# 2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship

The 2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship was the 2017 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 28 October 2017.
The competition was won by Western Province U21, after they beat Blue Bulls U21 48–41 in the final in Durban. Western Province U21 fly-half Tiaan Swanepoel was the top scorer in the competition with 123 points, while Blue Bulls U21 wing Xolisa Guma was the top try scorer with 11 tries.

## Competition rules and information

There were seven participating teams in the 2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship. They played each other once during the pool stage, either at home or away. Teams received 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 2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship were:
| 2017 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 | Olën Park, Potchefstroom |
| Sharks U21 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban |
| Western Province U21 | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town |

## Pool stage
### Standings

The final standings of the 2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship Pool Stage were:
| 2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship log |
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Blue Bulls U21 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 339 | 188 | +151 | 47 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 30 |
| 2 | Golden Lions U21 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 283 | 125 | +158 | 42 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| 3 | Western Province U21 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 255 | 89 | +166 | 35 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| 4 | Free State U21 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 203 | 203 | 0 | 28 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 5 | Sharks U21 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 184 | 162 | +22 | 26 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| 6 | Leopards U21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 155 | 390 | −235 | 23 | 58 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 7 | Eastern Province U21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 127 | 389 | −262 | 19 | 59 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 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 2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship was as follows:
2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship :
| Champions: | Western Province U21 |
| Top points scorer: | Tiaan Swanepoel, Western Province U21 (123) |
| Top try scorer: | Xolisa Guma, Blue Bulls U21 (11) |

## Players

The following squads were named for the 2017 Under-21 Provincial Championship: