At Grey College in Bloemfontein starting Monday 10 July 2017.
There is no shortage of good rugby to watch and a number of promising players on display.
Most unfortunately the national under-16 week has become a bit of shopping outing for schools desperately looking boost their 1st XV’s for the next 2 sometimes 3 years. Sadly one of the features that’s now common at the event is that of overzealous school officials and school aligned scouts directly approaching other schools’ players whenever and wherever they can over the course of the week. Sometimes the desperation includes running onto the field immediately after the final whistle to make direct contact with sort after minors.
| DAY | TEAM | TEAM | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Western Province |
38 | 10 | South Western Districts |
| 2 | Western Province | 37 | 19 | Free State |
| 1 | Western Province | 36 | 7 | Blue Bulls |
| 2 | South Western Districts | 32 | 27 | Border |
| 1 | South Western Districts | 39 | 23 | Pumas |
| 3 | KZN Sharks | 32 | 29 | Golden Lions |
| 2 | KZN Sharks | 46 | 13 | Namibia |
| 1 | KZN Sharks | 15 | 14 | Western Province XV |
| 3 | Free State | 38 | 20 | Border |
| 1 | Free State | 71 | 19 | Zimbabwe |
| 3 | Blue Bulls | 43 | 32 | Boland |
| 2 | Blue Bulls | 29 | 29 | Golden Lions |
| 1 | Border | 24 | 13 | Golden Lions |
| 2 | Boland | 25 | 22 | Limpopo |
| 1 | Boland | 17 | 14 | Griquas |
| 2 | Eastern Province | 26 | 24 | Griquas |
| 1 | Eastern Province | 21 | 13 | Free State XV |
| 2 | Western Province XV | 20 | 24 | Griffons |
| 3 | Western Province XV | 37 | 19 | Free State XV |
| 2 | Valke | 28 | 10 | Leopards |
| 3 | Valke | 36 | 20 | Eastern Province |
| 2 | Free State XV | 48 | 24 | Pumas |
| 1 | Griffons | 69 | 13 | Border CD |
| 3 | Griffons | 29 | 19 | Limpopo |
| 3 | Griquas | 24 | 12 | Pumas |
| 3 | Leopards | 46 | 3 | Border CD |
| 1 | Limpopo | 48 | 19 | Valke |
| 1 | Namibia | 31 | 23 | Leopards |
| 3 | Namibia | 59 | 19 | Zimbabwe |
From SA Rugby:
Day 1:
Free State came out firing in their clash against Zimbabwe as they dominated upfront and ran riot on attack with their speedy backs, which saw them take a 45-0 halftime lead. Despite this Zimbabwe refused to give up and scored three times after the break, but they were unable to stop the orange machine from continuing their fantastic attacking form.
The home team scored 12 tries in total for a 71-19 defeat.
The Griffons started the tournament with a bang as they delivered an impressive performance all round to cross the chalk 11 times, en route to their 69-13 victory against Border CD. Griffons winger Mpho Ntsutle and No 8 Keke Morabe each scored a hat-trick in what was a memorable start to the tournament.
The Limpopo Blue Bulls also showed their class on attack and they did well to capitalise on their try-scoring chances, which earned them an impressive eight tries, while they leaked only three to secure their 48-19 victory.
SWD also showed their mettle against the Pumas as they delivered a solid performance in all facets of their game to register a 39-23 victory, with five tries to three by the Mpumalanga side. SWD No8 Hendrick Victor and Pumas winger Michael Dlamini each scored a brace for their teams in the match.
Western Province, meanwhile, overcame a tight first quarter against the Blue Bulls in which the teams were level at 14-14 and found their rhythm on attack to cross the tryline five times in total to power their way to a 36-17 victory.
In the closer encounters, Border fought hard against the Golden Lions and did well to apply pressure and work their way into the opposition’s half at crucial stages, which allowed them to outscore the Johannesburg outfit four tries to two for a 24-13 victory.
Both the Lions’ tries were scored by centre Henco van Wyk.
Namibia on the other hand staged a strong second-half fightback from 17-14 down against the Leopards at halftime to score five tries to three by the Potchefstroom side for their 31-23 victory.
Eastern Province had the upper hand against the Free State XV in the first half and they capitalised on this for a 13-3 lead. But the home team fought back in the second half and matched Eastern Province’s three tries in the match, while they also earned a penalty for a 24-21 victory.
The clash between Boland and Griquas was nail-biting as each team scored two converted tries in the match, but the difference on the scoreboard in the end was a crucial penalty goal by Boland.
KZN, meanwhile, snatched a 15-14 victory in the last minute of their clash against the Western Province XV, with a penalty goal and conversion to two successful conversions by the Cape side handing them the edge on the scoreboard.
@Beet: WP XV 24-20 Griffons. You got it the other way around.
In the end good showing by the WP teams. Ten games this week and nine wins only the WP XV losing to KZN by one point on day one but the GK WP and u/13 teams undefeated. Well done to everybody involved. I think the u/18 CW and AW will be a deferent story but who knows some luck and maybe four out of four?
Well done to Sean and his team for winning their final game 38-10. WP SBR is looking strong and the future bright.
@disa: Dankie.
@CharlesZA: KZN 15-14 WP XV (B); 46-13 Namibia, Boland 17-14 Griquas; 25-22 Limpopo Bulls, EP 21-13 Free State XV (B); 26-24 Griquas, SWD 39-23 Pumas; 32-27 Border, WP (A) 36-17 Blue Bulls; 37-19 Free State (A).
@Stier: Teen wie het al daai spanne gespeel om onoorwonne te wees? Het nie die GK so erg gevolg nie maar ja, op face value lyk dit baie odd.
@Stier: Vanaf dag een word die spanne gerate volgens hulle spel. Spanne wat dus in finaal speel was 1 en 2 gerate na Woensdag se games. Sterkte aan beide WP spanne wat in finals speel.
Does anybody know how the draw works for the GK. There is only five unbeaten teams left, WP, Boland, SWD, EP and KZN but only SWD and WP play each other, the rest are all playing against teams that have already lost a game?
Beet rugby don’t seem to be a hot topic? Let me geuss what will get everybody talking again?????
Welldone to WP, I must say the result was a surprise to me. Sean is working his magic by the looks of things.
I see WP is playing Free State today? Well there you go the two top teams taking each other on day two. This is going to be a big game. I think Free State should win, their first game they probable rested all their top boys against Zim while WP had to play all their main guns against the Bulls. Good luck to WP, even with their top team this would have been a difficult game to win.
@Smallies: Toe ek in die army wag gestaan het was dit so koud dat selfs die vuur sulke lang koue vlamme gebrand het. Gelukkig is ek na basics Messina toe?
@Stier: n mens klimatiseer mos maar, op n tyd was – 3 vir my vrek koud, deesdae kwalifiseer dit as koel, as diesel eers begin vries raak dit koud
@Smallies: Ja so verskil almal se idee van koud. Hier in St Rand is +5 koud.
@Stier: – 10 en onder is vir my koud, toe ek in 1994 hier aan gekom het was dit gereeld daar rond gewees, deesdae is dit maar so een of twee keer n jaar so kou d hier, gister was – 3 gewees
@CharlesZA:
@Smallies: As ek mag vra wat is vir jou koud? In my army dae was die winters altyd koud in die Staat.
@Kattes-Strofes: Is 3:30 opstaan tyd of nog nie gaan slaap tyd? Nie seker watter een is beter.
@Smallies: Lyk my ek is nie al nagwolf nie. Maar ek twyfel sterk of julle manne al op pensioen is, en werk seker maar nagskof. Wanneer mens so oud raak,soos ek tans, wil jy minder slaap, want jou dae op aarde word mos vinng minder.
Stier, ek dink Sean het verlede jaar n groot les geleer met sy 1ste wedstryd teen Boland. Geen span kan onderskat word nie. Kyk dan nou vir Grens se vertoning vandag teen die Leeus. Moet darem ook byvoeg dat die WP spannetjie beskik oor heelwat talent.
@Stier: Word nie meer koud hier nie, nie soos vroer jare nie…
Moet seg ek is verras met die Bulle en Lions se uitslae, Sean is ‘n yster. Lyk my dalk Grey teen Boishaai/PRG die jaar?
@Smallies: Enige kind wat in Julie maand in Bloemfontein wil gaan bly moet van Sutherland af kom of ‘n envelopie kry?
Border beating Lions shows how much talent there is in EP.
Sien Grens het die Leeus geknyp
@BoishaaiPa: ek praat nie van gim nie maar wel die omgewing, jy weet Bloemfontein sit met die selfde ding groot stad fasilityte met n platteland atmosfeer
@Smallies: Dink nie Gim het baie voordeel getrek uit laasjaar sn nie..miskien so een of twee locals!
@BoishaaiPa: is dit nie maar die geval gewees laas jaar in die paarl ook nie? Ek weet as ek daai week kon trek dan het ek
@Umtata:.. or perhaps stay on in Bloem because they all want to be there!
I wonder how many of the kids playing here will return to the schools they’ve been attending since January.