# 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship

The 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship was the 2018 edition of the Under-21 Provincial Championship, an annual national Under-21 rugby union competition held in South Africa, and was contested from 25 August to 27 October 2018.
The competition was won by Golden Lions U21, who beat Blue Bulls U21 58–24 in the final played on 27 October 2018.

## Competition rules and information

There was seven participating teams in the 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship. They played each other once during the pool stage, either at home or away. Teams receive four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top four teams in the pool stage qualified for the semifinals, which were followed by a final.

## Teams

The teams that played in the 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship are:
| 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship teams |
| Team name | Stadium |
| Blue Bulls U21 | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria |
| Eastern Province U21 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Free State U21 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| Golden Lions U21 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Leopards U21 | Fanie du Toit Sport Ground, Potchefstroom |
| Sharks U21 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban |
| Western Province U21 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town |

## Pool stage
### Standings

| 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship log |
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Golden Lions U21 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 284 | 99 | +185 | 38 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | Western Province U21 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 381 | 127 | +254 | 55 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| 3 | Blue Bulls U21 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 329 | 144 | +185 | 50 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| 4 | Free State U21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 256 | 182 | +74 | 38 | 23 | 5 | 1 | 18 |
| 5 | Sharks U21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 281 | 166 | +115 | 40 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 6 | Leopards U21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 154 | 328 | −174 | 23 | 50 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | Eastern Province U21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 56 | 695 | −639 | 7 | 107 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Final standings. |
| Legend and competition rules |
| Legend: |
| | Qualified for the semifinals. | P = Games played, W = Games won, D = Games drawn, L = Games lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TF = Tries for, TA = Tries against, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points |
| Competition rules: |
| Qualification: The top four teams qualified for the semifinals. Points breakdown: * 4 points for a win * 2 points for a draw * 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less * 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match |

### Matches
#### Round one

* Bye/s: Sharks U21

#### Round two

* Bye/s: Western Province U21

#### Round three

* Bye/s: Eastern Province U21

#### Round four

* Bye/s: Free State U21

#### Round five

* Bye/s: Leopards U21

#### Round six

* Bye/s: Golden Lions U21

#### Round seven

* Bye/s: Blue Bulls U21

## Honours

The honour roll for the 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship was as follows:
2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship :
| Champions: | Golden Lions U21 |
| Top points scorer: | Lubabalo Dobela, Free State U21 (101) |
| Top try scorer: | Courtney Winnaar, Sharks U21 (8) |

## Players

The following squads were named for the 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship:

## Referees

The following referees officiated matches in the 2018 Under-21 Provincial Championship: