Bulls still unbeaten in SA Rugby U20 Cup after sixth win

The race for SA Rugby U20 Cup honours took another significant turn over the weekend as the Vodacom Bulls U20, DHL Stormers Bolts and Sharks GEN all secured important victories, strengthening their positions in the battle for play-off places.

The Bulls underlined their status as the team to beat with a gritty 29-22 victory over a Fidelity ADT Lions U20 side boasting several members of South Africa's recent Junior World Championship-winning squad.

Elsewhere, the Toyota Cheetahs couldn’t contain the rampaging Bolts, with the Cape side winning this encounter 71-35 at Grey College in Bloemfontein. In the weekend’s third encounter staged in Durban, the Sharks outplayed the Leopards 38-19.

The Bulls maintained their unbeaten record and strengthened their grip on top spot in the competition. They are on 30 points, six clear of the Stormers Bolts on 24. The Lions and Sharks – whose rescheduled match takes place at 1pm on Thursday in Johannesburg – are on 19 and 14 points respectively, followed by the Leopards (seven points) and Cheetahs (four).

In Pretoria, the Bulls U20 made a flying start at Loftus B-field, with Elwin Jansen van Vuuren crossing inside the opening two minutes as the hosts raced into a 10-0 lead.

Although the highly-rated Lions U20s fought back through wing Lindelani Nkambule, the Bulls showed impressive composure and physicality to stay in control, building an advantage despite playing with 14 men at periods during the game. Lock Migael Turner was shown a yellow card in the first half, but the hosts responded superbly as Chinedu Amadi crossed while they were down a player to help establish a 22-10 half-time lead.

The Lions threatened a comeback when Ethan van Dyk received a second Bulls yellow card after the break and Nkambule grabbed his second try. However, Van Dyk made amends immediately after returning from the sin bin by scoring a crucial try that restored momentum and ultimately proved decisive. A late score by Likhona Kepe ensured a tense finish, but the Bulls held firm to secure another valuable win.

The Stormers Bolts produced a devastating attacking performance to overpower the Cheetahs U20 in their clash at Grey College in Bloemfontein, strengthening their position near the top of the standings. The visitors had a 31-14 advantage at the halfway mark.

The Capetonians ran in 10 tries in an entertaining contest, with wing Pretorius Ekeji delivering a standout performance by scoring four tries, while Junior Bok wing Jordan Steenkamp bagged a hat-trick.

The Bolts struck early through Xabiso Mkiva and Steenkamp to establish a 10-0 lead but the hosts responded impressively through Bernard Wessels and Mokgaotsi Mosiane to edge ahead 14-10 midway through the first half.

However, the momentum swung dramatically before the break as Ekeji, Dominic Sesink Clee and RJ Davids crossed for the Bolts. The situation became more difficult for the home side when Wessels was shown a yellow card shortly before half-time, allowing the Stormers to capitalise and open a 17-point advantage at the interval.

Although the Cheetahs showed resilience through Sibusiso Mahlangu and a brace from fullback Heinz Stockenstrom, the Stormers proved relentless. Steenkamp completed his hat-trick, Steph van der Merwe added a score and Ekeji finished with four tries as the visitors surged to an emphatic victory.

The Sharks GEN kept their play-off aspirations alive with a convincing 38-19 victory over the Leopards U20 in Durban, powered by a standout hat-trick performance from hooker Clinton Agu. The hosts held a 17-0 advantage at the break.

The Sharks laid the foundation for victory with a dominant first-half display, shutting out the visitors and opening a 17-0 half-time lead. Agu crossed twice before the break, while Divan Fourie added a third try as the home side controlled territory and possession.

The hosts continued their momentum immediately after half-time when Iwan Jordaan crossed for a try and converted his own score to extend the advantage to 24-0. However, the Leopards responded impressively through replacements Zuan Rautenbach and Marcwin Nero, whose tries sparked a brief fightback and reduced the deficit to 24-12.

Any hopes of a Leopards comeback were quickly extinguished by Agu, who completed his hat-trick with a clinical finish midway through the second half. Although David Ndala added a late converted try for the visitors, the Sharks had the final say when replacement Cruz Davey dotted down in stoppage time, with Jordaan adding the conversion to seal a comprehensive bonus-point victory.

The teams will enjoy a break this weekend. On Friday 25 September, the Cheetahs host the Sharks in Bloemfontein, and the Lions travel to Potch to take on the Leopards. A day later, on Saturday 26 September, the Stormers Bolts are at home against the high-flying Bulls at City Park.

Scores

Vodacom Bulls U20 29 (22), Fidelity ADT Lions U20 22 (10)

Bulls – Tries: Hendré Schoeman, Ethan van Dyk, Chinedu Amadi, Elwin Jansen van Vuuren. Conversions: Ruben Pienaar (2), Liyema Nela. Penalty: Pienaar.

Lions – Tries: Likhona Kepe, Lindelani Nkambule (2). Conversions: Jeandre Uithaler (2). Penalty: Uithaler.

Toyota Cheetahs U20 35 (14), DHL Stormers Bolts 71 (31)

Cheetahs – Tries: Heinz Stockenstrom (2), Sibusiso Mahlangu, Mokgaotsi Mosiane, Bernard Wessels. Conversions: Stockenstrom (5).

Bolts – Tries: Pretorius Ekeji (4), Jordan Steenkamp (3), RJ Davids, Steph van der Merwe, Xabiso Mkiva, Dominic Sesink Clee. Conversions: Meyer Prinsloo (8).

Hollywoodbets Sharks GEN 38 (17), Leopards U20 19 (0)

Sharks – Tries: Clinton Agu (3), Divan Fourie, Iwan Jordaan, Cruz Davey. Conversions: Iwan Jordaan (4).

Leopards – Tries: Zuan Rautenbach, Marcwin Nero, David Ndala. Conversions: Marno Greeff (2).

Meanwhile, in the battle for play-off qualification in the SA Rugby U21 Shield, Border and Boland were victorious in the South section while the Pumas and Griquas were winners in the North section. All games were staged on Saturday.

Border held out for a hard-fought 22-12 win over the SWD in Mdantsane, East London, for their first success of the campaign; while Eastern Province tried their best but went down 29-27 to the Boland in Gqeberha.

The Pumas did enough to claim a 32-22 win at Nelspruit over Limpopo, while Griquas won their away tie 71-24 over the Valke in Kempton Park.

In the Southern pool, Boland and EP lead the way on 16 points each, followed by SWD (eight) and Border (5). In the Northern pool, the Griffons (15) are in the lead, followed by the Pumas (11), Griquas (10), Limpopo (seven points) and Valke (4).

This coming Saturday sees a full round of fixtures. The Pumas host the Griffons in Nelspruit; EP and Border clash in an Eastern Cape derby in Gqeberha; Limpopo face Griquas in Lephalale (all starting at 2pm) and SWD tackle Boland in George (3pm).