The Vodacom Cup is now fully underway across the length and breadth of South Africa and Namibia and sparks are set to fly in George, Cape Town and Pretoria this weekend.
At picturesque Outeniqua Park, the SWD Eagles have a great opportunity to win their 2nd successive home game when they host the defending champions from Kimberley, GWK Griquas, on Friday evening. It’s a replay of last year’s quarter-final.
There is another top-of-the-table clash in the South Section on Saturday afternoon when DHL Western Province, Vodacom Cup champions in 2012, host the Cell C Sharks XV in Athlone, Cape Town. Both these teams lost in the quarter-finals last season.
In the North Section, the Vodacom Blue Bulls will want to get back to winning ways when they host the high-flying Steval Pumas in Pretoria. The side from the Lowveld top the Log, with 3 wins from 3 and have been impressive this season, amassing 170 points at an average of almost 57 per match.
This week we feature 1 of the best young tight forwards in the country as well as 1 of the top try-scorers from 2014 in Toyota Free State XV hooker Joseph Dweba and Boland Cavaliers wing Harlon Klaasen, who will face off against each other in Heidedal, Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon.
Rising Star #7 – Joseph Dweba (Toyota Free State XV)
For the last 2 seasons, Toyota Free State hooker Joseph Dweba got a taste of what it feels like to represent South Africa on the rugby field and his got an opportunity to do it again later this season.
The 19-year-old Dweba, who hails from the West-Gauteng mining town of Carltonville, qualifies for the Junior Springboks again this season and aims to fight his way into the squad via the Vodacom Cup.
In 2013 he played in all 3 of the SA Schools team’s matches, after representing the Golden Lions at the Coca-Cola Under 18 Craven Week from Florida High School.
Last year Dweba did a post-matric at HTS Louis Botha in Bloemfontein, who recently delivered Springbok loose forward Oupa Mohoje and Bok tourist Raymond Rhule, as well as AJ Venter and Daan Human. He played twice off the bench in the Junior World Championships, including an appearance in the final against England.
It was only natural that Dweba, who stands 1.75m tall and weighs in at a solid 105kg and can also pack down at prop if the need arises, would progress to the Free State Under 19’s, where he played a number of matches in the 2nd half of the competition.
Earlier this season, Dweba played 1 match in the Cell C Community Cup for Berlesell Bloemfontein Crusaders, before starting to train with the Toyota Free State XV.
Rising Star #8 – Harlon Klaasen (Boland Cavaliers)
In 2014, Boland Cavaliers speedster Harlon Klaasen was the joint top-try scorer across all competitions in the country from Under 19 level upwards.
The 21-year-old Klaasen, a product of the SARU Academy in the Boland, scored a total of 17 tries in 2014, with 15 coming in the colours of the Boland Under 21’s and 2 for their senior team. That was the same number of tries as Marnus Schoeman of GWK Griquas, who has since transferred to the Steval Pumas.
Klaasen’s 15 tries in the ABSA Under 21 B-section – which made him the top points’ scorer in this competition – was the 2nd most by any player in a single competition, behind his provincial team-mate Warren Williams, who scored 16 tries for Boland Under 19.
But Klaasen also played in 3 matches for the Boland senior team – 3 in the Vodacom Cup and 1 in the ABSA Currie Cup Qualifiers – and scored 2 tries.
A rangy outside back at 1.86m tall and weighing in at around 85kg, Klaasen can play fullback or wing. He was born in Malmesbury and attended Labori High School in Paarl before joining the SARU Boland Academy.
Last weekend, in their 1st match of the season, the Cavaliers fielded 9 graduates from the SARU Boland Academy in their match-day squad.
Round 4 fixtures:
Friday 27 March
FNB Welwitschias vs Down Touch Griffons:
Kick-Off: 10:00 SA Time
Venue: Hage Geingob Stadium, Windhoek
Referee: Rodney Boneparte
SWD Eagles vs GWK Griquas:
Kick-Off: 19:00 SA Time
Venue: Outeniqua Park, George
Referee: Francois Pretorius
Border Bulldogs vs EP Kings:
Kick-Off: 19:10 SA Time
Venue: BCM Stadium, East London
Referee: Archie Sehlako
Saturday 28 March
Hino Valke vs Xerox Golden Lions:
Kick-Off: 15:00 SA Time
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
DHL Western Province vs Cell C Sharks XV:
Kick-Off: 15:00 SA Time
Venue: City Park Stadium, Cape Town
Referee: Pro Legoete
Toyota Free State XV vs Boland Cavaliers:
Kick-Off: 15:00 SA Time
Venue: Clive Solomon Stadium, Bloemfontein
Referee: AJ Jacobs
Vodacom Blue Bulls vs Steval Pumas:
Kick-Off: 16:30 SA Time
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Tahla Ntshakaza