Quewin Nortje led from the front as his brace of tries helped the Vodacom Bulls under-19 team secure a place in the finals of the SA Rugby under-19 Cup, next weekend.
The Vodacom Bulls junior side scored five tries on Saturday – 06 November 2022 – playing against the Toyota Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld, in Pretoria. Nortje’s double inspired his teammates to add to his tally for the afternoon as Hanno Theunissen, Corne Beets and Adrian Joubert all went over the line, allowing the Pretoria outfit to register a signifcant 32-10 victory.
Head coach, Edgar Marutlulle praised his tenacious young side for a well-managed game as well as for holding their own to see off the Cheetahs.
“I thought the game was a game of two really composed halves for our team. In the first half, we were under a Cheetahs’ onslaught as they threw the kitchen sink at us but fortunately, we could go into the break leading by 12. After the break, our impact squad came off the bench and really did a clinical job to help us finish with a strong 32-10 win in the end,”
“All in all, I am really happy because we got five points and a bonus point from scoring four tries.”
The Vodacom Bulls under-19 will next face the Cell C Sharks of Durban, in the final of the SA Rugby under-19 Cup, a clash that will decide the home of the cup, an opportunity Marutlulle describes as incredible.
“Now we turn our focus to our archnemesis, the Sharks. We look forward to getting one over them and bringing the trophy home, making it a treble of junior trophies housed at Loftus this season,”
“This side has shown a remarkable commitment to our plans and bought into the processes we have asked them to buy into, so as a coaching unit, we love to see them get rewarded in the form of opportunities to lift silverware,”
“We will return on Monday to work on our skills, ensuring that we are prepared as best as we can be when we play in Durban. It will be an exciting final showdown!” concludes Marutlulle.
VODACOM BULLS SCORERS:
Tries: Hanno Theunissen x1, Corne Beets x1, Adrian Joubert x1, Quewin Nortje x2
Conversions: Compion Von Ludwig x2
VODACOM BULLS UNDER-19 STARTING XV:
1. Corne Lavagna, 2. Juann Else, 3. Mawande Mdanda, 4. Hanno Theunissen, 5. Corne Beets, 6. Neels Volschenk (c), 7. Gcino Mdletshe, 8. Abulele Ndabambi, 9. Neil Le Roux, 10. Compion Von Ludwig, 11. Adrian Joubert, 12. Gert Steyn, 13. Pieter Rossouw, 14. Lutho Mene, 15. Quewin Nortje (c)
VODACOM BULLS UNDER-19 IMPACT SQUAD:
16. Johan Lombard, 17. Mbasa Maqubela, 18. Johan Louw, 19. Haydn Kemp, 20. Dillon Smith, 21. Olwethu Ngwenya, 22. Shaun Calitz, 23. Regan Izaks
VODACOM BULLS UNDER-19 MANAGEMENT:
Edgar Marutlulle – Head Coach; Hayden Groepes – Attack & backline; Wessel Du Plessis – Head of Juniors, Kicking & Breakdown Coach; Prieur Le Grange – Technical Advisor; Hendy Seerane – Team Manager; Tshepo Mashigo – Logistics Manager; Limbi Seyani – Sport Scientist; Tayla Chidrawi – Strength and Conditioning; Dr Gerhard Louwrens – Doctor; Claudette Echard – Physiotherapist; Darryn Berry – Physiotherapist
