WRAP | Craven Week 2026: Day 4 - WP XV down Lions, Bulls too strong for Griquas
by KickOff Rugby · KickOffThe annual Craven Week festival takes place in the Eastern Cape this week and promises some of the best school's rugby action in the country.
Kickoff Rugby will bring you all the fixtures and results throughout the week.
Craven Week Fixtures and Results
Thursday, 9 July
Griffons 29-12 Valke - MATCH REPORT
Border 14-54 Pumas - MATCH REPORT
Blue Bulls 59-19 Griquas - MATCH REPORT
Golden Lions 33-43 Western Province XV - MATCH REPORT
Western Province XV overturned a nine-point half-time deficit to beat the Golden Lions on day four of the FNB U18 Craven Week, while the Griffons, Pumas and Blue Bulls were also victorious at Grey High School in Gqeberha on Thursday.
WP XV maintained their perfect record at the FNB U18 Craven Week tournament after downing the Lions on Thursday, while the Griffons, Pumas and Bulls bounced back from Tuesday’s defeats.
The Lions dominated the early exchanges of their match against WP XV and raced to 14-0 lead. The boys from the Western Cape hit back shortly before half-time and then proceeded to run away with the game in the second stanza.
Thomas Saunders (wing) scored a hat-trick for WP XV while flyhalf Travis Pheiffer slotted five conversions in a dramatic 43-33 win.
Earlier in the day, the Griffons scored five tries in their 29-12 win over the Valke, with wings Shovee de Villiers and Qlin Booyse both dotting down twice.
The Pumas dominated Border from start to finish, with No 8 Vian Louw scoring two of his team's eight tries and flyhalf Ewan van der Merwe contributing 15 points.
The subsequent contest between the Bulls and Griquas was similarly one-sided, with fullback Drewyn Baron scoring a brace and flyhalf Ruan Fluks converting seven of his team's nine tries.
The FNB Youth Weeks programme will continue at Grey High on Friday, when 16 female teams compete in the final round of FNB U18 Girls Week tournament.
Wednesday, 8 July
Leopards 57-14 Limpopo Blue Bulls – MATCH REPORT
Boland 31-32 Eastern Province – MATCH REPORT
Free State 38-26 South Western Districts – MATCH REPORT
Western Province 24-22 Sharks – MATCH REPORT
Western Province edged the Sharks on the third day of the FNB U18 Craven Week in Gqeberha, while the Leopards, Eastern Province and Free State were also among the winners at Grey High School on Wednesday.
Day three of the FNB U18 Craven Week witnessed several tight contests, with three of the four matches decided by 12 points or fewer.
WP and Free State claimed victories to extend their winning runs in the tournament, while the hosts and Leopards registered their first victories of the week.
The coastal derby staged on the Kolisi Field lived up to the hype, with the Sharks taking a slender five-point lead into the break. The KwaZulu-Natalians troubled WP at the set pieces and breakdowns after half-time, and converted that dominance into a 15-point lead.
WP fought back to reduce the deficit in the dying stages, and the Sharks conceded two yellow cards in quick succession. With full-time approaching, a third Sharks player was sent to the sin bin, and WP fullback Achmat Behardien kicked a penalty goal to clinch a dramatic 24-22 win.
Earlier in the day, Free State scored three late tries to claim a 38-26 win over South Western Districts. Fullback Lamla Mgedezi scored a brace for the Cheetahs, while flyhalf Samson Lackay contributed 13 points.
Boland and EP enjoyed a similarly tight battle, although the hosts took control of the contest in the second half, with scrumhalf Luke Doyle scoring a try in the 64th minute to extend his team's lead to eight points. Boland scored a converted try at the death, but EP hung on for a 32-31 victory.
The Leopards recorded the biggest win of the day when they thumped the Limpopo Blue Bulls 57-14. Outside centre Marques Jantjies scored a hat-trick for the North West side while flyhalf Ricardo Enos slotted six conversions.
Tuesday, 7 July
Border 35-14 Valke - MATCH REPORT
Griquas 43-29 Pumas - MATCH REPORT
Western Province 52-33 Griffons - MATCH REPORT
Blue Bulls 43-32 Golden Lions - MATCH REPORT
Craven Week Day 2 Report
The Golden Lions edged the Blue Bulls on day two of the FNB U18 Craven Week, while Border, Griquas and Western Province XV were also among the winners at Grey High School in Gqeberha on Tuesday.
The second day of the tournament served up a series of fascinating contests, with 42 tries scored over the course of the four matches – and 10 of those coming in the Jukskei Derby.
The Bulls raced to 12-0 lead after their lineout set the platform for two tries. The Lions clawed their way back into the contest, and flyhalf Jaydon Viljoen slotted a long-range penalty goal of the stroke of half-time to reduce the Bulls' lead to five points.
The contest opened up in the second stanza, and the lead changed hands several times. Lions centre Ethan Lourens crashed over for his second try late in the game, while the subsequent score by lock Glodi Tshipamba sealed a 43-32 win for the boys in red and white.
Earlier in the day, Border scored six tries in their 36-14 win against the Valke, with wing Ncuthu Kepe bagging a brace.
The free-flowing contest between Griquas and the Pumas yielded 12 tries in all, with Griquas fullback Tyler Campher scoring a hat-trick. The Kimberley-based side dominated the contest after half-time, scoring 22 points in the second stanza to secure a 43-29 victory.
The battle between WP XV and the Griffons followed a similar pattern, with the Western Cape side bouncing back from a half-time deficit to bank an emphatic 52-33 result. Flyhalf Travis Pheiffer scored 13 points for WP XV, while wing Cayden Samuels and flanker Yanos Molnar finished with two tries apiece.
The FNB U18 Craven Week continues at Grey High on Wednesday, with the Leopards tackling the Limpopo Blue Bulls at 10h00 and Western Province facing the Sharks in the big coastal showdown at 15h30.
Monday, 6 July
Boland 39-20 Leopards - MATCH REPORT
Free State 66-41 Limpopo Blue Bulls - MATCH REPORT
Sharks 34-19 South Western Districts - MATCH REPORT
Western Province 42-25 Eastern Province - MATCH REPORT
Craven Week Day 1 Report
Free State were the biggest winners on day one of the U18 Craven Week at Grey High School in Gqeberha on Monday, while Western Province, Boland and the Sharks also recorded victories.
South African rugby's leading schoolboys and girls descended on Grey High School this past Monday to compete in the opening round of the U18 Craven Week and U18 Girls Week tournaments.
The U18 Craven Week got off to an explosive start, with 41 tries scored across the four matches. Free State and the Limpopo Blue Bulls combined for 107 points in an entertaining clash on the Kolisi Field, with the boys from Bloemfontein eventually claiming a 66-41 victory.
Free State flyhalf Zachary Walbrugh finished the free-flowing encounter with a personal tally of 31 points – a haul that included a hat-trick of tries – while centres Ruan Roux and Eddie Mabena scored two tries apiece.
In other U18 Craven Week matches played on Monday, Boland fired late to secure a 39-20 win against the Leopards, and the Sharks scored five tries in their 36-19 win against SWD.
Hosts Eastern Province made a bright start to the final clash of the day against WP, and the result was still in the balance at half-time, after local flyhalf Nathan Trytsman slotted two penalty goals.
The Western Cape outfit lifted the tempo after the break and proceeded to score 21 unanswered points, with Achmat Behardien (flyhalf) kicking six conversions and adding a try at the death as WP went on to secure a 42-25 win.
The U18 Craven Week action continues at Grey High on Tuesday, with Border fronting the Valke at 09h30 and the Blue Bulls meeting the Golden Lions in an exciting Jukskei Derby later in the afternoon.