Vodacom Cup Preview – Round Six
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Almost half of the 30-man SA U20 squad that recently returned from a three-match tour of Argentina will add a youthful boost to the Vodacom Cup this weekend as they represent their various provincial teams.
Toyota Free State Cheetahs coach Pine Pienaar is expected select flyhalf Johan Goosen, fullback Riaan Britz, flanker Jean Cook, scrumhalf Kevin Luiters, lock Carl Wegner and hooker Micheal van Vuuren, who all represented the SA national junior team in Argentina for their clash against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday at 12h35.
The Bloemfontein team is currently in fourth position on the South Section log with 17 points, five behind the undefeated Pampas XV (22) who travels to Witbank on Friday evening for their match against the Ford Pumas at the Puma Stadium at 19h10.
The only other undefeated team in the 2011 Vodacom Cup is the second placed DHL Western Province, also in the South Section. The Cape team is on 20 log points and will also field a couple of SA U20 tour representatives in their team when they take on the Tasol Solar Griffons in Welkom on Saturday at 15h00.
Looseforward Siya Kolisi will wear the No.7 jersey for the DHL WP, while prop Steven Kitshoff has been selected as one of the substitutes for this match. Two other U20 hopefuls, prop Frans Malherbe and hooker Siyabonga Ntubeni, who were not selected for the Argentinean tour due to Vodacom Super Rugby commitments, are selected in the Cape team’s starting line-up.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls are also affording some of their youngsters the opportunity at Vodacom Cup level this weekend. Winger Courtnall Skosan, who was one of the outstanding players for the Baby Boks during their three-match tour of Argentina, has been selected to face the EP Kings at Loftus Versfeld’s B Field on Saturday at 15h00.
Utility back Francois Venter, who represented the SA U20s during last year’s IRB Junior World Championship and is still eligible to play for the Baby Boks in Italy later this year, has been named amongst the seven substitutes for this match. The defending champions will be aiming to continue their momentum from last weekend when they won their first game of the season, by 45-21 against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
The Sharks XV are also likely to afford the likes of looseforward Marcell Coetzee and centres Piet Lindeque and Heimar Williams, who previously attended SA U20 training camps, an opportunity to showcase their talent when they take on the GWK Griquas in Kimberley on Friday at 19h00.
GWK Griquas are the current log-leaders in the North Section with 18 points while the Sharks XV are in third place on the South Section log with 20 points.
In the other Vodacom Cup matches of the weekend, the Platinum Leopards, with SA U20 flyhalf Johan Welthagen in their team, host the Boland Cavaliers in Potchefstroom on Friday at 18h00 while the Valke and the SWD Eagles are set to collide at the Barnard Stadium at 18h00. The Border Bulldogs are in Namibia this weekend for their clash against the Welwitschias at the Hage Geingob Stadium on Saturday at 16h00.
Vodacom Cup Weekend Fixtures:
Friday, April 1, 2011
18h00 Valke v SWD Eagles at Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park
18h00 Platinum Leopards v Boland Cavaliers at Profert Olen Park, Potchefstroom
19h00 GWK Griquas v Sharks XV at GWK Park, Kimberley
19h10 Ford Pumas v Pampas XV at Pumas Stadium, Witbank
Saturday, April 2, 2011
12h35 MTN Golden Lions v Toyota Free State Cheetahs at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
15h00 Vodacom Blue Bulls v EP Kings at Loftus Versfeld (B Field), Pretoria
15h00 Tasol Solar Griffons v DHL Western Province at North West Stadium, Welkom
16h00 Welwitschias v Border Bulldogs at Hage Geingob Stadium, Windhoek
Vodacom Cup logs (as at Thursday 31 March 2011):
| North Section | ||||||||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | B | Pts | |
| GWK Griquas | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 210 | 89 | 121 | 31 | 7 | 6 | 18 | |
| Ford Pumas | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 178 | 115 | 63 | 22 | 14 | 2 | 18 | |
| Golden Lions | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 93 | 68 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 16 | |
| Platinum Leopards | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 143 | 136 | 7 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 11 | |
| Tasol Solar Griffons | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 130 | 213 | -83 | 15 | 31 | 5 | 9 | |
| Vodacom Blue Bulls | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 111 | 114 | -3 | 15 | 13 | 3 | 7 | |
| Valke | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 102 | 274 | -172 | 16 | 42 | 2 | 6 | |
| Welwitschias | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 66 | 191 | -125 | 8 | 30 | 2 | 2 | |
| South Section | ||||||||||||
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | B | Pts | |
| Pampas XV | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 164 | 109 | 55 | 19 | 14 | 2 | 22 | |
| DHL Western Province | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 199 | 71 | 128 | 27 | 8 | 2 | 20 | |
| Sharks XV | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 200 | 80 | 120 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 20 | |
| Toyota FS Cheetahs | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 178 | 137 | 41 | 23 | 17 | 5 | 17 | |
| SWD Eagles | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 109 | 180 | -71 | 17 | 26 | 3 | 11 | |
| Eastern Province Kings* | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 162 | 56 | 106 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 10 | |
| Boland Cavaliers | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 110 | 157 | -47 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 6 | |
| Border Bulldogs | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 78 | 243 | -165 | 9 | 36 | 1 | 5 | |
* Deducted nine (9) log points for fielding ineligible players.
Vodacom Cup Leading Scorers (as at Thursday 31 March 2011):
| Player | Team | T | C | P | D | Pts |
| Lionel Cronje | DHL Western Province | 3 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 58 |
| Tiaan van Wyk | Tasol Solar Griffons | 0 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 53 |
| Coenie van Wyk | Ford Pumas | 3 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 49 |
| Louis Strydom | Toyota FS Cheetahs | 0 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 48 |
| André Pretorius | Golden Lions | 0 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 42 |
| Nicolas Sanchez | Pampas XV | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 40 |
| Earl Rose | GWK Griquas | 1 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 37 |
| Santiago Iglesias | Pampas XV | 1 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 34 |
| Kobus de Kock | Sharks XV | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Chrysander Botha | Welwitschias | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 31 |
| Ricardo Croy | Ford Pumas | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 31 |
| Jaco van Schalkwyk | EP Kings | 0 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 31 |
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