The opening day of the Under 18 Craven Week, got off to an explosive start at Hoërskool Middelburg on Monday.
The WP XV ran in eight tries and put 50 past the Leopards in an attacking show as they fired an early warning shot their rivals. The Capetonians were 52-6 victors to give them massive confidence ahead of their Cape derby against Boland on Tuesday.
The next two fixtures were a lot tighter, with the Lions and SWD fighting back from significant half-time deficits to secure important victories.
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Free State dominated the first half of their fixture against SWD, and went to the break with a 17-6 lead. Flyhalf Darius Erwee led the way for his side, contributing 12 points in all.
SWD lifted the tempo in the second stanza, scoring three tries in the final 10 minutes. While Free State added a converted try at the death, it wasn’t enough to deny the Eagles a famous 35-34 win.
In the Jukskei Derby, the Lions rebounded after a slow start to trail by six points at half-time. Neither side managed to gain the upper in hand in the early stages of the the second stanza, with the lead changing hands several times.
With time running out, Bulls wing Thabiso Simelane launched an audacious counter-attack from within his own half, and then managed to regather his own chip kick for an important touchdown.
But the Lions worked their way upfield, before earning a penalty within Jeandre Uithaler’s range. The flyhalf booted his side to a 36-35 victory, and finished the clash with a personal tally of 11 points.
In the fourth match of the day, the Pumas scored five tries in quick succession to take the contest away from the Limpopo Blue Bulls and begin their home tournament with an emphatic 44-22 win.
Day One results:
Western Province XV 52 (19) Griffons 6 (6)
Free State 34 (17) South Western Districts 35 (6)
Blue Bulls 35 (20) Golden Lions 36 (14)
Pumas 44 (12) Limpopo Blue Bulls 22 (14)
Day Two schedule (8 July, 2025):
10am: Leopards v Valke
11.30am: Border v Griquas
1pm: Sharks High Schools v Eastern Province
2.30pm: Western Province v Boland
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
