South Western Districts and the Western Province XV extended their winning records on the third day of the U18 Craven Week at Hoërskool Middelburg on Wednesday.
SWD and WP XV recorded their second wins of the competition, while Free State and the Limpopo Blue Bulls got off the mark, following their respective defeats on day one.
The Blue Bulls lost for the second straight match.
Dominated
After edging Free State 35-34 in their first fixture of the tournament, SWD dominated the clash against the Golden Lions on Wednesday, scoring eight tries in a resounding 54-22 victory. Christiaan Vorster and Jacobus de Villiers scored two tries apiece for the Eagles.
Earlier in the day, Limpopo completed an incredible comeback against the Griffons, after trailing 19-0 in the first quarter. Hooker Ziahn Lombaard scored a hat-trick while fullback Ryno Mienie slotted seven conversions to steer their team to an unlikely 49-44 victory.
Fresh off their 52-6 win over the Griffons, the WP XV racked up a further 45 points and seven tries against the Pumas, with lock Gershom Pieters and replacement forward Caleb Koeberg grabbing a brace apiece.
Free State bounced back from a first-round loss to SWD, scoring seven tries in a 52-33 victory against the Blue Bulls. Fullback Lamla Mgedezi and No 13 Ethan Adams starred for the winners, scoring three and two tries respectively, while centre Thabiso Simelane claimed a hat-trick for the losing side.
The tournament will continue at Hoërskool Middelburg on Thursday, with Boland facing the Valke at 10:00, and Western Province tackling the Sharks later in the day.
U18 Craven Week day three results
Limpopo Blue Bulls 49-44 Griffons
Western Province XV 45-14 Pumas
Free State 52-33 Blue Bulls
Golden Lions 22-54 SWD
Day four fixtures – Thursday, 10 July
Boland vs Valke – 10:00
Griquas vs Leopards – 11:30
Border vs Eastern Province – 13:00
Western Province vs Sharks – 14:30
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