Four U13 teams remain unbeaten at Grey

Only four of the 18 teams participating in the U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week at Grey College in Bloemfontein remained unbeaten at the end of the second day’s play on Tuesday as the tournament switched into a different gear.

Nine teams entered the day’s play with round-one wins in the bag, but Eastern Province, the Golden Lions, Western Province and the Blue Bulls were the only unbeaten teams by the end of the round.

Eastern Province registered a narrow 17-14 victory against KZN, while the Golden Lions forced their way to a 18-12 victory against Border, Western Province defeated the Limpopo Blue Bulls 41-10 and the Blue Bulls beat SWD 22-0 in another entertaining day of rugby.

The clash between Eastern Province and KZN was nail-biting as the teams fought until the end, with the Eastern Cape outfit just pipping their Durban counterparts. Eastern Province outscored KZN three tries to two in what was a tight tussle from the outset, but it was EP’s defence that stood out as they shut out the determined KZN team close to their tryline on several occasions in the dying minutes.

The Golden Lions produced an effective performance to build up a 15-0 halftime lead against Border. But the Eastern Cape side fought back strongly in the second half and scored two tries compliments of Litelihle Bester, one which was converted. A second-half penalty goal by the Lions, however, saw them secure an 18-12 victory.

Western Province, meanwhile, overcame a strong challenge from the Limpopo Blue Bulls in a physical encounter to register a 41-10 victory. The Cape side was particularly strong at taking advantage of the opposition’s mistakes and using their fantastic support play to sneak their way through the gaps and around the defence. This earned them a rewarding seven tries, while they limited the Limpopo side to two.

The Blue Bulls literally powered their way to a 22-0 Victory against SWD as the team played to their strengths by using their bigger players to force their way through the defence, which they backed up with good support play. SWD tried hard to force their way into the Blue Bulls half throughout the match, but the Pretoria side’s solid defence combined with their ability to win turnovers denied the George side from scoring a single point for their efforts.  

Earlier, Namibia ran circles around Border CD on attack. Their forwards laid a solid foundation upfront and their backs ran hard on attack and snuffed out the gaps in the defence. This effective display earned them a staggering 14 tries, with centre Jurenzo Julius and Louw Rossouw each scoring a hat-trick, which they also converted, to guide the team to a 92-12 victory.

The Griffons dominated their clash against the Pumas from the outset and they did well to force their way over the advantage line, which earned them two first-half tries and a 17-0 lead at the break. They added another try in the second half, while Pumas winger Samkelo Ntshapela touched down twice for his team. But these efforts were not enough, and left them settling for a 22-10 defeat.    

The clash between the Valke and Griquas was quite physical as the teams used their forwards in an attempt to gain ascendancy. The Valke, however, had the upper hand as they managed to break through the gaps in defence and they used their chances well to run in six tries, while they conceded only one, for a 36-7 victory.

Leopards flanker Divan Pieters, meanwhile, was a star player in his team’s 66-7 victory against Zimbabwe as he scored four of the side’s 10 tries in a one-sided encounter. Zimbabwe managed to score only one converted try in the first half and they were unsuccessful in their attempts to add to this in the second half as the Leopards defended with intent.

Boland put their speedy backs to good use in their clash against hosts, the Free State, which paved the way for their 26-10 victory. Boland scored two tries in the first half and added two more after the break, while Free State No 8 Johannes Hendrik Botha scored in each half in what marked the hosts’ only points. 

The U13 teams will have Wednesday off to recover from the opening two rounds, while the U16 teams will battle it out in their second round after resting on Tuesday. 

U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week day two results (Tuesday, 9 July)::

Pumas 10-22 Griffons

Namibia 92-12 Border CD

Valke 36-7 Griquas

Zimbabwe 7-66 Leopards

Boland 26-10 Free State

Eastern Province 17-14 KZN

Golden Lions 18-12 Border

Western Province 41-10 Limpopo Blue Bulls

Blue Bulls 22-0 SWD

U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week day two fixtures (Wednesday, 12 July):

09h30 – Griffons v Western Province XV

09h30 – Leopards v Valke

10h45 – Namibia v KZN

10h45 – Zimbabwe v Border CD

12h00 – Golden Lions v Blue Bulls

12h00 – Griquas v Eastern Province

13h15 – Limpopo Blue Bulls v Boland

13h15 – Pumas v Free State XV

14h30 – Border v SWD

15h45 – Free State v Western Province 

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Os du Randt's son Thian plays in the U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week

The under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week, currently underway at the Tshwane University of Technology,  got off to a great start for Free State flank, Thian Du Randt, a pupil of Bloemfontein’s Grey College.

A highlight of the day yesterday was Free State’s surprisingly comfortable 48-12 win over Eastern Province for which Thian received the Powerade Power Through Player of the Match award. 

According to Thian, Free State did not start well in Monday’s game against Eastern Province but they played far better in the second half and he hopes that for the rest of the week he will continue to play that way.

Thian played in the Coca-Cola under-13 Craven Week three years ago, before moving on to Grey, a move he says has changed his life. “It is because of Grey that I have achieved what I have so far,” he said. “It is turning me into the man I am today. I love school and I am doing well both on and off the playing field.”

Thian’s early success on the rugby field has come as no surprise to his father, double World Cup winner and assistant coach of the Cheetahs Super Rugby team, Os Du Randt.

He was 9 years old when his father gave up playing rugby, and as such doesn’t remember much of the Springbok legend’s career. He would however like to carry on where his father left off and keep the family name alive in the world of rugby. “I would love to become a professional rugby player and follow in the footsteps of my dad,” he said.

Thian does however understand the importance of finding a balance between sport and education and credits his mother with keeping him grounded. “She constantly reminds me that education is as important as rugby and I will need a qualification when my playing days are over,” he said. He is determined to do a BCom accounting degree when he finishes school.

Thian is enjoying the under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week.  “Firstly there are 11 Grey players in the team so it is like playing for the school, but the others, who are mostly from HTS Louis Botha, are also fantastic people and there is a great spirit in the team,” he said.

Tightly contested games at the Under 16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Rugby Week

There is no official winner of the Under 16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Rugby Week, currently underway at the Tshwane University of Technology.  Instead the fixtures for the second and final day of play see teams placed according to their strengths.

And the second day of play today saw all teams pick up the pace with five going into the third and final day unbeaten.

Eastern Province and the Pumas started off proceedings in a tightly contested thriller only separated by 2 points. EP’s centre Sibabalwe Mzanywa scored a hat trick and Mario Olivier successfully slotted all his teams’ conversions that lead to his team’s triumph over the Pumas.

A late surge from Pumas through Du Preez van der Merwe almost got the Pumas back in the game but the EP team held on to their win.

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and South West Districts (SWD) played in a 70-point match that saw KZN come out on top, 45 – 25. The Shark’s Tonny Mahlangu scored a brace, and his teammate Francke Botha scored a hat trick as the Sharks steam rolled past SWD in a great display of running rugby.

The Blue Bulls XV made no mistake as they went on to their second tournament victory when they met Namibia. The Namibians trailed by only 4 points in a gutsy display of rugby. The Blue Bulls XV’s Carl Koch delivered the winning try for his team.

Zimbabwe scraped past the Griquas CD winning by a mere 1 point. Griquas CD had an opportunity to win the match with a 58^th minute penalty that sailed wide, much to the delight of the Zimbabwean team who finally ended the match 11 – 10.

In yet another tough and close encounter the Griffons beat Boland 23 – 24 to stay unbeaten after their two matches.

In other matches the Bulls beat the Free State 23 -10, Limpopo Blue Bulls won 23 – 14, and Valke beat Border 13 – 9.

In what some may call the fixture of the day, Western Province (WP) took on the Gauteng  Lions. Both teams just came from a confident win after Day 1’s action. WP was trailing when they went into the but came out fighting and scored two tries by Athi Magwala which was enough to bring the WP team to victory.

Teams will have a rest tomorrow and will resume with their final fixtures on Thursday with the toughest teams going  up against each other.  WP will take on the home team,  Blue Bull in the final match.  This is a replica of the 2013 final, which was won by WP.

RESULTS:

A-Field, TUT Stadium

Pumas 26  vs EP 28

KZN 45 vs SWD 25

Boland 23 vs Griffons 24

Blue Bulls 23 vs Free State 10

Western Province 24 vs Golden Lions 11

B-Field, TUT Stadium

Border CD 0  vs Leopards 46

Blue Bulls XV 19 vs Namibia 14

Griquas CD10  vs Zimbabwe 11

Limpopo Blue Bulls 23  vs Griquas 14

Valke 13 vs Border 9

A SELECT GROUP OF PLAYERS FROM THE COCA-COLA UNDER-16 GRANT KHOMO WEEK WILL PARTICIPATE IN A HIGH PERFORMANCE CAMP IN CAPE TOWN

Peter Jooste and Rugby South Africa’s national selectors have been in Johannesburg this week running their eye over the available talent on display at the Coca-Cola under-16 Grant Khomo Week.

Their task is to select a squad of 50-odd players who will meet in Cape Town in September for a high performance camp where they will be evaluated and given personal development programmes, to be monitored by their home unions ahead of their next appearance in the spotlight – at the Coca-Cola under-18 Craven Week in two year’s time.

The Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week therefore has an educational objective as well and all the players and coaches attended a high performance seminar during the week as well as a drug free sport seminar.

Conducting the drug free sport session will be Clinton Readhead, SA Rugby’s medical manager. He has been at the week in Johannesburg and says it is noticeable how professional the approach of the players is, even at this level.

“The preparation of the players is at such a high level that we have to assume they are all using some sort of nutritional supplement.  Our role is to manage this and to keep it safe,” said Readhead. “Our advice is that we do not condone the use of any supplements at all but, given that they are being widely used, we try to point out the dangers involved, particularly because the industry is unregulated and you cannot always believe that the ingredients listed are really what is in the tin.”

Responsible use of supplements and correct nutrition play a big part in the educational programme at the week and at the high performance camp.

Physical conditioning is also important, Readhead says. “The SA Sports Institute advises the players on the sort of exercises they should be doing, in and out of season.”

This is all part of the wider context that the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks should be seen in. Parallel to the team performances is a scientific process designed to bring the best players of this generation though to the level of senior provincial rugby in the years to come.

WESTERN PROVINCE AND FREE STATE PLAY IN THE FINAL GAME IN THE COCA-COLA UNDER 16 GRANT KHOMO WEEK

The powerhouses of SA Schools rugby are centred in Bloemfontein, and in the Paarl/Stellenbosch region, and this will be reflected on Thursday when Free State and Western Province meet in the main game of the Coca-Cola under-16 Grant Khomo Week at the University of Johannesburg (kickoff 11.45am).

The Free State team has 10 boys from Grey College in its ranks, while Western Province is packed with players from Paarl Gimnasium, Paarl Boys' High and Paul Roos Gimnasium.

Some might question if Western Province and Free State deserve the honour of playing in the week's prestigious concluding fixture since there are five unbeaten sides in the tournament- the others being Eastern Province, the Leopards and Zimbabwe. A committee decides on the fixtures according to the way that the various teams play their games and try to match the teams up strength on strength. It must be remembered that there is no real tournament winner.

The ease with which Western Province dispatched the Blue Bulls on Tuesday must make them favourites for the main game on Thursday.

They have loads of skill and pace, particularly in the backs, and a goal-kicker that slots kicks from just about anywhere. The Bulls simply could not keep up with them and they outscored them by four tries to one.

The tries were by Veranzi Pipers, Rudolf Brits, Pieter Jordaan and Edrich Venter. Herschel Jantjies kicked two penalties and two conversions and Tiaan Swanepoel two penalties and one conversion.

The Bulls lone try was scored by Shadeur Mhlanga.

It was heartbreak for the hosts, the Golden Lions, for the second day in a row, when they surrendered a 15-10 lead over Free State to go down 17-15.

They were ahead against Western Province on day one, but an injury-time penalty saw Province snatch the victory away from them.

There was nothing to choose between the Lions and Free State. Both sides scored two tries, but the Lions could only convert one of theirs.

The Lions tries were scored by Justin Bhana and Ralton October. Bhana also kicked a penalty and a conversion.

Lewellyn Hein and Michael Andrade got tries for Free State. Julian Jordaan

kicked a penalty and two conversions.

RESULTS

Border 24 Limpopo 19, Griquas 35 Border Country 6, Boland 23 Pumas 22, Golden Lions XV 21 Namibia 3, Eastern Province 5 KwaZulu-Natal 0, Zimbabwe 18 Griquas Country 14, Free State 17 Golden Lions 15, Valke 13 Griffons 10, Leopards 18 SWD 16, Western Province 36 Blue Bulls 5.

Thursday's Fixtures

A field - 8am Namibia v Zimbabwe, 9.15am Kwazulu-Natal v Leopards, 10.30 Eastern Province v Boland, 11.45am Western Province v Free State.

B field - 8am Valke v Border, 9.15am Pumas v Limpopo, 10.30am Golden Lions v Blue Bulls.

C field - 8am Griquas v Griquas Country, 9.15am Golden Lions XV v Border Country, 10.30am SWD v Griffons.

THE COCA-COLA UNDER-16 GRANT KHOMO WEEK WILL RUN FROM THE 2ND – 5TH JULY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG

The Coca-Cola under-16 Grant Khomo Week takes place at The University of Johannesburg from July 2 to 5. Twenty provincial teams will play three matches each over four days, in a festival of rugby, with no overall winner at the end of the week.

The under-16 week was introduced by SA Rugby in 2003 after the union recognised a gap in the development process of young rugby players. It was decided that the period between the Coca-Cola under-13 and under-18 Craven Weeks was too long, and too many talented players were being lost in between the two.

The result was the introduction of an under-16 interprovincial week and it has become an integral part of SA Rugby’s Youth Weeks programme which is held during the winter school holidays each year.

When the week was introduced it was decided to name it after one of the unsung heroes of South African rugby – Grant Khomo. He was regarded as one of the best centre three quarters South Africa has ever had, and was later to become the President of the then South African African Rugby Board (SAARB).

He and his team built a strong culture of quality rugby among black people, using schools as nurseries. Grant Khomo originally came from Mokopane in Limpopo where he represented his province in athletics, soccer and tennis.

His introduction to rugby came when he attended the University of Fort Hare in the 1940s. After his university days, he went back and captained a Transvaal team, made up largely of Cape-born players who had been recruited by the mining companies for their rugby prowess.

Khomo led the first selected African national rugby team to a 14-3 victory over their coloured counterparts in 1950. He captained the team for the next two years.

Khomo also captained the Bantu national soccer team against a coloured side and held the national African tennis title.

In 2003, Khomo became the first black rugby icon recognised by the South African Rugby Union on a national level, when the under-16 component of the schools’ interprovincial tournament was named the Grant Khomo     Coca-Cola Week.

The Coca-Cola under-16 Grant Khomo Week is all about early talent identification, ahead of preparing players for senior rugby. The under-16 year is recognised as a crucial one in player development and so the   Coca-Cola  Grant Khomo Week is used as an educational opportunity, telling the players about conditioning, nutrition and mental preparation.

The SA Sports Institute is present at the week, as is the SA Institute for Drug Free Sport. Players showing the potential to go further in the game are recognised at this week and the SA Rugby provincial unions are tasked with overseeing their further development ahead of Coca-Cola Craven Week selection in two years’ time.

“All Coca-Cola Youth Weeks, of which there are four, are aimed at identifying and nurturing talent within South Africa,” said Coca-Cola SA Marketing Asset Manager, Craig Van Niekerk.  “Seeing players progress through the various Coca-Cola Rugby Youth Weeks is amazing and we are proud to be the sponsor to make this transition possible.”

The teams at the Coca-Cola under-16 Grant Khomo Week will all play three matches: on Monday July 2 and Tuesday July 3. Wednesday is a rest day and all the sides play their final game on Thursday July 5.

As is customary, the fixtures for the first day only have been announced. The games for the following days are arranged, on a strength v strength basis, at the end of each day’s play thereafter.

The fixtures for the first day are: Pumas v KwaZulu-Natal, Blue Bulls v Griffons, Free State v Valke, Eastern Province v SWD, Golden Lions v Western Province, Border CD v Griquas CD, Leopards v Namibia, Border v Boland, Golden Lions XV v Zimbabwe, Griquas v Limpopo.

Pictures from day 2 of the Coca-Cola Under 16 Grant Khomo Week

All pictures curtesy of Gallo Images.

Dwayne Pienaar during the match between EP and Golden Lions on day 2

Godfrey Ramaboea and Joseph Dweba tackl Malcolm Jaer during the match between EP and Golden Lions

Heinrich Buhr hands off Julian Delicado during the match between WP and Free State on day 2

Irvan Kekae gets past Geor Malan and Schalk Burger during the match between Bull Bulls and SWD on day 2

Irvan Kekae scores during the match between Bull Bulls and SWD on day 2 of the Coca-Cola

Malcolm Jaer gets past Wayne Pearson during the match between EP and Golden Lions on day 2

WP and Free State on day 2 of the Coca-Cola Under 16 Grant Khomo Week from Queenstown

EP and Golden Lions on day 2 of the Coca-Cola Under 16 Grant Khomo Week