The Sharks beat the Leopards 29-16 in in the final round of the SA Rugby U20 Cup to sneak into the top four in a dramatic finale to the league stage of the tournament.
Earlier this past weekend, the Lions secured top spot on the log by beating Eastern Province 53-20, while Western Province moved into second spot with a commanding 64-14 win over Free State in Bloemfontein.
The Lions finished on 27 points, with WP second on 24, just ahead of the Vodacom Bulls (23). The Sharks (16) forced themselves into the last four by beating the Leopards (14) in Durban. Free State (6) and EP (1) dropped out of the playoffs race a while back.
The Lions will now host the Sharks in Johannesburg on Friday, 15 October (kick-off 1pm), and WP await the Bulls in Cape Town on Saturday, 16 October (3pm).
The semi-final between the Lions and the Sharks is not as straight-forward as it seems. The hosts have won five out of six with one draw, and the Durbanites won only three of their six league matches, but the visitors have a number of Junior Springboks in their midst than can deliver the big moments.
The Lions won their previous clash 27-15 at Ellis Park and with the knowledge that another win would secure a home final, the Jozi side should be very determined.
On paper, the other semi-final between Western Province and the Vodacom Bulls will be very tight.
The Cape side scored 35 tries in their four wins and two draws to date, but the men from Pretoria scored more tries than anyone else in the competition (37), as well as the most points (252).
The Bulls were edged 17-11 by WP last month in Cape Town, so they will know exactly what to expect. They also had a bye in the last round and will hit the field fresh and eager.
The Cape side scored 35 tries in their four wins and two draws to date, but the men from Pretoria scored more tries than anyone else in the competition (37), as well as the most points (252).
The Bulls were edged 17-11 by WP last month in Cape Town, so they will know exactly what to expect. They also had a bye in the last round and will hit the field fresh and eager.
On the final weekend of league play, WP delivered another strong second half in their Bloem win. They were ahead 24-7 at the break and moved into another gear in the second half, scoring a further 40 points. They have a very strong bench and they again showed that in the second half of the clash.
The Lions were already locked in for a semi-final spot before they took on EP, but still had to deliver a solid win to make sure they came out top of the log.
With Tyler Bocks pretty influential in the midfield, the Lions always had the game under control, but EP will be pleased with the way they finished their campaign, scoring three tries against the log leaders, the most they have scored in a match all season.
The Leopards had some good results this year, but sadly their discipline failed them in their most important league match against the Sharks. They conceded penalties on the wrong side of the field in a must-win match and five penalty goals by Junior Bok flyhalf Kian Meadon all but secured the win for the Durbanites.
The fact that flyhalf Martin Venter (46) finished top of the scoring charts after the regular season will be scant reward for the ‘Mielieboere’, who will count themselves unlucky not to have made the playoffs.
Scoring summaries:
Free State 14 (7), Western Province 64 (24)
Free State – Tries: Lohan Potgieter, Gideon van Wyk. Conversions: Wikus Basson (2).
WP – Tries: Keagan Blanckenberg, Jarrod Taylor, Ruben Labuschagne, Ethan James, Conwill Conradie, Ebenzer Tshimanga (2), Isaiah Warton (2). Conversions: Sacha Mngomezulu (8). Penalty goal: Mngomezulu.
Sharks 29 (16), Leopards 16 (10)
Sharks – Tries: Jacques Goosen (2), Conversions: Kian Meadon (2). Penalty goals: Meadon (5).
Leopards – Try: Franco du Plessis. Conversion: Martin Venter. Penalty goals: Venter (3).
Lions 53 (31), Eastern Province 20 (10)
Lions – Tries: Ruan Venter (2), Izan Esterhuizen, Nico Steyn, Boldwin Hansen, Tyler Bocks (2), Josh van Vreden, Liyema Matyolweni. Conversions: Jurich Claasens (4).
EP – Tries: Marco Nortje, Okkie Muller, Dylan Halgreen. Conversion: Diego Swartz. Penalty goal: Swartz.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
