DHL Western Province u/20 hosts the Vodacom Bulls u/20 at the City Parks Stadium in Cape Town @ 13h00 today.
Western Province u/20 was made to work hard in Durban last weekend when they needed a last-minute drop goal to beat the Cell C Sharks with 20-17.
The Vodacom Bulls u/20 had a relatively easy game against the Leopards u/20 (74-21).
The Vodacom Bulls u/20 will need to continue with the pace and intensity they played at in the first half in the second half, a "poor" second half will cost them against a dangerous DHL Western Province team today.
Injuries to the Bulls' two top scrumhalves will cost them the speed at which they played against the Leopards u/20.
A loss today could end the chance either team stand to qualify for the final as only the two top teams will advance to the final. There will be no opportunity to "correct" a "mistake" later in the tournament.
There are six changes to the DHL Western Province U20 team. Two of the changes are in the forward pack and four in the backline, for the North-South clash, which kicks off at 13h00 on Saturday.
There is an all-new lock pairing of Imaad Phillips and Daniel Louw, with flanks Paul de Villiers and Hendrik Sieberhagen switching sides of the scrum.
In the backline there are two new wings in the form of Ebenezer Tshimanga and Eagon van der Rheeder, with Luke Burger shifting to fullback. Scrumhalf FC Fourie makes his first start, with Imad Khan set to make an impact from the replacements bench.
Head Coach Labeeb Levy said that his team will be looking to build on their opening win against the Cell C Sharks U20 in Durban last week.
“It was good to start with a win last week, but we know that we can raise our standards from what we showed in Durban, so we are not taking anything for granted.
“This is a great opportunity for us to show what we can do in our first home game of the season, but we know that we will have to be really sharp to make it two wins,” he said.
The Vodacom Bulls Under-20 team will take on their DHL Western Province counterparts in Round 2 of the SA Rugby Under-20 Cup in Cape Town on Saturday.
The Tshwane-based side has made four changes in their starting XV to the team that beat Leopard U20 74-28 in the season-opening match at Loftus Versfeld last week.
There is only one change in the backline which sees scrumhalf Rowan Cloete replacing Tiaan Fourie as the starting half-back.
One positional switch and two personnel changes in the forwards pack will see Rynard Mouton earning a starting berth at the openside flank, while Sebastian Lombaard will don the No3 jersey, while Tielman Nieuwoudt switches from tighthead prop to starting at loosehead this week.
“We were pleased with the start that we had to our campaign,” Vodacom Bulls U20 head coach, Wessel du Plessis said.
“However, it is still the early stages of the season and there is always room for improvement, especially when we face a quality side like DHL Western Province.
“It is never easy going to Cape Town. We expect a challenging encounter against a motivated team that will be physical and clinical in all areas of the game.”
DHL Western Province u/20: 15 Luke Burger, 14 Eagon van der Rheeder, 13 Melbirt van der Spuy, 12 Hofmeyr Retief, 11 Ebenezer Tshimanga, 10 Sacha Mngomezulu, 9 FC Fourie, 8 Armand Maritz (captain), 7 Hendrik Sieberhagen, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Imaad Phillips, 4 Daniel Louw, 3 Corne Weilbach, 2 Lukhanyo Vokozela, 1 Lamla Nunu. Replacements: 16 Francois Breytenbach, 17 Yannick Marais, 18 Nande Moses, 19 Jan-Daniel Cilliers, 20 Carlos da Costa, 21 Imad Khan, 22 Jonathan Roche, 23 Nic Krone.
The Vodacom Bulls u/20: 15. Franco Knoetze, 14. Katlego Letebele, 13. Sonwabo Sokoyi, 12. Carlton Bannies, 11. Quewin Nortje, 10. Compion von Ludwig, 9. Rowan Cloete; 8. Cameron Hanekom, 7. Eric Basson (c), 6. Rynard Mouton, 5. Ruan Delport, 4. Merwe Olivier, 3. Sebastian Lombaard, 2. Tiaan Lange, 1. Tielman Nieuwoudt. Replacements: 16. Johan Lombard, 17. Juann Else, 18. Johan Louw, 19. Willie Potgieter, 20. Abulele Ndabambi, 21. Jayden Sam, 22. Moemagare Motlhodi, 23. Munashe Dukuswa.