SARU Media Release - Lions, WP dominate at Coca-Cola Grant Khomo and Academy Weeks

The Golden Lions emerged as the top team at the U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week at the Bridgton Sports Grounds in Oudtshoorn on Thursday after overcoming a tense battle with KwaZulu-Natal for a 31-24 victory.

Western Province, meanwhile, took the top honours at the Coca-Cola Academy Week at the Isak Steyl Stadium in Vanderbijlpark as they defeated the Blue Bulls 36-24 in the final match.

In the other big match-ups in Oudtshoorn, Western Province thumped the Blue Bulls 33-12 thanks to their hard-running on attack, while the Pumas and Boland played to a 24-24 draw and Eastern Province defeated Free State 34-17.

The Limpopo Blue Bulls, meanwhile, completed the tournament on a high note as they registered their third victory in as many games, after defeating hosts the SWD Eagles 30-17. Border and Griquas, meanwhile, remained unbeaten.

In Vanderbijlpark, Western Province scored an impressive six tries, with a hat-trick by Jean-Pierre Smith, to only three tries by the Pretoria side to secure the victory.

In the other main games the Golden Lions pipped the Free State 20-19, while SWD thumped the Griffons 38-3.

This result for SWD allowed them to complete the competition unbeaten, while KwaZulu-Natal CD, Griquas CD, and the Griffons registered a clean-sweep of victories.

Golden Lions 31 (17) KwaZulu-Natal 24 (19)

KwaZulu-Natal showed their intent early on against the Golden Lions as they worked their way into the Lions’ 22m area three times in the opening exchanges. This paid off with a try in the corner by Malakiwe Zondeki in the ninth minute. But the Lions struck back with a stunning try by Travis Gordon, who dashed to the tryline and pushed off a defender to score, which levelled the scores at 5-5. The Johannesburg side again found space out wide and forced their way through the defence for two more tries to power their way to a 17-5 lead. KwaZulu-Natal, however, forced their way back with a series of pick-and-goes which allowed them to cross the line for the second time to reduce the deficit to 17-12. The Lions’ lead was short-lived as the Durban side scored another try in the minutes leading up to the break and converted successfully to take a narrow 19-17 lead going into the break.

KwaZulu-Natal dominated territory and possession in the early stages of the second half, but the Golden Lions defence denied them from crossing the tryline. In turn, meanwhile, the Johannesburg side did well to spread the ball on attack, which opened up a gap for Muzilikazi Manyike to sneak through for a 24-19 lead. This lead, however, was cancelled out minutes later as the Durban side forced their way through to the tryline once again to level the scores at 24-24. Both teams opted to kick into space in the hope of breaching the defence for a lead in the dying minutes. The Lions received a penalty soon after, but the ball hit the upright which denied them from taking the lead. 

The Lions, however, forced their way over the tryline in the 57^th after showing fantastic patience on attack and the conversion was successful, pushing them 31-24 ahead. They held onto this lead to come out tops in the tournament.

Scorers:

Golden Lions – Tries: Travis Gordon, Muzilikazi Manyike, Yanga Hlalu, Zandre van der Berg (2).  Conversions: Kennedy Mpeku (3).

KwaZulu-Natal – Tries: Alfred Holder, Kamvelihle Fatyela, Malakiwe Zondeki, Juan van der Mescht.  Conversions: Morne van Rensburg (2).

Western Province 33 (14) Blue Bulls 12 (12)

Western Province and the Blue Bulls fought hard from the outset as both teams delivered a balanced performance with their forwards and backs making their presence felt, which resulted in a close first half. The Blue Bulls’ forwards, in particular, tried hard to stamp their authority up front and these efforts contributed heavily to their two first-half tries.

Western Province built on this in the second half as they applied pressure on attack. Their creative backs allowed them to cross the tryline after slipping through the tackles for their third time for a 21-12 lead. They added another two tries in the remaining minutes to extend their lead to 33-12 thanks to some exciting play by their backs. The Blue Bulls continued to show their fighting spirit, but mistakes at crucial times and Province’s solid defence denied them from adding to their score in the second half.

Scorers:

Western Province – Tries: Durin Nasson, Ian Kitwanga, Thaakir Abrahams, Angelo Davids (2). Conversions: Durin Nasson (3). Penalty: Henry Chamberlain.

Blue Bulls – Tries: Charles Goedhals, Bjorkan Hendricks. Conversion: Charles Goedhals.

Pumas 24 (12) Boland 24 (19)

Boland started their clash against the Pumas with a bang as they scored two tries in the first 18 minutes and another in the 26^th minute thanks to their impressive attack. In return the Pumas scored twice, the second try of which was on the stroke of halftime, which allowed them to reduce the gap on the scoreboard to 19-12.

Boland added their fourth try in the third quarter. But the Pumas showed their fighting spirit by stepping up their defence and showing character on attack, which earned them two tries in the last 13 minutes to level the scores.

Scorers:

Pumas – Tries: Stephan van der Bank, Riekert Barnard, Bongumenzi Dlamini, Uys du Preez. Conversions: Stephan van der Bank, Riekert Barnard.

Boland - Tries: PJ Boltman, Timothy Allies, Conan le Fleur, Willem Opperman. Conversions: Lloyd April (2).

Border 49 (42) Leopards 0 (0)

Border took complete control of their clash against the Leopards to build up a confidence-boosting 42-0 lead at the break, as they dominated on attack and defence.

The Leopards did well to improve their defence in the second half and this allowed them to reduce Border to only one try in the second half. Unfortunately, however, they were unable to do the same on attack and had to settle for a disappointing 49-0 defeat.

Scorers:

Border – Tries: David Coetzer (3), S Matsinya (3). Conversions: David Coetzer (6).

Eastern Province 34 (6) Free State 17 (5)

The battle between Eastern Province and the Free State was epic as the teams put their bodies on the line on attack and defence. Interestingly Free State were reduced to 14 men in the 25^th minute following a tip tackle, but despite this they continued to deliver a passionate performance. Both teams applied pressure on attack and managed to work their way close to the opposition’s tryline, but the defence held well, resulting in the Free State scoring the only try of the half. Eastern Province, 

meanwhile, opted for two penalties get on the scoreboard as they battled to breach the defence. This resulted in the Port Elizabeth side taking a narrow 6-5 lead at the break.

The second half was equally physical as the teams continued to run hard at one another, but Eastern Province managed to break through for their first try in the 34th minute, which pushed them 13-5 ahead. They again found space out wide with minutes left on the clock to stretch their lead. But the Free State hit back with a try of their own. This, however, was cancelled out as Eastern Province scored their third try for a 27-10 lead. Eastern Province, were, reduced to 14 men in the dying minutes, and with the sides equal in terms of numbers, Free State scored again, but the Port Elizabeth side bounced back immediately with their fourth try for a 34-17 victory.

Scorers:

Eastern Province – Tries: Elandre Smit, Uan Tait, Curtley Deysel (2). Conversions: Vaughen Isaacs (4). Penalties: Vaughen Isaacs (2).

Free State - Tries: David Kriel, Ru-hann Greyling, Wyclef Vlitoor. Conversion: Christopher Schreuder.

Limpopo Blue Bulls 30 (20) SWD Eagles 17 (3)

The Limpopo Blue Bulls scored two converted tries and two penalties in a dominant first-half performance against hosts, the SWD Eagles. They backed up their impressive attack with a solid defensive effort, which allowed the Eagles to score only three points in the half.

SWD, however, showed their fighting spirit in the second half with Llyle Metembo scoring two tries to increase their points tally to 17. But two more tries by the Limpopo Blue Bulls took their tally for the match to four and handed them a 30-17 victory.

Scorers:

Limpopo Blue Bulls – Tries:  Heini Ferreira, Carl du Plessis, Noko Malatjie, TG Fourie. Conversions: Jonathan Viljoen, Tumi Mononyane. Penalties: Jonathan Viljoen, Karel Limbach.

SWD Eagles - Try: Llyle Metembo (2). Conversions: James-Henry Mollentze (2). Penalty: James-Henry Mollentze.

Border CD 3 (3) Griquas CD 26 (19)

Griquas CD were dominant on attack and defence from the outset against Border CD as they cruised to a 19-3 halftime lead after scoring two tries in the first 15 minutes and another shortly before halftime. In return Griquas CD were only able to kick a penalty.

Griquas CD continued to take charge of the match in the second half despite Border CD tightening up their defence, which allowed them to add a converted try. This, however, proved to be the only points in the half as they shut out Border CD to deny them from adding to their three points.

Scorers:

Border CD – Penalty: Martin Lottering.

Griquas CD - Tries: Sibastian Job, Phillip Marais, Petrus Duvenhage. Conversions: Iwan Lombard (2).

Griquas 19 (14) Valke 17 (7)

Griquas placed early pressure on the Valke by stringing together phases, which allowed them to camp in the Valke’s half, and they earned the rewards with two tries in the first 15 minutes. But the Valke hit back with intent and managed to apply pressure on Griquas. Their efforts finally paid off with a try before the break, which allowed them to reduce the gap on the scoreboard to 14-7.

The Valke continued to make their presence in the second half as they dominated possession early on and this allowed them to cross the tryline for the second time to close the gap to 14-12. Griquas, 

however, tried hard to force their way back into the lead, and the rewards followed with their third try. The Valke refused to lie down and scored again in the 52nd minute, but the unsuccessful conversion left them 19-17 behind on the scoreboard.

Scorers:

Griquas – Tries: Willem Coetzer, Edmund Brand, Wium Becker. Conversions: Charles Williams (2).

Valke - Tries: Bokang Potsane, Ruben Beytell, Mpho Ntsane. Conversion: Jeandre van Vuuren.

Zimbabwe 21 (7) Namibia 7 (0)

The first half of the Test between Zimbabwe and Namibia was tight as the teams threw everything at one another. Such was the closeness of the first half, the only points scored was a converted try by Zimbabwe in the 23rd minute.

Zimbabwe, however, found their rhythm in the second half and added two tries to their tally, which Russel Biyason converted to take their score to 21 points. They supported this with solid defence, which limited Namibia to only a converted try for their efforts, which secured the 21-7 victory for Zimbabwe.

Scorers:

Zimbabwe – Tries: Tafadziswa Bunu, Munashe Kamera (2). Conversions: Russel Biyason (3).

Namibia - Try: Jacques Theron. Conversion: Delron Brandt.

Griffons 17 (12) SWD Eagles XV 12 (7)

The clash between the Griffons and SWD Eagles XV was also exciting as the Griffons scored two tries in the first 21 minutes against the hosts, who only managed to cross the tryline once, despite trying hard to force their way in the match. This left the home team trailing 12-7 at the break.

Both teams pushed hard to gain ascendancy in the second half, and each earned a try for their efforts. 

But the Griffons extra try in the first half handed them an edge on the scoreboard for a 17-12 win.

Scorers:

Griffons – Tries: Franco Victor, DJ Hattingh. Conversion: Andrew Kota.

SWD Eagles XV - Try: Jason Wagman. Conversion: Pieter Uys.

U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week day-three results:

Golden Lions 31 - 24 KwaZulu-Natal

Western Province 33 - 12 Blue Bulls

Pumas 24 - 24 Boland

Border 49 - 0 Leopards

Eastern Province 34 - 17 Free State

Limpopo Blue Bulls 30 - 17 SWD Eagles

Border CD 3 - 26 Griquas CD

Griquas 19 - 17 Valke

Zimbabwe 21 - 7 Namibia

Griffons 17 - 12 SWD Eagles XV

Coca-Cola Academy Week day-three fixtures:

Western Province 36 - 24 Blue Bulls

Pumas 31 - 33 Eastern Province

Limpopo Blue Bulls 43 - 46 Griffons CD

Free State 19 - 20 Lions

KwaZulu-Natal CD 57 - 27 Border

Eastern Province CD 46 - 29 Leopards

Griffons 8 - 38 SWD

Griquas CD 18 - 28 Rooi Valke

Pumas CD 14 - 52 Blouvalke

Boland 24 - 18 KwaZulu-Natal

Griquas 29 - 13 Namibia

SA LSEN 43 - 26 Border CD

Exciting start to U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo and Academy Weeks

Note to Editors: The updated press release includes the Coca-Cola Academy Week results from Vanderbijlpark.

The Under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week got off to a thrilling start at the Bridgton Sports Grounds in Oudtshoorn on Monday with a mixture of narrow victories and big wins keeping fans entertained throughout the day.

In the top match-ups Western Province pipped the Free State 25-24 thanks to a penalty in the dying seconds, while the Bidvest Golden Lions thumped the Blue Bulls 40-19 and KwaZulu-Natal defeated Eastern Province 24-11.

The Pumas, meanwhile, defeated hosts the SWD Eagles 27-22 in a thrilling match to close off the day’s play.

Boland, meanwhile, registered the biggest score of the day in Oudtshoorn as they cruised to a 69-6 victory against the Griffons after crossing the tryline an impressive 11 times. 

Western Province, the Blue Bulls, Eastern Province and the Griffons, meanwhile, showed their class early on in the Coca-Cola Academy Week at the Isak Steyl Stadium in Vanderbijlpark.

Western Province defeated the Golden Lions 36-19 and the Blue Bulls thumped KwaZulu-Natal 59-24, while Eastern Province registered a narrow 34-29 victory against Border and the Griffons beat the Limpopo Blue Bulls 56-21.

The Pumas also started their campaign on a positive note with a 21-18 victory against Boland, while hosts the Rooi Valke thumped Eastern Province CD 71-5.

Unfortunately, the Blouvalke went down 29-19 against Namibia in their opening match.

Interestingly four teams, the Rooi Valke, Leopards, Griffons and the Blue Bulls scored over 50 points in what proved to be a high-scoring opening day. 

SWD Eagles 22 (10) Pumas 27 (14)

The first half between the SWD Eagles and Pumas was hard-fought as the teams gave everything to gain an edge. But the sides were equally matched on attack and defence, which resulted in a largely forward-dominated clash. SWD worked their way to the tryline early on and settled for a penalty to take an early lead. The Pumas, however, hit back with a try compliments of Sibusiso Madonsela, but this was cancelled out the Pumas second try thanks to a fantastic run by Riekert Barnard to hand his team a 14-10 lead at the break.

The Pumas extended their lead minutes into the second half with a try by Carlo Nortje, but this was cancelled out by SWD who scored their second try of the day. The Pumas, however, continued to capitalise on their try-scoring chances and secured their fourth try in the 49^th minute for a 27-15 lead. SWD, refused to give up and powered their way to another try shortly before the final whistle, but this still left them 27-22 down in the match.

Scorers:

SWD Eagles – Tries: Dian Bleuler, JP Terblanche, Lyle Metembo. Conversions: Darryn Fortuin, James Mollentze. Penalty: Darryn Fortuin.

Pumas – Tries: Sibusiso Madonsela, Riekert Barnard, Carlo Nortje, Cornel Els. Conversions: Carlo Nortje (2), Penalty: Carlo Nortje.

Namibia 27 (3) Valke 31 (19)

The Valke were in fine form in their clash against Namibia and dominated proceedings, which earned them three first-half tries. They supported this solid attacking performance with a good defensive effort, which limited Namibia to a penalty for their efforts in the first half. This allowed the Kempton Park side to enter the break 19-3 ahead.

The Valke added another try in opening minutes of the second half to extend their lead, but Namibia struck back with their first try of the match in the 39^th minute. This bolstered their confidence significantly as they touched down for another two tries soon after to reduce the score to 24-22. The Valke, however, hit back with a try to extend their lead, but again Namibia came within range of a possible victory by touching down for their fourth try. Unfortunately, however, time ran out which sealed the 31-27 victory for the Valke.

Scorers:

Namibia – Tries: Christiaan Hennig, Warren Ludwig, Gilad Plaatjies, Franco Opperman. Conversions: Delron Brandt (2). Penalty: Delron Brandt

Valke – Tries: Juandre Breytenbach (2), Ryno Pierre Louw, Mpho Ntsane, Quan Franklin Eymann. Conversions: Ruben Dylan Beytell (3).

DHL Western Province 25 (10) Free State 24 (7)

A late penalty in the dying minutes by DHL Western Province allowed them to snatch a nail-biting 25-24 victory against the Free State. The clash was close from the outset as the teams threw everything at one another. While Free State relied heavily on their forwards and set pieces to apply pressure on the Cape side, Western Province ran hard on attack and did well to take advantage of the gaps out wide.

Western Province held a narrow 10-7 lead at the break, and the second half was equally tight as the teams showed their fighting spirit until the final whistle. Both teams managed to run in three tries in the clash, but two late penalties by Province’s Durin Nasson cancelled out the extra conversion by the Free State following their last try four minutes from the final whistle. With minutes left on the clock, the Free State tried hard to sneak back into the lead, but Western Province’s defence held under extreme pressure.

Scorers:

DHL Western Province – Tries: Andre Fourie, Angelo Davids (2). Conversions: Mogamat Karriem (2). Penalty: Durin Nasson (2).

Free State - Tries: Christopher Schreuder, Andile Maxamba, Janco van Heyningen. Conversions: Dwayne Arendse (3). Penalty: Dwayne Arendse.

SWD Eagles XV 14 (7) Border 32 (17)

Border wasted no time making their presence felt against the SWD XV as they crashed over the tryline in the sixth minute en route to a 17-7 first half lead. The SWD XV hit back with a try in the 22^nd minute and converted successfully for their first points of the match.

Border continued to stamp their authority in the second half and added two tries to take their total to four to outplay the SWD Eagles XV. The home side, however, were able to add their second converted try to take their score into double figures at 32-14 down, but this did little to force them back into the match.

Scorers:

SWD Eagles XV – Tries: Aylin Pretorius, Stephan Leonard. Conversions: Pietie Uys (2).

Border – Tries: Geoffrey Ross, Nicholas Holm, Damian Meyer, Jarred du Plessis, Conversions: David Coetzer (2). Penalty: David Coetzer.

Blue Bulls 19 (7) Bidvest Golden Lions 40 (21)

The Bidvest Golden Lions were in fine form all-round against the Blue Bulls as they dominated the clash thanks to a solid foundation by their forwards which they supported with exciting backline play. The Johannesburg side’s efforts paid off as they scored two tries in the first 23 minutes for an early 14-0 lead. The Blue Bulls hit back with a five-pointer a few minutes later, but this was cancelled out by the Lions third try on the stroke of halftime, which allowed them to enter the break with a comfortable 21-7 lead.

The Lions did well to stick to their structures after the break and the points followed as they added another three tries to take their total for the match to six. The Blue Bulls, meanwhile, scored two more tries, but this was merely a consolation as the Lions were far ahead on the scoreboard and sealed the 40-19 victory.

Scorers:

Blue Bulls - Tries: Charles Goedhals, Bjorkan Hendricks, Tyrique Daniel Ferris. Conversions: Charles Goedhals (2).

Bidvest Golden Lions – Tries: Brendon Buitendag (2), Yanga Hlalu (2), James Msimango, David Cary. Conversions: Kennedy Mpeku (4).

Griquas CD 17 (10) Limpopo Blue Bulls 50 (24)

Griquas CD came out firing against the Limpopo Blue Bulls with Walla Walters scoring a try in the fourth minute, and they added a penalty minutes later for their 10 points. But this proved to be their only points of the half. The Limpopo Blue Bulls meanwhile gained composure on attack and defence and they earned the rewards with four tries in the remainder of the half to force their way into a 24-10 lead.

The Limpopo side continued to make their presence felt in all aspects of the game and added another four tries to take their tally to eight, while Griquas CD were only able to breach their defence once more in the match. This resulted in an emphatic 50-17 victory for the Limpopo Blue Bulls.

Scorers:

Griquas CD – Tries: Walla Walters, Erik Kies. Conversions: Iwan Lombard (2). Penalty: Iwan Lombard.

Limpopo Blue Bulls – Tries: Noko Malatji (2), Carl Pieter du Plessis, Nyiko Ntlemo, Muzi Nyakane, Franco Oberholzer, Itumeleng Mononyane, Heini Ferreira. Conversions: Jonathan Viljoen (4).

KwaZulu-Natal 24 (10) Eastern Province 11 (8)

The battle between KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Province proved to be physical as both teams tried to use their power to force their way onto the front foot. The Durban side struck first with a try by Kamvelihle Fatyela in the sixth minute, but a penalty by Eastern Province’s Vaughen Isaacs three minutes later closed the gap slightly. They added a try in the 26^th minute to take the lead temporarily, but KwaZulu-Natal touched down again shortly before the break to take a narrow 10-8 lead.

They built on this in the second half with back-to-back tries, while they shut out Eastern Province on defence to increase their lead to 24 points and their try tally to four. In return EP were only able to add a penalty, which resulted in them suffering a 24-11 defeat.

Scorers:

KwaZulu-Natal – Tries: Kamvelihle Fatyela, Cham Zondeki, Morne van Rensburg, JJ Van den Mescht. Conversion: Morne van Rensburg.

Eastern Province - Try: Curtly Deysel. Penalties: Vaughen Isaacs (2),

Griquas 20 (13) Zimbabwe 17 (5)

Zimbabwe put up a good fight against Griquas with both teams scoring only one try in the first half, while the Kimberley side added two penalties to secure a 13-5 lead at the break.

The teams continued to put their bodies on the line in the second half, and Zimbabwe had the upper hand in terms of tries as they ran in two more tries to only one by Griquas. The visitors’ place-kicking, however, let them down. Griquas, meanwhile, slotted over all their kicks, leaving Zimbabwe short on the scoreboard.

Scorers:

Griquas – Tries: Ramon Sauls, Japheth Muzaza, Conversions: Charles Williams (2). Penalties: Charles Williams (2).

Zimbabwe – Tries: Prince Mupfurutsa, Tafadziswa Bunu, Chipo Mupeso, Conversion: Russel Biyason.

Griffons 6 (19) Boland 69 (6)

Boland dominated proceedings against the Griffons from the outset as they applied pressure on attack and used their exciting backs to make their way through the gaps in the defence. This allowed them to secure 19 points in the first half compliments of three tries. Two of these tries were scored by Jevan August. The Griffons, meanwhile, tried hard to force their way into Boland’s 22m area, but they were denied from crossing the tryline in the first half and had to settle for two penalties.

Boland picked up where they left off when play resumed as they continued to take advantage of the holes in defence with their hard runners, and this allowed them to accumulate 55 points with 11 tries in total. In stark contrast the Griffons continued to struggle and had to settle for a 69-6 Defeat.

Scorers:

Griffons –Penalties: Qhamani Kota (2). 

Boland – Tries: Jevan August (2), PJ Boltman (2), Handre Rupping (2), David du Preez, JC Lourens, Bradley Van Thora, Conan le Fleur, Mickey Goodal. Conversions: Lloyd April (7).

Border CD 0 (0) Leopards 27 (19)

The Leopards delivered a superior performance on attack and defence against Border CD and did well to camp in the opposition’s half for long periods. Their forwards and backs combined well, and this paid off as they registered a 27-0 victory. With the Leopards attack on song they scored three first-half tries, two of which were converted to take a 19-0 lead at the break. They added another converted try in the second half to extend their lead and seal the convincing win.

Scorers:

Leopards – Tries: Llewellen Lubbe (2), Lubha Loyiso, Andre Fouche. Conversions: Sofilo Dlamini, Llewellen Lubbe (2).

U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week day-one results:

SWD Eagles 22 - 27 Pumas

Namibia 27 - 31 Valke

DHL Western Province 25 - 24 Free State

SWD Eagles XV 14 - 32 Border

Blue Bulls 19 - 40 Bidvest Golden Lions

Griquas CD 17 - 50 Limpopo Blue Bulls

KwaZulu-Natal 24 - 11 Eastern Province

Griquas 20 - 17 Zimbabwe

Griffons 6 - 69 Boland

Border CD 0 - 27 Leopards

Coca-Cola Academy Week day-one results:

Rooi Valke 71 - 5 Eastern Province CD

Limpopo Blue Bulls 21 – 56 Griffons

Blouvalke 19 - 29 Namibia

Free State 25 - 24 SWD

Lions 19 - 36 Western Province

Griquas 45 - 19 Pumas CD

Blue Bulls 59 - 24 KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal CD 48 - 7 Griffons CD

Border 29 - 34 Eastern Province

SA LSEN 12 - 23 Griquas CD

Pumas 21 - 18 Boland

Border CD 0 - 57 Leopards

Coca-Cola Craven Week - Where Heroes Are Made

The annual Coca-Cola® Youth Week festivals begin this week with the U13 Coca-Cola® Craven Week, kicking-off a month of the best in schoolboy rugby. 

The Coca-Cola® Youth Weeks take place annually and comprise of four age categorised rugby tournaments in which schoolboys representing their respective regions, compete against one another:

·       U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week

·       U16 Coca-Cola® Grant Khomo Week,

·       U18 Coca-Cola® Academy Week

·       U18 Coca-Cola® Craven Week,

The Coca-Cola® Youth Weeks are where our country’s future rugby heroes are made.  Now in its 52^nd year, Coca-Cola® Craven Week has become synonymous as the platform for showcasing the best in South African youth rugby talent. The under-18 Coca-Cola® Craven Week has seen over 270 future Springboks come through its ranks, additionally, the SA Under-20 team is nearly entirely made up of players who have played in one or more of the Coca-Cola® Youth Weeks.

To highlight the talent that will no doubt be uncovered at this year’s Coca-Cola® Craven Week, a Coca-Cola® judging panel will once again be selecting and recognising the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day. This daily award will honour the standout player on each match day of the u18 week to be held in Stellenbosch from the 13 – 18 July.

The Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day is not necessarily your typical man of the match.  He is the fullback who made that courageous try-saving tackle, the kicker who slotted a final second penalty for the win or the winger who scored an amazing intercept try.  It is hero moments such as these which can earn a player the prestigious Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award.

Additionally, in acknowledging the massive role that schools play in the development of South Africa’s future rugby heroes, Coca-Cola® has taken the “Hero of the Day” concept to social media!*  Coca-Cola® are searching for South Africa’s ultimate school rugby hero. Whether it’s the star flyhalf, a dedicated supporter or the u13 water boy, they want to know their story. The winner and their school will be awarded with amazing rugby related prizes.* 

Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola® South Africa Marketing Assets Manager comments, “Coca-Cola® South Africa is extremely proud to support the development of South Africa’s next rugby heroes through the Coca-Cola® Youth Weeks. This will be the 30^th year of our sponsorship – we have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand the success of the Coca-Cola® Youth Weeks and the incredible foundation they have created for schoolboy rugby in South Africa.  The Coca-Cola® Youth Weeks also signify the importance of living an active healthy lifestyle through participation in sport.  Coca-Cola’s philosophy in sponsoring sport is all about encouraging physical activity and developing healthy lifestyles.  Playing sport, together with a balanced diet, play an important role in maintaining a healthy way of life.” 

The schedule for the Coca-Cola® Rugby Youth Weeks rugby tournaments is as follows:

·       Under-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week – 29 June to 3 July 2015, Hoërskool Rob Ferreira, White River 

·       Under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week, July 6 to 9 2015 - Bridgton Sports Grounds, Oudtshoorn 

·       Coca-Cola Academy Week – July 6 to 9 2015, Isak Steyl Stadium, Vanderbijlpark

·       Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week – July 13 to 18, Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch

[ENDS}

Media Contact

Shawn Belluigi

Tel: 083 675 4338

Email: shawn@intunecom.co.za

*For more information on the Where Heroes Are Made Competition go to https://www.facebook.com/youthweeks

*T&Cs apply

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company's portfolio features 16 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke®, Fanta®, Sprite®, Coca-Cola Zero®, Glaceau vitaminwater®, Powerade, Minute Maid®, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle.  Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks.  Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day.  With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates.  For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.

Western Province wins the 'unofficial final' of the 2014 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week

For the second year in succession Western Province (WP) beat the Blue Bulls 24 – 11 in the Under 16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo ‘unofficial’ final rugby match that took place at the Tshwane University of Technology today.

“We are all very excited with the win, but I have to say it has been a stressful two days,” said manager, Frikkie Coetzer.  “Our game against the Golden Lions was perhaps the hardest game of the tournament as they are physically strong and came at us with no respite.  But we managed to beat them.  Today’s game was perhaps not as physically challenging, but the Blue Bulls play a good tactical game.  We had to change our game plan to introduce a combination of both strength and tactics, which worked in our favour in the end.”

This win means that Western Province has completed a Coca-Cola Youth Rugby Week treble following the Western Province U13’s successfully defended their Under 13          Coca-Cola Craven Week title last week and the Under 18 Coca-Cola Academy Week that has just finished in Worcester, Western Cape.

WP was first to get on the score sheet as flyhalf Damian Willemse scored a try in the 17^th minute. Gianni Lombard converted to bring the lead to the 2013 Grant Khomo title holders 7 – 0.

Western Province wing Benjamin Momberg scored another try for Western Province two minutes later that Gianni Lombard converted and the score moved to 14 – 0 to Western Province.

The Blue Bulls got on the score sheet through a penalty from Ruan de Swardt and at the break WP led 14 – 3.

It looked like Blue Bulls were coming back into the game when Western Province conceded a penalty that Ruan De Swardt slotted to bring Western Province’s lead down to 8.

However Western Province was tight on defense and countered well off the Blue Bulls kicks. Gianni Lombard and the Western Province backline were slick and fluid in their play. WP constantly kept the ball in their possession making it difficult for the Bulls to attack.

Western Province 8^th man delivered a try for his team in the 37^th minute to extend his teams lead to 15 followed by Gianni Lombard’s conversion.

Western Province continued to press on relentlessly and were awarded with a try as Jade Fortune dotted down. The match heated up as the Bulls’ Gerald Lowe was sin binned, and Damian Willemse for WP followed him. The Bulls were finally awarded a try as Luke Fortuin scored with one minute left on the clock.

Western Province proved too strong for the Bulls team to win the U16 Grant Khomo Unofficial final 26 -11.

RESULTS:

Boland 10 vs EP 24

Zimbabwe 22  vs Namibia 34

Griquas 41 vs Border 0

KZN 34 vs Griffons 24

Blue Bulls XV 20  vs Valke  15

Border 27 vs Leopards 22

Golden Lions 22  vs Free State 27

Pumas 14  vs SWD 31

Griquas CD 12 vs Limpopo Blue Bulls 21

WP 24 vs Blue Bulls 11.

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

Day 1 of the U18 Coca-Cola Academy Week ends with a humdinger

Boland and the Blue Bulls end the first day of the U18 Coca-Cola Academy Week held at HTS Drosdty in Worcester on Monday with the hardest fought match of the day.

The Blue Bulls ended up disappointing a very partisan crowd as they scored a try with a couple of minutes to go to beat Boland 31-24 in a game where each team kept on taking the lead only to lose it a couple of minutes later.

The Blue Bulls scored their tries through a brace from Lylle Maart and tries from Shakeel Fredericks  and Chevan Swart. Boland were kept in the game by a brace from Jaydrin Kotze and a try from lock Jaco Abel.

Western Province was the most impressive team on the day. They were full of running against an outgunned Free State side and looked like a complete team, with big strong forwards and skilled hard-running backs.

Carlu Sadie, Danrich Visagie, Michael Meyer, Mitchell Carstens, Mujaahid van der Hoven and Taigh Schoor all crossed the for Province line in the one sided affair.

Free State could only manage one try through Johan Steyn after he was setup by a brilliant solo run by George Mokhomo in the last quarter of the game, but the Western Province had already won the game by then.

Eastern Province was another team to shine when they beat the Mpumalanga Pumas in one of the most exciting games of the day.

In the first 30 minutes of the first half the teams traded tries with Pumas wing Fana Ngwenya  and lock Lukhanyiso Makaula scoring and nippy Eastern province scrumhalf Lucianon Grootboom and eigthman Dean van der Westhuizen responding with their own tries. Eastern Province managed to edge ahead 23-17 in last 5 minutes of the first half, thanks to two penalties kicked by Garrick Mattheus.

EP then showed their class in the second half scoring another four tries through Dean van der Westhuizen, his second of the match, Denver Johan Kleu, Duan Joe Du Plessis, Duwayne Baartman to two from the Mpumalanga Pumas winning the game 49-31.

The Gauteng Lions work made to work hard by the Red Valke who led the game until half time. The Lions only got into their game in the second half to score 19 unanswered points to win by a flattering 26-12.

There were also big wins for Eastern Province Country districts who beat the Leopards 37-0, the Blue Valke who beat the SA LSEN team 31-8 and Border who beat the Griffons 34-10.

Day 1 Results

Griffons 10  Border 34, Griquas 17 Griffons CD 18, Border CD 0 Griquas 33, Limpopo Blue Bulls 31 Pumas CD 3, Golden Lions 26 Red Valke 12, EP CD 37 Leopards 0, EP CD 37 Leopards 0, Pumas 31 Eastern Province 49, Border CD 0 Griquas CD 33, Valke 31 SA LSEN 8, Western Province 43 Free State 5, Namibia 22 KwaZulu-Natal CD 22