Sharks, Blue Bulls crowned SARU Sevens champs
Tournament favourites The Sharks and hosts, Blue Bulls, were crowned champions in the men’s and women’s section respectively at the 2012 SARU Interprovincial Sevens at Loftus in Pretoria on Saturday.
The team from KwaZulu-Natal fielded a powerful team and they deservedly won the Cup after beating Eastern Province 29-14 in a tense final. The EP Kings played some of the best Sevens at the two-day tournament, but they were no match for the favourites in the final.
The Sharks won their quarter-final 28-0 against the Golden Lions and in the semis they defeated the Free State Cheetahs 24-7 after the Bloemfontein side offered stubborn resistance during the first half.
Rosco Speckman, the lively Sharks playmaker, had a good tournament and was named as the Player of the Tournament ahead of team mates Sibu Sithole, Tera Mthembu and Milo Nqoro. He would no doubt have caught the attention of Paul Treu, the Springbok Sevens coach, and Elite Player Development squad management members Marius Schoeman and Neil Powell who were all in attendance.
The EP Kings booked their place in the men’s Cup final after beating Valke 22-13 in the first upset of the day. The EP side then got the better of Western Province by 19-7 to book a meeting with The Sharks in the final.
In the Women’s section the Blue Bulls lifted the crown with a comprehensive 28-0 win over Western Province. The Pretoria women qualified for the final after beating the Golden Lions 47-0 and then defeating KZN 26-0 in the last four.
Blue Bulls centre Marithy Pienaar was the standout player and thoroughly deserves her Player of the Tournament accolade. Shona-Leah Weston, Cindy Cant and Mapume Maseko also impressed for the Blue Bulls women.
Boland returned home with two trophies after their men and women won their respective Plate-finals. The Boland women won 21-7 against Free State whilst their men’s colleagues outplayed the Blue Bulls 33-21 in the Plate final.
Saturday’s results:
Quarter-finals:
Men: KZN 28, Golden Lions 0; Western Province 19, Leopards 12; EP 22, Valke 12; Free State 17, Lowveld 10; Pumas 33, Griquas 5; Limpopo 19, Griffons 12; Blue Bulls 17, SWD 0; Boland 21, Border 17.
Women: Blue Bulls 38, Griffons 0; Border 14, EP 0; Western Province 24, Golden Lions 0; KZN 47, Border B 0; Boland 38, Valke 7; Leopards 12, SANDF 7; SWD 43, Corr. Services 0; Free State 14, Griquas 5.
Semi-finals:
CUP: Men: KZN 24, Free State 7; EP 19, WP 7. Women: Blue Bulls 26, KZN 0; Western Province 21, Border 12.
PLATE: Men: Boland 12, Pumas 7, Blue Bulls 38, Limpopo 10. Women: Boland 17, SWD 7; Free State 34, Leopards 0.
Finals:
PLATE: Men: Boland 33, Blue Bulls 21. Women: Boland 21, Free State 7.
CUP: Men: Sharks 29, EP 14. Women: Blue Bulls 28, WP 0.
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