Away teams rule in opening round of SA Rugby U19 Cup

The Toyota Cheetahs kicked off the action in round one when they hosted the Fidelity ADT Lions in Bloemfontein on Friday, and unfortunately for the hosts, the Lions returned to Johannesburg with a comprehensive 51-21 triumph.

The Lions led 23-21 at the halftime and turned on the style in the second half, keeping the Free Staters scoreless while adding 30 points to the scoreboard. Flyhalf Nic Gabrielsen was a standout player for the Gauteng side as he contributed four conversions and three penalty goals.

The Vodacom Bulls recorded a solid 54-3 victory over the Leopards U19 in one of the two league games on Saturday. Playing in Potchefstroom, the hosts did very well in the first half to restrict the visiting side to just one try, trailing 5-3 at the break.

However, the Bulls showed their might in the second half, especially with their powerful bench, when they romped away to score seven tries en route to a big win. Inside centre Daniel van der Merwe helped himself to a brace of tries while fullback JT Kapank converted seven tries.

Playing on Sunday at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, DHL Western Province edged out the Hollywoodbets Sharks 31-26 in an entertaining match. The hosts managed to score four times, while the Durbanites crossed over for three tries. Province led 17-12 at halftime, and Dominic Malgas (flyhalf) kicked four successful conversions and a penalty goal for the Capetonians.

On Friday, the Lions clash with Leopards in Johannesburg (11h30) and Bulls entertain WP from 12h00 in Pretoria. A day later, the Hollywoodbets Sharks host the Cheetahs from 11h30 in Durban.