’re not alone, KZN Coastal A also sports a perfect record of three from three.
On Saturday, the KZN side handed the hosts, Southern Free State A, a 2-0 defeat. It took them until the second half to get onto the scoresheet, but, after Chelsey Woolf slotted from a penalty corner, within a minute they were two goals to the good when Codie Bestbier scored.
Through three games, Coastal has netted nine times without giving up a goal. Western Province has exactly the same goal difference, having scored one more goal.
In a KZN derby, KwaZulu-Natal Inland A handed KwaZulu-Natal Coastal B a 4-1 loss. It was only 1-0 at the break, with Mia Howie‘s penalty corner strike separating the teams.
Then, Kate van Breda bagged a brace in the third chukka to give Inland A some breathing room, and Holly Hofmeyer made it 4-0 before Angela Bingham netted a consolation goal for Coastal B five minutes before the end of the game.
On Sunday, Western Province faces Southern Free State A, whose record is one and one after their loss to KZN Coastal A.
RESULTS
Eastern Province A 2-0 Southern Gauteng B
Boland A 1-3 South Gauteng A
Boland 3–0 Border
KwaZulu-Natal Coastal B 1–4 KwaZulu-Natal Inland A
Northern Blues 1–2 Western Province A
Southern Free State A 0-2 KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A
Southern Gauteng A 0-1 Eastern Province
Southern Gauteng B 0-3 Boland
KZN Inland A took on Border A on the second day of the u16 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein. Photo: TeamPhoto SA.
After a blistering start to their u16 SASHOC National Week campaigns, Western Province A, Boland A, KZN Coastal A, and KZN Inland A, carried their momentum into the second day of action at the University of Free State’s Astroturf in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
On the opening day, all four teams kicked off their challenges with impressive victories.
The defending champions, Western Province defeated both Eastern Province A and Southern Free State A 3-0 to get their title defence off to a smooth start.
On the tournament’s second day, coach Sam Holmes’ troops picked up from where they left off in their encounter against KZN Inland B.
Province, unlike on Friday, was quickly out of the blocks, and punished their opponents, scoring three goals in the first two chukkas, with Liyanda Binta striking once and Jacques van Dyk adding a brace to put them into a comfortable 3-0 lead at halftime.
Further goals in the fourth chukka, from Luc Dicey and Oliver Roach, and a consolation goal from Kwanga Mngwengwe for the Inlanders, made the final result 5-1.
In Pool A, another side that impressed was Boland. Coached by Dewald Raath, they produced a classy showing to beat Northern Gauteng A 5-2, which improved their record to two from two.
After falling behind 0-1 to a Victor Louw goal in the first chukka, Boland came out firing in the second chukka and scored twice, through Luke Meets and Seth Paterson, to go into halftime with a narrow lead.
Lloyd Patterson made it 3-1 in the third chukka, before Meets scored twice in the final 15 minutes to complete a hattrick. Louw was on target again for Northerns, but it was mere consolation as the Bolanders won by a three-goal margin.
On Sunday, Boland faces a very tough challenge. They play twice and take on Western Province A and Eastern Province A.
Photo: TeamPhoto SA
The KZN teams, Coastal A and Inland A lead Pool B, with Southern Gauteng A just behind them.
The KZN boys remained unbeaten on day two, with Inland, captained by Sebastian Laudenberg, thumping Border A 5-1, before edging out KZN Coastal B 2-1.
Thandanani Zuma and Siwaphiwe Sithembu both scored twice against Border, while Gomolemo Motswadire completed the drubbing. Inland takes on a tough Southern Gauteng A side on Sunday.
Their KZN counterparts, Coastal A, though, defeated Southern Gauteng A 3-1 on Saturday to retain their joint lead in the pool.
Josh van Biljon opened the scoring in the first chukka, but Southerns hit back with a goal from Jayden Da Silva.
Taylon Goodwin proved to be the difference after halftime, scoring once in both the third and fourth chukkas to see coach Keegan Hezlett‘s side to victory.
Eastern Province enjoyed a good day out against the hosts, Southern Free State, taking their chances well to romp to a 7-2 win.
James Chree scored a hattrick of goals, Keegan Le Roux grabbed a double, and Logan Goddard-Ford and Mpumi Magwentshu also netted, to complete a comprehensive victory.
After losing to KZN Coastal in the morning, Southern Gauteng A eked out a 1-0 win over Southern Gauteng B later in the day.
Day three’s action starts at 08:30 with a clash between Northern Gauteng A and Eastern Province A.
Results| Day 2
KZN Coastal B 2-1 Southern Gauteng B
KZN Inland A 5-1 Border A
KZN Coastal A 3-1 Southern Gauteng A
Eastern Province 7-2 Southern Free State A
Western Province A 5-1 KZN Inland B
KZN Inland A 2-1 KZN Coastal B
Boland A 5-2 Northern Gauteng A
Southern Gauteng A 1-0 Southern Gauteng B
Fixtures| Day 3
08:30 – Northern Gauteng A vs Eastern Province A
09:55 – Western Province A vs Boland A
11:20 – Southern Free State A vs KZN Inland B
12:45 -KZN Coastal A vs Southern Gauteng B
14:10 – KZN Coastal B vs Border A
15:35 – KZN Inland A vs Southern Gauteng A
15:35 – Eastern Province A vs Boland A at Grey College
The u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF) kicked off at St Alban’s College on Saturday, with 16 teams from around South Africa in action.
The festival, coming late in the season, features many stayers’ teams and it is a perfect opportunity for the independent schools to take stock of where their squads are ahead of the 2025 season.
The event format features matches of 25 minutes’ duration per half, with rolling substitutions allowed. At the conclusion of the event, a Festival XV will be named, and they’ll play in the NextGen XV u18 Tournament at Grey College in Bloemfontein in December.
Cornwall Hill College ran out winners in their opener, storming to a 21-0 victory over CBC Boxburg, with Max Land, Daniel Van Ravensteyn and Dade Kunneke scoring tries. The second half became a little scrappy, which was possibly a consequence of a raft of substitutions, reckoned coach Dewald Kruger.
In a tight battle, St John’s College went down to KZN’s Kearsney College, who claimed a hard-fought 12-7 victory.
In another close Gauteng vs KZN game, Hilton College beat St Stithians College by exactly the same score, winning 12-7, with Langa Dlamini and Dan Sweeney scoring tries for the Midlands’ school.
St David’s Marist Inanda made light work of Uplands College, running riot in a 39-0 victory, which included a brace for Nathan Hwindingwi.
Woodridge, from the Eastern Cape, won by 10 points over St Benedict’s College, recording a 17-7 win.
Clifton, meanwhile, comfortably beat St Andrew’s School, from Bloemfontein. The Durban boys led 17-0 at halftime but were given a stiff fight in the second half, eventually winning 24-5.
St Charles clawed their way to a victory over the u17 Blue Bulls Development side, coming back from 0-6 down to win 12-6. Raphael Ajibade was named the man of the match after a strong performance for Saints, which included an excellent try.
In the final match of the day, the hosts, St Alban’s, held off St Andrew’s College to claim a narrow 10-5 win, which will give the Pretoria side a boost of confidence ahead of Monday’s matches. Matthew Nelson and Kai Cele crossed for tries for the winners.
The festival ends on Wednesday, 3 July, with the third and last round of matches.
Results Day One
CBC Boksburg 0-21 Cornwall Hill College
Kearsney College Stayers XV 12-7 St John’s College Stayers XV
Hilton College Stayers XV 12-7 St Stithians College Stayers XV
St David’s Marist Inanda Stayers XV 39-0 Uplands College
St Benedict’s College Stayers XV 7-17 Woodridge College
Clifton College Stayers XV 24-5 St Andrew’s School
Blue Bulls u17 Development XV 6-12 St Charles College Stayers XV
St Alban’s College Stayers XV 10-5 St Andrew’s College Stayers XV
Fixtures Day 2 – Monday 1st July 2024
08:00 – Clifton Stayers XV v St David’s Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
09:10 – Cornwall Hill College v St Stithians Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
10:20 – Kearsney Stayers XV v St Benedict’s Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
11:30 – St Andrew’s College Stayers XV v St Charles Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
12:40 – CBC Boksburg v St Andrew’s School (Moshate Field)
13:50 – Uplands College v Woodridge (Moshate Field)
15:00 – Blue Bull u17 Development XV v St John’s College Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
16:15 – St Alban’s College Stayers XV v Hilton College Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
Western Province unofficial champions of the 59th Craven Week in Krugersdorp. PHOTO: Frans Lombard/Actionpix
KRUGERSDORP. – Die Westelike Provinsie beleef ‘n goue era by die Cravenweek vir hoërskole. Die unie is vir die vyfde agtereenvolgende toernooi as die nie-amptelike kampioen gekroon.
Die Streeptruie het Saterdag op die Ras van Rooyen-veld hier sy 15de agtereenvolgende sege op die toernooi behaal. Hy het die Vrystaat welverdiend met 37-24 in die hoofwedstryd geklop. Die telling vlei wel die wenspan, maar hy was gewis weer die voorste span op die Cravenweek.
Die wenspan se senterpaar, Markus Muller en Samuel Badenhorst, het blink vertonings in die hoofwedstryd opgedis. Voorlangs was die loskopstut, Oliver Reid, asook die agtsteman, Aden da Costa, uitmuntend.
Die Vrystaters se kaptein en haker, Liam van Wyk, asook die skrumskakel, Philip McLaren, het vir die verloorspan hul lywe op die spel geplaas.
Hul heelagter, Heinz Stockenström, het die toernooi as die voorste puntemaker met 45 punte afgesluit. Boonop is die Vrystaatse losskakel, Alzeadon Felix, vir sy vertonings aan die Wes-Rand as die Speler van die Toernooi aangewys.
Die Goue Leeus het amper sy toernooi met ‘n nagmerrie afgesluit, maar sy plaasvervanger-haker, Keenan Myners, het met ‘n drie na die sirene gesorg dat sy span met 45-40 oor die Suidwestelike Distrikte kon koning kraai.
Die Leeus se haker en kaptein, Siphosethu Mnebelele, is as voorspeler van die toernooi aangewys. Die tuisspan sal egter nie tevrede met hul vertoning in Krugersdorp wees nie.
Die Pumas het sy toernooi onoorwonne afgesluit deur die Westelike Provinsie XV-tal met 27-22 te verslaan.
Dié span sou so stukkie ekstra genot uit die sege geput het na die SA Skole-keurders nie ‘n enkele speler van die unie as goed genoeg vir een van die twee nasionale skolespanne geag het nie.
Voeg daarby die feit dat vyf spelers van die Streeptruie – Reuben Kruger (agtsteman), Tom Barnard (slot), Briint Davids (senter), Ikhona Maxegwana (stut) en Markus Muller (senter) almal goed genoeg geag was om die SA Skole A-span te haal.
Muller is wel na beserings opgetrek na die Westelike Provinsie se uitsoekspan.
Die Pumas bied volgende jaar die Cravenweek in Middelburg aan en die keurders moet dalk liefs hul eie verblyf bespreek.
Die Pumas was in 2022 ook onoorwonne toe het die keurders ook nie enige van die unie se spelers as goed genoeg vir hoër louere beskou nie.
Die twee slotte van die Pumas, Franko Rossouw en Zach Loock, was deurgans uitmuntend. Boonop het die span se kaptein en flank, Toy Engelbrecht, twee keer tydens die week die toekenning as Speler van die Wedstryd ontvang.
Boland het ook daarin geslaag om die toernooi onoorwonne af te sluit danksy ‘n sege van 35-27 oor Oostelike Provinsie op Monnas se B-veld.
Die Wynboere se losskakel, Luan Giliomee, het die naasmeeste punte in Krugersdorp met 40 punte aangeteken. Hy is vir sy skitterende spel met ‘n plek in die SA Skole A-span beloon.
Boland sal ook nie tevrede wees oor die feit dat hulle hul toernooi op die B-veld moes klaarmaak nie. Dok Craven sou gewis ook nie met dié besluit van die bepalingskomitee gestem het nie. Veral oor die aanskoulike voetbal wat deur die Wynboere gedurende die week opgedis was.
Griekwas se heelagter, Gregan Jansen, het sy toernooi met ‘n driekuns aan drieë teen die Valke afgesluit. Dit was egter nie genoeg om sy span van ‘n nederlaag van 24-30 te red nie.
Jansen het ‘n uitstaande toernooi vanuit die laaste vesting beleef.
Puntemakers:
Luiperds 43 (12): Drieë: Junior Kuhn, Pedrie Human (2), Francois Dumond, Jordan Radebe, David Ndala, KG Legodi. Doelskoppe: Chris Dennis (2), Lorenzo Snyers (2). Limpopo Blou Bulle 39 (17): Drieë: Chifu Banda, Aza Mabe, Divan Brown, Cleminyino Bowers, Hanno van Zyl (2). Doelskoppe: Byron Hendricks (3). Strafskop: Hendricks.
Pumas 27 (3): Drieë: Franko Rossouw, Vaughn Van Zyl, Ryan Erasmus, Kefilwe Phamotse. Doelskoppe: Matthew Abbey (2). Strafskop: Abbey. Westelike Provinsie XV 22 (17): Drieë: Jayden Joubert, Randall-John Davids, Ashwin Swarts, Danté Christians. Doelskop: David Simon.
Leopards 43 (12) – Tries: Pedrie Human (2), Junior Kuhn, Francois Dumond, Jordan Radebe, David Ndala, KG Legodi. Conversions: Chris Dennis (2), Lorenzo Snyers (2). Limpopo Blue Bulls 39 (17) – Tries: Hanno van Zyl (2), Chifu Banda, Aza Mabe, Divan Brown, Cleminyino Bowers. Conversions: Byron Hendricks (3). Penalty: Hendricks.
Boland’s Taylor Carter in action for his team on day one of the SASHOC National Week. Photo: TeamPhoto SA
The opening day of the u16SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein produced a whopping 33 goals in eight matches as a number of teams caught the eye with their strong starts.
The A section of the tournament, just like the u18 week, is being hosted at the University of the Free State’s Astroturf and at Grey College.
The action concludes with the final on 3 July. You can catch all the tournament action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
On Friday, the defending champions, Western Province A, started their week positively by snagging two wins, over Eastern Province A, and the hosts, Southern Free State A, respectively.
In their opener, coach Sam Holmes‘s troops, despite barely getting out of first gear, carved out an impressive 3-0 victory over EP.
They opened the scoring in the first half through Jacques van Dyk. Then, in the fourth chukka, they doubled their tally through Liyanda Binta, before Province’s influential skipper, Mohlodi Maseko, made it 3-0 with a ripping drag flick.
In their second match, Southern Free State made the Capetonians work hard for their win.
Province opened the scoring with 10 minutes played, through Daniel Graser. They were kept at bay in the second chukka but a double from Liam Dammes in the third chukka proved enough to seal maximum points for Holmes and his charges.
KZN Inland A and KZN Coastal A were also the big winners on the opening day, recording impressive victories.
Inland, who are in Pool B alongside their KZN counterparts, took on Southern Gauteng B and blew them away, winning 5-0.
The side led by Maritzburg College‘s Director of Hockey, Mark Sanders, was 3-0 ahead at halftime, courtesy of a Siwaphiwe Sithembu brace and a solitary goal by Thandanani Zuma.
Zuma made it a double with another goal in the third chukka from a penalty corner, and Ethan Fabre made it 5-0 in the last quarter.
KZN Coastal A coach Keegan Hezlett will be pleased with his team’s game management against the KZN Coastal B team. Matches against very familiar opposition can often be very tricky, but his side handled it well.
The Coastal A side opened up a 2-0 halftime lead, after Jaiden Bramwell struck twice, but they were kept quiet in the third chukka. They ran rampant in the last 15 minutes, however, scoring three times.
A PC drag flick from Keegan de Jager, along with further goals from Nabil Bejia and Bo Mokoena, completed a solid win for the A side.
On Saturday morning, KZN Inland faces Border. Then, in the late afternoon, they take on KZN Coastal B. Meanwhile, Hezlett’s boys go up against Southern Gauteng A at 11:35 in a highly anticipated clash.
Boland is another team to keep an eye on, and they showed what they’re capable of doing on the opening day.
Coached by Dewald Raath, the Bolanders were smart in their approach and that took them to a 4-2 win over KZN Inland B. They scored three times in the first half through Luka Meets, Ruben Gouws, and Caleb Cilliers.
Inland B responded with two goals in the third chukka, via Elliot Springate and Kwanga Mngwengwe, but Meets netted again in the fourth chukka to grab a brace and secure the win for his side.
Photo: TeamPhoto SA
It was a decent day for Northern Gauteng A, too, who played a double-header.
In their opener, coach Rihann van der Merwe‘s boys downed Southern Free State 3-1, with Victor Louw scoring twice before Andrea Clerihew completed the scoring. In their second match, they were held to a 2-2 draw by KZN Inland B.
On Saturday, Northerns tackle Boland. Meanwhile, Southern Free State A, Border, and EP will go in search of their first wins of the tournament.
After the first day’s action, Western Province and Northerns sit atop Pool A with six and four points respectively.
In Pool B, it’s the two KZN sides – Inland A and Coastal A – along with Southern Gauteng A, who are tied on three points.
There is still plenty of hockey to be played and much could change over the coming days.
Results | Day 1
Boland A 4-2 KZN Inland B
Northern Gauteng A 3-1 Southern Free State A
Western Province A 3-0 Eastern Province A
KZN Coastal A 5-0 KZN Coastal B
Southern Gauteng A 3-0 Border A
Northern Gauteng A 2-2 KZN Inland B
KZN Inland A 5-0 Southern Gauteng B
Western Province A 3-0 Southern Free State A
Fixtures | Day 2
08:45 – KZN Coastal B vs Southern Gauteng B
10:10 – Border A vs KZN Inland A
11:35 – Southern Gauteng A vs KZN Coastal A
13:00 – Southern Free State A vs Eastern Province A
14:25 – KZN Inland B vs Western Province A
15:35 – KZN Inland A vs KZN Coastal B @Grey College
15:50 – Boland A vs Northern Gauteng A
17:15 – Southern Gauteng B vs Southern Gauteng A
EON VAN ZYL will referee the main match at the 59th annual Stadio Craven Week in Krugersdorp. The main match will be between Western Province and the Free State. PHOTO: Frans Lombard/Actionpix
KRUGERSDORP. – The honour of officiating the main match of this year’s Stadio Craven Week will fall onto the shoulders of Eon van Zyl.
Van Zyl, a member of the Griffons Referee Association, who is also a member of the national panel will be the man in the middle when Western Province and Free State lock horns to be crowned unofficial champions of the 59th Craven Week.
He officiated the Varsity Shield final between Tukkies and Varsity College earlier this year. So he has more than enough experience to handle the pressures of such a big occasion.
Western Province will be aiming to bag their fifth unofficial title, while also securing their 15th consecutive victory at the Craven Week.
This will be a new record for the tournament which started back in 1964.
The previous referee from the Griffons who handled the main match was AJ Jacobs in 2015 when Western Province recorded a record 95-0 victory over Eastern Province in Stellenbosch.
Jacobs will be officiating at the Olympic Games later this year in Paris.
Last year Ben Connor from Wales became the first overseas referee to blow his whistle in the main match of the prestigious tournament.
The URC’s head of referees, Tappe Henning, once again brought over a couple of overseas referees to gain experience from the Craven Week.
This year Robbie Jenkinson (Ireland), Alex Frasson (Italy) and Rob McDowell (Scotland) all added their names to Craven Week folklore.
Referees in charge of the main match of the Stadio Craven Week through the years:
STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 13: Bathobele Hlekani during the Junior Springboks training session at SAS Rugby Institute on June 13, 2024 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images)
The Junior Springboks have included three uncapped players, namely hooker Luca Bakkes, flyhalf Liam Koen and outside back Likhona Finca, in their match day squad for their World Rugby Under-20 opening match against Fiji at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. The encounter kicks off at 19h00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Bakkes will make his run-on debut and packs down in the front row between props Ruan Swart and Zachary Porthen, the Junior Bok captain, while Finca is set to make his debut off the bench should he be sent on as an outside back replacement. Koen will wear the No. 10 jersey.
Otherwise, the rest of the Junior Boks have a settled look with the rest of the starting line-up and replacement bench consisting of players who participated in the recent SANZAAR Under-20 Rugby Championship in Queensland, Australia.
The starting line-up has five changes and a positional switch from the run-on side that beat Argentina in the last Rugby Championship match at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland, while there are several tweaks among the reserves.
Apart from Bakkes’ inclusion in the front row in place of Juan Smal, there is also a change at No 4 lock, with Thomas Dyer sitting out because of a niggle and the versatile Bathobele Hlekani moves from the side of the scrum to form the lock partnership with JF van Heerden.
Thabang Mphafi, who played off the bench against Argentina U20s, fills Hlekani’s position at No 7 flank, with Siba Mahashe (No 6) and Tiaan Jacobs (No 8) the rest of the loose forwards.
Liam Koen also debuts as the playmaker and he partners scrumhalf Asad Moos in a new-look halfback pairing.
The only other backline change sees Michail Damon in the fullback position, in place of Bruce Sherwood who donned the No 15 jersey in their previous match.
Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko said the team has worked hard over the past week and worked on the lessons from the Rugby Championship in Australia, and they are ready to meet the challenge of Fiji on Saturday.
“We had a good holding camp in Stellenbosch last week and, since our move to our tournament base in Green Point on Tuesday, the focus has been on fine-tuning preparations,” Nhleko said.
Fiji come into the tournament as a well-oiled combination because of their recent success in the Oceania tournament over fellow Pacific neighbours Tonga, Moana Pasifika and Samoa.
“Fiji are a team with threats all round the park, big strong boys with excellent ball skills and dangerous with ball in hand. You need to be on it for 80 minutes, concentration wise, to deal with their threats.
“For us, it’s about excelling in our fundamentals, maintaining our strengths around playing from set piece and being in a position to make the right decisions when there are opportunities. The contact area behaviours will be key on both sides of the ball.” Nhleko said.
The match is the first of three Pool C matches for the SA Under 20s, whose other group games are against Argentina and England.
Meanwhile, the squad also had to make three replacements because of recent injuries. Prop Reno Hirst, lock Adam de Waal and fullback JC Marsh will all miss the Championship through injury.
Hirst hurt his knee; De Waal has been ruled out with a hip injury while concussion means Mars will miss at least the first two matches. Their replacements are Herman Lubbe (prop, DHL WP), Jaco Grobbelaar (lock, Vodacom Bulls) and Hassiem Pead (fullback, DHL WP).
“It’s unfortunate when injuries happen especially for guys like Adam and Reno, who worked so hard (from previous injuries) to give themselves a shot at the competition, but it is part of the game, we wish them a speedy recovery,” said Nhleko.
“JC could still feature later in the competition and potentially, has next year as well. In the same breath, it’s great to welcome Hassiem back to the squad and Jaco, who missed the Australia tour due to injury – congratulations to both and we are excited to see their growth.”
Junior Boks team vs Fiji, Saturday, 29 June at the Cape Town Stadium:
The defending champions, Western Province A, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A, and Eastern Province A registered big wins on the first day of the u16 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein on Friday. The event runs through to 3 July.
Province’s title defence got off to a smooth start as they chalked up two wins on the first day.
LouiseConradie‘s charges shrugged off a challenge from KwaZulu Natal Inland A, capturing a 3-0 victory. Camryn Corner found the back of the net in the second and third chukkas before Kate Naiker buried the KZN side with a third goal with five minutes remaining in the game.
Province’s victory over Inland A was a precursor for a dominant performance in the afternoon, which brought them a 5-0 win over KwaZulu-Natal Coastal B. Naiker opened the scoring in the sixth minute, with her second goal of the tournament. From there, it was all Province, with Bea van den Berg netting twice, and Sarah Ashbolt and Chelsey McGregor joining her on the score sheet.
The beating KZN Coastals B received at the hands of Province was their second drubbing of the day. ShannonDemsey’s charges suffered a heavier defeat in the morning at the hands of their compatriots, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A.
KZN Coastal A finished fifth in 2023, but their opening salvo on Friday suggested they will be in for a higher finish this time around, with plenty of goals to boot.
Last year, they scored 16 goals, which was the fifth-highest tally by any team, with five of those coming off the stick of Nicola Forbes, who was a member of the u18 team that finished third last week.
Asanele Zuma appears to be a worthy successor to Forbes. The 14-year-old Durban Girls’ College learner was on target four times on day one. She opened her account with a brilliant hat-trick against KZN Coastal B as the Coastal A side powered their way to an emphatic 6-0 win over their compatriots. The other goal scorers included Chelsey Woolf, who struck twice, and Liyanda Memani.
Later in the day, Zuma scored the only goal of the match as Coastal A edged out Northern Blues A 1-0.
Western Province A and KZN Coastal are top of the pile in Pool A, with both on six points, but separated by goal difference.
Eastern Province A were the other big winners on Friday. Coach Andrew Beynon‘s charges hammered Border 8-1 in the fourth contest of the day.
They opened the scoring 11 minutes into the tie and did not stop. Jana Prinsloo struck four times, while Kerrin Gillies contributed a hat-trick. Alecia Louw added another goal as EP A romped to victory.
Border’s consolation goal came from Megan Phillips in the 41st minute. They were already 0-5 down when she found the back of the net. That emphatic win has left Eastern Province A top of Pool B after the opening day
RESULTS
Northern Blues A 1-3 Southern Free State A
KZN Coastal A 6-0 KZN Coastal B
KZN Inland A 0-3Western Province A
Border 1-8 Eastern Province A
Southern Gauteng B 0-4 Southern Gauteng A
Boland B 0-5 Boland A
KZN Coastal A 1-0 Northern Blues A
Western Province A 5-0 KZN Coastal B
On Saturday, day two of the u16 SASHOC National Week, the reigning champions, Western Province A, continued on their winning ways at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein.
The u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF) kicked off at St Alban’s College on Saturday, with 16 teams from around South Africa in action.
