31 October 2026
The Vodacom Bulls U20 clinched the SA Rugby U20 Cup 43-40, following a breathtaking, high-scoring final against a resilient Fidelity ADT Golden Lions U20 side. The Pretoria outfit laid an aggressive early foundation, turning clinical attacking play into a commanding first-half lead. Despite a ferocious second-half fightback from the Johannesburg visitors, the Bulls held their nerve in the closing stages to secure the prestigious junior title.
The Bulls claimed the early ascendancy and blistering pace from the kick-off saw Migael Turner crash over for an early try within two minutes, with Ruben Pienaar adding the extras. The Lions struck back swiftly through a Mahle Sithole five-pointer, though Rekkie Gerber missed the challenging conversion.
An early injury forced the Lions into a tactical shuffle as JD Hattingh left the field for Lian Terblanche. Capitalising on the disruption, Riwan van Aswegen dotted down for the Bulls, though Pienaar failed to convert. Kebotile Maake then exploited defensive gaps to score the Bulls' third try, which Pienaar successfully converted to stretch the lead.
The Bulls suffered their own injury blow when try-scorer Turner was replaced by Thomas Beling. Despite massive frontline rotation by the Pretoria outfit, Van Aswegen secured his brace with a well-worked try, followed by a Pienaar conversion. Luke Cannon kept the Lions in touch with a converted score, but Pienaar slotted a drop goal just before the break.
Right on the stroke of halftime, Terblanche scored for the Johannesburg side, with Gerber landing the conversion to trail 29-19 going into the second half.
Massive changes were made by both teams ahead of the second-half restart. The Lions took immediate advantage of the fresh legs, as Sithole powered through for his second try of the match, converted by Gerber. The Bulls countered this momentum quickly with consecutive converted tries from Hendré Schoeman and Ethan van Dyk to maintain their cushion.
Injuries and tactical substitutions continued to disrupt the flow of play, forcing the Bulls' Luan van der Berg off the field. The Lions capitalised on the reset, unleashing Jaythen Orange for a quick try, converted by Alzeadon Felix. Marko Kok then crossed the whitewash shortly after, with Felix converting from 45.3 metres out to set up a tense finish.
Defensive lines held firm during the final ten minutes as coaches emptied their benches with late tactical changes. The Bulls managed to close out the time safely, securing the victory after a high-scoring encounter.
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls: Tries: Hendré Schoeman, Kebotile Maake, Riwan Van Aswegen (2). Ethan Van Dyk, Migael Turner. Conversions: Ruben Pienaar (5). Penalty: Ruben Pienaar.
Fidelity ADT Golden Lions U20: Tries: Mahle Sithole (2), Lian Terblanche, Marko Kok, Luke Cannon, Jaythen Orange. Conversions: Alzeadon Felix (2), Rekkie Gerber (3).
Teams:
Vodacom Bulls U20: 1 Aphiwe Shelembe, 2 Ethan Van Dyk, 3 Bongani Dlamini, 4 Migael Turner, 5 Heinrich Theron, 6 Kebotile Maake, 7 Raphael Ajibade, 8 Juliun Cosmo, 9 Hendré Schoeman, 10 Ruben Pienaar, 11 Leskin Samuels, 12 Xhanti Pongolo, 13 Marnus Rademeyer, 14 Riwan Van Aswegen, 15 Liyema Nela. Replacements: 16 Stefan McDonald, 17 Duwan Potgieter, 18 Luan Van Der Berg, 19 Thomas Beling, 20 Jon Hobson, 21 Brooklyn Newman, 22 Lee-rynne Sinkfontein, 23 Chinedu Amadi.
Fidelity ADT Golden Lions U20: 1 Cecil Parsons, 2 Mahle Sithole, 3 Miguel Smith, 4 James Schnetler, 5 JD Hattingh, 6 Marko Kok, 7 Luke Cannon, 8 Luke Kent, 9 Elgernon Meyer, 10 Rekkie Gerber, 11 Zenkosi Mthiyane, 12 Mcmillen Mongwana, 13 Likhona Kepe, 14 Adriano Jackson, 15 Alzeadon Felix. Replacements: 16 Thapelo Mphela, 17 Andre Poulton, 18 Luca Trevisan, 19 Lian Terblanche, 20 Jaythen Orange, 21 Sherwin Buys, 22 Reinhart Viljoen, 23 Grady Ngui.