Coca-Cola Craven Week kicks off

THE country’s top schoolboy rugby players will look to make their mark at the Markötter Sports Complex as the u.18 Coca-Cola Craven Week kicks off on Monday July 13.

The tournament, held at the Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, is the final competition in the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks series and features the most talented u.18 players vying for the top title in this grand spectacle of school rugby.

The rugby festival marks the 150th anniversary of Paul Roos Gymnasium with ten teams taking to the field on the first day, while the ten remaining teams are set to play their first round of matches on Tuesday. The tournament will conclude on Saturday.

There will be high expectations on the DHL Western Province side due their home-ground advantage and their successes at the u.13 Coca-Cola Craven Week in White River and at the Coca-Cola Academy Week in Vanderbijlpark.

Namibia and Border CD will meet in the opening match on Monday. The main clash between hosts DHL Western Province and the Blue Bulls at 15:30 is set to be a thrilling north-south derby.

On Tuesday, KwaZulu-Natal will go up against the Bidvest Golden Lions and Eastern Province will take on the SWD Eagles.The match between EP and SWD is a repeat of last year’s final, which the team from Port Elizabeth won 25-7. This victory marked the first time in 37 years that EP emerged as the top team in the u.18 showpiece.

Fixtures for the opening day of the u.18 Coca-Cola Craven Week:

08:30– Namibia vs Border CD

10:00 – Boland vs Limpopo Blue Bulls

11:30 – Pumas vs Border

13:00 – Free State vs Griffons

15:30 – DHL Western Province vs Blue Bulls

Day two fixtures:

09:00 – Griquas CD vs Zimbabwe

10:30 – Valke vs Eastern Province CD

12:00 – Leopards vs Griquas

13:30 – KwaZulu-Natal vs Golden Lions

15:00 – Eastern Province vs SWD Eagles