18 October 2026
The Sharks U20 delivered a clinical eight-try performance to defeat the Leopards U20 50-21 at Olen Park in Potchefstroom. The decisive victory secures the Durban outfit fourth place on the log, setting up a knockout semifinal clash against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on 24 October 2026.
The visitors caught the Leopards cold right from the opening whistle. Blistering winger Evan Mucka crashed over the whitewash in just the second minute to open the scoring. Flyhalf Stefan Moolman added the easy extras to set an early marker for the Durban team.
Moolman quickly turned from distributor to finisher five minutes later. The pivot sliced through the local defence to score a superb solo try under the uprights. He converted his own score to gift the visitors a rapid 14-0 advantage.
The young Leopards pack fought back tenaciously through their tight five. Front-rower GJ Steenberg barged over the line from close range to give the home fans something to cheer about. Marno Greeff stepped up to slot the conversion cleanly.
The KwaZulu-Natal outfit quickly reasserted their dominance in the outer channels. Mucka completed his first-half brace with a spectacular diving finish in the corner. The Leopards struggled to contain the sheer pace of the opposition backline.
Just before the halftime hooter, the Sharks struck another massive blow. Eighthman Luann Olivier powered through a rolling maul to dot down the fourth try. The clinical finish sent the visitors into the changerooms with a commanding 26-7 lead.
The Leopards emerged from the sheds with renewed vigour and immediate tactical changes. Replacement Adrian Freemantle caught the Sharks sleeping with a sharp break to score just seconds after the restart. Greeff kicked the conversion to cut the deficit to 12 points.
The Durban side swiftly halted the mini-revival with a display of patient phase play. Moolman grabbed his second try of the match after a clever show-and-go bamboozled the drift defence. The conversion drifted wide but the buffer was restored.
The local boys refused to throw in the towel on their home turf. Zuan Rautenbach showed immense strength to slide over after a sustained period of pressure inside the Sharks' red zone. Greeff maintained his perfect record from the tee to keep his side fighting.
The Sharks bench injected fresh energy into the engine room to close out the contest. Replacement forward Divan Fourie standard-drilled his way over the line after a powerful five-metre tap penalty. Moolman added the easy two points.
The final ten minutes turned into a showcase of champagne running rugby from the coastal side. Sipho Nonyalela left his marker standing with a wicked step to score out wide. The Leopards' defensive structures began to fray under the relentless pressure.
Super-sub Lizwe Mtetwa put the final polish on the scoreline with a well-deserved try in the dying moments. Pieter Bergh accurately guided the final conversion through the uprights. The referee blew the whistle to confirm a resounding half-century victory for the visitors.
Scorers:
Leopards U20: Tries: GJ Steenberg, Zuan Rautenbach, Adrian Freemantle. Conversions: Marno Greeff (3).
Hollywoodbets Sharks U20 GEN: Tries: Luann Olivier, Sipho Nonyalela, Stefan Moolman (2), Lizwe Mtetwa, Evan Mucka (2), Divan Fourie. Conversions: Stefan Moolman (3), Pieter Bergh.
Teams:
Leopards U20: 1 Kian Rademeyer, 2 Eli Pedro, 3 Zacary Meyer, 4 Raluano Ramano, 5 Zuan Rautenbach, 6 Christoff Nel, 7 Adrian Freemantle, 8 GJ Steenberg, 9 Marcwin Nero, 10 Marno Greeff, 11 David Ndala, 12 Eagan Roux, 13 Handre Maree, 14 Willem Van Der Berg, 15 Hanu Fourie. Replacements: 16 Ruan Rossouw, 17 Robert John-Onsunkwo, 18 Botshelo Motsepe, 19 Erich Potgieter, 20 Liebrecht Winterbach, 21 Nicolaz Burden, 22 Philip Du Plessis, 23 Anele Ngwenya.
Hollywoodbets Sharks U20 GEN: 1 Rambo Kubekha, 2 Evan Mucka, 3 Aiden Botha, 4 Jake Jansen, 5 Claud Steyn, 6 Luann Olivier, 7 Wasi Vyambwera, 8 Sipho Nonyalela, 9 Zirk Meyer, 10 Stefan Moolman, 11 Khuti Rasivhaga, 12 Janco Purchase, 13 Cameron Veenstra, 14 Lizwe Mtetwa, 15 Divan Fourie. Replacements: 16 Sibabalwe Mtshini, 17 Jeffrey Singo, 18 Elvino Witbooii, 19 Eugene De Lange, 20 Imivuyo Kemka, 21 Liam Simpkins,22 Pieter Bergh, 23 William Ridl.
