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After an impressive run at the u18 SASHOC National Week, the Southern Gauteng B side will fight for bronze on the last day of the event following a 0-2 defeat to Southern Gauteng A in the semi-finals on Thursday in Bloemfontein.

The Southerns’ B side gave their senior counterparts a tough contest but eventually succumbed to defeat, beaten but unbowed.

They took on their semi-final challenge with confidence after pulling off successive victories on Wednesday over Northern Free State and Eastern Province.

Both sides exhibited stubborn defences, with coach Lance Louw‘s B side defending solidly, including when they conceded a couple of penalty corners, and the teams went into halftime goalless.

In the 41st minute, Hannah Quinton broke the deadlock. That goal led to an increase in the intensity of the clash.

It took until the last minute for Southern Gauteng A to secure their victory with a second goal. This time it was Amber Fairon who slotted a field goal.

Although his team went down, Southern Gauteng B coach Louw was, nonetheless, thrilled with the performance of his side throughout the SASHOC National Week.

“It’s always going to be tough playing the A side,” he said, “but we stayed in the game for a long time, with just one lack of concentration, a penalty corner, and we kept out six.

“Kudos to the girls,” he added. “They did well. We didn’t think we would make it this far, but we did.”

Witsies will face another stiff challenge in the battle for bronze when they tackle KZN Coastal A on Friday.

Jacinta Wedderburn‘s charges went unbeaten through their pool fixtures. On Thursday, though, they were eliminated from title contention after they played to a 1-1 draw with Northern Gauteng, before going down 2-3 in a penalty shootout.

The KZN outfit’s challenge began with a 3-1 win over Eastern Province on Sunday. On day two, they overwhelmed Northern Free State 8-1, and they followed that up with a 1-0 win over Boland later that same day.

Southerns’ B proved to be tough opponents, but Coastal claimed a 1-0 win. On Wednesday, they beat their neighbours KwaZulu-Natal Inland 2-1.

The rematch between KZN Coastal and Southern Gauteng B should be a captivating clash. Louw said his team is eager to have another crack at the KZN side.

“We’re playing KZN Coastal again, and it’s going to be a tough game. Obviously, they are very upset about not making it to the final, but our girls are here to make sure that we make their job as hard as possible.

“We had a really good game against them…so tomorrow we are not going to give up.

“We are going to come back even stronger and rectify what we did wrong today and make sure we rectify the mistake that gave them the goal in that game,” he concluded.

Northern Gauteng A was the first team to book a spot to compete for the Sandra Jordaan trophy in the SASHOC U18 National Week finals in Bloemfontein. They defeated KwaZulu Natal Coastals 3 – 2 in a penalty shootout after a 1 – 1 deadlock in regulation time.

Northerns will face Southern Gauteng A in the final. It is the first time in a long time that sides from the same province will duel for the trophy.

The highveld side was one of the lesser fancied outfits in Pool A, where defending champions Southern Free State A and Southern Gauteng A were expected to be the dominant sides. Sinoxolo Mbekeni’s charges have proven to be the dark horses of the tournament and have a 50-50 shot at winning the title. They also have an opportunity to avenge the 3 – 0 defeat they suffered at the hands of Southern Gauteng A in their second pool match.

Coming into the semifinal tie, Coastals was one of the most clinical outfits in the D, and desperately hunted for an opportunity at goal from the fifth minute onwards. They enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, dictating the tempo in their pursuit of an equalizer, but just couldn’t deliver the final punch. They won several penalty corners, all of which but one were closed down by Northerns.

“Our brief was to let them play but let them play in front of us. That’s why we went that deep and tried to compress the space. They are a good side; they have scored a lot of goals and we wanted to eliminate the 1-v-1 battles,” Mbekeni shared.

Northerns’ leading goal scorer, Arista van Zyl, had put the Gauteng side on the front foot with a fourth-minute strike. The Garsfontein learner chased down a Coastals defender, forced an error and capitalized on the opportunity. After the goal, Coastals reacted by launching foray after foray into the Northerns half. Jacinta Wedderburn’s side chased the game for 34 of the 60 minutes of the contest.

“They have a strong team and keep the ball so well. We tried to not give any penalty corners in defence because we know how good they are. We knew from the beginning there was going to be pressure, we knew they were going to come hard at us,” Daniella McCann explained after the match.

McCann, who speaks highly of the team culture they play in, shared that the Northerns players became each other’s cheerleaders as they raised a wall of defence to repel the KZN team’s attacks. The forward found herself doing defensive work more than she did in making life tough for the Coastals defence.

This Northerns cohort has always been the side that no one took a second look at. According to Luane Janssen, their goal-minder, the girls have played together since they were Grade 6 learners but never achieved a position higher than eighth at provincial tournaments.

“We have never won anything and so our main goal was to make the semifinals. That would have been a big win for us,” the Waterkloof learner explained.

However, after making the semifinals, they dared to dream bigger and realized that dream by adhering to good defence principles. “Throughout the week there have been quarters where we were under a lot of pressure, and I think we have learned from it. The girls are not robots, they are not going to automatically be calm under pressure, but I think they have become better at handling pressure with each passing game,” Mbekeni said.

After withstanding the pressure from the game, Northerns backed themselves to handle the pressure of the shootout with ease. When Coastals took the first penalty stroke and missed, the Gauteng side’s belief swelled. They converted their first stroke but went on to miss the next three, while Coastals scored two of the next three.

Janssen needed to prevent Coastals’ Caprice Bengston from converting her penalty stroke to keep Northerns’ dreams alive. She did so. Andrea Groenewald needed to beat Ella Casterns to keep the Gauteng side alive. She also did so and sent the teams to sudden death. That is when Daniella McCann stepped up to take the stroke.

“You don’t go into a shootout alone; you go with the rest of the team behind you. We also have one of the best goalkeepers in the tournament, so I think that also helps us to stay calm under pressure,” McCann, who converted her stroke, explained.

After making three good saves, Janssen was required to make what later proved to be the most important save of the match. She was facing the talented Emily Macquet. “A shootout is always stressful for everyone. It is stressful for me, the keeper, and I also know that it is stressful for the striker against me. But knowing that my team backs me is also great for my confidence and it helps me to back my training. I train hard for moments like this,” she shared.

Northerns will now carry their underdog tag into the final, where they hope to upstage Southern Gauteng A in a repeat of the Jukskei Derby from earlier in the week.

It will be a classic north-south confrontation when two of South Africa’s oldest rugby rivals meet in the feature match of the u16 Grant Khomo Week at Grey High School in Gqeberha on Friday.

DHL Western Province and the Blue Bulls have underlined their class during the action this week and they will now be targeting top gun status in the final showdown at 12:40 on the Kolisi Field.

Hosts Eastern Province, meanwhile, will be looking to record their first win of the week after two tough encounters when they take on the DHL WP XV on the Pollock Oval at 11.30.

It has not been an easy week for head coach Ashley Carolus‘s team, losing to WP and the Lions, but they have shown a lot of heart in their play and will be fired up to finish strongly. However, they will have noted the supreme competitiveness of their WP opponents, who will also be chasing their first win of the week after two agonising losses.

On both Monday and Wednesday, the WP XV had chances of victory against the Bulls and South Western Districts respectively, but narrowly failed to close the deal.

That means EP will have to be at their best if they want to finish on a high.

While WP and the Bulls must be applauded for their tenacity in finding a way to win, they have not been overly dominant this week.

It suggests that the feature match on the Kolisi Field will be a cracking affair between two sides out to prove a point.

They had to work extremely hard in Wednesday’s fixtures to secure the main game on Friday and their recuperative powers will be put to the acid test in the final match of the tournament.

The week has thrown up some thrilling schoolboy rugby and even as it draws to a close, there will be plenty of pride at stake on the last day.

Border, for instance, will be fired to make it three wins in a row, but face their toughest test of the week against the combative Lions team.

After losing to Sanlam Boland, the Lions lifted themselves with a win over EP on Wednesday and Border can expect a proper onslaught in the opening match on the Kolisi Field at 09:00.

The East London-based side have shown great determination to win twice, but they will now have to move up a level against the Lions.

The other matches on the Kolisi Field will also see teams trying to send out a message after some mixed results this week.

Free State, after losing to the Sharks on Monday, showed enterprise in beating the Pumas and will want to continue that form in what will be a proper challenge against Boland, also with a win and a loss so far.

In the main curtain-raiser, the Sharks and South Western Districts have all the ingredients for a thrilling finale as both sides are packed with tough forwards and backs who are prepared to run the ball at any opportunity.

Fixtures | Friday, 21 June 2024

Kolisi Field

09:00 – Lions vs Border
10:20 – Free State vs Boland
11:30 – Sharks vs SWD
12:40 – Western Province vs Blue Bulls

Pollock Oval

09:00 – Pumas vs Leopards
10:20 – Free State XV vs Griffons
11:30 – WP XV vs Eastern Province

Pyot Field

09:00 – Namibia vs Zimbabwe
10:20 – Border Country Districts vs Valke
11:30 – Griquas vs Limpopo Blue Bulls.

The script could hardly have been better written for the u18 SASHOC National Week final.

It will be a meeting of neighbours and rivals after Boland A and Western Province A booked their place in the title-decider, which takes place on the University of the Free State‘s main AstroTurf on Friday.

The final begins at 11:20; you can watch it LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

To secure their spots in the big game, Boland defeated a resilient Southern Gauteng A side 4-1 on Thursday morning. Then, a couple of hours later, Province was made to sweat for a 1-0 win over a highly motivated KZN Coastal A team.

The finalists, led by coaches Jacques Grobler (Boland) and Bryce West (Province) respectively, were drawn in the same Pool A for the group stage, and they comfortably claimed the top two places.

They dominated, with Western Province putting together a 100 percent winning record and scoring 28 goals in five matches, while Boland lost only once, a 0-5 defeat against Province on day three.

In their semi-final against Southerns, Boland was the better team in crucial moments, exhibiting good control and maintaining ball possession well while also winning the midfield battle.

They scored two quick goals in the first chukka through Reuben Sendzul. The first was a penalty corner (PC) drag flick, and the second came courtesy of great interplay between Matthew Temmis and Joshua Smit, who then picked out Sendzul in space. He turned quickly and fired into the back of the net.

Boland was on top in the second chukka, with their captain Michael Du Toit, Louan Van Zyl, and John Coetzee performing well as a unit.

Gauteng replied, though, with a goal from Avela Sibisi to increase the tension just before halftime.

The third chukka was goalless. However, a Sendzul drag flick, his third goal of the contest, made it 3-1 in the fourth quarter. Ethan Leonard put the nail in the Southerns’ coffin, with the last goal of the game, to ensure the Bolanders advanced to the final with a convincing 4-1 win.

“We’ve had a really good process. The players have bought into it from day one, and that just shows in our performances,” Grobler told SuperSport Schools Plus after the clash.

“We have struggled in one or two games, but those are games we were willing to struggle in, and opted to be clinical in the other games, so that was some top work from the boys.

“I think the big word from this game is ‘control’. I think we controlled large phases of the game.

“They hit us on the counterattack, and they’ve got great skill, but I feel like we controlled 70 to 80 percent of that game, and that counted in our favour.”

Grobler’s charges take on a fierce Western Province team for the title. Province cruised through their pool, but they were pushed all the way by KZN Coastal in their semi-final and managed to sneak by them by the game’s only goal.

They’ll be out to reprise their performance of 2023 in Bloemfontein, when they lifted the title. Boland, meanwhile, last won an inter-provincial tournament back in 2015. On Friday, they’ll have an opportunity to end that nine-year drought.

Province, in their semi against coach Cam Mackay’s Coastal A side, was made to grind out a win.

After taking the lead early in the first chukka through a James Grieve goal, they were held at bay, forced to play in their half, and at times looked uncomfortable on the ball.

It was not a typical Province performance, especially in light of how prolific they had been in front of goal earlier in the week.

Discipline was also an issue for the Capetonians, with Joe Gitlin, Litha Kraai, skipper Stephan Meyer, and Jo Le Roux all picking up green cards.

Coastal will rue a number of half-chances they had to get back into the match, but no player will have a more sleepless night than their outstanding captain and midfielder Matthew de Oliveira.

With time up on the clock, Oliveira was presented with an opportunity to send the contest to a shootout when his side was awarded a penalty stroke. He took on the responsibility of taking the stroke, but his effort struck a post and Province advanced.

“It was a tough encounter. Coastal came out firing and they had a good game plan. They stuck to it, as did we,” WP head coach Bryce West told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.

“There were big moments in the game, and I think both teams stepped up in those moments and never allowed any players to get a sight of goal.

“Both short corner defences were superb. Everything was run down and the nail-biting end there at full-time, unlucky hitting the post. That’s sports, unfortunately.”

Ahead of the all-Western Cape final against Boland on Friday, West said his side would need to be more present in big moments and capitalise on the opportunities they create.

“We just have to be better in moments within the game,” he said. “When big moments come, we’ve got to step up. We certainly created opportunities today, but they didn’t result in goals as they did in the week.

“We’ll just go do video [analysis] on Boland, and also look at ourselves, where we can improve and do better, and take it as it is tomorrow,” he concluded.

Day 5| Results and scorers

KZN Inland A 2 (1): Grant Bridgeford, Ipeleng Mosupye. Southern Gauteng B 1 (1): Connor Sneddon. (Playoff 5-8)

KZN Coastal B 2 (2): Seth Simpson, Liam du Rand. Southern Free State A 2 (1): Matthias Visser, Sbusiso Ndaba (Playoff 5-8)

Boland A 4 (2): Reuben Sendzul (3), Ethan Leonard. Southern Gauteng A: 1(0): Avela Sibisi (Playoff 1-4)

Northern Gauteng A 5 (4): Dali Ndlovu (2), Marco Upton, Sukuma Shirata, Zac Richardson. Western Province B 3 (1): Charlie Naylor (2), O’Ryan Moos. (Playoff 9-12)

Western Province A 1(1): James Grieve. KZN Coastal A 0. (Playoff 1-4)

Eastern Province A 4 (1): Luke Tait, Blake Muller, Kian Cambier, Zack Willimott. Border A 1 (0): Tre’ Gilbert. (Playoff 9-12)

PRETORIA. – The Blue Bulls will face the unofficial defending champions, Western Province in the main match of this year’s annual u13 Craven Week at Menlopark.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

The Bulls managed to keep Boland from reaching their third successive main match with a convincing 32-5 victory. Western Province defeated Boland by 10-8 in last year’s main match.

It will be the team from Pretoria’s first main match since 2013 in Bela-Bela which they lost by a single points 10-11 to Western Province.

Western Province has been dominant at the tournament as they have won the main match in 2010, 2013-2018 and 2023.

They did lose against KwaZulu-Natal in the main match of 2019 in White River by 24-26, but it did come to light later that some of the players utilised by the Sharks were too old.

The Bulls managed to build up a healthy 17-0 at the break with their eighthman, Henrico van Zyl, and lock Sebastian Nel leading the physical onslaught upfront. Issa Sabah also produced an impressive performance at outside centre while wearing the number six jumper.

The other loose forward of the Bulls, Luan MacDonald, scored his sixth try of the tournament. He is the joint top try and point scorer with the Leopards’ flanker, Dihan Booyens.

Western Province booked their place in the main game with a 36-22 victory over the Golden Lions. Winger Tyron Strauss once again showcased his pace as he scored his fifth try of the week.

The Lions’ outside centre, Kristen Steyn, scored a beautiful individual try from within in own half.

Scorers: 

Western Province 36 (22) – Tries: Christiaan van der Watt, Chesvigo Brown, Tyron Strauss, Mikaeel Frieslaar, Skylar Hendricks. Conversions: Zachery September (4). Penalty: September. Golden Lions 22 (10) – Tries: Menahem van Schoor, Danzel Emeto, Kristen Steyn, Bogosi Mathabe. Conversion: Ariel Meij.

Blue Bulls 32 (17) – Tries: Luan MacDonald, Henrico van Zyl, Issa Sabah, Sandile Majola, Divan van der Westhuizen. Conversions: George Terblanche (2). Penalty: Terblanche. Boland 5 (0) – Try: Bjorn Matthews.

South Western Districts 31 (7) – Tries: Jameal van Staden (2), Jordan Fortuin (2), Jovern Fortuin. Conversions: Luan Augustyn (3). Griffons 10 (3) – Try: Molemo Moloi. Conversion: Anthonie Pelser. Penalty: Pelser.

Free State 31 (7) – Tries: Zenzo Manana (2), Wian Bredenkamp, Kamo Monageng, Penalty Try. Conversions: Aiden Zwiegelaar, Ludwig Knauff. Pumas 12 (12) – Tries: Kian Brown, Lukhanto Mithi. Conversion: Loghan de Beer.

Sharks 36 (15) – Tries: Banele Nyandeni (2), Joy Kanyinda (2), Lwandile Dube, Ryan Slade. Conversions: Willem Badenhorst (3). Border 24 (5) – Tries: Minentle Foslara, Joshua van Heerden, Ithandile Stuma, Amyoli Konzani. Conversions: Marlvon Flemmer (2).

Eastern Province 22 (14) – Tries: Reuben Bower, Devandré Felkers, Ngantweni Kwakhanya. Conversions: Eduardo Jantjies (2). Penalty: Christiaan Barnard. Griqualand West 15 (10) – Tries: Manifest Mulumba, Abrie Coetsee. Conversion: Jayden Gossmann. Penalty: Gossmann.

Leopards 53 (36) – Tries: Dihan Booyens (3), Ethan Fourie (3), Arno Blignaut, Daniël Bester, Xander Schwim. Conversions: Dandré Allers (3), Jason Tarr. Border Country Districts 5 (0) – Try: Mdzo Mtyotywa.

Valke 52 (38) – Tries: Tristan Blunden (3), Kamo Motaung (2), Rawdon Pretorius (2), Rametsi Sebake. Conversions: Dylan Nel (6). Zimbabwe 0.

Limpopo Blue Bulls 34 (15) – Tries: Trevor Sindana (2), Ramathope Shai, Matthew de Beer, PG Steenekamp, Antoon du Plessis. Conversions: Divan Zietsman (2). Namibia 5 (0) – Try: Rijk Duvenhage.

B TEAMS 

Boland B 47 (19) – Tries: Martiens Labuschagne (2), Marvin Human (2), Marlon Pretorius, Duren Baron, Lanzo Swartz. Conversions: Baron (6). Sharks B 21 (7) – Tries: Wandile Hadebe, Blessing Mndaba, Mason Judais. Conversions: Sam van Loenen (3).

Western Province B 24 (12) – Tries: Danté Morris (2), Leighton Hendricks, Xolani Gobinca. Conversions: Daniel Jackson, Carter Weber. Blue Bulls 10 (10) – Tries: Jordan Nel. Conversion: Stian Roets. Penalty: Roets.

Golden Lions B 41 (10) – Tries: Noah Mohammed (2), Wesley Seleko (2), Olo Skiti, Vutshila Shabalala, Clayton Mogatusi. Conversions: Divan Coetzee (3). Limpopo Blue Bulls B 3 (3) – Penalty: MJ Snyman.

South Western Districts B 26 (0) – Tries: Cyril Strydom (2), Raywin Links (2). Conversions: Jordan Lourens (3). Border B 16 (8) – Tries: Ubenathi Kapa, Khanya Booi. Penalties: SP Oelofse, Kapa.

Free State B 17 (12) – Tries: Kobamelo Tloubatla (2), Omolemo Shasha. Conversion: Cullen Keuris. Griffons 10 (0) – Tries: Neo Mosebi, Thlolo Chocholo.

Valke B 36 (19) – Tries: Nkosinathi Mancoba, Ian Mukosi, Wichard de Jager, Kamogelo Moloto, Aiden Fourie, Ricardo Small. Conversions: De Jager (3). Leopards 12 (5) – Tries: Henku Botha, Lafras Visser. Conversion: Kganya Dala.

Pumas B 24 (24) – Tries: Ofentse Aphane (2), Olwethu Magangane, Letsena Ramushu. Conversion: Drikus Scholtz (2). Eastern Province B 12 (7) – Tries: Tyler Merrington, Reece Lesster. Conversion: Waney Neff.

The Southern Gauteng A u14 boys’ team of 2024 will be remembered for their impressive showing at the u14 SASHOC National Week. In the final, they outplayed Northern Gauteng 2-0 to clinch the title in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The event was hosted on the King Edward VII and Jeppe High School for Boys’ AstroTurfs.

Southerns went into the tournament as one of the teams to beat, along with Northerns, KZN Coastal A and Western Province.

The side was coached by Jeppe’s Head of Hockey, Bryan Hillock, who was assisted by David Grace, with Kivesh Padarath doing double duty as the manager and strength and conditioning coach.

The hosts were in Pool B along with Limpopo, Northern Free State, and KZN Coastal A, with their clash against the KZN boys set to be the crucial game in the pool.

Southerns played a ruthless and attractive brand of hockey and finished well. In their opening two matches, they scored a whopping 14 goals, beating Limpopo 5-1 and Northern Free State 9-0.

They were held to a 2-2 draw by KZN Coastal, but by then they had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals.

They made light work of KZN Inland in the quarters, beating them 3-0, with Matthew Jung, Lukho Bawuthi, and Tristan McQue scoring the goals.

In the final four, they met a strong Western Province side, who were under the stewardship of Manuel Igshaan.

It was a far tougher challenge and neither team could find a finish in regulation time, which forced the contest to a shootout.

Displaying good BMT, the hosts slotted all four of their opportunities through Tanner Napier, Santiago Matroos, Jung, and Christian Bernhardi.

That victory set up a local derby between the two Gauteng sides. Northerns was up for the challenge. However, despite showing fight and grit, coach Dario Lourenco’s side went down as Jung and Napier scored to win the title for Southerns.

The victory in the title-decider meant the hosts produced an unbeaten record and scored 21 goals while conceding only three, two of which came against KZN Coastal.

“The support of all the role players was the key to our success,” Hillock told SuperSport Schools Plus after the silverware had been secured.

“Our provincial union, mother body and schools’ body, are both hugely supportive of what we do and gave us all we asked for to ensure we could prepare adequately for the IPT.

“Our parent support was the best I have ever experienced in my two decades of being involved in the provincial schools’ setup. We are deeply indebted to all of the parents. The inter-provincial tournament and six weeks of preparation is taxing.

“They also allowed us the freedom to coach without any interference and only cheered from the side,” he said.

Another influential figure for the team was the assistant coach, David Grace.

Grace, who plies his trade at Parktown Boys’ High, said he was pleased to witness the growth and development of the team as the week progressed.

“I still remember the rush of adrenaline as the final whistle blew, signalling our team’s victory in the first-ever u14 IPT,” he said enthusiastically

“Our journey to the final was not easy. We faced stiff competition, injuries, and moments of doubt. But our team’s determination, teamwork, and sheer passion for the game propelled us forward.

“As a coach, I witnessed first-hand the growth and development of our team. We learned to communicate effectively, support each other, and trust in our strengths.

“The coaching staff’s guidance and encouragement and our parents’ support were instrumental in our success,” he added.

While goal scoring was not an issue during the course of the tournament, Gauteng was, at times, faced with injury concerns, and that’s where Kivesh Padarath proved his worth. He was responsible for taking good care of the players’ health, warm-ups and cool-downs, strapping, and recovery after each game.

“It’s always tough going to an IPT, playing six games in four days,” Padarath told SuperSport Schools Plus.

““It takes a huge toll on the players’ bodies, and I was entrusted to make sure the players were in optimal condition to perform at 100 percent each game.

“As the tournament progressed, the players kept getting better and better and played great hockey against some of the big hockey provinces.

“They showed a lot of fight in tough games to get over the line and pull off wins,” he concluded.

Southern Gauteng’s road to the final

Pool B

Southern Gauteng 5-1 Limpopo
Southern Gauteng 9-0 Northern Free State NFS
Southern Gauteng 2-2 KZN Coastal

Quarter-finals
Southern Gauteng 3-0 KZN Inland

Semifinals
Southern Gauteng 0 (4)- 0 (1) Western Province

Final
Southern Gauteng 2-0 Northern Gauteng

Scorers: 

Western Province 36 (22) – Tries: Christiaan van der Watt, Chesvigo Brown, Tyron Strauss, Mikaeel Frieslaar, Skylar Hendricks. Conversions: Zachery September (4). Penalty: September. Golden Lions 22 (10) – Tries: Menahem van Schoor, Danzel Emeto, Kristen Steyn, Bogosi Mathabe. Conversion: Ariel Meij.

Blue Bulls 32 (17) – Tries: Luan MacDonald, Henrico van Zyl, Issa Sabah, Sandile Majola, Divan van der Westhuizen. Conversions: George Terblanche (2). Penalty: Terblanche. Boland 5 (0) – Try: Bjorn Matthews.

South Western Districts 31 (7) – Tries: Jameal van Staden (2), Jordan Fortuin (2), Jovern Fortuin. Conversions: Luan Augustyn (3). Griffons 10 (3) – Try: Molemo Moloi. Conversion: Anthonie Pelser. Penalty: Pelser.

Free State 31 (7) – Tries: Zenzo Manana (2), Wian Bredenkamp, Kamo Monageng, Penalty Try. Conversions: Aiden Zwiegelaar, Ludwig Knauff. Pumas 12 (12) – Tries: Kian Brown, Lukhanto Mithi. Conversion: Loghan de Beer.

Sharks 36 (15) – Tries: Banele Nyandeni (2), Joy Kanyinda (2), Lwandile Dube, Ryan Slade. Conversions: Willem Badenhorst (3). Border 24 (5) – Tries: Minentle Foslara, Joshua van Heerden, Ithandile Stuma, Amyoli Konzani. Conversions: Marlvon Flemmer (2).

Eastern Province 22 (14) – Tries: Reuben Bower, Devandré Felkers, Ngantweni Kwakhanya. Conversions: Eduardo Jantjies (2). Penalty: Christiaan Barnard. Griqualand West 15 (10) – Tries: Manifest Mulumba, Abrie Coetsee. Conversion: Jayden Gossmann. Penalty: Gossmann.

Leopards 53 (36) – Tries: Dihan Booyens (3), Ethan Fourie (3), Arno Blignaut, Daniël Bester, Xander Schwim. Conversions: Dandré Allers (3), Jason Tarr. Border Country Districts 5 (0) – Try: Mdzo Mtyotywa.

Valke 52 (38) – Tries: Tristan Blunden (3), Kamo Motaung (2), Rawdon Pretorius (2), Rametsi Sebake. Conversions: Dylan Nel (6). Zimbabwe 0.

Limpopo Blue Bulls 34 (15) – Tries: Trevor Sindana (2), Ramathope Shai, Matthew de Beer, PG Steenekamp, Antoon du Plessis. Conversions: Divan Zietsman (2). Namibia 5 (0) – Try: Rijk Duvenhage.

B TEAMS 

Boland B 47 (19) – Tries: Martiens Labuschagne (2), Marvin Human (2), Marlon Pretorius, Duren Baron, Lanzo Swartz. Conversions: Baron (6). Sharks B 21 (7) – Tries: Wandile Hadebe, Blessing Mndaba, Mason Judais. Conversions: Sam van Loenen (3).

Western Province B 24 (12) – Tries: Danté Morris (2), Leighton Hendricks, Xolani Gobinca. Conversions: Daniel Jackson, Carter Weber. Blue Bulls 10 (10) – Tries: Jordan Nel. Conversion: Stian Roets. Penalty: Roets.

Golden Lions B 41 (10) – Tries: Koghan Rangolie (2), Wesley Seleko (2), Olo Skiti, Chad Pollak, Noah Mahamadu. Conversions: Divan Coetzee (3). Limpopo Blue Bulls B 3 (3) – Penalty: MJ Snyman.

South Western Districts B 26 (0) – Tries: Cyril Strydom (2), Raywin Links (2). Conversions: Jordan Lourens (3). Border B 16 (8) – Tries: Ubenathi Kapa, Khanya Booi. Penalties: SP Oelofse, Kapa.

Free State B 17 (12) – Tries: Kobamelo Tloubatla (2), Omolemo Shasha. Conversion: Cullen Keuris. Griffons 10 (0) – Tries: Neo Mosebi, Thlolo Chocholo.

Valke B 36 (19) – Tries: Nkosinathi Mancoba, Ian Mukosi, Wichard de Jager, Kamogelo Moloto, Aiden Fourie, Ricardo Small. Conversions: De Jager (3). Leopards 12 (5) – Tries: Henku Botha, Lafras Visser. Conversion: Kganya Dala.

Pumas B 24 (24) – Tries: Ofentse Aphane (2), Olwethu Magangane, Letsena Ramushu. Conversion: Drikus Scholtz (2). Eastern Province B 12 (7) – Tries: Tyler Merrington, Reece Lesster. Conversion: Waney Neff.

 

The group stage of the u18 SASHOC National Week produced some dramatic hockey and surprising results. No team made a bigger splash, however, than Southern Gauteng B, aka Witsies, who upstaged some of the bigger name teams to secure a place in the semi-finals.

From the start of the event, on Sunday, Witsies demonstrated resilience and hunger and it paid off as they fought their way through to the final four.

On Wednesday, they played their last two pool matches, both of which they needed to win. In the first, they defeated Northern Free State 2-0 in a tight clash.

It took Southerns’ B 45 minutes to make a breakthrough, which came from the stick of Onwaba Santi, who slotted a field goal. Then, in the last minute, Nicole Bailey sent a penalty corner into the back of the net to secure her side’s victory.

Later in the day, Witsies took on Eastern Province. Once again, it was a very tight contest with little to separate the teams. With time running out, it appeared as if it was going to end in a stalemate.

Southern Gauteng B created chances but failed to take advantage of them. Three minutes from time, though, Tori Tanner-Ellis struck to see her team to a 1-0 win.

Witsies’ head coach, Lance Louw was a proud man after his charges secured a semi-final showdown with Southern Gauteng A. Their persistence, he said, had paid off eventually.

“We dominated most moments of the game, but we did not take our chances. We had a few in the first quarter…and we kept their corners out.

“We told ourselves after half time that we had to make sure we got one goal to get to the semifinal. We kept knocking on the door. We worked harder. We kept on defending.

“We were consistently knocking on the door, and when we hit a post, I thought we were not going to score. But, with three minutes to go, the player of the match, Tori Tanner-Ellis, put the ball in the back of the net. That summed up our IPT. It’s been great so far.”

Tanner-Ellis, who exhibited a high work rate and excellent skills, has twice received a player of the match award. She was also a recipient on the opening day of the event, when Southerns’ B played to a goalless draw against KZN Inland.

As a B team, Southern Gauteng was not looked upon as one of the primary title contenders, but their never-say-die spirit quickly showed they were not to be taken lightly.

With their good run through to the semi-finals, captain Niquita McHugh and company have shown the value of discipline, teamwork and a strong work rate. There is no secret to their success, she said, other than meticulous preparation.

“We just backed ourselves because we have the B team title, but we still deserve to be in this section, as we have proven. We have used the underdog title to our advantage. We’ve got into every game, and we have proved every team wrong.”

Their 1-0 win over Eastern Province saw Witsies sneak into the semis, after finishing level on points with Boland, at eight each, but with a better goal difference of only one goal.

When they face Southern Gauteng A, there will, no doubt, be many in the Southerns’ B side eager to prove, yet again, that they shouldn’t be underestimated.

Coach Louw said he is ecstatic for his girls. “I didn’t think they would do it, but they did it when they were in the u16 group, so some girls have played in the semi-finals before. But I think we have about seven or eight girls who have not been in this position before, so I’m just happy for them.”

SA LSEN: 15 Lorenzo Harmse (Breede Valley School of Skills), 14 Algernon Bruintjies (Bergsig, Eastern Province), 13 Jonay le Roux (Van Kervel), 12 Bentley Stoffels (Westcliff School of Skills), 11 Nkosinathe Mzambo (Die Wilge), 10 Edwill Jantjies (Bergsig), 9 Ricardo Malgas (Van Kervel), 8 Johandré Visagie (Bergsig), 7 Jordan de Rocks (Westview), 6 Tholuelo Mosaku (Graafwaater School of Skills), 5 Liam Kaizer (Bergsig), 4 Cardorel Mafuna (Westcliff School of Skills), 3 Solwandle Sihle (Bergsig), 2 André Barnard (Bergsig), 1 Blessing Kwetele (Elandspark, Golden Lions).

Replacements: 16 Uzair Davids (West Coast School of Skills), 17 Lesedi Magapa (Die Ankerskool, Valke), 18 Masood Williams (Westcliff), 19 Duvern Block (Worcester School of Skills), 20 Ashlin Stoffels (Axios School of Skills), 21 Andrihano Fourie (West Coast School of Skills), 22 Marcos Lubaco (Axios School of Skills), 23 Yangu Javu (Merryvale).

South Western Districts stunned the Western Province XV and, seemingly, most of the spectators, with a stunning fightback in the second half of their Grant Khomo Week showdown in Gqeberha on Wednesday.

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After being 0-22 down with only a couple of minutes left in the first half, SWD started to hit their straps by giving the ball, in extremely windy conditions, as much air as possible.

That approach opened up space for them to exploit, which they did well. Captain and no. 8, Jacobus de Villiers, just as he had on the first day, led from the front.

The Province XV struggled to find any answers to his physicality as he bashed his way over the advantage line countless times. De Villiers also broke through to score a try, which put his team within touching distance of victory. Alongside him, the replacement flank, Zay-winn Januarie, put in a massive shift in support of his captain.

Cayden Snyman stood out for the WP XV. Playing at inside centre, he worked well in space out wide and twice opened up the SWD defence to cross for tries. His contribution of 10 points was one of the main reasons why the side from the Western Cape took early charge of the contest.

With seconds left on the clock, and the scoreboard reading 31-29 in favour of the Western Province XV, a good passage of play from SWD finally paid off as utility back, De Andre Meintjies, was put into space, and he rounded off in the corner to seal a barely believable and very special victory for his side.

Border showed signs of real class, especially in their backline, in an 11-point win over the Griffons. Aaron James, at inside centre, was phenomenal on defence and attack.

James upset the Griffons’ attempts at continuity, laying down the law with his big hits, and a piece of individual brilliance from the no.12 also brought him a fantastic try, much to the delight of the crowd.

Dirkie Lochner, Namibia’s scrumhalf, and hooker Marius de Villiers, both dived over twice in their 31-7 win over Border Country Districts. Their try scoring exploits wouldn’t have been possible without a wonderful performance from the Namibian pack, which laid a solid foundation for their dangerous backline to get going.

Scorers

South Western Districts 34 (8) – Tries: Zay-winn Januarie, Qlin Booyse, Adrian Smith, Jacobus de Villiers, De Andre Meintjies. Conversions: Qlin Booyse (2). Penalty: Caleb Williams. Western Province XV 31 (22) – Tries: Cayden Snyman (2), Caleb Bell. Conversions: Achmar Behardien (2). Penalties: Caleb Bell (2).

Border 21 (14) – Tries: Nongalethu Mxoli, Liyabona Mayikana, Aaron James. Conversions: Liyema Tsoko (3). Griffons 10 (10) – Tries: Shelvon Mabodi, Lyle Afrikaaner.

Namibia 31 (12) – Tries: Dirkie Lochner (2), Marius de Villiers (2), Johann Jankowitz. Border Country Districts 7 (0) – Try: Indiphinde Ngoma. Conversion: Kamva Nkwentsha.

Other results:

Limpopo 29 (10) – Tries: Ziahn Lombaard (2), Stephan Janse van Rensburg, Barnabas Nyamakupe, Rirhandzo Mido. Conversions: Juan Randall (2). Zimbabwe 18 (13) – Tries: Jacob Viki (2), Lee Chigumba.

Free State XV 17 (17) – Tries: Johan Dormehl (3). Conversion: Aiden Cloete. Valke 15 (10) – Tries: Almero Gerritson, Matthew van Deventer. Conversion: Vaughn Steynvaart. Penalty: Steynvaart.

Free State 22 (10) – Tries: Ruan Roux, Steven Muller, Niel du Randt, AJ Hendricks. Conversion: Lamla Mgedzi. Pumas 0.