The Vodacom Bulls u/19s will host the Cell C Sharks u/19s in the final of the 2023 SA Rugbyu/19 Cup, on Saturday 10 June 2023 at 12h00. The Vodacom Bulls u/19s will look to make it three in a row against a Cell Sharks u/19 who will be looking to add the u/19 title to the u/20 title they already won earlier in the season.
Edgar Marutlulle, the head coach of the Vodacom Bulls u/19s has only made two notable changes to the side. Duncan Blignaut replaces Ben Heydenrych who misses due to HIA protocols having taken a knock during the semi-final against the Cheetahs. Mile Mantinisi replaces injured Philip-Albert van Niekerk who also sustained an injury during the battle for a place in the final.
Speaking about the changes, Marutluelle said: “Duncan (Blignaut) is a local Tuks lad who has been growing with us every week and continues to improve more and more each week he has spent with us. We do think he can genuinely step up to bring it in this final,”
“Mihle is a UJ product and he made his debut for us the week before in the semi-final, scoring on debut, which was great for him because he has waited a little while to get the opportunity to prove himself and he continues to show the eagerness that he can continue to deliver.”
The Cell c Sharks u/19s head coach Mike Vowles “Last weekend’s win was a great result for us, we went to Cape Town confident and things turned in our favour,”
“We were really happy with the team’s performance, we stuck to the plan, played within our system and that gave us plenty of reward."
“It was a great fight and test of the team’s character and we’re very proud of how the boys came through.”
It doesn’t get any easier this weekend, but the outcome of finals can never really be predicted early, it’s all about what happens on the day."
“This weekend is a new challenge and like any final, comes with its own set of pressures, but we’ve prepared really well, handled the workload to keep the guys fresh."
“They’re chomping at the bit to put in a really good performance. We understand that the margins in finals are very small and we have to make sure we’re on top of our game."
“We have a lot of respect for the Bulls team and the way they’ve played, but there’s an understanding of the challenge that we face and this is a team that’s grown really nicely over the last few weeks. To see them perform like they have is brilliant."
“We also feel that we’re peaking at the right time. We had a slow start to the comp but we’ve got better and better, so we’re confident and looking forward to the challenge.”
Teams:
Vodacom Bulls: 1. Mbasa Maqubela, 2. Juan Smal, 3. Casper Badenhorst, 4. Duncan Blignaut, 5. Keanu Coetsee, 6. Lukas Meyer (c), 7. Lilitha Matsiliza, 8. Liselihle Maphekula, 9. Steven Nel, 10. Jayden Bantom, 11. Michail Damon, 12. Mile Mantinisi, 13. Kobus Janse van Rensburg, 14. Alfondso Isaacs, 15. JL Van Rensburg. Replacements: 16. Juanre Breitenbach, 17. Jean Fourie, 18. Kaleb Kriek, 19. Nokutenda Mapungwana, 20. Abel Pretorius, 21. Caleb Abrahams, 22. Logan Opperman, 23. Andile Myeni
Cell C Sharks u/19: 1. Bradley Stanfliet, 2. Ethan Bester, 3. Nicholas Snyman, 4. Garren Muller, 5. Sphephelo Mbonambi, 6. Matthew Fick, 7. Connor Carson, 8. Thomas Dyer (c), 9. AJ Knoetze, 10. Drico Marx, 11. Spha Ngcobo, 12. Stehan Heymans, 13. Michal de Beer, 14. Somanga Jho, 15. Hendrik Pienaar. Replacements: 16. Andrew Davis, 17. Faasen Laubscher, 18. Siyabonga Dube, 19. Trent Roux, 20. Hugo-Ben Horn, 21. Dallyn Beukes, 22. Deano Boesak, 23. Risima Sambo.