Western Province and the Blue Bulls are about to go head to head in the main game of Day 1 at Craven Week. Province are the favours coming into Craven Week 2015 while not that much is being said of the Affies powered Bulls under-18 team.
The last time the two big schoolboy rugby unions met in their first game was in Port Elizabeth in 2012 and what an action-packed match of running rugby that turned out to be. It was billed as and definitely felt like the unofficial final was taking place on the Tuesday that year. The first half was filled with awesome blow-for-blow trading attack-minded play. After the Bulls levelled matters at 7-7, WP moved into a 17-7 lead before two tries put the Bulls up 21-17. Province regained the lead with a try to make it 24-21 but the lead changed hands for a fourth time thanks to the Bulls’ third try of the half. Just before the break then SA u20 flyhalf Handre Pollard landed his second penalty to put WP 27-26 up at the end a scintillating 35-minutes.
The first part of the second half was like the eye of a storm passing through. After the furious first half, there was no scoring for 21 minutes. Then the Blue Bulls raised the bar at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium thanks to their flashy need-for-speed backline containing the likes of Ryno Eksteen, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Jaco Hayward and the glider Jurie Linde who combined brilliantly to help their team scored 21 unanswered via three converted tries in the 56th, 59th and 61st minutes and deliver the knockout blow against a good WP team.
It ended 47-27 to the Bulls who went on to claim the Craven Week 2012 title.
Scorers:
Blue Bulls (26) 47 – Tries: Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Marcus Kleinbooi (2), Pierre Schoeman, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Johannes Linde, Jaco Hayward. Conversions: Ryno Eksteen (6).
WP (27) 27 – Tries: Rikus Bothma, Chad Solomon, Jason Worrall. Conversions: Handrè Pollard (3). Penalties: Pollard (2).
| Blue Bulls Squad | WP Squad |
|---|---|
| 1 Pierre Schoeman (Affies) | 1 M Nortje (Tygerberg) |
| 2 Vean Roodt (Centurion) | 2 Chad Solomon (Paul Roos) |
| 3 Johan Bannink (Garsfontein) | 3 Liam Hendricks (HJS Paarl BH) |
| 4 Hyron Andrews (Garsfontein) | 4 Sebastian Ferreira (HJS Paarl BH) |
| 5 Janse van Rensburg (Affies) | 5 JD Schikerling (Paarl Gym) |
| 6 Thabo Mabuza (Centurion) | 6 Ramon Samuels (Paul Roos) |
| 7 Heinrich Viljoen (Affies) | 7 Jacques Vermeulen (Paarl Gym) |
| 8 Steven Meiring (Affies) | 8 Rikus Bothma (Paarl Gym) |
| 9 Justin Phillips (Waterkloof) | 9 Pieter Schoonraad (HJS Paarl BH) |
| 10 Ryno Eksteen (Affies) | 10 Handre Pollard (Paarl Gym) |
| 11 Caswell Khoza (Southdowns) | 11 G Hermanus (Paarl Gym) |
| 12 Rohan Jansen van Rensburg (Waterkloof) | 12 Wesley Cupido (Paarl Gym) |
| 13 Jurie Linde (Affies) | 13 Michael Hazner (Paul Roos) |
| 14 Marcus Kleinbooi (Affies) | 14 Dalen Goliath (Paul Roos) |
| 15 Jaco Hayward (Centurion) | 15 Jason Worral (Paul Roos) |
| 16 François Steyn (Affies) | 16 Craig Corbett (HJS Paarl BH) |
| 17 Dayan van der Westhuizen (Centurion) | 17 Wesley Adonis (HJS Paarl BH) |
| 18 Johan Ras (Centurion) | 18 Burger van Niekerk (HJS Paarl BH) |
| 19 Bobby de Wee (Southdowns) | 19 Corne Cooper (Paarl Gym) |
| 20 George-Lee Erasmus (Centurion) | 20 SP Ferreira (Paul Roos) |
| 21 Chad McKay (Centurion) | 21 D Cox (Excelsior) |
| 22 Marquit September (Garsfontein) | 22 Keagan Gordon (Boland Landbou) |
Interesting that Marquit September ( 22 ) is the only backline player, including reserves, from that Bulls team that is still with the Bulls.