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KZN star backline player signed by the Cheetahs

17 July, 2013 beet 27

Free State may have lost out to Western Province in their endeavours to retain the services of outstanding Grey College and SA Schools fullback EW Viljoen but they compensated for the lost in the best way possible by signing Glenwood and KZN Schools fullback Corné Vermaak. …

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Who is the Craven Week Player of the Year for 2013?

16 July, 2013 beet 46

Later on in the year the Schoolboyrugby Blog will do it’s very best to find a successor to Handre Pollard as the School Rugby Player of the year but for now it’s worth trying to identify who SARU will name as the prestigious Craven Week Player of 2013, at their end of the domestic season prize giving event. …

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Free State rugby on the rise

15 July, 2013 beet 28

This season the Cheetahs senior team has rewritten the history books by qualifying for the Super Rugby play-offs for the first time since they became an independent franchise back in 2006. In addition to this they finished the regular season ahead of two major rivals namely the Sharks and the Stormers (WP in disguise). Now their junior Currie Cup teams are off to a good start. …

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Is date of birth important in rugby?

14 July, 2013 beet 30

Thank you very much to Tzavosky for this wonderful contribution that analyses the birth dates of the Craven Week players and the current Springboks:

It has been known for some time and supported by several studies in different sporting codes that an athlete’s date of birth can determine their success at an elite level in that code. Studies have been done for soccer, Australian league and Canadian Ice hockey that I’m aware of.…

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WP winners of the 50th Craven Week

14 July, 2013 beet 11

WP CW u18 2013

By Shawn Belluigi

13 July 2013  Western Province beat the Golden Lions 45-29 in the unofficial final of the 2013 Coca-Cola Craven Week in Polokwane on Saturday.

The win meant that Western Province became the only team at the week to win all three of their games, and they were rewarded with the inclusion of seven of their players in the SA Schools team that was announced at the end of the tournament.…

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Craven Week 2013 : all the results

13 July, 2013 beet 0
DAY DATE TIME TEAM TEAM
1 08/07/2013 08h30 Griquas 17 35 Zimbabwe
1 08/07/2013 10h00 Border 38 20 Namibia
1 08/07/2013 11h30 WP 40 24 Pumas
1 08/07/2013 13h00 Blue Bulls 46 22 KZN
1 08/07/2013 15h30 Limpopo Blue Bulls 26 31 Boland
2 09/07/2013 9h30 EP CD 31 10 Leopards
2 09/07/2013 11h00 Griquas CD 51 0 Border CD
2 09/07/2013 12h30 Valke 37 37 Griffons
2 09/07/2013 14h00 Lions 34 27 SWD
2 09/07/2013 15h30 EP 21 32 Free State
3 10/07/2013 09h30 Namibia 27 10 Griquas
3 10/07/2013 11h00 Limpopo 5 43 Zimbabwe
3 10/07/2013 12h30 Border 39 19 Boland
3 10/07/2013 14h00 KZN 18 40 Pumas
3 10/07/2013 15h30 Blue Bulls 6 30 WP
4 11/07/2013 09h30 Leopards 64 0 Border CD
4 11/07/2013 11h00 Valke 44 24 Griquas CD
4 11/07/2013 12h30 Griffons 26 20 EPCD
4 11/07/2013 14h00 EP 14 40 SWD
4 11/07/2013 15h30 Free State 19 20 Golden Lions
5 13/07/2013 09h15 Zimbabwe 10 33 Namibia
5 13/07/2013 09h15 Limpopo Blue Bulls 36 39 Eastern Province CD
5 13/07/2013 09h15 Border CD 5 94 Griquas
5 13/07/2013 10h45 Border 14 77 KwaZulu Natal
5 13/07/2013 10h45 Griffons 34 27 Boland
5 13/07/2013 10h45 Griquas CD 17 34 Leopards
5 13/07/2013 12h15 Blue Bulls 29 37 SWD
5 13/07/2013 12h15 Eastern Province 29 18 Valke
5 13/07/2013 13h45 Free State 22 25 Pumas
5 13/07/2013 15h15 Western Province 45 29 Golden Lions
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SA Schools rugby team 2013

13 July, 2013 beet 160
# NAME TEAM SCHOOL
1 Ox Nche Free State Louis Botha
1 Thabani Mtsi Border Selborne
1 Thomas du Toit WP HJS Paarl
2 Daniel du Plessis WP HJS Paarl
2 Francois Steyn Bulls Affies
2 Joseph Dweba Lions Florida
3 Conraad van Vuuren Pumas Nelspruit
3 Ruan Kramer Free State Grey College
4 Daniel du Preez KZN Kearsney
5 Abongile Nonkwantana Bulls St Albans
5 JD Schickerling WP Paarl Gim
6 PJ Toerien Bulls Garsfontein
6 Refiole Rampeta Free State Louis Botha
7 Jacques Vermeulen WP Paarl Gim
7 Jean-Luc du Preez KZN Kearsney
8 Rikus Bothma WP Paarl Gim
9 Justin Phillips Bulls Waterkloof
9 Remu Malan Outeniqua SWD
10 Brandon Thomson Pumas Ermelo
10 Dewald Human SWD Outeniqua
11 Duhan vd Merwe SWD Outeniqua
12 Warrick Gelant SWD Outeniqua
12 Daniel du Plessis WP Paul Roos
13 Leolin Zas Boland Hermanus
13 Jurie Linde Bulls Affies
14 Grant Hermanus WP Paarl Gim
15 Malcolm Jaer EP Die Brandwag
15 EW Viljoen Free State Grey College
ADDED Free State Grey College
15 RG Snyman Bulls Affies
15 Marco van Vuuren Valke Transvalia
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SA Schools Squad 2013 announcement to come.

13 July, 2013 beet 13

A highlight of the final day of Craven Week has always been the announcing of the SA Schools team, following the unofficial final. It has been confirmed that this year 28 players will be picked. Although Academy Week players will be considered, unless they were absolutely brilliant at Academy Week, chances are there will be no Academy Week players included in the SA Schools team.…

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Craven Week finalists over the years

13 July, 2013 beet 10

UPDATED.

# TEAM P W D L PF PA PD
1 Western Province 20 12 0 8 382 352 30
2 Free State 17 8 0 9 317 275 42
3 Blue Bulls 9 7 0 2 221 144 77
4 Golden Lions 9 4 1 4 139 160 -21
5 Eastern Province 7 2 1 5 110 116 -6
6 Pumas 4 2 0 2 66 57 9
7 South Western Districts 3 2 0 1 69 67 2
8 KwaZulu-Natal 3 1 1 1 53 76 -23
9 Boland 3 1 0 2 44 43 1
10 Golden Lions 3 0 0 3 46 120 -74
11 Griffons 2 1 0 1 16 31 -15
12 Border 2 0 1 1 22 23 -1
13 Pumas 1 1 0 0 19 18 1
14 Leopards 1 0 0 1 9 16 -7
15 Valke 1 0 0 1 19 30 -11
16 Griquas 1 0 0 1 0 11 -11

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Craven Week 2013: Final Day fixtures

13 July, 2013 beet 69

A Noord – Suid final after all.

DATE, TIME TEAM TEAM DETAILS
Sat, 13 July 2013
09h15 Zimbabwe 10 33 Namibia
09h15 Limpopo Blue Bulls 36 39 Eastern Province CD
09h15 Border CD 5 94 Griquas
10h45 Border 14 77 KwaZulu Natal
10h45 Griffons 34 27 Boland
10h45 Griquas CD 17 34 Leopards
12h15 Blue Bulls 29 37 SWD
12h15 Eastern Province 29 18 Valke
13h45 Free State 22 25 Pumas
15h15 Western Province 45 29 Golden Lions
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Craven Week 2013: Day 4 fixtures

10 July, 2013 beet 462

 

DATE, TIME TEAM TEAM DETAILS
Thu, 11 July 2013
09h30 Leopards  64 0 Border CD
11h00 Valke  44 24 Griquas CD
12h30 Griffons  26  20 EPCD
14h00 EP  14 40 SWD
15h30 Free State  19 20 Golden Lions
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WP & KZN call up replacements

9 July, 2013 beet 5

Injuries in both the Western Province and KwaZulu-Natal camps have forced them to fly in replacement players for Craven Week at Polokwane in Limpopo Province.…

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Craven Week 2013: Day 2

8 July, 2013 beet 82
DATE, TIME TEAM TEAM DETAILS
Tue, 09 July 2013
09h30 EP CD 31 10 Leopards A surprisingly one-sided match in the first half. The emphasis seemed to be on cohesion. The EPCD are predominately from just 2 achieving schools – St Andrews and Marlow – making it a lot easier for the team to gel. The Leopards don’t have a high flying team and their strength appears to be from drawing players many different schools and bonding them. In the first half the EPCD structures and understanding was better. They produced good carries and generated a lot of go-forward. Their counter-ruck was also very good and in flyhalf Jason Vers they found a player to dictate play and make things happen. The Leopards looked far more composed in the second half. They protected ball and attacked off the fringes. At 21-10 they missed 2 crucial opportunities to score a try which might have changed the complexion of the game. Instead EPCD repelled them and scored 2 late tries.
11h00 Griquas CD 51 0 Border CD  One-way traffic. One really has to feel for the Border CD players and also wonder what the point is. For the sake of quality and achieving the desired objective it’s time to replace the Border CD with a second Western Province team
12h30 Valke 37 37 Griffons  Quiet an incredible game of rugga. The Griffons caused a major surprise by taking the match to the highly rated Valke team. Good well-drilled phase play set the platform for continued attacks. It really looked like the Valke had underestimated the Griffons. At halftime the Griffons led 23-10. The Valke lifted their standard of play in the 2nd half. Reduced the deficit to 23-17 before the Griffons capitalised on Valke mistakes to extend the lead to 37-24 with just a few minutes left. Somehow the Valke managed to score 2 unconverted tries and a penalty at the death to level the score. Amazingly there was still time to play after this scoring and Griffons man of the match Shaun Reynolds missed a last ditch penalty to win it. Marco Holmes of the Valke impressed with strong ball carries.
14h00 Lions 34 27 SWD
15h30 EP 21 32 Free State
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Ruan Potgieter in hunt for SA Schools

8 July, 2013 beet 11

 

Ruan Potgieter, Ruan Potgieterns Craven Week Flyhalf, will be in the hunt for the SA Schools no 10 jersey when participating in this year’s Craven Week in Polokwane.

Potgieter, now in Grade 12 at Dr.EG Jansen in Boksburg, will be attending his second craven week this year, as he was also the flyhalf in last year’s competition at only 16 years old, and ending at 6th overall on most points scored in the tournament.

Article by Rynand Weyers

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No Noord vs Suid in u18 Craven Week 2013 final

8 July, 2013 beet 11

Just in case you didn’t already know this, the Blue Bulls and Western Province will NOT be playing in this year’s Craven Week final. I guess this one brings the glass half full or half empty concept into play.…

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Craven Week 2013: Day 1 results

8 July, 2013 beet 29
DATE, TIME TEAM TEAM DETAILS
Mon, 08 JULY 2013
08h30 Griquas  17 35 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe caused quite an upset in an untidy game. Structurally the neighbouring country’s team was really good at times and produced some pleasing plays. Zim left wing Matukwa’s try was the result of excellent set move passing, handing and timing execution. Their contesting of the tackled ball was outstanding, helping them to win key turnovers. Griquas lacked cohesion and were their own worst enemies most of the time. Their setpeices weren’t good, they made basic handling errors, they failed miserably in attempts to protect the ball at the breakdown and they fell off regulation tackles. The margin between the teams would have been larger had Zimbabwe not had a player unfairly sinbinned – Griquas scored 14 points (their only 2 tries) during this spell.
10h00 Border  38 20 Namibia A good contest. It was 24-20 with less than 10 minutes to go. Both teams made errors which stopped the flow at times but the speed and urgency made this game a lot better than the one before. Namibia proved to be no pushovers. They did some good things. Border’s passing out wide needs a bit of work and their scrum struggled a bit. Otherwise they produced quite a few team tries. Flyhalf Lungelo Gosa brought his super stepping ability to Limpopo province. Centre Simila Jho won man of the match. There was also a good performance by flank Jerwyn Harty. Namibian flyhalf Chris Arries looked decent and it’s a pity that the guys out wide could not get more and better quality ball.
11h30 WP  40 24 Pumas Awesome game. The first half was high tempo and action packed. Pumas dominating the collisions and tight forwards doing exceptionally well with loosies making big contributions. WP backs are creative, quick and lethal. Their speed of execution is exceptional. At the start of the 2nd half, defences improved and errors started to creep into the game. WP showed more composure though and ended up scoring a further 3 tries to stretch their narrow halftime lead of 19-17 to a comprehensive one. Inside centre Daniel du Plessis proved just what a class act he is by not only scoring 4 tries but doing so many positive things during his time on the ball. There were some other excellent performers. Stand outs included Pumas flank Daniel Maartens and his skipper at TH Conraad van Vuuren, while WP had halfbacks Damian Stevens and Dennis Cox to thank for some smart play. WP wing Grant Hermanus and Pumas scrummy Rowan Gouws also worth looking out for as the tournament progresses.
13h00 Blue Bulls  46 22 KZN The wind picked up for this game. The first half quality could have been better yet there were some very memorable moments. KZN no.8 Ayron Schramm continued to impress with 2 bits of brilliant individualism, both resulting in tries. The Bulls lock RG Snyman showed x-factor of his own. It’s become a bit of a trademark of his but the huge boy continues to surprise all with his distribution skills. He provided 2 assists by being aware of where his support runners were after doing good work with ball in hand. 17-17 at the break turned into 46-22 at full time as the Bulls dominated the 2nd half. KZN struggled to get their hands on quality ball and the lineouts turned out to be a nightmare with KZN showing little innovation to help overcome tall timber of the Bulls that contested very well. For the Bulls, their outstanding centre combo of Franco Naude and Jurie Linde stood out but the foundation was laid by some good forward play. They were strong in the set pieces and backed it up with good consolidation at the breakdown. That said, there is still a bit of work ahead. Prospects look very bright for this Bulls team though.
15h30 Limpopo Blue Bulls  26 31 Boland A highly entertaining game. The winner was hard to pick. Both teams went for it. Defences could have been better at times though. Boland are able to secure good set-piece ball. Their lineout was particularly good. They also produced some slick handling plays and were very dangerous in broken play. Captain Hanro Liebenberg featured prominetly. The Limpopo Bulls have a never-say-die attitude about them and seem to thrive on drives around the fringes. Limpopo flyhalf Andries Bruwer seemed to be the catalyst in most things good. He was confident and added much value. Late in the game centre JP van Wyk came into his own as well. The game produced an exciting finish with the lead switching hands a few times late on and the game ending with Limpopo being held up over the Boland line in their last gasp attempt to win the match.
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SWD wins Academy Week final but…

7 July, 2013 beet 5

Should they have even been allowed to play in that final?

This is a first hand account by a parent who attended Academy Week and witnessed the game between SWD and WP on match day 2, which SWD scraped home by 22-19 but appeared to break the quota rules in doing so:…