Absa u21 competition – The Sharks 33 (16) Leopards 13 (13)

As things stand the Sharks require only one point to cement their semifinal spot in this competition.

In Durban the Leopards put up a good fight against The Sharks to deny the home team a bonus-point victory. The first half was closely fought as the teams put their bodies on the line in an attempt to take the lead, which resulted in a tight tussle. Each team scored a try, while flyhalves Robert du Preez and Ryno Smith kicked a brace of penalties to keep the score closely matched.

The Sharks, however, made the most of their point-scoring opportunities in the second half, despite having to work hard for them, which resulted in the team crashing over the tryline twice more. Duncan Campbell added to this by slotting over their fourth penalty, which pushed the match out of reach for the Leopards. Their inability to secure the bonus point for four tries, however, left them one point behind the Blue Bulls in third position.

Scorers:

• Sharks 33 (16) – Tries: Andre Esterhuizen, Hanco Venter, Stefan Ungerer. Conversions: Duncan Campbell, Robert du Preez (2). Penalties: Campbell, Du Preez (3).
• Leopards 13 (13) – Try: Tiaan Loots. Conversion: Ryno Smith. Penalties: Smith (2).

Absa Under-21 Provincial Championship log – Group A:

1. DHL Western Province – 44
2. Vodacom Blue Bulls – 35
3. The Sharks U21 – 34
4. MTN Golden Lions U21 – 31
5. Toyota Free State – 24
6. Leopards – 14
7. Border – 3