Two very exciting clashes take place in the ABSA under-19 competition this weekend. The Sharks have it all to do against the highly fancied Bulls while Free State who play Western Province are closing in on desperation but also a long overdue win against a big team. The Lions have the easiest game of the lot when they challenge SWD and the Leopards take the weekend off.
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | Venue | ||
| 10-Aug | Blue Bulls | 13 | 8 | Leopards | Loftus, Pretoria |
| 11-Aug | Golden Lions | 25 | 21 | Free State Cheetahs | Coca-Cola Park, Jozi |
| 11-Aug | Western Province | 16 | 6 | Sharks | Newlands, Cape Town |
| 17-Aug | SWD Eagles | Golden Lions | Outeniqua Park, George | ||
| 17-Aug | Free State Cheetahs | Western Province | Free State Stadium, Bloem | ||
| 18-Aug | Sharks | Blue Bulls | Mr Price Kings Park, Durbs |
Last weekend marked the closest set of results in the compo to date. An aggregate of just 19 points was all that separated the winners from the losers in three games. In Pretoria, the Leopards backed up their good win over Province the week before with another solid result. The match was riddled with errors though. It was a 50:50 game that hung in the balance until the very end. The Leopards struggled to win lineout ball, which reduced their attacking opportunities. Wing Luther Obi from Bennies is one of the unknown youngsters who’s slowly but surely making a name for himself this season. He got on the score-sheet for the Leopards with a try from a clean break. The Bulls replied in the second half via Grey Bloem’s Ruwellyn Isbell who is enjoying an unusually long but very welcomed injury-free spell. Another player doing ever so well is Bulls fullback and kicker Jacques Rossouw who was recruited from the Boland (Piketburg). Rossouw’s boot was the difference on the day. The 13-8 win resulted in the Bulls leapfrogging the Leopards into first place on the log.
The Sharks suffered their second defeat on the trot, losing this time to WP at Newlands. Take nothing away from Province, in the pouring rain they proved to be the side capable of putting points on the board and got the only try of the match as well though captain and hooker Freddie Kirsten, a highly rated old Boishaaier. The Sharks however did not do themselves too many favours by making poor decisions and giving a way easy penalties that cost them, both are trends carried forward from a home defeat to the Lions and urgently need to be broken this weekend.
Finally it was another heartbreaking defeat for the Free State. They led 21-18 and were on the attack during the late stages of the game before a penalty in their favour was turned around and their prop Hendrik-Schalk Theron (Grey Bloem) issued a yellow card. The Lions used the possession wisely and snatched a late winner. Lions left wing Jacques Nel from Brandwag was passed a ball that had been kicked through and recollected by his teammates. He went on to score the winning try with just three minutes left on the clock. It was an exciting finish but the whole game could have been a more memorable had the the standard of reffing been a little better.
The Sharks coaching staff and assessors don’t place all their emphasis on the results achieved by the team. There are long term objectives that get factored in as well and their general feeling is that this under-19 is competitive, is improving all the time and is therefore on the right track. However this like all other rugby competitions in South Africa is one that Sharks fans rightly believe their team should be in with a shout to win. So its pressure on to get a result against an injury plagued Bulls team. Barring a couple of injuries, the Sharks pretty much have their best team available for the clash. The coaching staff have indicated that areas where hard work has been put in this week include linespeed in order to deny the Bulls space and not allowing them any kind of rhythm because once they settle “they’re particularly difficult to stop”. It goes without saying that the battle up front in the set-pieces and the loose will be huge as well.
Despite the injuries and seven changes, its still a handy Bulls team. If they can get Roelof Smit (Klofies) passed fit, there’s good balance to the pack which will then have a big tight 5, 3 viable lineout options and importantly a versatile backrow. The line had a big setback with Dries Swanepoel (Grey Bloem, SA Schools) looking like he’ll be sidelined long-term. In comes a familar face in Glenwood Old Boy Dean Moolman, who has represented the Sharks u19s in 2011. The big tackler will no doubt shut down that inside channel. There are some nice match-ups on the outside for both teams, the pick of the lot has to be at fullback. Here Sean Robinson (Klofies, SA Schools) pits his talents against Jacques Rossouw. Given that he has an educated boot as well, Rossouw must be edging ahead of Robinson on Dawie Theron’s Baby Boks value chart, so there is a lot for Robinson to prove.
The Free State are quite capable of knocking over WP. They have the personnel. They just need to stay defensively tuned in for all 70-minutes. Little lapses in concentration have cost them big time, more than any other team in this league in fact. It doesn’t get easier though, Province arrive with the architect of unhinging defences – Justin Geduld of Tygerberg. Despite his slight build, it the centre’s lightning speed that’s causing headaches. The Sharks struggled to contain him last week in the wet, so on a dry field in Bloem he could be a nightmare. This is a winable game for Free State but they need to believe in their systems. If they do, they can control possession and territory. Both teams seem to have setbacks. WP are without no.8 Andreas Dercksen (Paul Roos) who is sadly back on the injury list just one game after making his comeback.
Log and Teams:
| # | TEAM | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | BP | TOTAL |
| 1 | Blue Bulls | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 158 | 53 | 105 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Leopards | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 114 | 111 | 3 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | Western Province | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 83 | 62 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | Golden Lions | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 135 | 126 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 13 |
| 5 | Sharks | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 118 | 64 | 54 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| 6 | Free State Cheetahs | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 167 | 98 | 69 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 7 |
| 7 | SWD Eagles | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 267 | -261 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 0 |
| SHARKS | BULLS | |
| Nic Roebeck (Rondebosch) | 1 | Justin Forwood (Waterkloof) |
| Morne du Plessis (Waterkloof) | 2 | Theuns Reynolds (Monnas) |
| Richard Palframan (Rondebosch) | 3 | Neethling Fouche (Grey College) |
| David Fisher (Pretoria Boys High) | 4 | Dennis Visser (Affies) |
| Myles Tucker (Rondebosch) | 5 | Irne Herbst (Waterkloof) |
| Theo Kruger (THS Sasolburg) | 6 | Roelof Smit (Waterkloof) |
| Andrew van Tonder (EG Jansen) | 7 | Jacques du Plessis (Ermelo) |
| Petrus Uys (Swellendam) | 8 | Paul Janse van Rensburg (Affies) |
| Stefan Ungerer (Maritzburg College) | 9 | Tokkie Mtsweni (Waterkloof) |
| Robert du Preez (Kearsney) | 10 | Francois Tredoux (Waterkloof) |
| Alcino Izaacs (Namib HS) | 11 | Ruwellyn Isbell (Grey College) |
| Garath Meikle (Lomagundi,Zim) | 12 | Dean Moolman (Glenwood) |
| Tyler Fisher (Westville) | 13 | Jade Stighling (St Albans) |
| Kotaro Matsushima (T.Gakven,Japan) | 14 | Wandi Sompontsha (Wynberg) |
| Sean Robinson (Waterkloof) | 15 | Jacques Rossouw (Piketburg) |
| Warrick Venter (Selborne) | 16 | Jacques Taylor (Glenwood) |
| John-Hubert Meyer (Paul Roos) | 17 | Andrew Beerwinkel (Porterville) |
| Louis Hazelhurst (George Campbell) | 18 | Johannes Kirsten (Affies) |
| Kirk Twine (Waterkloof) | 19 | Ferdi Horn (Glenwood) |
| Takadzwa Chieza (Prince Edward,Zim) | 20 | Jerome Bastick (Marais Viljoen) |
| Brendon Cope (DHS) | 21 | Dalton Kannemeyer (Wynberg) |
| Michael Bernardt (Oakdale) | 22 | Niel Meyer (HTS Middelburg) |
| Matt Jones (Kearsney) | 23 | Jan Enslin (Grey PE) |
| FREE STATE | WESTERN PROVINCE | |
| Ignis Nagel (Boishaai) | 1 | Sthi Sithole (Westville) |
| Jacques du Toit (Grey College) | 2 | Frederick Kirsten (Boishaai) |
| Luan de Bruin (Affies) | 3 | Etienne Swanepoel (Tygerberg) |
| JJ Nell (Grey College) | 4 | Jean Kleyns (Linden) |
| Vincent Maruping (Louis Botha) | 5 | Andrew Becker (Michaelhouse) |
| Theuns Truter (Jim Fouche) | 6 | Justin Benn (Daniel Pienaar) |
| Tienie Burger (Grey College) | 7 | Jurie van Vuuren (Oakdale) |
| Gerhard Olivier (Grey College) | 8 | Nickolai Lubbe (Boland Landbou) |
| Nhlanhla Hlongwane (Louis Botha) | 9 | Jean Nel (Boishaai) |
| Jannie Strumpher (Grey College) | 10 | Tomasco Allan (Scotland) |
| Seabelo Senatla (Harmony) | 11 | Jean-Paul Lewis (Paul Roos) |
| Tertius Kruger (Outeniqua) | 12 | Janco Gunther (Waterkloof) |
| Jaco Fourie (Affies) | 13 | Justin Geduld (Tygerberg) |
| Francois Pretorius (Grey College) | 14 | Werner Kok (Nelspruit) |
| Meyer van Tonder (Grey College) | 15 | Cheslin Kolbe (Brackenfell) |
| Ando Booysens (Kroonstad HS) | 16 | Brainton Booysen (Outeniqua) |
| Hennie Theron (Grey College) | 17 | Niel Oelofse (Glenwood) |
| Ricky van Straaten (Marlow) | 18 | Deacon Chowels (Hermans) |
| Shaun Ndinisa (Ben Vorster) | 19 | Christiaan Benade (Kempton Park) |
| Sheldon Erasmus (Voortrekker (Beth)) | 20 | Joel Smith (Paul Roos) |
| Rual Laubscher (Marais Viljoen) | 21 | Andre Warner (Tygerberg) |
| Dewald Claassen (Tygerberg) | 22 | Kyle Lombard (Paul Roos) |
| Steven Robbeson (Drostdy) | 23 | Selom Gavor (Rondebosch) |
@ludz,thanx boet,our guys still have 2 midweek games left,but nothing to hard,yes high school brings new challenges,some of our team are going to private school,some have indicated they are going to play hockey so we will wait and see
@QC86: congratulation to your boy and his team,undefeated,the curtain also fell on Elano Smith and his 13A’s careers at the junior school,good win against Dale. Next step high school
@beet,ihave noticed that too,fresh legs does not seem to carry any weight,replacements seem to be tackle bag carriers during warm ups and practices and when they get on they look out of sorts and ill prepared,22 player will always beat 15
@QC86: The Sharks seemed to go to the bench mainly for need rather than to intro impact players to change the game. Cope got on for about 10m but didn’t do anything to really catch the eye – hardly any ball came the Sharks way tho. The sub that saw a lot of game time was Twine who came on to start 2nd half. He did not stand out tho – again it was mainly defending to be done. Meikle got bloodbinned which surprisingly resulted in Chieza not Bernhardt coming on at 12 and I think Chieza showed hunger and in the 2 short sessions he had on the park he seemed to contribute more than Meikle. Berhardt came on at left wing towards the end but coughed up a setplay inside pass when we were on attack. I feel for him coz when I watched him in club rugby he looked like the real deal while Meikle hasn’t really stood out for me at 12. A scare was when Andrew van Tonder came off late with an injury. Paframan also came off with an injury. These are 2 valuable players. I think the Sharks have to work harder on lineout innovation and might have to consider Twine or Hazelhurst to start in the backrow and maybe Tucker isn’t the right guy for the calling. Lineouts were always going to be a tough challenge vs the Bulls with 3 tall players but Braam Steyn in the u21s shows how much pressure it alleviates by having a jumper at the tail.
The Sharks u19s generally get better in the 2nd half of the season but their schedule is really tough with the 4 altitude games still to come this year. I feel for the guys. This was a game they worked hard to win. Played extremely well in the first half. Pity they gave away a meaningless pen (side entry I think) in the last minute, allowing Faf to weave some magic.
@beet,thanks for that,heard those bulls player were big and well conditioned,any of the backline replacements make an impact? cope?
@All Black: The u19s conceded some soft tries after building a handy 18-0 lead with the wind behind them. They lost 22-21 in the last minute. Faf Tredoux who had to live with that missed kick at CW vs Vrystaat last year, showed he has some serious BMT in this game. His excellent 50m pen for touch resulted in a 5m lineout. He then converted the difficult kick from an acute angle. Sharks were outmuscled by the bigger stronger Bulls pack who also made life difficult in the setpieces (Sharks pack did well in open play). Bulls played with no cohesion tho. Just physical ball carriers. Their backs were flat. Out backs were really good. Our Japanese and Namibian wings did really well but also good things by 10,13 and 15. Sharks pinned back in 2nd half (wind was strong) but Bulls 3 tries came from Sharks errors rather than Bulls domination.
u21s were complacent in 1st half. Their usually good defence let them down and on attack in areas where they had forced opponents to err and concede pens for Fred Z to kick over, they instead coughed up the ball. The Bulls backs played really well in the first half. They responded well to quickball and showed great handling. 13 channel was a good sources of points for them. Gimmies’ (not College) Chris Bosch was good at 12 and Skosan an unlikely hero at 13. Good passing and lines run = 3 first half tries and game over really. Sharks fought back bravely in 2nd half. More control and determination but they have struggled all year to score tries. 34-19 final score.
What were the U19 and U21 results this weekend?
@beet,sounds like there was a bit of heart break in the last minute at Kings park,could not make the game,youngest was playing his last saturday derby against Grey PE for the u13s,my contact at the sharks is not saying much ,sounds grumpy,can you tell us how the scrums and lineouts were,little match report maybe
@beet: I think we could see a very strange situation at 10 for Baby Boks next where we might see 2 of the current u18 flyhalves drafted into the squad or it could be Pollard and Swiel duelling for the no.10 jersey
@QC86: @Ludz: I didn’t see any star quality in Faf Tredoux today but he showed serious BMT when it mattered most near the end. First with an excellent touch-finder from a penalty and then with the difficult winning conversion.
@QC86: in the u19 age group,we have a pretty good player in Hanco Venter even though he’s playing u21s. Really not sure who the standout in the half backs have been
Andrew van Tonder,sharks no7 has been playing very well but had a quiet game against wp,standout hooker so far for me was lions sa schools hooker,but i have not seen the bulls play or the leopards,whats your guys views on the best flyhalf and scrummie to date?
@Ludz: From what I heard Justin Benn from WP is a real hard worker and playing brilliantly as well.
He’s probably the leading man on Dawie’s value chart at the moment,Justin Geduld. Still surprised Ruwelyn Isbell hasn’t broken down,always interesting what happens with the loosies,any one know who the pace setters are thus far,heard Kwagga has been good at openside for the Lions and de Wet Meyer,Lions captain, isn’t having a bad season at blindside either
@beet: Heard today from the Freestate No 15’s dad..”Daai donnerse maergat senter van die WP maak net k@k as hy die bal kry!”…
@BoishaaiPa:
Or as a very reliable source from the W/Cape told me.
WP won 40-29. Geduld scored two tries and was again a terror in midfield..as Beet predicted!
Glenwood 7’s this weekend, good luck to all the sides! http://www.glenwoodhighschool.co.za/sites/default/files/playing%20schedule%20final%2012.pdf
Dries Swanepoel has been ruled out of the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury.