HEIDELBERG. – The hosts of the annual SASRA u17 National Sevens tournament, the Valke, fought their way through a tightly contested Pool B to book their place in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Friday at Heidelberg Volkskool.
The points difference for the Valke, who topped the pool, was plus-two. The Griffons, who finished at the bottom, had a points difference of only minus-three.
The Valke caused a major upset by beating the Pumas 19-17 after they drew 24-24 against the Griffons after the hooter. They will face the Golden Lions in the quarterfinals of the Cup section.
Their Craven Week winger, Jerado Tafel, who is playing at his home ground, was one of their star players on the opening day.
The Lions’ key players are Blessing Monareng, Ray-Nathin van Kolver, and Prince Agu.
The Sharks, Free State, and Golden Lions are arguably the favourites after the first day’s play. The team from KwaZulu-Natal faces Griqualand West in the quarterfinals.
Their star players – Tanwil Onkers, Kevin van Vollenstee, and Richaard Kriel – will have to be at their best if they are to secure the title.
Free State defeated the Lions 26-19 in their pool clash. The team from Bloemfontein also defeated the Leopards (19-17) and Namibia (35-24) to finish top of the pool.
Their Craven Week flyhalf Zach Walburgh, together with Raedon Williams and Lohan de Beer, produced the goods on the opening day. The Pumas stand between Free State and a place in the semi-finals.
The Pumas, with the likes of Menzi Siyaya, Fiso Shabalala, Carl-Hein Creydt, and KG Masilela in their midst, won’t make it easy for the Free Staters.
The Limpopo Blue Bulls, with the Noordvaal champions, Pietersburg, as their backbone, also secured a place in the Cup playoffs, as predicted. They will face Eastern Province in a showdown that promises fireworks.
The Blue Bulls endured a tough first day. After drawing 24-24 with Griquas in their opener, they fell 5-24 to Eastern Province.
The Bulls had to contend with the withdrawal of star players like Ruan Fluks and Alexander Griesel. They, however, still have players like Dandré Brink, Lemarc Henry, Caleb Pretorius, and Garrith Warrie in their midst.
Three unions – Boland (last year’s champions), Western Province, and Border – are not in attendance. Western Province’s absence will be frowned upon, especially as the chairman of the South African Schools Rugby Association (SASRA), Kervin Grove, is from Western Province.
The union has six players in the 12-player squad to represent South Africa at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, from 31 October to 13 November.
The six players – Divan Meyer (Boland Landbou), Albert Nel, Corné Ferreira, Werner de Bruin (all Paul Roos), James Sale, and Jake Dave (both SACS) – would’ve formed the core of a formidable team.
All Results | Day 1
Pool A: Limpopo Blue Bulls 19, South Western Districts 15; Sharks 38, Valke Invitational 5; Sharks 27, South Western Districts 17; Limpopo Blue Bulls 26, Valke Invitational 7; South Western Districts 33, Valke Invitational 14; Sharks 43, Limpopo Blue Bulls 7.
Pool B: Pumas 22, Griffons 19; Valke 24, Griffons 24; Valke 19, Pumas 17.
Pool C: Golden Lions 45, Namibia 10; Free State 19, Leopards 17; Free State 26, Golden Lions 19; Leopards 40, Namibia 17; Golden Lions 24, Leopards 22; Free State 35, Namibia 24.
Pool D: Griqualand West 24, Blue Bulls 24; Eastern Province 24, Blue Bulls 5; Griqualand West 12, Eastern Province 12.
The Fixtures | 3 October 2026
Bowl: 07:30 – South Western Districts has bye; 07:31 – Valke Invitational vs Blue Bulls; 07:51 – Griffons vs Namibia; 08:11 – Leopards has bye.
Cup: 08:12 – Sharks vs Griqualand West; 08:32 – Limpopo Blue Bulls vs Eastern Province; 08:52 – Valke vs Golden Lions; 09:12 – Pumas vs Free State.
