DHL Western Province U18 and the Golden Lions U18 will face one another in the final match of the Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week, while DHL Western Province U18 Academy will go head-to-head with the Blue Bulls U18 Academy in the closing game of the Coca-Cola Academy Week on Saturday at Kearsney College in Durban.
The Bidvest Golden Lions and Bizhub Free State on Thursday threw their names into the hat for a place in the final match of the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week with commanding wins, while Boland, the Blue Bulls and Sharks CD rose to the top in the Coca-Cola Academy Week as all the sides remained unbeaten following their second round of matches on Thursday.
In the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week, the Golden Lions defeated the Enrista Blue Bulls 41-14, while Free State thumped the Leopards 86-14 to join DHL Western Province and the Pumas as the only unbeaten teams in the competition going into Saturday’s final round.
In the Coca-Cola Academy Week, meanwhile, Boland beat Namibia 37-28, the Blue Bulls outplayed the Leopards 77-7, and Sharks CD pipped Pumas CD 32-27 to retain their unbeaten status along with DHL Western Province, the Sharks and the SA LSEN (Learners with Special Education Needs) team.
A combined total of 720 points were scored in the two competitions on Thursday, with 48 tries in the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week to contribute to the 329 points scored for the day, while 53 tries and 391 points were scored in the Coca-Cola Academy Week.
The players will have Friday off to rest and recover, which will be followed by the final day’s play on Saturday.
With all 44 teams playing on the final day, the matches will be contested on six fields, four at Kearsney College and two at Glenwood High School.
U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week day five fixtures (Saturday, 16 July):
08h00 – Zimbabwe vs Namibia (Osler Field, Kearsney College)
08h50 – Boland vs Border (Stott Field, Kearsney College)
09h35 – Griquas CD vs Border CD (Osler Field, Kearsney College)
10h25 – EP vs SWD (Stott Field, Kearsney College)
10h50 – Komati Fruit Limpopo Blue Bulls vs EP CD (Osler Field, Kearsney College)
12h00 – Pumas vs Sharks (Stott Field, Kearsney College)
12h15 – Thepa Trading Griffons vs Leopards (Osler Field, Kearsney College)
13h35 – Enrista Blue Bulls vs Bizhub Free State (Stott Field, Kearsney College)
13h40 – Valke vs GWK Griquas (Osler Field, Kearsney College)
15h10 – DHL Western Province vs Bidvest Golden Lions (Stott Field, Kearsney College)
Coca-Cola Academy Week day five fixtures (Saturday, 16 July):
08h15 – Pumas CD vs SA LSEN (AH Smith Oval, Kearsney College)
09h00 – GWK Griquas CD vs Border CD (Bassons Field, Glenwood High)
09h00 – Border vs SWD (Dixon Field, Glenwood High)
09h35 – Free State vs Sharks CD (AH Smith Oval, Kearsney College)
10h20 – Griffons CD vs Limpopo Blue Bulls (Bassons Field, Glenwood High)
10h20 – Thepa Trading Griffons vs Leopards (Dixon Field, Glenwood High)
10h55 – Pumas vs Boland (AH Smith Oval, Kearsney College)
11h40 – Valke CD vs EP CD (Bassons Field, Glenwood High)
11h40 – Valke vs GWK Griquas (Dixon Field, Glenwood High)
12h15 – Bidvest Golden Lions vs Sharks (AH Smith Oval, Kearsney College)
12h50 – Namibia vs EP (Dixon Field, Glenwood High)
13h35 – DHL Western Province vs Blue Bulls (AH Smith Oval, Kearsney College)