The SA Rugby Youth Weeks festival will reach an exciting conclusion in Paarl this week as the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week and Coca-Cola Academy Week teams battle it out for top honours in the last of seven tournaments at Paarl Boys’ High’s Brug Street grounds, with a number of last year’s SA Schools team players selected to represent their provinces again.
Adrian Alberts (DHL Western Province), Morne Brandon (Bidvest Waltons Golden Lions), Jordan Clarke, Celimpilo Gumede (Sharks), Diego Appollis (Blue Bulls) and Banele Mthenjane (Pumas) all played for the SA Schools team in 2017 and will return to Paarl for more provincial action this week.
The action kicks off at 08h00 on Monday morning with the Sharks CD meeting the Blue Bulls CD, and Namibia taking on Valke CD in the opening Coca-Cola Academy Week games, while the Thepa Trading Griffons and the Blue Bulls XV will get the U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week underway at 10h40.
Four U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week matches will be played on the opening day, with the Bidvest Waltons Golden Lions – who were the top team last season – taking on Eastern Province, and hosts, DHL Western Province, meeting the King Price Pumas, while Border take on Limpopo.
The other 10 teams battling it out in the competition, which was revamped to ensure strength-versus-strength action, will take to the field in their opening round on Tuesday.
The Coca-Cola Academy Week, meanwhile, will feature seven day-one matches, with the main games pitting Boland up against the Sharks, and DHL Western Province against the Pumas. The Blue Bulls, who took top honours last year, will kick off their campaign on Tuesday against Eastern Province.
Entry fee to the tournaments is R35 for adults and R20 for Under-18s. Weekly tickets can also be purchased at R150 for adults and R100 for U18s.
U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week (Paarl Boys High):
Monday, 9 July:
10h40 – Thepa Trading Griffons v Blue Bulls XV
12h10 – Border v Limpopo
13h40 – Bidvest Waltons Golden Lions v Eastern Province
15h40 – DHL Western Province v King Price Pumas
Tuesday, 10 July:
09h30 – Bidvest Waltons Golden Lions XV v DHL Western Province XV
11h00 – Valke v Leopards
12h30 – Boland v Griquas
14h00 – Sharks v SWD
15h30 – Free State v Blue Bulls
Coca-Cola Academy Week (Paarl Boys High):
Monday, 9 July:
08h00 – Sharks CD v Blue Bulls CD
08h00 – Namibia v Valke CD
09h20 – Old Mutual Zimbabwe v SA LSEN
09h20 – Griquas v Valke
10h40 – Border v Leopards
12h00 – Boland v Sharks
13h20 – DHL Western Province v Pumas
Tuesday, 10 July:
08h00 – Griquas CD v Griffons CD
08h00 – Pumas CD v Border CD
09h20 – Eastern Province CD v Limpopo
10h40 – Bidvest Waltons Golden Lions CD v DHL Western Province CD
12h00 – SWD v Thepa Trading Griffons
13h20 – Bidvest Waltons Golden Lions v Free State
14h40 – Blue Bulls v Eastern Province
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