Saint Stithians’ Saints SportsFest closes with a bang

And that’s a wrap. Another year of the St Stithians College Saints SportsFest has come to an end, and once again, the festival did not disappoint.

For four days, the very best of school sports was on display with thousands of players, parents, alumni and spectators flocking to the school to watch the games and enjoy the festival camaraderie. With festival food in abundance, music blaring from every corner, a designated play area for children – with a surprise appearance by the Smurfs – the festival brought something for everyone.

While rugby and hockey are often the highlights of such sporting festivities, the Saints festival featured an abundance of netball, squash, tennis, football with both boys teams and girls teams represented in every sporting code on display.

A highlight of the festival, as always, was the main rugby game played on April 19 between hosts St Stithians and Michaelhouse College. It was an epic match that showed exactly why these school are such fierce rivals. Saints, with its home-ground and the support of the entire school, edged a win in the end. The pouring rain did not dampen their celebrations, nor those of the crowd.

Read the full story here: St Stithians edges out Michaelhouse in thrilling rugby clash

Another highlight was of course the development rugby tournament played on April 21. Aptly named the try (township rugby youth) tournament, the event showcased young players from the less formal rugby sector, including teams from Kagiso, Ennerdale, the inner city, Diepsloot and Alexandra. These youngsters gave it all they could, and put on some magnificent rugby for the sizable crowd that came out to support.

Development rugby is an essential step in the right direction for the future of rugby in South Africa. Children from as young as 11 were given their moment to shine at the festival, preparing them for possible futures in the sport.

Read the full story here: Development rugby takes centre stage on day 4 of the Saints SportsFest

Also always a fun part of the festival that is looked forward to is the alumni games, where past players get to come back and relive their glory days by playing against their former rivals. This year saw alumni games in tennis, women’s hockey, men’s hockey, netball, rugby, squash, women’s football, and men’s football. These games always make for an exciting watch, and the passion of the past players is still palpable.

On the rugby field, the Saints Old Boys beat both De La Salle Holy Cross College and Michaelhouse.

On the netball court, St Stithians took on Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy. Thandulwazi was created in 2005, a pioneering initiative of St Stithians College to provide educational growth opportunities for students and teachers based in public schools in greater Johannesburg. The game was won by St Stithians, but the team from Thanduwazi was thrilled at their performance as they achieved their highest ever points tally.

As always, St Stithians College managed to deliver a spectacular sporting showcase that the players and their families are proud to be a part of. Congratulations to all who participated. In the end, whether your team won or lost, school sport came out on top. Until next year… that’s a wrap.