A convincing victory for the Sharksin the Absa Under-19 Provincial Championship this past weekend allowed them to remain in the running for a home semifinal with five rounds remaining, while DHL Western Province registered their second win of the season to remain within range of a semifinal berth.
In the weekend’s matches DHL Western Province defeated Toyota Free State 22-5 in Stellenbosch, the Sharks thumped Border 41-5 in Durban and the Vodacom Blue Bulls outplayed the Leopards 48-12 in Pretoria.
In Durban the Sharks’ patience on attack and their ability to use their try-scoring chances allowed them to outclass Border. Both halves were riddled with penalties, which the teams battled to take full advantage of as they missed several kicks at goal. But it was the Sharks knack at finding the gaps in the defence in between, which allowed them to build their lead steadily as the game progressed.
In total the Sharks scored six tries to only one by Border, which kept them within striking range of the pace-setters in the series.
Scorers:
- The Sharks 41 (20) – Tries: Barend Potgieter, Christopher de Beer, Jean-Luc du Plessis, Michael Cloete (2), Sandile Kubeka. Conversions: Jean-Luc du Plessis (4). Penalty: Jean-Luc du Plessis.
- Border 5 (0) – Try: Russel Weavill.
Absa Under-19 Provincial Championship log:
- Vodacom Blue Bulls – 33
- MTN Golden Lions – 24
- The Sharks U19 – 23
- Leopards – 18
- DHL Western Province – 15
- Toyota Free State – 8
- Border – 0
Green initiatives to be celebrated on Arbor Day