Coastal sides impress on day two of U20 Women’s Week

Western Province and Eastern Province will contest the final of the 2026 U20 Women’s Week in Alberton on Friday after dominating displays on day two of the action at Alberton Rugby Club, with WP scoring 10 tries in their 54-0 win over Boland, while EP outplayed hosts, the Golden Lions, 23-7.

The two undefeated sides impressed with their team play but there is little doubt that some of the most exciting young backs in the country are coming through the ranks at the two coastal sides.

KwaZulu-Natal and the Blue Bulls also registered impressive victories, with KZN outplaying Border 29-0, while the Blue Bulls bounced back strongly from a defeat in their opening match to defeat the Limpopo Blue Bulls 36-10.

Griquas also remained on the winning track by beating SWD 12-8 and the Valke bagged their first win by beating the Griffons 17-5. The Pumas, meanwhile, outplayed Free State 26-15.

Western Province thumped Boland in the final match of the day, with their ability to play a total game being the big difference in this match. WP scored 10 tries, all of them well-worked with forwards and backs combining in a smooth display of clinical rugby.

They scored first from a couple of forward drives to soften up the Boland defence and Anothando Khatshwa crashed over with flyhalf Nuha Levy converting for a 7-0 lead. A set-piece play handed WP their next five-pointer from a line-out drive, as prop Sesethu Dumke was driven over to extend their lead to 12-0.

The Boland side did well to stop the early pressure on the scoreboard but 10 minutes later, following some heavy lifting by the forwards, outside centre Ronecia Gordon scored their third try of the match to extend their lead to 17-0. That was stretched even further when Davedine March scored in the same corner two minutes later and the left wing’s effort extended the lead to 22-0, with the half-time hooter sounding.

A well-worked try, again with clean ball from the pack, was scored by wing Saadiqah Corbett shortly after the restart as they extended their lead to 27-0. That jumped to 32-0 when flanker Kaylin Heuvel finished a sustained attack in the corner and then 37-0 when fullback Anita Fazi stepped past a couple of defenders. Gordon earned her brace 10 minutes from full-time, again compliments of solid team play, which paved the way for the outside centre to finish in style. The final nails in the coffin were dealt by team captain, Abigail Smit, with a minute to play and 50 coming up with a try in the corner by replacement Gemma Thomas.

Eastern Province outplayed the Golden Lions to spoil the party for the Alberton crowd but the home team support will be the first to admit that EP capitalised more effectively on their opportunities and had a more potent backline.

The Eastern Cape side scored first with a penalty - an option they often looked to keep the scoreboard rolling - and it worked like a charm as flyhalf Julene Haas kicked three penalty goals in total. The EP also scored two well-worked tries, while the home side's only points came via a penalty try early in the match.

That came as Shanice Scholtz executed a high tackle in trying to stop opposing wing Siphumelele Mdlalose from scoring. The tackle succeeded but the effort earned Scholtz a yellow card and seven points on the board.

Two Haas penalties - one before and another just after the yellow card - kept EP in close proximity on the scoreboard. They took the lead 20 minutes in when Iviwe Hawu scored following a good counterattack initiated by Haas, who also converted for a 13-7 half-time lead.

Haas extended the lead to 16-7 with a penalty that landed on the crossbar and bounced over. Another intervention by the flyhalf handed EP their second try, as they opted for a dart down the blindside and the pass found Scholtz, who dotted down behind the poles for a converted try. That pushed the lead to 23-7 with 20 minutes left on the clock. Credit to the Lions, who had most of the play in the final quarter but just could not get the points to get them closer to a result.

KwaZulu-Natal scored a good win on Wednesday, outplaying Border with a strong showing all-around, which earned them Sunshine Coast bragging rights. The Durban side not only showed more composure on attack but seemed fitter and sharper, with an impressive Hlekane Baloyi bossing the Border team around with a number of strong carries. The No 8 also scored two tries for her efforts.

Border had to defend for long spells, which tapped their energy and saw them fade away in the second half. KZN had no such problem in the second stanza and four tries to none in 30 minutes rubberstamped their dominance in the match. Ill-discipline also did not help and after a yellow card for repeated offences, Border conceded two tries in that spell with fourteen players.

The Limpopo Blue Bulls - who scored 40 points against Griffons on Monday - continued where they left off against the Blue Bulls, scoring twice in the opening quarter for a 10-0 lead. Both tries came via their forward pack, who looked menacing early on but once the Blue Bulls changed tactics and started to play with their backs, the dynamics of the match changed as well.

The Blue Bulls’ halfback pairing of Georgia-lee Lewis and Erin Prins, with more possession coming their way, started to dictate play, and the rewards soon followed.

Two tries by the Blue Bulls, one of them converted, handed them a 12-10 lead at the break, while the second half was dominated by the Pretoria side. Their backline started to find gaps, and four more tries eased them into a comfortable win over their northern neighbours. With the win, they also redeemed themselves after a slow start to the tournament on Monday.

The Valke secured their first win of the tournament over the Griffons, with a strong first-half performance laying the foundation for the victory. The Gauteng side were out of the blocks early, with speedy winger, Neo Mokoena, racing away after eight minutes of play to score the opening try and earn the team a 5-0 lead. Mokoena was at it again with a fantastic second try. The winger intercepted a stray Griffons pass, sprinted away and after shrugging off a would-be defender, finished her 70-meter run under the sticks. The conversion was good and nudged the Valke 12-0 ahead.

The score remained static till the break, but soon after the restart Valke fullback, Mpho Tsolele, delivered a strong run, which resulted in a superb individual try. That extended their lead to 19-0. Credit to the Griffons, who kept playing and it was a just reward when flyhalf and captain Lemohang Maduna scored under the sticks. This try was also marked the first for the Northern Free Staters at the tournament. Sadly, it was too little too late, which saw the Valke claim the win.

Free State, in turn, scored first after a good spell of rugby, forcing the Pumas to concede several penalties. A couple of tap-and-go's did not yield the result but once the ball was spread wide, winger Charmaine Marema found space and scored in the corner after 15 minutes of play.

The Pumas slowly found their groove - mainly with drives from the pack - and that tactic was rewarded when flanker Lerato Zitha crashed over the chalk. The converted try edged the Pumas ahead and they extended that with speedy wing Megan Guambe outpacing the Free State defenders to score a good individual try. The conversion was successful and the Pumas held a 14-7 lead at the break.

Guambe's pace had the Bloem side in trouble shortly after the restart when another fine run extended their lead to 21-5. The reply by Free State came immediately as Boitumelo Booi scored, with the team captain running hard and straight to score near the poles. Her conversion went wide, though, leaving the Pumas still 21-10 up.

Her opposing captain, Precious Mamaila returned the compliment by scoring her team's fourth try with eight minutes to play. The flanker crashed over in the corner to extend the lead to 26-10. Free State scored a third try on the buzzer, with Maipato Matebesi dotting down, giving them some momentum for Friday's final match.

A strong second half by Griquas, meanwhile, assisted them to a hard-fought win over the SWD Eagirls in a tightly contested match that could have gone either way. SWD opened the scoring with a penalty and a try in the corner to lead 8-0 early on. They had most of the possession and used it well with attacking plays through the pack, who were also not scared to move the ball from side to side.

Griquas held on in the first half, spending most of the time on the back foot and defending their line.

The second half saw more parity from Griquas, who were dangerous on the counterattack. It was route one though, which earned their first points, with replacement Lutho Xhulu crashing over after good support play amongst the pack. The converted try reduced the lead to 8-7 with 15 minutes to play. Griquas, however, snatched the lead with seven minutes to play when Xhulu crashed over from a tapped penalty and some forwards taking it up before the time. The Eagirls had one more attack with time up on the clock but a sloppy pass thwarted that opportunity, allowing Griquas to celebrate.

Scores

Valke 17 (12), Griffons 5 (0)

Valke - Tries: Neo Mokoena (2), Mpho Tsolele. Conversions: Lusanda Mngoma

Griffons - Try: Lemohang Maduna. Conversion: Maduna

Mpumalanga 26 (14), Free State 15 (5)

Free State - Tries: Charmaine Marema, Boitumelo Booi, Maipato Matebesi.

Mpumalanga - Tries: Lerato Zitha, Megan Guambe (2), Precious Mamaila. Conversions: Anele Dube (3)

Griquas 12 (0), SWD 8 (8)

Griquas - Tries: Lutho Xhulu (2). Conversion: Inathi Majingo

SWD – Try: Ashlin Manho. Penalty goal: Lukho Mpangeva

Blue Bulls 36 (12), Limpopo Blue Bulls 10 (10)

Blue Bulls - Tries: Kwekwezi Mnyakeni (2), Sadia Moshoka, Thato Mokone, Georgia-lee Lewis, Angelique Calder. Conversions: Erin Prins (2)

Limpopo - Tries: Karabo Rabekane, Vanessa Gabadi.

KwaZulu-Natal 29 (7), Border (0)

KZN - Tries: Hlekane Baloyi (2), Nosipho Mkhize, Astrid Pretorius, Charmaine Mogashoa. Conversions: Anniek Liebrand (2).

Eastern Province 23 (13), Lions 7 (7)

Lions - Try: Penalty Try

EP - Tries: Shanice Scholtz, Iviwe Hawu. Conversions: Julene Haas (2). Penalties: Haas (3)

WP 54 (22), Boland (0)

WP - Tries: Anothando Khatshwa, Sesethu Dumke, Davedine March, Ronecia Gordon (2), Saadiqah Corbett, Kaylin Heuvel, Anita Fazi, Abigail Smit, Gemma Thomas. Conversions: Nuha Levy (2)

Fixtures for Friday

B-field

8.30am: Free State v Griffons

9.40am: Border v SWD

10.50am: Pumas v Valke

A-field (all matches live on SA Rugby YouTube channel)

8.30am: KZN v Blue Bulls

9.40am: Griquas v Limpopo Blue Bulls

10.50am: Golden Lions v Boland

12pm: Eastern Province v Western Province