The Hollywoodbets Sharks claimed the SA Rugby Under-21 title on Saturday when they defeated the Fidelity ADT Lions 63-31 in a high-scoring final in Durban on Saturday, while the Vodacom Bulls edged DHL Western Province by 20-14 in the SA Rugby U19 Cup final staged in Pretoria on Friday.
Playing at home in Durban, the Sharks showed their attacking pedigree as they came out tops bya big margin of 32 points in the U21 decider, which delivered a total of 94 points.
The Lions, who last week knocked out the defending champions DHL WP in Cape Town, trailed by just four points going into the break with the score at 28-24 in favour of the Sharks, who last week edged the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria in their semi-final.
While the first half was an open and even affair, the Sharks piled on the pressure after the break to run in 35 points via five converted tries to take the game away from their Gauteng opponents, while the Lions could only add one converted try to their tally.
Three members of the triumphant Junior Springbok squad from earlier this year, Jaco Williams (2), Matt Romao and Simphiwe Ngobese, were amongst the Sharks’ try scorers while Luan Giliomee – who was included in the SA U19 Academy squad last week – succeeded with all nine conversions.
Two other members of the 2025 Junior Bok squad, Haashim Pead and Gilermo Mentoe, scored for the Lions, while flyhalf Matthew Coetzee succeeded with the four conversions and a penalty goal.
Vodacom Bulls take SA Rugby U19 Cup final honours
The Vodacom Bulls took the honours in the SA Rugby Under-19 Cup final when they defeated DHL Western Province by 20-14 in a close-fought encounter on Friday afternoon at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, to reclaim the national title they lost to neighbours, the Fidelity ADT Lions, last season.
The young men from Pretoria led their Cape rivals 12-7 at the halfway stage and eventually prevailed by outscoring their opponents by three tries to two on the day, ensuring they finish the season unbeaten after winning all their league games.
Left wing Lindsey Jansen opened the scoring for the hosts early on and he was followed over the tryline by front ranker Aphiwe Shelembe, while Aka Boqwana added the extras, handing the Bulls a 12-0 lead.
WP flanker Aden De Costa registered their first try late in the first half, reducing the deficit to 12-7 at the halftime break.
Olunje Mehlomakulu, replacement outside back of WP, then added a long-distance try for the visitors, which flyhalf Rayaan Solomons also converted, briefly giving the Cape side a two-point lead at 14-12.
However, the Bulls’ reply was swift when barely two minutes later Boqwana added their third try. He missed the conversion, but the Bulls were now back in the lead at 17-14, and their fullback added three points later when he slotted a penalty goal to make the final score 20-14.