Craven Week begins with a bang

Boland, Eastern Province, the Sharks and Western Province claimed important wins on Day One of the SA Rugby U18 Craven Week at Outeniqua Park in George.

The opening day of the tournament served up four highly entertaining contests. Boland scored four tries in their 26-19 win against the Valke, before EP secured a stunning 26-23 victory against Free State.

Free State dominated the early stages of the latter fixture and went to the break with a 16-6 lead. EP hit back in the second half, however, to take control of the contest.

A determined defensive performance at the death earned the Eastern Cape outfit a monumental victory. Dominic Malgas contributed 16 points to the cause via his goal-kicking boot.

There was more drama in the third match of the day, with the WP XV giving a more fancied Sharks side a scare.

The KwaZulu-Natalians led 22-5 at half-time and appeared to be on course for a massive victory. In the end, they were made to fight to secure a win against a spirited Cape side – who scored three tries and 19 points in the second half.

In the final game of the day, Western Province scored six tries in a convincing 42-12 win against the South Western Districts.

The Craven Week action will continue on Tuesday morning, with Griquas tackling the Leopards at 10h30.

Day One Results:

Valke 19 (7) – Tries: Zaid Rippenaar, Ruduwaan Rogers, Oregopotse Shilbuane. Conversions: Duan du Toit.
Boland 26 (19) – Tries: Ricky Lesch, Callum van Staden, Seppie September, Petrie van Dyk. Conversions: Luan Giliomee (3).

Free State 23 (16) – Tries: Jean Erasmus, JJ Theron. Conversions: Ian van der Merwe (2). Penalty goals: Van der Merwe (3).
Eastern Province 26 (6) – Tries: Jamain Dampies, Hein Terblanche. Conversions: Dominic Malgas (2). Penalty goals: Malgas (4).

Sharks 34 (22) – Tries: Siya Ndlozi, Siso France, Campbell Ridi, Luyanda Kunene, Jaco Williams. Conversions: Chris Horak (3). Penalty goal: Horak.
Western Province XV 24 (5) – Tries: HB Odendaal, Enslin Claassen, Torren February, Juma Amissi. Conversions: Daniel van der Merwe (2).

Western Province 42 (23) – Tries: Cilliers Viljoen, Xola Nyali, Zeke January, Albe Bester, Gino Cupido, Haashim Pead. Conversions: Kyle Smith (3). Penalty goals: Smith (2).
SWD 12 (7) – Tries: Ashwin Damons, Andrew Stopforth. Conversion: Elgernon Meyer.

U18 Craven Week Day Two Fixtures:

10h30: Griquas v Leopards

12h00: Griffons v Limpopo Blue Bulls

13h30: Golden Lions v Pumas

15h00: Blue Bulls v Border