Border’s schools have set themselves up to lay down a marker when they compete in the annual Wildeklawer Graeme College Rugby Festival in Makhanda from Thursday to Saturday.
Rugby enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice over the three days, with an U13 festival happening on Thursday, followed by the first team and age-group matches on Friday and Saturday.
A total of seven schools from the Border region will be in action at the festival, with a number of tough challenges on the programme.
The Border Schools Day in Qonce on Saturday was the perfect opportunity for coaches to continue fine-tuning their preparations for the Graeme Festival, and Dale added to a big victory earlier in the season over Victoria Park by ousting the Hudson side 15-3.
Now they will be looking to up the ante on Friday with a blockbuster match against Kariega powerhouse Brandwag, who completed their preparations by beating Otto du Plessis 26-0 at the weekend.
Another interesting result at the weekend saw Selborne College and Stirling fight out a 19-19 draw, and they will both be looking for an improvement this weekend.
Stirling have a tricky encounter against Daniel Pienaar, while Selborne will be fully tested by Framesby in Saturday’s 1.30pm game, after the Gqeberha side edged St Andrew’s 24-17 last weekend.
Queen’s College, the top side in the Eastern Cape last year, are another team to have made an early impact, registering solid wins over Ooskus Gymnasium (36-0) and Cambridge (41-15) in recent festivals.
They will round off Friday’s programme on Somerset Field with a 3.15pm clash against dangerous Humansdorp outfit Nico Malan.
The EP team had a close 14-9 win over Bergsig in their opening match but were given a real challenge by the powerful Outeniqua outfit at the weekend, losing 45-0. No doubt they will take the lessons from that clash, with a view to lifting the game against the Queenians.
Hosts Graeme face a difficult challenge in the festival finale on Saturday against the always competitive Marlow Agricultural outfit.
For coach Jonty van der Meulen’s side, the tournament will provide an important benchmark as they look to build momentum in front of their home supporters.
Graeme’s coaching staff will be eager to see their combinations tested against quality opposition while also giving a number of players valuable game time.
The festival format allows schools to rotate players and experiment with combinations, but the competitive edge remains strong as teams aim to lay down an early marker for the season ahead.
Beyond the results, the event plays an important role in strengthening relationships between schools and celebrating the traditions of school rugby in the Eastern Cape.
For many players, it will also be their first opportunity of the year to perform in front of a sizeable crowd.
With favourable weather expected and an enthusiastic turnout anticipated, the festival should yet again deliver an entertaining showcase of schoolboy rugby.
The first team programme on Somerset Field is:
Friday, March 20: 9am: Mzansi Academy v PJ Olivier; 10.15: Woodridge v Mary Waters; 11.30: Port Rex Tech v Union High; 12.45: Dale v Brandwag; 2pm: Grey High v Hudson Park; 3.15: Queen’s v Nico Malan
Saturday, March 21: 8.30am: Port Alfred v Ndzondelelo; 9.45: Otto du Plessis v Muir; 11am: Daniel Pienaar v Stirling; 12.15: Kingswood v Cambridge; 1.30: Selborne v Framesby; 2.45: St Andrew’s v Pearson; 4pm: Graeme v Marlow Agricultural
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