# 2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship

The 2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship was the 2018 edition of the Under-20 Provincial Championship, an annual national Under-20 rugby union competition held in South Africa, and was contested from 11 August to 19 October 2018.
The competition was won by Griffons U20, who beat Pumas U20 53–6 in the final played on 19 October 2018.

## Competition rules and information

There were seven participating teams in the 2018 Under-20 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.
There were initially eight teams scheduled to play in the competition, but Border U20 withdrew from the championship towards the end of August 2018. A few days later, it was also confirmed that Boland U20 — who already played in two matches — also withdrew from the competition.

## Teams

The teams that played in the 2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship are:
| 2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship teams |
| Team name | Stadium |
| Boland U20 | Boland Stadium, Wellington |
| Falcons U20 | Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park |
| Griffons U20 | North West Stadium, Welkom |
| Griquas U20 | Griqua Park, Kimberley |
| Limpopo Blue Bulls U20 | Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
| Pumas U20 | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela |
| SWD U20 | Outeniqua Park, George |

## Pool stage
### Standings

| 2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship log |
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Griffons U20 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 379 | 113 | +266 | 59 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 30 |
| 2 | Pumas U20 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 194 | 150 | +44 | 30 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| 3 | Limpopo Blue Bulls U20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 178 | 148 | +30 | 25 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | Falcons U20 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 153 | 188 | −35 | 24 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| 5 | SWD U20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 129 | 256 | −127 | 16 | 41 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | Griquas U20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 100 | 242 | −142 | 14 | 37 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 | Boland U20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 93 | −36 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 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 |
| | Withdrew from the competition. | 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: Griquas U20, Limpopo Blue Bulls U20, SWD U20

#### Round two

* Bye/s: Boland U20, Limpopo Blue Bulls U20, Pumas U20

#### Round three

* Bye/s: Falcons U20, Griquas U20, Pumas U20

#### Round four

* Bye/s: Falcons U20, Griquas U20, Limpopo Blue Bulls U20, SWD U20

#### Round five

* Bye/s: Falcons U20, Pumas U20

#### Round six

* Bye/s: Griquas U20, Limpopo Blue Bulls U20

#### Round seven

* Bye/s: Falcons U20, Griffons U20

#### Round eight

* Bye/s: Griffons U20, Pumas U20

#### Round nine

* Bye/s: Griffons U20, SWD U20

## Honours

The honour roll for the 2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship was as follows:
2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship :
| Champions: | Griffons U20 |
| Top points scorer: | Ethan Williams, Griffons U20 (105) |
| Top try scorer: | Allistair Mumba, Griffons U20 (13) |

## Players

The following squads were named for the 2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship:

## Referees

The following referees officiated matches in the 2018 Under-20 Provincial Championship: