The Vodacom Bulls Under-20 side travels to Cape Town where they will take on their DHL Western Province counterparts in the semi-final of the SA Rugby Under-20 Championship today @ 14h00.
The importance with which the Vodacom Bulls are approaching this semi-final is visible in the two surprise inclusions in their matchday squad. Both Reinhardt Ludwig and Jan-Hendrik Wessels who was part of the URC European touring squad were flown in to play today.
DHL Western Province u/20 hosted the Vodacom Bulls u/20 in Round 4 and secured a 17-11 win. DHL Western Province u/20 led for most of the match and were in the lead with 10-03 at the halftime break.
DHL Western Province ended 2nd after the league matches were completed while the Vodacom Bulls ended 3rd. Both teams lost two matches in the build-up to the semi-final.
DHL Western Province had a great 64-14 win over the Toyota Free State in Round 7 while the Vodacom Bulls had a bye in Round 7. Their last match was o 24 Sept 2021 when they demolished the Eastern Province u/20 side at home.
There are two changes to the DHL Western Province u/20 side for their semifinal against Vodacom Bulls U20 at Newlands on Saturday.
Head Coach Jerome Paarwater has made one change in the forward pack and one in the backline. Both changes are injury-enforced, with flank Romuald Ntumba and wing Paschal Ekeji ruled out. Arman Maritz comes in for Ntumba, while Ebenezer Tshimanga will start on the wing in place of Ekeji.
The match is a closed event and not open to the public but will be streamed live on SA Rugby’s Youtube channel.
Paarwater said that while his team head into this semifinal without losing a game in the league phase of the competition, they will need to be as sharp as ever in the knock-out clash.
“We have built up some nice momentum and it will be crucial to make the most of that in what should be a tough semifinal on Saturday.
“It is great to have some continuity in selection at the business end of the competition and we need to make the most of our home advantage,” he said.
The Vodacom Bulls u/20’s have been working hard over the past few weeks in preparation for the playoff stages of the competition since completing their round-robin games with an emphatic 83-15 win over Eastern Province U20 at the end of last month.
The side is expecting a tough encounter against DHL Western Province on Saturday.
“We are proud of the players for their effort in ensuring that we reach this stage of the competition. As a group, both management and players, we have put in good hours to make sure that we improve with each passing week,” said Vodacom Bulls U20 head coach, Wessel du Plessis.
“The playoffs are a critical stage of the competition where quality sides will battle it out for the title. We, therefore, expect nothing less than a titanic battle against a competitive DHL Western Province team that has, like us, shown great hunger for success this season.”
DHL Western Province u/20: 15 Jacques Rossouw, 14 Ebenezer Tshimanga, 13 Ethan James, 12 Ruben Labuschagne, 11 Rethabile Louw, 10 Sacha Mngomezulu, 9 Bobby Alexander, 8 Jarrod Taylor, 7 Simon Miller, 6 Armand Maritz, 5 Dylan De Leeuw (c), 4 Connor Evans, 3 Corne Weilbach, 2 Keagan Blanckenberg, 1 Rhynardt Rijnsburger. Replacements (from): 16 Lukhanyo Vokozela, 17 Lamla Nunu, 18 Vernon Matongo, 19 Marco van Rhyn, 20 Isaiah Wharton, 21 Conwill Conradie, 22 Meyr Retief, 23 Duran Koevort, 24 Tiaan Pretorius, 25 Cade Croy, 26 Christian Lamprecht.
The Vodacom Bulls u/20: 15. Niel Beukes, 14. Tharquin Manuel, 13. Canan Moodie, 12. Carlton Banies, 11. Sonwabo Sokoyi, 10. Jandre Burger, 9. Tiaan Fourie, 8. Cameron Hanekom, 7. Willie Potgieter, 6. Rynard Mouton (c), 5. Tiaan de Klerk, 4. Raynard Roets, 3. Sebastian Lombard, 2. Enrique Coutriers, 1. Cebolenkosi Dlamini. Replacements: 16. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17. Tielman Nieuwoudt, 18. Nolan Pienaar, 19. Ruan Delport, 20. Reinhardt Ludwig, 21. Johan Muller, 22. Keane Gelant, 23. Geraldo Flusk, 24. Bayanda Ngubane, 25. Chulumanco Mfakadolo, 26. Tiaan Lange.