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Get Ready for Friday’s Showdown

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It will be a classic north-south confrontation when two of South Africa’s oldest rugby rivals meet in the feature match of the U16 Grant Khomo Week at Grey High School in Gqeberha on Friday.

DHL Western Province and the Blue Bulls have underlined their class during the action this week and they will now be targeting top gun status in the final showdown at 12.40pm on the Kolisi Field.

Hosts Eastern Province, meanwhile, will be looking to record their first win of the week after two tough encounters when they take on the DHL WP XV on the Pollock Oval at 11.30.

It has not been an easy week for head coach Ashley Carolus’s team, losing to WP and the Lions, but they have shown a lot of heart in their play and will be fired up to finish strongly.

However, they will have noted the supreme competitiveness of their WP opponents, who will also be chasing their first win of the week after two agonising losses.

On both Monday and Wednesday, the WP XV had chances of victory against the Bulls and South Western Districts respectively, but narrowly failed to close the deal.

That means EP will have to be at their best if they want to finish on a high.

While WP and the Bulls must be applauded for their tenacity in finding a way to win, they have not been overly dominant this week.

It suggests that the feature match on the Kolisi Field will be a cracking affair between two sides out to prove a point.

They had to work extremely hard in Wednesday’s fixtures to secure the main game on Friday and their recuperative powers will be put to the acid test in the final match of the tournament.

The week has thrown up some thrilling schoolboy rugby and even as it draws to a close, there will be plenty of pride at stake on the last day.

Border, for instance, will be fired to make it three wins in a row, but face their toughest test of the week against the combative Lions team.

After losing to Sanlam Boland, the Lions lifted themselves with a win over EP on Wednesday and Border can expect a proper onslaught in the opening match on the Kolisi Field at 9am.

The East London-based side have shown great determination to win twice, but will now have to move up a level against the Lions.

The other matches on the Kolisi Field will also see teams trying to send out a message after some mixed results this week.

Free State, after losing to the Sharks on Monday, showed enterprise in beating the Pumas and will want to continue that form in what will be a proper challenge against Boland, also with a win and a loss so far.

In the main curtain-raiser, the Sharks and South Western Districts have all the ingredients for a thrilling finale as both sides are packed with tough forwards and backs who are prepared to run the ball at any opportunity.

Friday’s fixtures are:

Kolisi Field

9am: Lions v Border, 10.20: Free State v Sanlam Boland, 11.30: Sharks v South Western Districts, 12.40: DHL WP v Blue Bulls

Pollock Oval

9am: Pumas v Leopards, 10.20: Free State XV v Griffons, 11.30: WP XV v EP

Pyott Field

9am: Namibia v Zimbabwe, 10.20: Border Country Districts v Valke, 11.30: Griquas v Limpopo

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Port Elizabethan

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