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Northern Gauteng A pulled out all the stops as they fought their way to a second-place finish in Pool B at the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein on Wednesday.

Northern Gauteng A’s 2-1 win over Western Province B knocked the defending champions, Southern Free State A, out of the running for the title.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools

In Pool A, the leaders, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal A, edged out their neighbours, KwaZulu-Natal Inland 2-1 in a hotly contested derby to secure local bragging rights.

The Northern Gauteng A versus Western Province B match was fiercely contested until the last second. Sinoxolo Mbekeni’s Northerns’ side found themselves clinging on for dear life as Western Province B threw everything they had at them in the dying minutes of the tie.

“I must have aged 40 years in those final moments,” Mbekeni chuckled afterwards.

The highveld side was one of the lower-ranked teams in the group, but they showed themselves to be one of the tournament’s dark horses when they bagged victories in their first two matches.

“The underdog tag is not something we fought against coming into the IPTs. We embraced it. But we also had our plans,” the coach said.

“We knew we had to pull off at least one big performance against the three other top sides in the pool. We did that on day one and two [and] registered two wins from those three games.”

Ahead of the SASHOC National Week, Northerns had set themselves a goal of making it to the semi-finals. Now, having achieved that, they’ve had to reset their goals.

“We are very excited to make it to the semis. Now we are looking to see how far we can go,” captain Gardi van Niekerk said.

With few tabbing Northerns as a potential title contender, they have played with freedom, unencumbered by external expectations.

In team talks, Mbekeni constantly reminded his charges that while they had goals and aspirations as a team, one of the most important things to keep in mind was that hockey was a fun sport and meant to be enjoyed. They ensured they had fun and with that came positive results.

“I think a key part of our plan is to play unexpected hockey, keeping to our brand of hockey, not anything that anyone else is doing,” Van Niekerk said about her side’s approach.

Mbekeni is still not satisfied with his charges’ game management. Had they managed their contest against Western Province B better, they wouldn’t have had to hold their hearts in their mouths as they fought off wave after wave of attacks.

KZN Coastal, meanwhile, triumphed over KZN Inland in an edge-of-your-seat derby clash.

Coach Morne Odendaal‘s Inland side entered the contest knowing that they needed a victory to make it through to the semi-finals. They took the fight to their coastal neighbours from the start. Inland created the first attempt on goal and they kept at it.

Despite having punched their semi-finals’ ticket, Coastal was in no mood to hand out freebies and they were focused on earning the bragging rights. So, they gave as much as they received. Halfway through the first quarter, they had wrestled control of the game from their rivals.

“As much as we were looking for a result, we were also looking at the next stage, the semis. We had what we wanted to achieve in mind, and I think the girls implemented everything we discussed in our team talk; keeping calm, not chasing the ball, managing our legs,” coach Jacinta Wedderburn shared after the match.

Vice-captain Emily Macquet was on the same page as Wedderburn, stating: “We put up a good fight out there. It’s always a good game to go up against Inland. They are our friends, and they are competitive against us.

“We kept our composure and kept the ball because we didn’t want to chase and tire ourselves. I think we kept the ball nicely and converted our chances when we created them.”

KZN Coastal and Northern Gauteng A will meet in the semifinals on Thursday afternoon. It should be a humdinger of a contest.

Southern Gauteng A and Southern Gauteng B will face off later in the other semi-final after the Southerns’ B team edged out Boland A on goal difference to book their final four spot.

Results

Boland A 1-0 Eastern Province A
Southern Gauteng B 2-0 Northern Free State
Southern Free State A 0-2 Southern Gauteng A
Western Province A 3-0 Border A
Northern Gauteng A 2-1 Western Province B
KZN Inland A 1-2 KZN Coastal A
Eastern Province A 0-1 Southern Gauteng B

A hard-fought 19-13 victory in Gqeberha on Wednesday over the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks ensured that Western Province would have a shot at redemption.

Relive all the action on SuperSport Schools

As a result of that win, Province will face the defending champions, the Blue Bulls, in the unofficial main match of the 2024 Grant Khomo Week on Friday afternoon.

The Blue Bulls beat Boland 37-28 to secure their place in the Friday’s feature game after 60 minutes of outstanding running rugby.

The fullbacks stole the show in the 65-point thriller. The Bulls’ Drewyn Baron set a cold and windy Kolisi Field alight with his exhilarating ability to beat defenders. He dotted down twice, with his five-pointer just before the half-time break proving to be a turning point for the Light Blues.

Boland’s Anwill Josh Jacobs, impressed again, doing exactly what he had done when the Bolanders beat the Lions on day one. He gave the Boland backline a fantastic cutting edge and caused headaches for the Bulls throughout the contest. Just like his opposite number, Baron, he grabbed a double, with his second coming as a result of his astute reading of the defence. It ended beneath the uprights.

Bulls’ lock Martin van Niekerk earned himself a pat on the back. His motor ran at full bore throughout the game, with his work rate and willingness to put his body on the line helping to provide quality ball for the Light Blues’ backs to attack a tiring Boland defence.

Province, meanwhile, had to deal with a solid and stubborn Sharks’ defence. That, however, did not stop the men in the blue-and-white-striped jerseys from piling on the pressure, with wave after relentless wave of attacks.

Tiaan Basson, the Capetonians’ outside centre was prominent. He kept the Sharks’ defenders busy with his physical runs in the midfield.

Province’s flying wing, Tyrece Gereke, also challenged the boys in black and white. He was responsible for one of his side’s three tries, which proved to be a pivotal score in a very physical match.

Despite going down, the Sharks can hold their heads up high. Tighthead prop Ben Coetzee turned in an impressive performance. The burly front-rower put on a show, demonstrating that props in modern-day schoolboy structures are capable of doing almost anything.

The Gauteng Lions bagged their first win of the tournament, claiming a tightly contested 19-12 win over the hosts, Eastern Province.

Anthony Viljoen, the Lions’ inside centre, crossed the whitewash for two crucial tries, with his second proving to be the difference between the sides.

His match-up with Eastern Province’s outside centre, Erin Nelson, had the crowd going, with both challenging the other throughout the duration of the match.

Griquas overcame the Leopards, beating the side from the North West 19-7 in a tough and physical battle.

Eighthman Azingce Cofa, left wing Ashwin Muller, and inside centre Thabo Thole, ran in tries for the Northern Cape side. De Wet Grobler, the Leopards’ blindside flank, impressed with his physicality and scored his team’s only try.

Scorers

Western Province 19 (14) – Tries: Esa van der Schyff, Mickyle Booyse, Tyrece Geneke. Conversions: Ethan van Biljon (2). KwaZulu-Natal Sharks 13 (10) – Tries: Ben Coetzee, Nathan Aneke. Penalty: Lux Sonkononkono.

Blue Bulls 37 (19) – Tries: Drewyn Baron (2), Nico Klein, Yuvrah George, Charl Els. Conversions: Dylan Stumke (3). Penalties: Stumke (2). Boland 28 (21) – Tries: Anwill Josh Jacobs (2), Brydan Joseph, Penalty Try. Conversions: Joshua Arnoldus (3).

Lions 19 (14) – Tries: Jaydon Viljoen (2), Tidimalo Moketsane. Conversions: Viljoen (2). Eastern Province 12 (12) – Tries: Erin Nelson, Noah Mbizi.

Griquas 19 (12) – Tries: Azingce Cofa, Ashwin Muller, Thabo Thole. Conversions: Ezlin Swartz, Duran Makoni. Leopards 7 (0) – Try: De Wet Grobler. Conversion: Wian du Preez.

The fixtures for day three are:

Kolisi Field: 09h00 – Lions vs Border; 10h20 – Free State vs Boland; 11h30 – Sharks vs SWD; 12:40 – Western Province vs Blue Bulls.

Pollock Oval: 09h00 – Pumas vs Leopards; 10h20 – Free State XV vs Griffons; 11h30 – WP XV vs Eastern Province.

Pyot Field: 09h00 – Namibia vs Zimbabwe; 10h20 – Border Country Districts vs Valke; 11h30 – Griquas vs Limpopo Blue Bulls.

The fourth day of the u18 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein produced jaw-dropping action and remarkable comebacks, and left several players rueing their missed chances, as the four semi-finalists were decided.

KZN Coastal A will take on Western Province A, while Boland A and Southern Gauteng A will go toe-to-toe in the other final four clash on Thursday at the University of the Free State.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

Heading into the final day of group stage action, Pool A was already decided, with Province and Boland securing their places in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

Coach Bryce West’s Western Province team compiled a flawless record, five wins from five matches, while Boland lost only once, against Province.

Pool B is where a flurry of possibilities came into play with five teams heading into the day with a shot at securing a semi-final place.

Overnight, Southern Gauteng A and KZN Coastal A occupied the top two positions, with eight and six points respectively. But Thursday’s games could possibly upend the finishing order in the group.

Coach Anthony Woodhouse‘s Southerns’ boys were shocked early in the morning, going down 2-5 against a hungry KZN Inland A side, which was also trying to salvage their campaign.

That defeat left the pool wide open and meant Southerns would need help to progress when KZN Coastal A and Northern Gauteng met later in the day.

Northerns were also in with a shot at sneaking into the top two, but only a win would do against Coastal after they played to a couple of draws earlier in the week.

Their clash against coach Cam Mackay’s side ended in a tense 1-1 draw. Luken Brunette opened the scoring for Northerns, but Lethabo Mathobela replied for KZN Coastal.

That result meant the final match of the day between KZN Inland A and the hosts, Southern Free State, would determine which one of three teams – KZN Coastal, KZN Inland or Southern Free State – would secure a semi-final spot.

The equation was simple for coach Damian Kimfley‘s Inland side and coach Wayne Coetzee’s Free Staters: Win and you’re in. Draw and no top four.

Neither side capitalised on their opportunity. KZN Inland grabbed an early lead through a penalty corner drag flick from their captain Jarred Kitto. Free State struck back in a similar manner, with Matthias Visser rocketing a PC drag flick past Nick Holmes, in the Inland goal.

At the conclusion of the game, KZN Coastal A could breathe a sigh of relief. Their seven points left them one adrift of the table-topping Southern Gauteng A.

“I didn’t expect that to happen (for Inland to draw with Free State),” Coastal coach Cam Mackay told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.

“I think both teams had really good results coming into that match, so a draw was not expected, even though we should expect draws because the group has been a little bit messy.

“I haven’t thought about tomorrow,” he continued, “but a goal of ours was to make the semi-finals, and I think the way we’ve played for the majority of the time, the boys deserve it.”

Coastal faces a daunting task on Thursday, taking on an on-song Western Province A in the second semi-final at 14:10.

Mackay said his team would be up for the challenge. “We will have to regroup and try to think about what we’re going to do tomorrow,” he said.

“We have a bit more recovery time, more time to think, but we don’t fear Western Province. They’re a great team and we have respect for them, but being in the semi-finals was a goal and we’ve achieved that.”

Day 4| Results and Scorers

Pool A

Boland A 2 (2): Reuben Sendzul, Ethan Leonard. KZN Coastal B 1 (1): Zach Williamson.

Border A 2 (1): Helio Ruiters, Hisharm Pillay. Southern Gauteng B 0.

Western Province A 5 (2): Litha Kraai (2), Ethan Lee, Stephan Meyer, Dayle Gertson. Western Province B 0 (1): Matthew Lassen

Pool B

KZN Inland A 5 (2): Grant Bridgeford (2), Julian Koningkramer, Banele Dlamini, Tino Hove. Southern Gauteng A 2 (2): Nashaan Matroos (2)

Southern Free State A 1 (4): Matthias Visser (3), Duane Romain. Eastern Province A 1 (1): Ben Ristow.

KZN Coastal A 1 (0): Lethabo Mathobela, Northern Gauteng A 1 (1): Luken Brunette.

KZN Inland A 1 (1): Jarred Kitto. Southern Free State A 1 (1): Matthias Visser.

Results| Section B

Pool X

KZN Inland B 2-1 Southern Free State B
Mpumalanga 3-1 Boland B
Eastern Province B 2-1 North West

Pool Y

Northern Free State 2-1 Limpopo
Eastern Gauteng 5-0 Eden
Northern Gauteng 0-0 Northern Cape
Eastern Gauteng 3-0 Northern Free State
Northern Gauteng 7-1 Limpopo

Day 5| Fixtures

08:45 – Southern Gauteng B vs KZN Inland A ((Play-off 5-8)
09:55 – KZN Coastal B vs Southern Free State A (Play-off 5-8)
11:20 – Boland A vs Southern Gauteng A (Semi-final 1)
11:35 – Western Province B vs Northern Gauteng A (Play-off 9-12)
14:10 – Western Province A vs KZN Coastal A (Semi-final 2)
14:25 – Border A vs Eastern Province A (Play-off 9-12)

Boland u18A captain Michael Du Toit said his team intends to leave everything on the park when they battle Southern Gauteng A in the first of the two semi-finals at the u18 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein on Thursday.

The clash starts at 11:20; you can catch it LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

Boland cemented their spot in the final four after recording a hard-fought 2-1 victory over KZN Coastal B in their last Pool A encounter on day four.

The win meant coach Jacques Grobler‘s side would finish their round-robin stage matches in second place, with 12 points after four victories from their five matches, during which they scored 13 goals.

Their journey to the semi-finals was characterised by smart hockey, teamwork, execution when it mattered the most, and a desire to finish off matches.

After a fiery start on day one, when they beat Border 4-0, Boland made it two wins in a row with a convincing 3-1 defeat of Western Province B on Monday.

On Tuesday, however, they succumbed to a heavy 0-5 defeat against Western Province A in their first match of the day. Later, they bounced back with a convincing 4-1 win over Southern Gauteng B.

LD Nel scored a brace, while Reuben Sendzul, and the skipper, Du Toit, also made it onto the scoresheet to ease some of the pressure on the side from the Western Cape.

Against the Coastal B side, goals from Sendzul and Ethan Leonard helped them to the win. With that important strike on Wednesday, Sendzul increased his goal haul to seven thus far this week. He’ll be keen to bolster those numbers in the big playoff games that lie ahead for Boland.

After the clash, Du Toit told SuperSport Schools Plus he was pleased with his side’s performance. However, they still need to put in a lot of work if they are to win the tournament, he added: “Today’s game was a little bit tricky, and we were fatigued after the double-header yesterday, but we pulled it off,” he said.

“We know what to work on. We know our game plan, and we’re just going to keep on working on ourselves.

“We are quite stoked to be in the semi-finals. The boys have worked hard, but we are not done. We have to push more on Thursday.”

Despite clinching a place in the final four and opening up an opportunity to make a run at the title, it could be argued that the Bolanders haven’t yet played to their full potential. Knockout hockey is a different game, however, and Grobler’s charges will contest them aware of the importance of winning the small battles.

“We realise that we haven’t been at our best yet. We are still trying to work on our format and everything [else],” Du Toit admitted.

“Tomorrow is going to be difficult. We will have to graft hard. There are no easy teams here.

“We are going to give it our all, leave nothing in the tank, and work hard for that win. We have great connections as a team, on and off the field, so that needs to come to the fore in the semi-final,” the captain concluded.

Scorers

Boland A 2 (2): Reuben Sendzul, Ethan Leonard. KZN Coastal B 1 (1): Zach Williamson.

Scorers: 

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

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

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

Limpopo 29 (10) – Tries: Ziahn Lombaard (2), Stephan Janse van Rensburg (2), Barnabas Nyamakupe, Rirhandzo Mido. Conversions: Juan Randall (3). Zimbabwe 18 (13) – Tries: Jacob Viki (2), Lee Chigumba.

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: Kyle Doyle (2), Caleb Bell. Conversions: Achmar Behardien (2). Penalties: Caleb Bell (2).

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.

Griquas 19 (12) – Tries: Azingce Cofa, Ashwin Muller, Thabo Thole. Conversions: Ezlin Swartz, Duran Makoni. Leopards 7 (0) – Try: De Wet Grobler. Conversion: Wian du Preez.

Lions 19 (14) – Tries: Jaydon Viljoen (2), Tidimalo Moketsane. Conversions: Viljoen (2). Eastern Province 12 (12) – Tries: Erin Nelson, Noah Mbizi.

Blue Bulls 37 (19) – Tries: Drewyn Baron (2), Nico Klein, Yuvrah George, Charl Els. Conversions: Dylan Stumke (3). Penalties: Stumke (2). Boland 28 (21) – Tries: Anwill Josh Jacobs (2), Brydan Joseph, Penalty Try. Conversions: Joshua Arnoldus (3).

Western Province 19 (14) – Tries: Esa van der Schyff, Mickyle Booyse, Tyrece Geneke. Conversions: Ethan van Biljon (2). KwaZulu-Natal Sharks 13 (10) – Tries: Ben Coetzee, Nathan Aneke. Penalty: Lux Sonkononkono.

Boland A earned a much-needed victory in Bloemfontein on Tuesday to escape elimination from semifinal contention at the SASHOC National Week.

They frustrated KwaZulu-Natal Inland, who are also in the running for a final four spot, and claimed a crucial 2-1 win. Had Inland won, they would have been assured of a top-four finish.

Before the game, the Western Cape side occupied third place in Pool B, with two points, while the KZN side was in second, with five points to their credit.

Boland started strongly, with Amy Leibrandt giving them the lead with a brilliant field goal in the sixth minute. Five minutes later, Tanya Pieterse doubled their advantage. Coach Morne Odendaal‘s KZN Inland girls were undaunted, and their efforts were rewarded when Emily Wilson pulled one back only a minute after Pieterse’s goal.

Despite the fast start and three goals in double-quick time, there were no more to come.

Afterwards, Odendaal praised both sides: “It was a good game. Both teams came out guns blazing,” he reckoned.

Boland’s coach Jarred Pitout said he knew it was going to be a tough outing. “It was always going to be a tough battle and it was a fight for that position in our pool,” he said. “We trusted the process and, at last, our girls stuck to the game plan and made sure that we nullified all the exit strategies and just shut them down, which frustrated them.

“We played our game, which is to counterattack, and we got our penalty corners, which we were looking for,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus.

After two goalless draws, the win was a first for Boland in the tournament. Their first 0-0 result came against Northern Free State on the opening day of the tournament. Their second was against a resilient Southern Gauteng B side on Monday. They also suffered a 0-1 defeat to KwaZulu-Natal Coastal on Monday.

Though Southern Gauteng B was unable to score, they frustrated the Bolanders. Their frustrations were reflected in the three green cards and one yellow card they were shown.

On Tuesday, though, Pitout’s charges delivered a much-needed turnaround, with the win over Inland pulling them level with the KZN side on points.

That makes Wednesday’s matches must-win outings for both teams. Should they stumble, Eastern Province (EP) is just one point behind them, and EP is, in fact, Boland’s opposition in their final Pool B game.

They met in 2023, with the Western Cape side scoring a 4-2 win. In 2022, they drew 2-2.

KZN Inland faces a daunting challenge. They take on their neighbours, KZN Coastal, who have won all four of their matches and are well clear at the top of the pool. Coastal’s semi-final place is assured.

Pitout, with a calm attitude, said his team will carry the same strategy into their vital clash with Eastern Province.

“We will do exactly what we have done. We have a good structure. We will reflect on what we did well, and we will have a look at what they did well and go back and trust our process

“I think we have got better with each game… So, we look forward to tomorrow. It’s also going to be a tough opposition, but I have faith in my side.”

Odendaal said there was no new trick to be pulled for KZN Inland. “As coaches, our job is to put the girls in positions to put the game away. Then, it is up to them. Tomorrow, we hope the girls will pitch and use the opportunities.”

Casting an eye towards the KZN Coastal side, he said candidly: “They are in a good position. They have already won the pool. I hope they will rest some of their players and it will allow us to win the game.”

Southern Gauteng A recorded a fourth successive win, with a 4-0 defeat of Western Province B on Tuesday and are already sure of a semifinal berth at the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein.

Defending champions, Southern Free State A, meanwhile, bounced back from a loss to Northern Gauteng A and claimed a 3-1 win over Western Province A to remain in contention for a final four place.

Natasha Le Roux’s Southern Gauteng side, which is yet to concede a goal, did not let their standards slide despite coach Madenieya Kazie‘s side being a B team.

“Day three is always a tough one if you have played four games, and this was our fourth game,” Le Roux said. “However, I think we went into it in high spirits, which is always good.

“Western Province B has had quite a few good results this week, so we didn’t underestimate them. The girls went in hard, and we scored early, which set the pace, and from there on things went better.”

Reabitswe Phume, the Southern Gauteng A captain, echoed her coach’s sentiments: “Our mentality is to respect every side that is here, and because Western Province was a B side that doesn’t mean they are a lesser team. They did hold us, which was quite good.’

The highveld side has been one of the most disciplined outfits so far in the tournament, having picked up only four green cards, three of which came in their Jukskei derby clash with Northern Gauteng A on day one.

“The big thing for us is going into each game with humility, giving respect to the opposition and the umpires,” Hannah Quinton, the Southerns’ vice-captain, said.

Le Roux’s side is top of Pool A, but the coach is taking nothing for granted: “I think if you count your chickens before they hatch, you might lose a chicken along the way. Tomorrow, we have Southern Free State. We will go back to the board, go back to basics,” she shared.

Despite having scored the joint-most goals in the tournament so far, Southern Gauteng A does not have a player among the top three individual highest scorers. The leading goal-scorer, Southern Free State’s Bianca Rees-Gibbs, has struck the backboard six times, followed by Arista van Zyl, of Northerns, on five and then Ruby Kraus, of KZN Coastal, on four.

The highveld side has three players with three goals to their names: Amber Fairon, Hannah Smyth and Emily Weaver. That trio is followed by the captain and vice-captain, Phume and Quinton, who have scored two goals each.

More than anything, this speaks to the side’s ability to find the back of the net without relying on a single player. They are not planning to change that when they lock horns with the defending champions.

“Tomorrow is just another game for us. We go in with the same mentality: discipline and focus. We will have a team talk, analyse the game, and hopefully execute the gameplan.

“I like the bond we have created within the team, so we are going in with a positive mindset,” Phume explained.

Southern Gauteng A’s appointment with Southern Free State takes place at 11:20. Sulette Kotzee’s side played themselves back into contention for a semifinal spot with a 3-1 win over Western Province A, which enabled them to leapfrog Northern Gauteng A, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Border A.

Southern Free State A headed into Tuesday’s clash following a bruising loss by three goals to Northern Gauteng A. “Yes, it was a bad loss. But I think it is good to have one loss in the tournament because it switches you on,” Mia Schimper, the vice-captain of the home team, said. “Losses help you to learn from your mistakes and you don’t relax. It also got us mentally strong,” she added.

After their defeat, the Free State players did not hang their heads in despair. They produced enough good moments in their loss from which they could draw strength. Anriette Otto and company make a habit of celebrating moments, no matter how small they may appear.

“The girls knew it was one of our two quarter finals. We have the other one tomorrow,” the Southern Free State coach Sulette Kotzee, said.

“They knew we needed the points because a loss would have knocked us out of the tournament. We played more connecting hockey. We weren’t just bound to one channel, and we created 2-v-1 situations, and we took our chances.

“If the girls play like they played today, we will have a good match tomorrow,” she reckoned.

While Southern Free State A performed better as a unit compared to the first two days, it was Schimper and Anne Prinsloo who buoyed them with strong showings in defence and in the middle of the park.

“Today, I stepped up really well and played better than the other days. I carried the ball into the circle and down the baseline and made good passes. I think we were also good as a team, and we got outcomes,” Prinsloo said.

The Southern Free State versus Southern Gauteng A showdown will be one of the bigger games on the last day of pool clashes, pitting the Pool A leaders against the side in the second place after Wednesday’s action.

Third place belongs to Northern Gauteng A, who are two points behind the Free Staters and who face Western Province B on Thursday.

Results

Southern Gauteng A 4-0 Western Province B
Southern Free State A 3-1 Western Province A
Border A 2-2 Northern Gauteng A
KZN Coastals A 1-0 Southern Gauteng B
Boland A 2-1 KZN Inland A
Western Province B 0-1 Western Province A
Eastern Province A 1-0 Northern Free State

Five teams will enter day four of the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein still in search of their first wins with three days of the tournament already played.

Eastern Province, Border, KZN Inland A, Western Province B, and the hosts, Southern Free State, all have yet to place a tick in the win column.

The tournament, being played at the University of Free State, is nearing its business end, and by the end of day four the semifinal places will be decided.

Competition has been extremely tight, and it’s fair to say that the five aforementioned teams have had their share of challenges.

In Pool A, Border has lost three of its four matches, and they have only one point, which came from a 1-1 draw with Western Province B on the opening day.

Since then, they’ve lost 0-9 against Western Province A in a one-sided match on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, they were beaten 3-1 by KZN Coastal B.

Western Province B have misfired in front of goal this week. After a 1-3 loss against Boland, WP B has since racked up three draws, and that has left them second from bottom in the pool.

Finishing has let the side from Cape Town down, and they face a tall order on Wednesday when they take on the unbeaten pool leaders, Western Province A.

Pool B is where the drama is unfolding in the tournament, with a wide number of permutations making the final pool positions muddy heading into the last day of pool action.

Eastern Province, KZN Inland A, KZN Coastal A, and Southern Free State A, all still have a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, but they will need some other results within the group to go their way.

EP will rue their missed opportunities, which has kept them winless after they had played themselves into positions from which they could’ve sealed victories. In their four matches, they’ve drawn three and lost one, scoring eight goals.

On Tuesday, though, they escaped a seemingly certain defeat with one of the best comebacks of the tournament so far.

They trailed 0-3 against KZN Inland and went into halftime 1-3 behind. However, coach Lyall Meyer’s charges showed great fight to work their way back to 3-3 draw. They could have clinched a win right on the final whistle, but Luke Tait‘s shot passed wide of the goal.

On Wednesday, they will face a Southern Free State team which has also been kept winless.

“That’s three games we feel we should’ve won,” said Meyer after the draw with KZN Inland. “Unfortunately, at a tournament like this, three draws won’t cut it.

“It was a good comeback (today), and I must give credit to the players for the effort and character they showed, but there were a couple of big moments that could’ve sealed the three points for us.

“Going forward, we have to control what we can control, which is the game against Free State. We have to win. We have to get three points, or else we’re playing in the bottom section of the tournament.

“Whatever happens in the other pool matches is out of our control,” he added.

Southern Free State, led by coach Wayne Coetzee, is also under pressure after a lukewarm showing thus far.

The hosts are yet to hit their stride, and, despite the backing of the home crowd, they’ve found goal scoring to be a massive issue.

On Tuesday, they played to a goalless draw on against a gritty Northern Gauteng side. That result has the Free Staters near the wrong end of Pool B, with two points from three matches.

On Wednesday, though, Coetzee’s team has two matches, against Eastern Province and KZN Inland A. Coetzee said his side will need to score if they intend on winning them.

“I think our boys have gone toe-to-toe with the best in the country,” he told SuperSport Schools Plus after the Northerns’ encounter.

“We are fairly happy but also disappointed by the fact that we are drawing, and there are a lot of opportunities out there that we’re leaving begging.

“A double-header day helps because we can see what everyone else has done and take it from there. We can change the whole pool, but in order to do that we have to score goals. That’s our main priority at this point,” he ended.

Meanwhile, KZN Coastal A side might consider themselves unlucky after coach Cam Mackay‘s troops let slip a 4-2 lead over Southern Gauteng A on Tuesday.

Coastal scored all of their goals in the first half, but they found themselves under pressure in the second stanza. Goals from Devin Wax and Matt Eichweber pulled Southerns level.

“The game was very frustrating. I won’t say much about the game but the performance from the guys was really good,” Mackay told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.

During the Southerns’ comeback, Coastal received two cards, a yellow for Lumi Matwele and a green for Ruben Peters.

“Unfortunately, the card changed the momentum of the game. We were under the pump more in the second half, but I think, in the first half, we created a lot of chances,” Mackay added.

“We’ll take the positives. I think we played well but lacked in the final product. Now we have to rely on the final game, something we didn’t want, but we’ll go out there and play our best.” 

Day 3| Results and Scorers

Pool A

Western Province 2 (1) B: Ethan Daniels (2). Southern Gauteng B 2 (1): Matteo Stipcevich, Tristan Fredericks.

Western Province A 5 (4): Jordan Paulsen (2), Joshua Mettler, Joe Gitlin, Dayle Gertson. Boland A 0.

KZN Coastal B 3 (2): Seth Simpson (2), Mbuso Qwabe. Border A 0.

Western Province A 4 (1): Litha Kraai, Jordan Paulsen, Joshua Le Roux, Cohen Williams. KZN Coastal B 1 (1): Sibusiso Cele.

Boland A 3 (4): LD Nel (2), Reuben Sendzul, Michael Du Toit. Southern Gauteng B 1 (0): Murray Halstead-Cleak

Pool B

KZN Inland A 3 (3): Grant Bridgeford (2), Masud Dakile. Eastern Province A 1 (3): Zack Willimott (2), Kian Cambier.

Northern Gauteng A 0. Southern Free State A 0.

Southern Gauteng A 4 (2): Juan Martin, Tyler-Reed Napier, Devin Wax, Matt Eichweber. KZN Coastal A 4 (4): Lethabo Mathobela, Matthew de Oliveira, Lethabo Bogacwi, Lumi Matwele.

Results| Section B

Pool X:

Boland B 2-0 KZN Inland B
Southern Free State B 1-0 Eastern Province B
Mpumalanga 3-1 North West

Pool Y:

Northern Gauteng B 4-0 Eden
Northern Cape 2-2 Northern Free State
Eastern Gauteng 5-0 Limpopo
Northern Cape 1-0 Eden

Day 4| Fixtures 

Pool A

11:35 – Boland A vs KZN Coastal B
13:00 – Border A vs Southern Gauteng B
14:25 – Western Province A vs Western Province B

Pool B

08:45 – Southern Gauteng A vs KZN Inland A
10:10 – Southern Free State A vs Eastern Province A
15:50 – KZN Coastal A vs Northern Gauteng A
17:15 – KZN Inland A vs Southern Free State A

Western Province u18A captain Stephan Meyer said his team needs to stay grounded and humble after they recorded an impressive 5-0 win over Boland A on Tuesday, day three of the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein.

Province later, bagged their second victory of the day beating KZN Coastal B 4-1.

The tournament, being hosted at the University of Free State, is inexorably working its way towards the playoffs, with the final scheduled for Friday, 21 June.

In defence of the title, which they captured with a 100 percent winning record last year, Province took on Boland in a highly anticipated Western Cape derby, which many believed would decide which team finishes atop Pool A.

Both teams entered the match with flawless records. Boland started their week with a 4-0 win over Border A, before beating Western Province B 3-1 on Monday.

Province, on the other hand, scrapped their way to a 3-1 win over Southern Gauteng B on day one, but on day two they hit their straps, thumping Border A 9-0 in a one-sided encounter.

The last time Boland and Western Province met was in 2023’s semi-finals, with Province winning that contest 4-2.

On Tuesday, they started like a house on fire and within five minutes they had taken the lead.

After recovering the ball deep in Province’s half, Litha Kraai put on the afterburners and found Ethan Lee in space, with just one defender and the goalkeeper in sight. Instead of going himself, Lee set up Jordan Paulsen for a tap-in and the game’s opening goal.

Immediately after that, Boland had a chance to reply from a penalty corner, but Reuben Sendzul‘s drag flick was blocked by Dayle Gertson, and that opportunity went abegging.

Boland was then made to pay for employing a high line when Province launched another counterattack from their half through Kraai.

He sprinted the length of the field and was tackled just outside the circle, but Cohen Williams picked up the loose ball and found Joe Gitlin, who made it 2-0.

Before the end of the chukka, coach Bryce West‘s charges made it 3-0. This time around, Gertson’s drag flick was saved by Beor van Reenen, but Josh Mettler pounced on the rebound to give Western Province a healthy lead after the first quarter-of-an-hour.

Province kept their feet on the gas in the second chukka, and they quickly made it 4-0 through Paulsen. Credit for that goal must go to Mettler, however. After scanning the field, he delivered a brilliant through ball to Paulsen, who danced his way around Van Reenen to strike for a second time.

Boland was a much-improved side in the third chukka, displaying more energy and intent. Their efforts were, however, kept at bay by Noah Venter, who has conceded only once in the tournament thus far.

Western Province added one more goal in the final chukka, courtesy of a Gertson drag flick, to seal an emphatic 5-0 win.

“It’s a big derby, and it always feels good to win it,” Province skipper Meyer told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match.

“We had a game plan, and I think we executed it well today. The coach is proud of us, and we stuck to what we needed to do. But it’s only three games played. The job isn’t done. We are nowhere near done. We have to stay locked in.

“It’s crucial! (to stay grounded). The one thing we can’t do is allow this victory to get to us. There are no easy games here, but if we come out fighting like we did today, we can win.”

Province will be back in action on day four and will be the odds-on favourites to finish top of Pool A, with a last pool clash against Western Province B at 14:25.

Catch all the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools 

Scorers

Western Province A 5 (4): Jordan Paulsen (2), Joshua Mettler, Joe Gitlin, Dayle Gertson. Boland A 0.

Western Province A 4 (1): Litha Kraai, Jordan Paulsen, Joshua Le Roux, Cohen Williams. KZN Coastal B 1 (1): Sibusiso Cele.

Facing a challenging match-up, St John’s College executed their game plan flawlessly on the St Alban’s Old Boys’ Day to scorch their way to a convincing 54-26 victory, while St Benedict’s College went down 27-48 to St David’s Marist Inanda.

St John’s adopted a ball-in-hand strategy and delivered a high-tempo game, scoring seven tries in a devastating first half performance, which carried them to a huge 47-7 lead by halftime.

The visitors pressed hard from the outset, giving very few opportunities to their hosts, and were very effective on the offensive.

Eight out of their starting 15 scored tries, with wing Bryson Walker converting six out of his seven conversion attempts. Fullback Gerald Van Wyk added another, as well as a penalty and a try.

In the second half, St Alban’s produced a spirited fightback, and defended well to concede only seven more points. They also went over for three tries, which included a penalty try.

However, the damage had been done and the Hoops had a mountain to climb and a miracle to perform to pull off a victory.

Afterwards, the St John’s coaches praised their players for their commendable performance and effort. The Blues’ Kathleo Lynch described it as his side’s “best performance of the season so far.”

St Benedict’s College, meanwhile, put up 22 points in the first half of their clash with St David’s, which was easily their highest points’ total of the season. At the break, they led 22-15.

Captain Jason Cutler scored two tries for the home side, and he was well supported by prop Victor Concalves and wing Tshegofatso Mojapelo, who also broke through for tries.

However, in the second half, St David’s surged back into the contest and eventually won going away to spoil Bennies’ old boys’ celebrations.

Fullback Teegen Rossini and wing Kuzivakwashe Majuru benefitted from getting on the end of some good passing to each bag a brace of tries.

Next up, St David’s faces St Alban’s College on the coming weekend, while St John’s will be favoured when their take on their old rivals St Stithians College in their annual derby match.

Point Scorers

St John’s 54 (47) – Tries: Dom Kamangu, Joe MacRobert, Kakuhle Tunguta, Gerald van Wyk, Joshua Shannon, Jacob Smith, John-John Bierman, Thomas Ivers. Conversions: Bryan Walker (7), Gerald Van Wyk. St Alban’s: 26 (7) – Tries: Ben Stevenson, Keegan Dick, Jandre Botha, Penalty try. Converssions: Joshua Verster (2).

St David’s: 48 (15) – Tries: Kuzivakwashe Majuru, (2), Teegen Rossini (2), Jack Brady, Tahin Patel, Marco Bitter. Conversions: Diego Ferreira (5). Penalties: Diego Ferreira. St Benedict’s: 27 (22) – Tries: Victor Concalves, Tshegofatso Mojapelo, Jason Cutler (2). Conversions: Braeden Le Roux (2). Penalty: Braeden Le Roux.