The SA Rugby Uu/20 Cup season finale will be on show at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday when the Vodacom Bulls u/20 side hosts their DHL Western Province counterparts in what is expected to be a thrilling encounter.
Both sides have shown great form this season with each only tasting defeat once in their six fixtures of the round-robin stages, and it was always going to go to the wire to determine the team that would finish at the top of the log table to secure a home final.
It was the Vodacom Bulls u/20s who, in the last match of the round-robin stages last week, leapfrogged the Capetonians after a dominant win over Eastern Province u/20s.
The Vodacom Bulls u/20 side finished the regular season with the most points scored (376), with the DHL WP u/U20 side claiming the third most points (268) after the Cell C Sharks u/20 (295).
DHL WP u/20’s defence proved to be one of the most successful this season as they let through the least number of tries between the two sides (16) while the Tshwane-based outfit leaked 19. The Vodacom Bulls u/20s did, however, score the most tries in the competition (58), the Cell C Sharks u/20 coming in second place in these stats with 43 tries against them and DHL WP u/20s scoring 38.
With these close statistics, among other almost evenly matched figures between the sides, the final of the SA Rugby U20 Cup is set to be an enthralling battle.
Vodacom Bulls u/20 head coach Wessel du Plessis said “We are very wary of how good this DHL Western Province U20 side is. Afterall, they are the only side to have managed to beat us this season in that 30-29 defeat in Cape Town in our second match of the competition,”
“They (DHL WP) have shown their capabilities in all their fixtures which they have dominated. We will expect them to come to Loftus with the same mentality and a hunger to claim bragging rights as champions.
“We will need to be at our best this weekend. We have been hard at work throughout the week in preparation for this match. I must commend our boys for their contribution towards the team reaching this stage of the competition. We have worked hard and grown together as a team, and I cannot be prouder of this young bunch of players for their efforts.”
DHL Western Province u/20 head coach Labeeb Levy said that his team will be giving it a full go as they look to secure some silverware up in Pretoria.
“This team has grown as a unit and have played some great rugby this season. We want to go up there and deliver our best performance of the campaign.
“We have got some incredibly talented players, who have shown that they can work together and we are embracing the challenge this weekend,” he said.
Teams:
Vodacom Bulls u/20: 15. Franco Knoetze, 14. Katlego Letebele,13. Gert Steyn,12. Sonwabo Sokoyi, 11. Quewin Nortje, 10. Carlton Banies, 9. Tiaan Fourie; 8. Cameron Hanekom, 7. Eric Basson (c), 6. Rynard Mouton, 5. Marco de Witt, 4. Merwe Olivier, 3. Sebastian Lombaard, 2. Tiaan Lange, 1. Corne Lavagna. Replacements: 16. Johan Lombard, 17. Juann Else, 18. Johan Louw, 19. Ruan Delport, 20. Willie Potgieter, 21. Rowan Cloete, 22. Abulele Ndabambi, 23. Moemagare Motlhodi.
DHL Western Province u/20: 15 Luke Burger, 14 Ebenezer Tshimanga, 13 Ethan James, 12 Hofmeyr Retief, 11 Paschal Ekeji, 10 Sacha Mngomezulu, 9 FC Fourie, 8 Armand Maritz (captain), 7 Jan Cilliers, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Hendrik Sieberhagen, 4 Oliver Kurz, 3 Nande Moses, 2 Gustav Laubscher, 1 Lamla Nunu. Replacements: 16 Lukhanyo Vokozela, 17 Yannick Marais, 18 Liam Sproston, 19 Danie Louw, 20 Aiden Christian, 21 Jacques Theron, 22 Jonathan Roche, 23 Masande Mtshali.
