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.

UNDER 16 COCA-COLA RUGBY YOUTH WEEK KICKS-OFF

The long awaited under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Youth Week kicked off at the Tshwane University of Technology today. 

Twenty provincial teams from around the country locked horns and scouts were there in numbers with the hopes of snapping up some of the country’s best young athletes.

The regular strong provincial showing from Western Province, Free State, Lions, Bulls and Sharks continued as they all displayed a strong and entertaining running brand of rugby.

Western Province took on Border in a one sided affair that saw Western Province win by 9 unanswered tries, with 8^th man Khanya Ncusana scoring a hat trick.

KwaZulu-Natal and the Lions played in an evenly tight match up that saw the lead exchange hands a number of times but it was the Lions who hung on to their 5 point lead to see off the Sharks.  Lion’s Wandisile Simelane scooped the man of the match award and contributed 12 of his teams 22 points.

In other matches the Free State dispatched a valiant Eastern Province and Boland edged out Pumas. The Griffons did just enough to comfortably overcome the Red Valke.

The Blue Bulls XV showed little to no mercy as they beat the Border County District team 64 – 3 and Zimbabwe’s Travis Landing did well to set up his team’s 19 – 15 win over the Griquas. The Griquas CD team triumphed in their physical encounter with the Leopards.

Blue Bulls beat South West Districts 40-19 and Namibia beat Limpopo Blue Bulls 29-19 in the final games of the day.

Former Springbok and Blue Bulls scrumhalf Derick Hougaard had this to say about the tournament: “This is an important youth rugby week.  At this age the players are starting to show their worth and I am pleased to see so many scouts are here as they need to identify and nurture the future talent. I also think it’s a great opportunity for players to make a name for themselves before they progress through to the under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week. I also encourage these young players to watch the other provincial teams in action.”

Former SA 7’s Captain Paul Delport attended the first day of play to look for talent for his Springbok 7’s Academy.  “Each team only played one game today and the players need to settle in a bit more, but I have to say that I am impressed so far and there are a couple of youngsters I will keep my eye on tomorrow.  It’s a very important identification stage for SA rugby.  We are all looking for youngsters to place in various elite squads.”

Delport says that looking for 7’s players requires certain qualities.  “We look for different qualities in players to the conventional XV brand of rugby, but it is also important for them to be able to move seamlessly through either code. Those are the kind of guys we are looking for, guys with all-round ability and all round skill that are willing to work hard.”

Play will resume Tuesday at the TUT stadiums in Pretoria and teams will be scheduled head to head according to their performance today.

RESULTS:

Border                         0          vs            Western Province   61                           

KwaZulu-Natal            17        vs            Golden Lions           22   

Free State                    48       vs            Eastern Province    12

Boland                        22       vs            Pumas                      19

Blue Bulls                   40        vs            SWD                        19

B-Field, TUT Stadium

Valke                           6         vs            Griffons                  19

Blue Bulls XV              64        vs            Border CD               3

Griquas                       13        vs            Zimbabwe               15

Griquas CD                 14        vs            Leopards                 12

Namibia                      29        vs            Limpopo Blue Bulls 19

LIMPOPO HOST THE FIRST COPA COCA-COLA PROVINCIAL FINAL

Limpopo will host the first 2012 Copa Coca-Cola Provincial Final on 5 May at Nkowankowa Stadium in Tzaneen.  Five Regional winners will compete for the chance to represent the Province in the National Finals. Games kick-off at 9.00am and entrance is free. 

Participating teams:

Kabelo Secondary Schools from Capricorn Region, Wenene High School ( Waterberg Region), Hudson Nsanwisi (Mopani Region), Tlou Kwena High (Sekhukhune Region) and Lwamondo High School (Vhembe Region).

About COPA Coca-Cola:

·         Copa Coca-Cola is run under the auspices of the South African Schools Football Association (SASFA)

·         Coca-Cola started sponsoring Coca-Cola Football Stars in 2005.

·         Between 2005 and 2008 a TV reality element was introduced aimed at finding the top 18 players who would go on to compete internationally.  To keep interests high an elimination process was brought in to reduce players from approximately 70 down to 18 and the public witnessed the trials and tribulations that went into becoming a top football player.

·         In 2009 and 2010 the name changed to bring the tournament in line with Coca-Cola’s global youth strategy to COPA Coca-Cola.  The aim of the tournament remained the same i.e. to look for the top Under-19 school in the country and find the top 18 players who then competed against approximately 13 other African schools in the Copa Coca-Cola finals. 

·         In 2012 COPA Coca-Cola became an Under 15 tournament to align with the Copa Coca-Cola globally. 

·         The tournament starts off at Cluster level (this level is now complete as it happened in January)

·         Regional winners then compete in the Provincial Finals

·         Provincial winners then compete in the National Finals taking place from the 3^rd – 7^th July.

Prize money:

o   1^st prize - R150 000

o   2^nd prize – R100 000

o   3^rd prize – R60 000

o   Remaining six teams – R40 000 each

LIMPOPO
REGIONS	FIXTURES	VENUES
Vhembe	Lwamondo High School	Nkowankowa stadium, Nkowankowa Township, Tzaneen.
Capricorn	Kabelo Secondary School
Sekhukhune	Tlou Kwena High School
Mopani	Hudson Nsanwisi High School
Waterberg	Wenene High School

EASTERN PROVINCE BEAT TOURNAMENT FAVOURITES AT COCA-COLA GRANT KHOMO U16 WEEK

Eastern Province caused the big upset of the first day of the Coca-Cola Grant Khomo under-16 rugby week in Queenstown yesterday when they beat pre-tournament favourites Western Province 14-10 in the penultimate game of the day.

The day dawned cloudy and misty, and very cold, but it cleared up just in time to see the boys from PE pull off a well-deserved win in glorious sunshine.

EP took an early lead, but Province clawed their way back into the game and the match ended with WP attacking furiously, but they were unable to force their way through and it was EP who were whooping with joy when the final whistle blew.

The sides scored one try each. EP’s came from Justin Antonie and WP’s from Dewald Naude. It was the accurate kicking of Theo Stapelberg that made the difference in the end. He slotted three penalties for the winners, while Dennis Cox kicked a penalty and a conversion for WP.

Western Province won the main game at last year’s Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week and were expected to win today, to set themselves up for a good fixture in day two and an inside track for a place the final fixture. It was not to be, however, and at this stage it looks like the finalists will come from the Free State, SWD, Eastern Province, Blue Bulls or the Golden Lions, although those sides will in all likelihood be matched up when tomorrow’s fixtures are announced, so half of them are going to be eliminated.

The Golden Lions beat the hosts, Border 23 in the final game of the day. After a tight first half – the sides changed ends with the Lions 5-0 ahead – the Joburg boys took control and raced to a 23-0 lead. Border dug deep in the latter stages of the game though and scored two late tries to make it 23-12 in the end.

Flyhalf Innocent Radebe scored 13 points for the winners via a try, two penalties and a conversion. Frans Van Wyk and Sandile Sibande also dotted down for the Lions.

Border’s tries were scored by Dyllan Domoney and Lilitha Jones. Jose Shaw converted one.

South Western Districts have become a factor at all of the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks in recent years, based mainly on the emergence of George’s Hoerskool Outeiqua now one of the top rugby schools in the country.

This year’s under-16 side showed they will be in the reckoning once again by turning in an impressive all-round performance to beat KwaZulu-Natal 25-8.

The boys from the Southern Cape scored tries through Donovan Van der Berg, Duhan Van der Merwe, Elroy Havenga, and Geor Malan. Warrick Galant added a penalty and a conversion.

Natal’s try was by Biaggo Pellicini. Marcel Coetzee kicked a penalty.

In earlier action on day one Free State were way too strong for the Griquas Country side. They scored seven tries on their way to a 45-7 victory, three of them by winger EW Viljoen, and one has to wonder about the wisdom of pitting a side from one of the traditional strong provinces, and one that is jam-packed with Grey College boys, against a rural team from one of the smaller provinces.

The fixtures for the second day will be announced later tonight.

Day 1’s results: Pumas 19Limpopo 15, Free State 45 Griquas Country 7, Griffons 33 Leopards 14, Valke 87 Border CD 3, Griquas 23 Namibia 12, SWD 25 KwaZulu-Natal 8, Blue Bulls 25Boland 5, Eastern Province 14 Western Province 10. Golden Lions 23 Border 12.