Western Province edged the Sharks on the third day of the U18 Craven Week in Gqeberha, while the Leopards, Eastern Province and Free State were also victorious.
The coastal derby on Grey High School’s Kolisi Field lived up to the hype, with the Sharks taking a 12-7 lead into the break.
The KwaZulu-Natalians troubled WP at the set-pieces and breakdowns after half-time, and converted that dominance into a 15-point lead.
But WP fought back to reduce the deficit and the Sharks conceded two yellow cards in quick succession.
With full-time approaching, a third Sharks player was sent to the sin bin and WP fullback Achmat Behardien kicked a penalty goal to clinch a dramatic 24-22 win.
U18 CRAVEN WEEK DAY 1: Free State, WP start strong
Earlier in the day, Free State scored three late tries to claim a 38-26 win over South Western Districts.
Fullback Lamla Mgedezi scored a brace for the Cheetahs, while flyhalf Samson Lackay contributed 13 points.
Boland and EP enjoyed a similarly tight battle, although the hosts took control of the contest in the second half, with scrumhalf Luke Doyle scoring a try in the 64th minute to extend his team’s lead to eight points.
Boland scored a converted try at the death, but EP hung on for a 32-31 victory.
U18 CRAVEN WEEK DAY 2: Lions claim bragging rights
The Leopards recorded the biggest win of the day when they thumped the Limpopo Blue Bulls 57-14.
Outside centre Marques Jantjies scored a hat-trick while flyhalf Ricardo Enos slotted six conversions.
U18 Craven Week results (Day 3)
Leopards 57 Limpopo Blue Bulls 14
Boland 31 Eastern Province 32
Free State 38 South Western Districts 26
Western Province 24 Sharks 22
U18 Craven Week fixtures (Thursday)
10am: Griffons vs Valke
11:45am: Border vs Pumas
1:30pm: Blue Bulls vs Griquas
3:30pm: Golden Lions vs Western Province XV
Photo: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images
The post U18 Craven Week: WP fightback stuns Sharks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Western Province edged the Sharks on the third day of the U18 Craven Week in Gqeberha, while the Leopards, Eastern Province and Free State were also victorious.
The post U18 Craven Week: WP fightback stuns Sharks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
