A fired-up EP Elephants side scored six scintillating tries on their way to a resounding 41-21 win over the Border Bulldogs in a SA U21 Shield rugby clash in Gqeberha on Saturday.
The victory has secured a semifinal for the Elephants, who have won four of the five matches they have played in the South Section of the competition this season.
EP had the game sewn up at halftime after they raced to a commanding 24-0 lead against the bottom-of-the-log Bulldogs, who have only managed to win one of their opening five matches.
The Elephants complete the league phase of the competition with a clash against the SWD Eagles at Outeniqua Park in George on Saturday (kickoff 3pm).
The Boland Kavaliers and EP are joint leaders on the South Section log with 21 points apiece after five outings.
The Kavaliers continued their impressive run in the competition with a runaway 59-26 win over the Eagles in George on Friday.
After winning their opening three matches in style, EP’s title aspirations suffered a setback when they were pipped 29-27 by the Kavaliers in Gqeberha two weeks ago.
EP head coach Shaun “Trok” Oliver said his team had been forced to go back to the drawing board after the loss.
Nine provincial teams have been divided into two sections in the Shield.
The south comprises Boland (2024 champions), Border, Eastern Province and SWD; and the north features the Pumas (2023 champions), Harmony Griffons, Griquas, Valke and Limpopo.
Teams in the south section play three home and three away matches (six in total), and in the north a single round (four in total).
At the conclusion of the league phase, the two teams with the highest number of log points will contest the semifinals within their sections.
The two winners will play in the grand final between the south and north groups.
Scorers:
EP Elephants 41: Tries: Dandre van Jaarsveld, Xander Wiltshire (2), Calvin Bosch, Lu-Crain Miggels, Christiaan van der Merwe. Conversions: Lyle Meintjies (4). Penalty: Meintjies.
Border Bulldogs 21: Tries: Aphelele Mibiko, Siyamthanda Klaas, Penalty Try (seven points). Conversions: Abongile Yeye, Sivenathi Mrwashu.
South Section log (all teams have played five matches): Boland Kavaliers 21, EP Elephants 21, SWD Eagles 9, Border Bulldogs 5.
Saturday’s South Section fixtures: SWD Eagles vs EP Elephants, Boland Kavaliers vs Border Bulldogs.
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