The country’s premier schoolboy rugby festival once again showcased the depth of young talent in South Africa, with Border, Griquas and Western Province XV also putting their hands up with impressive wins on Tuesday. It was a day filled with running rugby, attacking flair and future stars making their mark, with no fewer than 42 tries being scored across the four fixtures. 

The main attraction was the old rivalry between the Lions and Bulls, and the two Gauteng heavyweights delivered a proper Craven Week spectacle.

The Bulls came flying out of the blocks and raced into a 12-0 lead after their powerful lineout and forward dominance laid the platform for two early tries. The Lions, however, absorbed the pressure and slowly started finding their rhythm.

With momentum beginning to shift, flyhalf Jaydon Viljoen stepped up on the stroke of half-time to slot a monster penalty from long range, cutting the deficit to 15-10 and keeping the Lions firmly in the hunt.

The second half was everything expected from a Jukskei Derby, with both sides refusing to back down. The lead changed hands several times as the two teams traded blows in a thrilling 10-try contest.

The Lions eventually landed the knockout punch when centre Ethan Lourens crashed over for his second try late in the game, before lock Glodi Tshipamba powered his way over to seal a hard-fought 43-32 victory.

Earlier in the day, Border continued their strong showing with a well-rounded 36-14 win over the Valke. Wing Ncuthu Kepe was in outstanding form and crossed for a brace as Border made the most of their attacking opportunities.

Griquas and the Pumas also served up a try-fest, with 12 five-pointers being scored in their entertaining encounter.

Fullback Tyler Campher was the hero for the Peacock Blues with a brilliant hat-trick as the Kimberley outfit took charge in the second half to secure a 43-29 victory.

Western Province XV also showed their quality and depth by fighting back from a half-time deficit to beat the Griffons 52-33.

Flyhalf Travis Pheiffer pulled the strings beautifully and contributed 13 points, while wing Cayden Samuels and flanker Yanos Molnar both dotted down twice as WP XV finished strongly.

The U18 Craven Week continues at Grey High on Wednesday with another full round of fixtures. The Leopards and Limpopo Blue Bulls will get proceedings underway at 10:00, while the big clash of the day will see the Free State facing SWD at 13:30, and at 15:30, Western Province and the Sharks will go head-to-head.

U18 Craven Week results – Tuesday, 7 July:
Border 36–14 Valke
Griquas 43–29 Pumas
Western Province XV 52–33 Griffons
Golden Lions Blue Bulls 43–32 Blue Bulls

U18 Craven Week fixtures – Wednesday, 8 July:

A-field:
10:00 – Leopards v Limpopo Blue Bulls
11:45 – Boland v Eastern Province
13:30 – Free State v South Western Districts
15:30 – Western Province v Sharks

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek sm/mvh