SA Rugby Under 21 Cup log leaders, the Fidelity ADT Lions, recorded their eighth victory in as many games when they defeated defending champions, DHL Western Province, 39-36 in a hard-fought encounter at City Park in Cape Town on Friday, while there was a first win for the Leopards in Potchefstroom.
In the first of two matches staged on Saturday, the Hollywoodbets Sharks delivered a strong performance to outplay the Vodacom Bulls 25-19 in Durban, while in the other match in Potchefstroom, the Leopards won a high-scoring clash with the Toyota Cheetahs by a margin of 55-42.
SA Rugby U21 Cup Log (Click Here)
After taking the field first in the opening encounter of the round at City Park, DHL WP will probably wonder how they let slip of a golden opportunity to hand the Highvelders their first defeat of the season.
The young men from Joburg returned to Gauteng with a hard-earned 39-36 win after they had managed to fend off a huge comeback from the home side, who ‘won’ the second half score by a margin of 24-7.
In a game of two halves, each team managed to score six tries and three conversions. However, it was the successful penalty goal by Lions flyhalf Sam Francis in the first half which, in the end, tilted the game in favour of the log leaders.
Former Junior Bok scrumhalf Imad Khan was a constant menace for DHL WP, and he capped a fine performance by scoring twice, while left wing Asemahle Nongogo was equally outstanding for the Gauteng outfit by dotting down three times.
Saturday's first fixture in Durban saw a deserved win for the team from KwaZulu-Natal against their Pretoria opponents, with the game ending 25-19 in favour of the hosts who managed to overcome a 19-12 halftime deficit by outscoring the Bulls by four tries to three.
Trailing by just two points, 28-26, at the break following a lively opening spell, the Leopards managed to score eight tries overall and conceded six as they finally managed to register their first win of the season.
Zack Serfontein (scrumhalf), Therlow Prins (left wing) and Angelo Daniels (right wing) each scored a brace of tries for the Northwest side, while MJ Mostert (flyhalf) added six conversions and a penalty goal to his try for a personal contribution of 20 points.
Cheetahs hooker Jacobus Bezuidenhout went over for two tries for the Bloemfontein outfit, with pivot Bradley Giddy converting all six tries, including his own.
After another round of exciting action, the Fidelity ADT Lions increased their league tally to 39 points, and they are followed by the Vodacom Bulls (28) and DHL WP (25). The Hollywoodbets Sharks sit fourth on 20 points, which is 10 more than the Leopards, while Toyota Cheetahs are bottom of the log with seven points.
The teams will enjoy a break this weekend and the action are set to resume on the weekend of 27 and 28 September.
