WP down familiar foes to finish top at U18 Craven Week
· Citizen
Western Province scored six tries to beat Western Province XV in the final match of the U18 Craven Week at Grey High School in Gqeberha on Saturday.
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WP recorded their third-straight victory at the tournament on Saturday, while the Valke, South Western Districts, Griquas, Blue Bulls, Leopards, Boland and the Sharks claimed wins on day five to end their campaigns on a high.
Both WP teams progressed to the unofficial final of the U18 Craven Week for the first time, after winning their respective matches in the earlier rounds of the tournament.
When the two Cape-based teams met at the Kolisi Field in Gqeberha on Saturday, the senior side outscored the second-stringers by six tries to four and went on to claim a 40-24 victory. WP captain Tiaan Basson and flyhalf Ethan van Biljon finished with two tries apiece, while fullback Achmat Behardien kicked five conversions.
Earlier in the day, SWD wing Bronwin Swiegelaar scored two tries in his side’s emphatic 41-19 victory over Eastern Province, while the Limpopo Blue Bulls held off a determined Valke outfit to win 27-24.
Griquas hooker Wian Maritz scored a brace in the 36-26 win over the Griffons, while flyhalf Ruan Fluks kicked 15 points in the Blue Bulls’ 30-29 victory against Free State.
Leopards outside centre Marques Jantjies continued his impressive try-scoring form when he bagged a hat-trick in the 45-31 win against Border, and a late blitz by Boland earned them a 40-17 result against the Pumas.
The Golden Lions came within one score of beating the Sharks, but a late penalty goal attempt drifted wide of the uprights, and the KwaZulu-Natalians held on for a 31-30 victory. Lions wing Lethabo Mashao scored two tries in a losing cause.
U18 Craven Week results – day five (Saturday, 11 July):
EP 19 (7) SWD 41 (24)
Griquas 36 (17) Griffons 26 (13)
Valke 24 (5) Limpopo Blue Bulls 27 (17)
Free State 29 (10) Blue Bulls 30 (20)
Boland 40 (14) Pumas 17 (17)
Border 31 (14) Leopards 45 (21)
Sharks 31 (21) Golden Lions 30 (17)
WP 40 (19) WP XV 24 (5)