WP u21s secure top spot
The four semifinalists of the Absa Under-21 Provincial Championship were already decided before the weekend’s matches, with only the venue for the second semifinal undecided.
DHL Western Province secured top spot and Toyota Free State fourth and it was dependent on the weekend’s results to determine who of the Vodacom Blue Bulls and Xerox Golden Lions would finish second and third.
The Blue Bulls laid down their marker on Friday already, beating Border 123-7.
The Golden Lions could not respond and dropped a disappointing 10-20 result at home to the Free State. In Cape Town, WP showed their massive depth in their ranks by playing with a number of second stringers who were still good enough to beat the visiting Cell C Sharks 51-32.
The depth of the WP squad was clearly demonstrated in this match, with a number of regulars rested or playing off the bench.
They still had too many guns for a well-stocked Sharks side, who had the lead at the break, but then fell to a four try spree from flanker Tapiwa Tsomondo.
The flanker used his pack’s forward dominance to good effect to score four tries in the 42nd, 52nd, 59th and 65th minutes to break clear.
The visitors kept on coming in a match that yielded 13 tries, but their best effort was still short of the pace-setting WP, who will host next week semifinal against Toyota Free State.
Scorers:
WP (Under-21) 51 (10). Tries: Devon Nash, Jacques van Staden, SP Ferreira, Tapiwa Tsomondo (4), Willem Strydom. Conversions: Strydom (2), Brandon Thomson (2). Penalty: Strydom.
Sharks (Under 21) 32 (18). Tries: Johan Meyer, Khulu Marwana, Michael Cloete, Sandile Kubeka, Tyler Fisher. Conversions: Tim Swiel (2). Penalty: Swiel.
Xerox Golden Lions 10 (5), Toyota Free State 20 (10).
The home side delivered a lethargic performance when it mattered most and lost out on a home semifinal in conceding a 10-20 defeat to visiting Free State.
Two yellow cards at once also did not help their cause in the second half as they lost vital momentum.
The Free State kept their discipline and heads and scored 10 points in the last five minutes of the match to secure a well-deserved win.
Scorers:
Golden Lions (Under-21) 10 (5). Tries: Cyle Brink (2).
Free State (Under-21) 20 (10). Tries: Carel-Jan Coetzee, Marco Klopper. Conversions: Henry Immelman, Pieter Jordaan. Penalties: Immelman, Jordaan.
Border 7 (0), Vodacom Blue Bulls 123 (57).
The Vodacom Blue Bulls Under-21 side finished their regular fixtures with a commanding 123-7 win over Border after leading 57-0 at the break. The visitors scored 20 tries in this romp with flanker Chris Massyn getting a hat-trick.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls team will face the Xerox Golden Lions at Loftus Versfeld in the semifinal of the Absa Under-21 Provincial Championship next weekend.
Scorers:
Border (Under-21) 7 (0). Try: Akhona Sihunu. Conversion: Devandre Sissing.
Blue Bulls (Under-21) 123 (57). Tries: Andrew Beerwinkel, Chris Massyn (3), Dan Kriel, Desmond Stramis, Ganfried May, Impi Visser, Jacques Rossouw, Keagon Gordon, Kefentse Mahlo (2), Kobus Marais (2), Leighton van Wyk, Mox Mxoli (2), Wilco Louw. Conversions: Dan Kriel (2), Jacques Rossouw (4), Kobus Marais (8).
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