This weekend’s closing round of the SA Rugby u/19 Cup is a veritable final between the Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls Under 19 sides, as they battle it out for honours on the KP2 field, at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday at 13h00.
The Cell C Sharks u/19s and their Bulls’ counterparts both go into this game with an unbeaten record, the Durban side following up their 21-15 first round victory over Free State with a heroic, come-from-behind 22-20 victory over Western Province in Cape Town last weekend.
Assistant coach and former Cell C Sharks wing Lwazi Mvovo, admits that the team is reaping the rewards of their efforts in this campaign as they go into this final match of the competition.
“This campaign has involved a lot of hard work in getting the players to the standard we wanted.
“To beat Province last week, in that manner with a last-minute try, showed the belief in the team,” he explains. “We could have kicked a penalty for the draw, but going for the lineout and the win showed character.”
Commenting on Saturday’s match, Mvovo points out, “The Bulls have a strong junior structure because of the Varsity Cup and that’s something we don’t have the luxury of, but the players have consistently put in so much effort and hard work.
“The guys are excited, it’s two unbeaten sides and this game is going to require a lot of hard work and commitment.”
Cell C Sharks u/19: 15. PJ Venter, 14. Banie Britz, 13. Singele Mkhize, 12. Ethan Hooker (c), 11. Kyle Zinn, 10. Christian Els, 9. Michael Koch, 8. Jannes Potgieter, 7. Khumo-etsile Nkutha, 6. Torbyn Visser, 5. Luca Ribbens, 4. Matthew van Vuuren, 3. Dian Heunis, 2. Marnus Winter, 1. Phatu Ganyane. Replacements: 16. Torbyn Visser, 17. Dylan Willis, 18. Uli Walker, 19. Ockert Schonken, 20. Lwazi Sithole, 21. Ian de Fouw, 22. Frederick Marx, 23. Trent Coetzee.
