DHL Western Province finished the 2014 Coca-Cola Under-18 Craven Week with an exciting 37-29 win over Free State at HTS Middelburg on Saturday morning.
Province finished their campaign with two wins and a loss this week – beating the Pumas 33-32 on Monday, before going down 23-38 to SWD on Wednesday – and they thoroughly deserved to finish on a high today, scoring five tries to four.
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The one defeat in Middelburg this week aside, Western Province have this year taken the honours as the unofficial champions in the Under-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week, the Under-13 Sasolburg Week, Under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week and the Under-18 Coca-Cola Academy Week tournaments, with the Under-16 Girls also finishing their competition unbeaten.
The Western Province Under-18 Girls also successfully defended their Under-18 Sevens title, winning five matches on Friday and Saturday to lift the trophy for the second year in succession.
The final-day battle between Free State and Western Province was physical as both teams used their powerful forwards to gain ascendancy.
But the Cape side’s ability to convert their opportunities into points handed them a well-deserved 22-10 lead thanks to three back-to-back tries. Free State scrumhalf Shirwin Cupido, however, snuck in for their first five-pointer of the match to add to an earlier penalty for their 10 points.
The second half, however, was tight as the Free State bounced back and spent more time in Province’s half and the rewards followed as they crossed Western Province’s tryline three times, the last of which was with 14 men on the field following a red card. These efforts allowed the Bloemfontein side to finish the match only eight points behind.
Wing Duncan Saal scored two tries for WP to take his tally to the week to four. Fullback Tiaan Swanepoel was again in fine form, slotting three conversions and two penalty goals to finish the week with 34 points.
The scorers:
For DHL Western Province Under-18:
Tries: Saal 2, Williams, Heunis, Davids
Cons: Swanepoel 3
Pens: Swanepoel 2
For Free State Under-18:
Tries: Bezuidenhout, Jordan 2, Cupido
Cons: Christian 3
Pen: Christian
* Meanwhile, Eastern Province finished the Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week as the unofficial champions for the first time in 37 years following a 25-7 victory against SWD in the final match at HTS Middelburg.
The match concluded a successful 2014 Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week tournament in which all 11,000 tickets available to spectators and guests of the respective provincial unions were sold throughout the tournament.
The Port Elizabeth side last won the final match of the tournament in 1977 against Western Province.C4040-109
