The Eastern Province Under-19 team will try to keep their unbeaten record, when they face the Golden Lions in a table topping Round 5 match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Saturday morning.
The surprise package of the ABSA Under-19 Competition, Eastern Province, have won their first four matches topping Group A on seventeen points, five points ahead of their closest rivals, the Lions.
Eastern Province, playing only in their second season in Group A, started their campaign against the Free State in Bloemfontein. The visitors from Port Elizabeth turned a four point deficit at half time into a 28 - 15 final score.
For their second match they travelled to Potchefstroom to face the Leopards. Eastern Province picked up a bonus point as they scored six tries to record their second win, 41 - 21.
Having played their first two matches away from home, Eastern Province enjoyed their first home game against Western Province. The home side scraped through after they were all tied at half time, 10 all. Three points seperated the teams after the eighty minutes as Eastern Province kicked a second half penalty to snatch a narrow third, 13 - 10 win.
In last week's encounter against the Blue Bulls, Eastern Province scored fourteen unanswered points in the second half to turn a five point deficit at half time into a 24 - 15 win.
Eastern Province have scored 106 points from their four games, which includes 9 tries, and conceded 64 points which includes 7 tries.
The second placed and this weekend's opponents, the Golden Lions, are on twelve points from their four matches. The visitors have won two out of four and scored 132 points and conceded 86 points.
A win on Saturday will give Eastern Province even a further buffer between then and the rest of the pack, while strengthening the greater cause of reaching a possible play-off during these early stages.
"It is basically a battle for the top spot as the Lions are lying second and we know they will come out hard. But we are up for the challenge," said EP U19 coach Mzwandile Stick.
Stick put the reason for the Kings' success this season on their team ethic, plus the fact that the players have bought into the style of play.
"This season the boys are really playing for each other," Stick added. "We don't have any real star players, but the boys have stuck together, playing as a team."
"They have also bought 100% into the style of play we are trying to develop and we give them freedom to express themselves."
Kick-off is at 9:30.
EP U19:
15 Mabhutana Peter 14 Athi Mayinje 13 Yamkela Nyalambisa 12 Jeremy Ward 11 Avelo Jubase 10 Michael Brink 9 James Hall 8 Junior Pokomela 7 Hayden Tharratt 6 SF Nieuwoudt 5 Lusanda Badiyana 4 Robert Lyons 3 Nicolaas Oosthuizen 2 Thango Balekile 1 Matthew Howes
Reserves:
16 Masikane Mazwi 17 Xandre Vos 18 Kuhle Makhoabane 19 Wihan Coetzer 20 Jason Lizamore 21 Sibusiso Ngcokavane 22 Jordan Koekemoer 23 Dominik Uytenbogaardt.
The surprise package of the ABSA Under-19 Competition, Eastern Province, have won their first four matches topping Group A on seventeen points, five points ahead of their closest rivals, the Lions.
Eastern Province, playing only in their second season in Group A, started their campaign against the Free State in Bloemfontein. The visitors from Port Elizabeth turned a four point deficit at half time into a 28 - 15 final score.
For their second match they travelled to Potchefstroom to face the Leopards. Eastern Province picked up a bonus point as they scored six tries to record their second win, 41 - 21.
Having played their first two matches away from home, Eastern Province enjoyed their first home game against Western Province. The home side scraped through after they were all tied at half time, 10 all. Three points seperated the teams after the eighty minutes as Eastern Province kicked a second half penalty to snatch a narrow third, 13 - 10 win.
In last week's encounter against the Blue Bulls, Eastern Province scored fourteen unanswered points in the second half to turn a five point deficit at half time into a 24 - 15 win.
Eastern Province have scored 106 points from their four games, which includes 9 tries, and conceded 64 points which includes 7 tries.
The second placed and this weekend's opponents, the Golden Lions, are on twelve points from their four matches. The visitors have won two out of four and scored 132 points and conceded 86 points.
A win on Saturday will give Eastern Province even a further buffer between then and the rest of the pack, while strengthening the greater cause of reaching a possible play-off during these early stages.
"It is basically a battle for the top spot as the Lions are lying second and we know they will come out hard. But we are up for the challenge," said EP U19 coach Mzwandile Stick.
Stick put the reason for the Kings' success this season on their team ethic, plus the fact that the players have bought into the style of play.
"This season the boys are really playing for each other," Stick added. "We don't have any real star players, but the boys have stuck together, playing as a team."
"They have also bought 100% into the style of play we are trying to develop and we give them freedom to express themselves."
Kick-off is at 9:30.
EP U19:
15 Mabhutana Peter 14 Athi Mayinje 13 Yamkela Nyalambisa 12 Jeremy Ward 11 Avelo Jubase 10 Michael Brink 9 James Hall 8 Junior Pokomela 7 Hayden Tharratt 6 SF Nieuwoudt 5 Lusanda Badiyana 4 Robert Lyons 3 Nicolaas Oosthuizen 2 Thango Balekile 1 Matthew Howes
Reserves:
16 Masikane Mazwi 17 Xandre Vos 18 Kuhle Makhoabane 19 Wihan Coetzer 20 Jason Lizamore 21 Sibusiso Ngcokavane 22 Jordan Koekemoer 23 Dominik Uytenbogaardt.
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