EP claimed their second win of the competition when they beat the Limpopo Blue Bulls 41-0, with scrumhalf Emihle Gobelani scoring three of their seven tries. The Eastern Cape side finished the two-round tournament with the most points (140) and tries (22).

After breezing past the Leopards in the first round, Border were made to work for the result against the South Western Districts on Wednesday, and eventually emerged with a 15-3 win.

The Golden Lions also finished the tournament on a dominant note when they scored seven tries in a convincing 45-5 win over Boland.

WP proved too strong for the Blue Bulls in the final match staged on Jeppe’s A Field. After trailing by nine points at half-time, the Cape side proceeded to score 24 unanswered points en route to a 36-21 victory.

In other fixtures, the Sharks finished their campaign on a high when they thrashed the Leopards 79-0, with No 8 Thabisile Zungu scoring a whopping six tries.

The Pumas scored nine tries in their 61-17 win against Free State, while Zimbabwe recorded a 50-12 victory over the Valke.

U18 results (Wednesday 3 July):
Sharks 79 (50) Leopards 0 (0)
Pumas 61 (47) Free State 17 (0)
Griquas 12 (12) Griffons 17 (12)
Valke 12 (0) v Zimbabwe 50 (24)
Eastern Province 41 (5) Limpopo Blue Bulls 0 (0)
Border 15 (15) SWD 3 (3)
Western Province 36 (12) Blue Bulls 21 (21)
Golden Lions 45 (24) Boland 5 (5)

The last round of the U16 tournament will be staged at Jeppe High School on Thursday, with the first matches starting at 10h00. Border will face the Limpopo Blue Bulls on the A Field, while Griquas will play the Griffons on the B Field.

U16 fixtures (Thursday 4 July):
10h00: Border v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field
10h00: Griquas v Griffons, B Field
11h15: Border CD v Valke, A Field
11h15: Golden Lions v Leopards, B Field
12h30: Free State v WP, A Field
12h30: Pumas v Sharks, B Field
13h45: EP v Blue Bulls, A Field
13h45: SWD v Boland, B Field

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The Golden Lions, the tournament hosts, started well in their battle against WP, and went to the break with a 14-10 lead. WP upped the tempo in the second stanza, and eventually claimed a 29-21 victory, with centres Endinalo Fihla and Nichole Hartzenberg combining to score four of their team’s five tries.

Earlier in the day, EP scored six tries in a convincing 34-5 win against the Limpopo Blue Bulls, with flyhalf Nadelean Leeuwskieter contributing a hat-trick and a total of 19 points.

In other fixtures, South Western Districts produced a second-half blitz to down the Valke 29-5, while the Sharks cruised to a 10-0 win over Griquas.

The Blue Bulls pulled a result back for the north when they edged Border 12-10 in one of the tightest contests of the day.

The Pumas and Free State claimed convincing victories, while Boland survived a late fightback by Border Country Districts to win 10-7.

The U16 tournament will conclude at Jeppe High School on Thursday.

U16 results (Tuesday 2 July):
EP 34 (24) Limpopo Blue Bulls 5 (0)
WP 29 (10) Golden Lions 21 (14)
Pumas 31 (12) Griffons 15 (10)
Leopards 0 (0) Free State 19 (12)
Sharks 10 (5) Griquas 0 (0)
Border 10 (0) Blue Bulls 12 (5)
Boland 10 (10) Border Country Districts 7 (0)
SWD 29 (5) Valke 5 (5)

Meanwhile, the second and final round of the tournament for U18 teams will be staged at Jeppe High School on Wednesday, with the action commencing with at 10h00. The Sharks will tackle the Leopards on the A Field, while the Pumas will face Free State on the B Field.

U18 fixtures (Wednesday 3 July):
10h00: Sharks v Leopards, A Field
10h00: Pumas v Free State, B Field
11h30: Griquas v Griffons, A Field
11h30: Valke v Zimbabwe, B Field
13h00: Eastern Province v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field
13h00: Border v SWD, B Field
14h30: Western Province v Blue Bulls, A Field
14h30: Golden Lions v Boland, B Field

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EP scored 15 tries in their 99-5 win over Free State, with wingers Lukhanye Lolo (five tries) and Girly Tembani (three) proving especially potent. Flyhalf Micayle Hendricks contributed a try as well as 12 conversions to finish the game with 29 points.

Border proved too strong for the Leopards, running in 16 tries over the course of the 96-5 victory. Lock Zeze Gcaza and inside centre Semi Maliwa scored two tries apiece.

Earlier in the day, Western Province and the Golden Lions delivered impressive attacking performances in their big wins over Zimbabwe and the Griffons respectively.

Limpopo Blue Bulls rebounded from a seven-point half-time deficit to beat the Sharks 15-12, while another tight contest between the Pumas and Boland was eventually edged 20-19 by the Cape side.

The Blue Bulls also started with a win as they kept the Valke scoreless in their 20-0 victory – the only team on the opening day to keep a clean sheet.

U18 results (Monday 1 July):
EP 99 (43) Free State 5 (5)
Blue Bulls 20 (10) Valke 0 (0)
Sharks 12 (12) Limpopo Blue Bulls 15 (5)
Western Province 37 (22) Zimbabwe 5 (5)
SWD 24 (21) Griquas 5 (5)
Border 96 (45) Leopards 5 (5)
Griffons 5 (5) Golden Lions 48 (10)
Pumas 19 (10) Boland 20 (15)

The national U16 tournament will kick off at 10h00 on Tuesday, when EP face the Limpopo Blue Bulls.

U16 fixtures (Tuesday 2 July):
10h00: EP v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field
10h00: WP v Golden Lions, B Field
11h15: Pumas v Griffons, A Field
11h15: Leopards v Free State, B Field
12h30: Sharks v Griquas, A Field
12h30: Border v Blue Bulls, B Field
13h45: Boland v Border Country Districts, A Field
13h45: SWD v Valke, B Field

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The final two tournaments in SA Rugby’s 2024 Youth Weeks programme will run from 1 to 4 July. The U18 fixtures will be staged on Monday and Wednesday, while the U16 games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday.

The High-Performance Manager: Women’s Rugby, Lynne Cantwell, said the tournaments are paramount to give these age group girls the opportunity to compete at a national level.

“The system is growing year on year and this competition gives us a sense of which direction that is going. We’ve been monitoring injuries in the competition over the past few years as the physical readiness of the players gives us a lot of information on the make-up of the community game. Last year we noticed a decrease in injuries at u18s age grade for the first time and therefore we are interested track this trend to inform our decisions on the game,” Cantwell explained.

“We are also seeing a slow but gradual increase in female coaches coaching the provincial teams. This year 22 female coaches will be involved at the tournament. It is important to maintain a gender mix within management, but we also know that girls coached by woman are more likely to want to coach themselves when they grow up. Developing female coaches is a long-term project.”

For the first time, an U18 EPD squad will be selected, with a two-day High-Performance Camp to follow the tournament.

Some of the Springbok Women players will also be in attendance.

Eastern Province and Free State will meet in the first fixture of the U18 tournament at 09h00 on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, EP will tackle the Blue Bulls in the U16 opener at 10h00 on Tuesday.

U18 fixtures (Monday 1 July):

09h00: EP v Free State, A Field
09h00: Blue Bulls v Valke, B Field
10h30: Sharks v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field
10h30: Western Province v Zimbabwe, B Field
12h00: SWD v Griquas, A Field
12h00: Border v Leopards, B Field
14h00: Griffons v Golden Lions, A Field
14h00: Pumas v Boland, B Field

U16 fixtures (Tuesday 2 July):

10h00: EP v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field
10h00: WP v Golden Lions, B Field
11h15: Pumas v Griffons, A Field
11h15: Leopards v Free State, B Field
12h30: Sharks v Griquas, A Field
12h30: Border v Blue Bulls, B Field
13h45: Boland v Border Country Districts, A Field
13h45: SWD v Valke, B Field

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The match will be staged at the Hoërskool Monument in Krugersdorp on Thursday, 4 July and kick off at 15h00.

The SA Schools selectors picked the two squads brim-full of talent following another successful STADIO Under-18 Craven Week, which will conclude on Saturday in Krugersdorp.

The two squads and their respective management will get together for a camp in Krugersdorp from tomorrow, Saturday, 29 June to Friday 5 July.

Dave Wessels, the GM: High Performance Rugby at SA Rugby, said: “The two squads represent the best available talent which was on show at Craven Week.

“The Elite Player Development (EPD) programme managers at SA Rugby, and the SA Selectors have done another great job in identifying a strong pool of players from the incredible amount of talent that was on display in Krugersdorp.

“I want to congratulate all the players and management on their selection and wish them well in their preparations as they build-up towards the big match on Thursday,” said Wessels.

The teams are:

SA Schools:
15 Alzeadon Felix (Free State)
14 Kuthadzo Rasivhaga (Golden Lions)
13 Pieter van der Merwe (Free State)
12 Janco Purchase (Blue Bulls)
11 Cheswill Jooste (Golden Lions)
10 Yaqeen Ahmed (Western Province)
9 Adeeb Borraine (Western Province)
8 Adan da Costa (Western Province)
7 Josh Neill (Western Province)
6 Kebotile Maake (Golden Lions)
5 Riley Norton (Western Province
4 James Schnetler (Blue Bulls)
3 Aidan Botha (Sharks)
2 Esethu Mnebelele (Golden Lions)
1 Phiwayinkosi Khubeka (Sharks)
Replacements
16 Mahle Sithole (Sharks)
17 Oliver Reid (Western Province)
18 Cruz Davey (Western Province)
19 AJ Meyer (Free State)
20 Vuyo Gwiji (Sharks)
21 Elgernon Meyer (South Western Districts)
22 Vusi Moyo (Golden Lions)
23 Ethan Adams (Free State)
24 Cecil Parsons (Griffons)
25 Torren February (Western Province)
26 Zekhethelo Siyaya (Sharks)

SA Schools Management:
Team Manager: Dean Moodley (Sharks)
Head Coach: James Winstanley (Eastern Province)
Assistant Coach: Lwazi Zangqa (Border)
Physiotherapist: Farhaanah Nagia (Free State)
Conditioning Coach: Yaw Fosu-Amoah (Leopards)
Scrum Coach: Jacobus van Dyk (Blue Bulls)
Team Doctor: Gershin Kortje (Boland)

SA Schools A:
15 Akahluwa Boqwana (Sharks)
14 Nisako Ndlovu (Blue Bulls)
13 Markus Miller (Western Province)
12 Zingce Simka (Sharks)
11 Junaid Steward (Blue Bulls)
10 Luan Giliomee (Boland)
9 Handre Schoeman (Blue Bulls)
8 Ruben Kruger (Western Province)
7 Sipho Nonyalela (Eastern Province)
6 Briint Davids (Western Province)
5 JD Hattingh (Blue Bulls)
4 Tom Barnard (Western Province)
3 Duan Potgieter (Valke)
2 Liam Van Wyk (Free State)
1 Jordan Jooste (Western Province)
Replacements:
16 Xabiso Mkiva (Western Province)
17 Andre Poulton (Golden Lions)
18 Luquobo Makwedini (Western Province)
19 Ruan Viviers (Western Province)
20 Risima Khosa (Golden Lions)
21 Zaide Rippenaar (Valke)
22 Philip Mclaren (Free State)
23 Viaan Mentoor (Western Province)
24 Kurt Coetzee (South Western Districts)
25 Gcina Puzi (Border)
26 Gregan Jansen (Griquas)

SA Schools A Management:
Team Manager: Mandla Mdaka (Blue Bulls)
Head Coach: Heinrich Martin (Western Province)
Assistant Coach: Patdro Somerset (Eastern Province)
Physiotherapist: Robin Williams (KwaZulu Natal)
Conditioning Coach: Adriaan Jansen (Southwestern Districts)
Scrum Coach: Jacobus van Dyk (Blue Bulls)
Team Doctor: Gershin Kortje (Boland)

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Free State and the Pumas – as well as Boland and Western Province – have racked up two wins in as many matches and will take some momentum into the final round of fixtures this Saturday.

The Pumas put 60 points past the Limpopo Blue Bulls on Tuesday and were just as ruthless in the clash with the Griffons on Thursday, where they scored nine tries in a 57-26 victory. Lock Franko Rossouw touched down twice, while flyhalf Matthew Abbey, the tournament’s leading scorer, contributed 17 points.

After beating the Griffons 57-36 in the first round, Free State had reason to feel confident ahead of their showdown with the Bulls on Thursday afternoon.

The central union scored three tries in the first half, before the Bulls clawed their way back into the game. However, late touchdowns by fullback Heinz Stockenstrom – who finished with a brace – and No 8 Liam Santos sealed a 34-27 win for Free State.

Earlier in the day, Griquas and the Limpopo Blue Bulls showed their attacking intent in a high-scoring contest that yielded 15 tries overall.

The northerners led 18-12 at half-time, before Griquas lifted their performance in the second stanza and claimed a 53-37 victory.

The Golden Lions rebounded from a narrow loss to the Bulls to edge the WP XV 37-33 on Thursday. They outscored the Cape side by six tries to five, with replacement backs Cheswill Jooste and Michael Benzien scoring two apiece.

The last day of the tournament on Saturday will commence with a clash between the Leopards and Limpopo Blue Bulls at 08h00.

WP will face Free State in the final match of the competition at 13h15.

Day Four Results:

Griquas 53 (12), Limpopo Blue Bulls 37 (18)

Griffons 26 (7), v Pumas 57 (38)

Golden Lions 37 (20), WP XV 33 (12)

Blue Bulls 27 (8), Free State 34 (17)

Fixtures 29 June:

08h00: Leopards v Limpopo Blue Bulls, B Field

09h15: WP XV v Pumas, A Field

09h20: Valke v Griquas, B Field

10h35: Lions v SWD, A Field

10h40: Border v Griffons, B Field

11h55: Bulls v Sharks, A Field

12h00: Boland v EP, B Field

13h15: WP v Free State, A Field

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Boland beat Border on Wednesday to secure their second win of the three-round tournament, while WP downed Eastern Province to boost their own winning tally.

The Western Cape sides will proceed to the final round on Saturday with the opportunity to finish the U18 Stadio Craven Week unbeaten.

The Valke and the Leopards ensured that the third day of the competition started on a high-scoring note. Winger TK Ngobese scored two of the Valke’s six tries, while the Leopards crossed the whitewash on four occasions.

The Valke were in control for much of the contest, and went on to secure a comfortable 36-26 victory, their first of the tournament.

After a closely contested first half, Boland raced clear to score five tries in a 34-20 win over Border. Flyhalf Luan Giliomee contributed 14 points to the Cape side’s cause.

The Sharks rebounded from a first-round loss to beat the South Western Districts 28-19 on Wednesday.

After trailing by nine points at the break, the KwaZulu-Natalians scored three tries in the second stanza, with replacement hooker Martin van Wyngaardt Jnr bagging a brace.

In the final game of the day, WP proved too strong for their Eastern Cape counterparts in a convincing 66-14 victory.

WP opened with 33 unanswered points, before EP hit back with two converted tries of their own at the end of the first half. The Cape side regained control thereafter and finished the match with a total of 10 tries.

The tournament will continue at Hoërskool Monument on Thursday, with Griquas facing the Limpopo Blue Bulls in the first match at 10h00.

Day Three Results:

Valke 36 (24) Leopards 26 (14)

Boland 34 (19) Border 20 (17)

SWD 28 (16) Sharks 19 (7)

WP 66 (33) v EP 14 (14)

Fixtures 27 June:

10h00: Griquas v Limpopo Blue Bulls

11h30: Griffons v Pumas

13h00: Golden Lions v WP XV

14h30: Blue Bulls v Free State

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The highly anticipated trans-Jukskei derby on Tuesday lived up to the hype, with the hosts and the Bulls scoring 10 tries between them.

The Lions were in control for much of the first half, before the Bulls hit back to score 20 unanswered points in the second stanza and did enough in the dying stages to clinch a thrilling 35-34 win. Replacement Luann Olivier scored two of the Bulls’ six tries.

Earlier in the day, the WP XV scored eight tries in an emphatic 52-17 win over Griquas. The Cape side led 14-8 at the break and proceeded to lift the tempo in the second stanza, with centre Markus Muller scoring two of his team’s tries.

The battle between the Pumas and the Limpopo Blue Bulls followed a similar pattern, although the Mpumalanga side enjoyed a healthy 22-0 lead at halftime. Centre Ian Wood bagged a hat-trick as his side went on to secure a 60-17 victory.

Free State and the Griffons put on a show, with a total of 15 tries and 93 points scored over the course of their 70-minute contest. Free State fullback Heinz Stokenstrom scored two tries and kicked six conversions.

The tournament will continue at Hoërskool Monument on Wednesday.

Day Two Results:

WP XV 52 (14), Griquas 17 (8)

Pumas 60 (22), Limpopo Blue Bulls 17 (0)

Free State 57 (26), Griffons 36 (17)

Blue Bulls 35 (15), Golden Lions 34 (24)

Fixtures 26 June:

10h00: Valke v Leopards

11h30: Boland v Border

13h00: SWD v Sharks

14h30: WP v EP

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Boland secured one of the biggest results on day one of the tournament when they beat the Lions 21-16 and went into their second fixture against the Bulls with momentum and confidence. The Cape side led 21-19 at the break, before the Bulls lifted the tempo and went on to bank a 37-28 win, with fullback Drewyn Baron scoring two tries.

WP racked up their second win of the tournament after they clinched a 19-13 victory over the Sharks. They will meet the Bulls in their final fixture on Friday.

South Western Districts maintained their unbeaten record after beating the WP XV 34-31. Meanwhile, the Lions bounced back from the recent loss to Boland to edge Eastern Province, with replacement Jaydon Viljoen scoring a brace.

The two teams from Bloemfontein had a successful day, with Free State beating the Pumas 22-0 and Free State XV downing the Valke 17-15. Winger Johan Dormehl scored a hat-trick in the latter game, and currently leads the try-scoring table with four touchdowns after two rounds.

The final round of the Grant Khomo Week will be staged at Grey High School on Friday, with the Lions and Border kicking off proceedings at 09h00 on the Kolisi Field.

U16 Grant Khomo Week Results – Day Two:

Pumas 0 (0) Free State 22 (10)

Namibia 31 (12) Border Country Districts 7 (0)

Border 21 (14) Griffons 10 (10)

Zimbabwe 18 (13) Limpopo Blue Bulls 29 (10)

SWD 34 (8) WP XV 31 (22)

Valke 15 (10) Free State XV 17 (17)

Blue Bulls 37 (19) Boland 28 (21)

Leopards 7 (0) Griquas 19 (12)

WP 19 (14) Sharks 13 (10)

Golden Lions 19 (14) Eastern Province 12 (12)

Fixtures for Friday 21 June:

Kolisi Field:

09h00: Lions v Border

10h20: Free State v Boland

11h30: Sharks v SWD

12h40: WP v Bulls

Pollock Oval:

09h00: Pumas v Leopards

10h20: Free State XV v Griffons

11h30: WP XV v EP

Pyot Field:

09h00: Namibia v Zimbabwe

10h20: Border CD v Valke

11h30: Griquas v Limpopo Blue Bulls

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The opening day of the U16 tournament witnessed a number of close contests, with the finish to the battle between Boland and the Lions proving especially dramatic.

Boland made a statement when they outscored the Lions 15-3 in the first half. While the Lions clawed their way back in the second stanza, Boland flyhalf Jano van Deventer slotted two late penalties to secure a valuable 21-16 result.

Earlier in the day, the Pumas scored five tries in their 39-14 victory over Griquas, with centre Siboniso Mahlangu touching down twice.

The Griffons edged the Valke 17-15 in a tight contest, while the Sharks overturned a 10-point half-time deficit to beat Free State 26-20.

The Blue Bulls led 20-10 at the break in their battle against the Western Province XV. Two clutch kicks by flyhalf Vihan Pretorius ensured that they held on for a 26-24 win.

In the last two matches of the day, Western Province scored five tries to beat hosts Eastern Province 38-25, while the Leopards crossed the line six times in their 40-7 win over the Limpopo Blue Bulls.

The Grant Khomo Week will continue on Wednesday, with Pumas tackling the Free State at 09h20 on the Kolisi Field.

U16 Grant Khomo Week Results – Day One:

Pumas 39 (14), Griquas 14 (7)

Free State XV 29 (5), Border Country Districts 7 (7)

Golden Lions 16 (3), Boland 21 (15)

Valke 15 (7), Griffons 17 (7)

Free State 20 (17), Sharks 26 (7)

Border 26 (12), Zimbabwe 20 (8)

Blue Bulls 26 (20), Western Province XV 24 (10)

South Western Districts 26 (11), Namibia 6 (6)

Western Province 38 (14), Eastern Province 25 (15)

Leopards 40 (26), Limpopo Blue Bulls 7 (7)

Fixtures for Wednesday, 19 June:

Kolisi Field:

09h20: Pumas v Free State

10h45: Border v Griffons

12h00: SWD v WP XV

13h15: Blue Bulls v Boland

14h30: WP v Sharks

Pollock Field:

09h20: Namibia v Border Country Districts

10h45: Zimbabwe v Limpopo Blue Bulls

12h00: Valke v Free State XV

13h15: Leopards v Griquas

14h30: Golden Lions v Eastern Province

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