Big north-south final lined up in SA Rugby U21 Champs

The Vodacom Blue Bulls and DHL Western Province will meet in a gripping north-south SA Rugby U21 Championship final in Bloemfontein on Saturday after defeating the Cell C Sharks and Toyota Free State in the semi-finals over the weekend.

The match, which will be played as a curtain-raiser to the Currie Cup final at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday, will kick off at 13h45.

Log-leaders, the Vodacom Blue Bulls, pipped the Cell C Sharks 42-41 in Pretoria, while DHL Western Province registered a comprehensive 52-10 victory against Toyota Free State in Cape Town to book their places in the final.

A fine kicking display by Vodacom Blue Bulls flyhalf Theo Boshoff allowed his team to survive a determined second-half fightback from the Cell C Sharks at Loftus Versfeld, where they edged through for a one-point win.

The home side built up an encouraging 23-12 halftime lead, but they faced a heavy onslaught in a gripping second half, which saw the Cell C Sharks outscore the Vodacom Blue Bulls six tries to five in the end – with three of the KwaZulu-Natalians’ tries being scored by Junior Springbok winger Caleb Dingaan.

Boshoff’s four conversions, two penalty goals and drop goal, however, proved vital in keeping them ahead on the scoreboard.

In stark contrast, DHL Western Province made easy work of their semi-final against Toyota Free State as they cruised to a 52-10 victory in Cape Town after entering the break 21-10 ahead. The hosts’ fine attack saw them cross the tryline seven times, while their effective defence limited the Free Stater’s to only one.

DHL Western Province hooker Schalk Erasmus and Prince Orderson (flanker) contributed two tries each, while their Junior Springbok flyhalf David Coetzer scored a try and slotted over five conversions in an impressive display.

SA Rugby U21 Championship semi-final results:

Vodacom Blue Bulls 42 (23) Cell C Sharks 41 (12)

Vodacom Blue Bulls – Tries: Kudzwai Dube, Werner Fourie, Sabastian Jobb, Sango Xamlashe, Richard Kriel. Conversions: Theo Boshoff (4). Penalty goals: Boshoff (2). Drop goal: Boshoff.

Cell C Sharks – Tries: Adam Mountfort, Evan Roos, Caleb Dingaan (3), Asanda Kunene. Conversions: Jaden Hendrikse (4). Penalty goal: Hendrikse.

DHL Western Province 52 (21) Toyota Free State 10 (10)

DHL Western Province – Tries: Schalk Erasmus (2), Prince Orderson (2), David Coetzer, Daniel Jooste, Jessie Johnson. Conversions: Coetzer (5), Abner van Reenen (2). Drop goal: Van Reenen.

Toyota Free State – Try: Rewan Kruger. Conversion: James Mollentze. Penalty goal: Mollentze.

LATEST WOMEN NEWS

SA Sevens’ future on display with 'A'-sides in Dub...

The next generation of South Africa’s sevens talent will be on display next weekend when the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ and Sp...

Four women complete WR Level 3 coaching course...

Four women were amongst a delegation of 28 coaches from across Africa who successfully completed World Rugby’s Level 3 c...

Women’s Premier Division to start early in 2025...

A bumper women’s rugby season kicks off unusually early in January next year as all eyes turn towards the Rugby World Cu...

Springbok Women's Sevens Queens of Africa again...

The Springbok Women's Sevens team overcame Kenya 19-10 in a hard-fought final of the Rugby Africa Women's Sevens in Ghan...

Dazel: Mission accomplished in Ghana...

It was a mixed bag of emotions for Springbok Women's Sevens coach Renfred Dazel in Accra, Ghana on Sunday after his squa...

“Great to be here,” Boks tell Japan

The Springboks completed their first training session in front of 2 000 excited locals on Sunday, within a few hours of arriving at their training base in Japan.

Golden Lions to face SWD in Women's final

The Golden Lions and SWD booked their places in the B Section final of the SA Rugby Women’s Interprovincial Competition in style on Saturday as they cruised to emphatic victories over the Limpopo Blue Bulls and Free State respectively.

Toyota Free State Cheetahs book Currie Cup home final

A strong second-half showing by the Toyota Free State Cheetahs earned them a valuable Currie Cup home final against the Xerox Golden Lions next week as they registered a convincing 51-30 victory against the Cell C Sharks in a gripping semi-final in Bloemfontein.

Currie Cup final to play out in Bloemfontein

The Toyota Free State Cheetahs will host the Xerox Golden Lions in the Currie Cup finalat the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein at 17h00 on Saturday, 7 September, after defeating the Cell C Sharks and Tafel Lager Griquas respectively in exciting semi-finals.

Xerox Golden Lions into first Currie Cup final since 2015

The Xerox Golden Lions booked their place in the Currie Cup final next Saturday as they held on for a 34-19 victory in a hard-fought semi-final against a spirited Tafel Lager Griquas outfit at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg today.

Springboks turn on the charm in Gifu and Seki

The Springboks finished their first four days in Japan with a final training session in sweltering and hot and humid conditions, before turning on the charm during a number of visits to locals schools and the nearby university in Gifu and Seki.

Van der Westhuizen to referee first Currie Cup Final

Marius van der Westhuizen will officiate his first Currie Cup final in Bloemfontein on Saturday in a match which will also mark a big day for the experienced TMO, Shaun Veldsman, who is retiring from the game after an illustrious career spanning over 20 years.

Facts and stats: Springboks vs Japan

This is the Springboks’ first Test match in Japan and the second time the teams have met. Japan were the opponents in the Springboks’ opening match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup in Brighton, a seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, England.

Erasmus underlines significance of Japan Test

Rassie Erasmus underlined that the Test against Japan in Kumagaya is a massive challenge and that the Springboks can't afford to underestimate their hosts when they take the field at 12h15 (SA time) on Friday.

Springboks name formidable line-up for Japan clash

Rassie Erasmus named 22 of the Springbok 23 that fought to a last-gasp draw against New Zealand in July, for Friday’s clash with Japan in Kumagaya, which will be the 50th Test appearance for Pieter-Steph du Toit, SA Rugby’s Player of the Year for 2018.

“Great to be here,” Boks tell Japan

The Springboks completed their first training session in front of 2 000 excited locals on Sunday, within a few hours of arriving at their training base in Japan.