Bulls crowned SA Rugby u.20 Cup champions

The Bulls u.20 team were crowned the champions of the 2026 SA Rugby u.20 Cup after defeating the Lions by 43-40 in a thrilling final in Pretoria on Saturday.

In a match that delivered 13 tries and several momentum swings, the hosts built a 29-19 first-half lead before withstanding a spirited fightback by their Gauteng neighbours to secure the national title.

The home side struck early when Migael Turner crossed for the opening try inside the first few minutes, with Ruben Pienaar adding the conversion. The Lions responded through Mahle Sithole, but the young Bulls continued to dictate proceedings as tries by Riwan van Aswegen and their captain, Junior Bok loose forward Kebotile Maake, helped establish control of the contest.

The Johannesburg side suffered an early setback when their SA u.20 lock JD Hattingh was forced from the field through injury, to be replaced by Lian Terblanche. The Bulls also had to reshuffle later in the half when Turner left the field. Despite those interruptions, the Pretoria outfit maintained their attacking rhythm.

Van Aswegen completed his brace before the Lions’ Junior Bok flanker Luke Cannon crossed to keep his side in touch. A crucial drop goal by Pienaar extended the Bulls’ advantage before Terblanche crashed over shortly before halftime, with Rekkie Gerber adding the conversion to reduce the hosts’ lead to 10 points at the break.

The Lions started the second half strongly and closed the gap when Sithole scored his second try of the match. However, the Bulls responded emphatically through converted tries by Junior Bok scrumhalf Hendré Schoeman and Ethan van Dyk to stretch their lead once again.

Refusing to surrender, the Lions launched a late comeback through tries by SA u.20 lock Jaythen Orange and Marko Kok, while their Junior Bok fullback Alzeadon Felix converted both efforts to narrow the gap and set up a tense finish.

Despite the late pressure, the Bulls held their nerve in the closing stages to seal a memorable victory and lift the SA Rugby u.20 Cup.

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