Top four in junior leagues all but confirmed

Oct 6 • General News • 2558 Views • Comments Off on Top four in junior leagues all but confirmed

Photo: William Brown

The four semi-finalist of the Absa Under-21 Provincial Championship A-Division has been confirmed, with DHL Western Province securing top spot following a 39-18 win over the Toyota Free State in Bloemfontein.

There is one more round left, but WP (49 points) has skipped clear of Xerox Golden Lions (42) and the Vodacom Blue Bulls (41). The Golden Lions had an easy 48-10 win over Leopards, while the Blue Bulls won 31-10 against the Cell C Sharks in Durban.

This weekend, the Golden Lions play Free State in Johannesburg and the Blue Bulls travel to East London to face winless Border in the BCM Stadium. WP and the Sharks will also face off in Durban.

The results in Johannesburg and East London will determine home ground advantage to either the Lions or Blue Bulls, but WP already know they will face the Free State in two weeks’ time.

The EP Kings and SWD Eagles will face each other in the B-Division final. The EP Kings outlasted Limpopo Blue Bulls 28-26 in a tight semi-final in Port Elizabeth, while the Eagles reversed an earlier defeat to Boland to beat them 40-33 in Wellington.

In the Absa Under-19 Provincial Championship A-Division, the defending champions and log leaders Vodacom Blue Bulls were shocked by the Cell C Sharks in Durban, losing 52-7.

They now need one point out of their final match (against EP Kings in Port Elizabeth) to finish top of the log this coming weekend.

The good win by the Sharks kept alive their outside chance of making the top four. The Sharks (31) can still catch the Toyota Free State (36) in third place, but it will not be easy.

The Free State side easily outplayed second placed DHL Western Province 38-7 in Bloemfontein and now face the Xerox Golden Lions with only a point adrift from the Cape side on the log. In the other match of the weekend, the Leopards finally delivered a polished performance to beat the Golden Lions 29-26 in Potchefstroom.

In the B-Division semifinals, Valke beat Steval Pumas 35 – 19 and Boland held out to a 35-30 win over Limpopo Blue Bulls. Valke and Boland now meet in the final.

Courtesy of SARU