ABSA u19 Log:
| # | TEAM | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | BP | TOTAL |
| 1 | Blue Bulls | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 301 | 125 | 176 | 41 | 14 | 5 | 33 |
| 2 | W/Province | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 205 | 122 | 83 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 29 |
| 3 | Leopards | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 199 | 171 | 28 | 25 | 20 | 4 | 24 |
| 4 | Golden Lions | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 217 | 180 | 37 | 28 | 21 | 3 | 19 |
| 5 | Sharks | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 187 | 146 | 41 | 24 | 13 | 5 | 17 |
| 6 | Free State | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 278 | 232 | 46 | 35 | 29 | 6 | 14 |
| 7 | SWD Eagles | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 58 | 469 | -411 | 4 | 74 | 0 | 0 |
Fixtures and Results:
| 07-Sep | SWD Eagles | 23 | 41 | Leopards | George | Outeniqua Park, George |
| 08-Sep | Golden Lions | 18 | 22 | Blue Bulls | Johannesburg | Coca-Cola Park, Jozi |
| 08-Sep | Free State | 31 | 40 | Sharks | Bloemfontein | FS Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| 14-Sep | Blue Bulls | W/Province | Pretoria | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | ||
| 14-Sep | Leopards | Golden Lions | Potchefstroom | Profert Olën Park, Potch | ||
| 15-Sep | Sharks | SWD Eagles | Durban | Mr Price Kings Park, Durban |
The Sharks under-19 team may still only be in fifth spot on the ABSA under-19 log but at least they are firmly back in control of their destiny as far as a semi-final playoff berth is concerned. When the second round of the highly competitive provincial A-section under-19 season kicked off a few weeks ago, things were not looking that bright for the junior Sharks who were on the brink of elimination from the competition as title contenders. However hopes of a reversal of fortunes first surfaced when WP and Free State both recorded Week 8 wins against the Golden Lions and the Leopards respectively. If the Sharks hope to claim a semi-final place next month, it looks like an almost certainty that they are going to have to finish ahead of either the Leopards or the Lions who currently occupy positions three and four on the log. So naturally if the Leopards and/or the Lions stumble alone the way it helps the Sharks under-19s’ cause. There was more reason to celebrate in Week 9 (last week) when the Bulls recorded a close 22-18 win on the Lions home turf. That said, the Durban boys would not have anything to smile about had they not themselves done the deed up in the rarified atmosphere of Bloemfontein last weekend. Their crucial 40-31 away win including the all-important bonus point for scoring the fourth of their five tries on the afternoon is just what the doctor ordered. The Sharks points in the match came compliments of tries by Tyler Fisher (2) (Westville), Kotaro Matsushima (Japan), Alcino Izaacs (Namibia) and Andrew van Tonder (EG Jansen) and kicking by Rob du Preez (Kearsney) with three conversions and three penalties.
The Sharks under-19s now turn their attentions to SWD, a team they beat 46-3 in George in Round 1. Once again nothing less than five points is required and quite frankly expected even if SWD are now a lot more competent a side than the team that everyone thrashed in Round 1. The visitors to Kingspark will be competitive, meaning that the Sharks cannot afford to be complacent. The unfavourable weather predicted for Saturday might also weigh in SWD’s favour. Sadly the Sharks will be without the services of David Fisher, who has been a first choice player since the Sharks’ second game of the season. Fisher moved from lock to flank for the Free State game and was reported to have produced his best form of his season in that role during the game. His absence as a third lineout target-man will also place slightly more pressure on the KZNer’s setpiece, which has not been up to scratch at times during this campaign. The good news stemming from their last outing is that schoolboy debutants lock Gideon Koegelenberg (Hugenote) and scrumhalf Cameron Wright (Hilton College) both had good first matches and have settled in nicely. The Sharks under-19s are also heavily reliant on Glenwood student Marne Coetzee who operates at tighthead prop.
This weekend the Leopards and Lions square off in Potchefstroom in a match that is of great interest to the Sharks. Looking at the log, Sharks fans might be inclined to hope the Leopards (third) are victorious, as it would surely result in the Sharks then passing the Lions in fourth place by Saturday evening. However down the line, it might be more beneficial to the Sharks under-19s to see the Lions come out on top against their Highveld rivals. The Sharks have a home game scheduled against the Leopards in roughly a month’s time, whereas they have to travel to altitude to meet the Lions next week. Couple this with the fact that the Lions have already put the Round 2 games against the top two teams in the compo (The Bulls and WP) behind them while the Leopards have faced the bottom two teams, and it looks like the Leopards may just be the easier team to force out of a top four place.
Perhaps the top of the table Bulls versus Western Province under-19 matchup on Friday is not of the greatest interest to Sharks affairs at this stage but it is by no means an insignificant game. In junior rugby it’s academic whether a team finishes first or second on the log because beyond the semi-finals, the determination of the venue for the final is out of their control (it is always a curtain-raiser to the Currie Cup final). Nevertheless the psychological advantage to the winners of this Bulls-WP clash could prove to be substantial down the line. Province also has the Leopards breathing down their necks currently, so they have much to play for still. Last time out WP came from behind to upset the competition favourite Bulls outfit 20-16 in a thrilling finish down in Cape Town. One can be sure that this game will produce action and quality of the highest standard once again.
Sharks u19 team:
| 1 | Nic Roebeck (Rondebosch) |
| 2 | Morne du Plessis (Waterkloof) |
| 3 | Marne Coetzee (Glenwood) |
| 4 | Gideon Koegelenberg (Hugenote) |
| 5 | Myles Tucker (Rondebosch) |
| 6 | Francois van der Vyver (Oakdale) |
| 7 | Andrew van Tonder (EG Jansen) |
| 8 | Jean Pretorius (Sentraal) |
| 9 | Cameron Wright (Hilton College) |
| 10 | Robert du Preez (c) (Kearsney) |
| 11 | Alcino Izaacs (Namib HS) |
| 12 | Garath Meikle (Lomagundi,Zim) |
| 13 | Tyler Fisher (Westville) |
| 14 | Kotaro Matsushima (T.Gakven,Japan) |
| 15 | Sean Robinson (Waterkloof) |
| 16 | Warrick Venter (Selborne) |
| 17 | John-Hubert Meyer (Paul Roos) |
| 18 | Louis Hazelhurst (George Campbell) |
| 19 | Theo Kruger (THS Sasolburg) |
| 20 | Hubert de Haas (Klerksdorp) |
| 21 | Brendon Cope (DHS) |
| 22 | Takadzwa Chieza (Prince Edward,Zim) |
| 23 | Matt Jones (Kearsney) |
@beet:did you get to the u19 game on sat,gumboots and raincoats were needed i hear,baywatch at least got a run,abit of feed back would be nice
@QC86: Yes Eugene was very good and I like their 2 loosies Kwagga and De Wet Meyer as well. Funnily enough the Leopards pointed out before the game that they felt the Lions no.14 was weak defensively. There was no mention of his attacking potential. He was the one who hurt us with 2 muscle tries.
@beet,thats a pity,but thanx,talking about Eugene did you watch the lions game when they played in durbs and how good he was,number one hooker sofar this year for me
@QC86: Sorry. It seems like the confusion was caused by Eugene le Maitre’s tweet that the game will be on tellie. But it turns out to be the u21 game at 17h00 that he was talking about not the u19s :sad:
@beet,thanx for the heads up on that game,i will love to watch it on tv.
@QC86: Definitely but I think I’m going to use my undercover seat and not the one near the field.
Also heard that the Leopards vs Lions u19 game is on TV today but haven’t seen it on the TV guide.
@beet ,sorry,should have been SOME game time
@beet,i will see you there,must i bring a raincoat? hope baywatch gets so game time