After a two week break from the SA Rugby Under 20 Championship, the Cell C Sharks Under 20’s are back in action on Friday when they host their Leopards counterparts in a vital seventh round clash on KP2 at 1pm on Friday.
The Leopards have the scalps of Free State and EP – the latter an incredible 91-6 victory over their Eastern Cape visitors at Olen Park which saw them scoring 13 tries – and a draw with Western Province in their quest for success and the results have afforded them fourth place on the tournament log, two points ahead of the Cell C Sharks Under 20s.
With the two teams both vying for a top four finish this makes for an interesting tussle between the two sides that could have an important bearing on semi-final places with three rounds remaining.
Head coach Mike Vowles, in calling this a knock-out game, explains that, “We see this as a must-win for us, we’re taking it as a quarter-final because we have to win to be able to qualify, but we’re in a good place and preparation has gone well.
“We were obviously very disappointed after the Western Province game, we were in it for a large part of the match up to the 60th minute after which the wheels kind of feel off a bit.
“But the team have responded well, they’re desperate to get things back on track and they’ve put in a massive effort over the last two weeks to ensure there is a good performance.”
Although there is an element of desperation, the driving motivation is the challenge the team have accepted and Vowles admits that they have responded well to the demands they must meet.
“This is an exciting game, we know the Leopards will bring a high level of intensity because they’re also fighting for a place and will come here wanting to win. But we’ve ticked all the boxes and the guys are desperate to get the season back to to winning ways and with it the opportunity to get into the play-offs.”
Cell C Sharks Under 20s
1. Henko Smuts
2. Jacques Goosen
3. Blaine Golden
4. Corne Rahl
5. Ockie Barnard (c)
6. Jaques Marais
7. Enos Ndiao
8. Renzo du Plessis
9. Bradley Davids
10. Kian Meadon
11. Siviwe Zondani
12. Brandon Wilkie
13. Ethan Fisher
14. Curwin Gertse
15. Matthew Jacobs
Replacements
16. Jordan Mcloughlin
17. Charles Gamhiwa
18. Munashe Mhere
19. Andrew Beyrooti
20. Tiaan Jonker
21. Daimon O’Connell
22. Warrick Day
23. Liqhayiya Gantsho
24. Dagan Meuwese
25. Lathi Nqebe