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Wednesday’s Fixtures at Grant Khomo Week

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Following their titanic struggle with DHL Western Province on the opening day of the U16 Grant Khomo Rugby Week, Eastern Province will be looking to lift themselves up for another tough challenge on Wednesday.

The host province went down 38-25 to the potent WP outfit on the opening day on Monday and have an equally challenging contest against a competent Lions team in the second round of fixtures.

The Lions showed great resilience against Sanlam Boland after trailing 15-3 at the break to come within touching distance of victory, ending the match on attack but being denied by a final knock-on to lose 21-16.

Now both teams will be desperate find the winning touch as they attempt to finish the tournament on a high note.

Despite the defeat to WP, EP head coach Ashley Carolus said their camp remained positive for the rest of the week.

“We know the Lions will be a tough challenge but we are ready to pick ourselves up and to show that we can compete against the rest of the teams,” he said.

“Obviously we were aiming for a win against WP and we did hold the lead three times, so afterwards there was no dissatisfaction in the camp.

“We have to check a few injuries before tomorrow but the team is in good spirits and we are still motivated to show what we can do in the remaining matches.”

EP and the Lions will play at 2.30pm, completing Wednesday’s programme on the Pollock Oval, while the Kolisi Field will be the scene for some epic contests as Monday’s winning teams attempt to add to that success.

In the main matches on the Kolisi Field, the Bulls will have their mettle tested against the rugged Boland outfit, while WP will be chasing a spot in Friday’s main game when they come up against the Sharks.

The Bulls received a massive scare against the WP XV on Monday, kicking a penalty in the closing stages for a 26-24 lead and then being forced into frantic defence to avoid defeat.

They know they will have to be at their best to hold off a Boland side who will be primed to secure another scalp from up north after taking out the Lions.

WP, meanwhile, will be out to demonstrate their prowess against a gutsy Sharks side who showed great fighting qualities to overturn a 17-7 deficit for a 26-20 win over Free State on Monday.

That sort of performance means there will be no easy pickings for the WP team, even though they clearly demonstrated their power and finesse against EP on Monday.

Border will be chasing a second victory when they face the Griffons in the second match of the day on the Kolisi Field, while Border Country Districts will open the programme on the Pollock Oval at 9.20am against Namibia.

Wednesday’s fixtures are:

Kolisi Field

9.20am: Pumas v Free State; 10.45: Border v Griffons, 12.00: SWD v WP XV; 1.15: Bulls v Boland; 2.30: WP v Sharks

Pollock Oval

9.20am: Namibia v Border Country Districts; 10.45: Zimbabwe v Limpopo; 12.00: Valke v Free State XV; 1.15: Leopards v Griquas; 2.30: Lions v EP

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Port Elizabethan

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