The final day of the SARU Amateur tournaments in Saldanha on Friday again showcased the strength of South African amateur rugby.
Western Province defended their titles successfully in both the Amateur Provincial and Sub-Union tournaments, but some of the other teams showed they had very good talent and rugby to offer.
In the Amateur Final WP beat surprise finalists EP Rural 40-15 in a final that was not as one-sided as the score might suggest.
Benjamin Koeberg (scrumhalf), Irvin Williams (flyhalf) and Gert Williams (prop) were the outstanding players during the weeklong tournament for the EP Rural team, who surprised many with their enterprising style of rugby.
But WP showed the true strength of their club structures, with Anton Lampbrecht (lock, Jody Birch (no 8), Christo McNish (prop) and Albert Trytsman (centre) the standout performers.
Hosts Boland finished third after beating Border 42-34. EP won the Plate Final 33-22 against SWD.
In the Sub-Union final, WP Disas were made to fight all the way for their 23-21 win against a youthful and exciting KwaZulu-Natal team.
Boland finished third thanks to a 25-19 win over Free State while EP lifted the Plate with a 41-15 win over SWD.
The final day’s results:
Amateur Provincial Tournament
- Final: WP 40, EP Rural 15
- Third play-off: Boland 42, Border 34
- Plate Final: EP 33, SWD 22
Sub-Union Tournament
- Final: WP Disas 23, Kwaulu-Natal 21
- Third play-off: Boland 25, Free State 19
- Plate Final: EP 41, SWD 15
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