The Sharks have put out a newsletter to confirm that it is all systems go for their inaugural KZN Top Schools Rugby Festival. The date for the event is 06 March. The venue is Kings Park. The 10 participating schools are Clifton, DHS, George Campbell, Glenwood, Kearsney, Maritzburg College, Northwood, Pionier, Port Natal and Westville. The promise made by the KZNRU: “this festival is going to become a successful and enjoyable addition to KZN’s sporting calendar”. The interpretation is that it is here to stay.
Schedule for Kings Park 06 March 2013:
16h30: Port Natal vs Pionier
17h20: George Campbell vs Clifton
18h10: DHS vs Northwood
19h00: Westville vs Kearsney
19h50: Glenwood vs Maritzburg College
Unfortunately not all the organising of the festival went according to plan. Very noticeably the “Top Schools” excludes Michaelhouse and Hilton. When it comes to producing players for senior professional rugby, Michaelhouse has been KZN’s most successful school in recent times, while Hilton has proven to be a better KZN rugby school than some of the schools that will be attending. The ball is in the court of these two Midlands schools and hopefully they will decide to form part of the future of this festival, so that the event can live up to it’s name. Also missing in action are a number of the smaller school and country districts schools. In the KZNRU’s defence it seems like there were a number of schools that were initially invited but had to pull out.
In terms of format, each game will consist of 2 chukkas of 20 minutes each. Teams are restricted to a max of 25 squad players. Rolling substitutes are allowed. The KZNRU encourages schools to use their game as a trial and to play enterprising rather than win at all costs rugby, which is both a good and responsible approach seeing that the full season is still ahead.
Entrance is free.
Good luck to the Sharks. This is one of several initiatives that they are undertaking to increase their presence and get a better understanding of what is going on in local school rugby. Hopefully they reap the benefits. If more talented players are persuaded to stay put and join the Sharks Academy once they finish school it will be a desired goal achieved.
@star: Ja. It will be a good contest. And maybe a good thing for the Kearsney team if the Doops don’t play because like it or not there is a stigma attached to the Doops playing in that it’s said they make the Kearsney team
@GreenBlooded: Yeah, you are right, everyone for himself, trying for a Sharks Academy place.
Wartburg Festival – perhaps see what we can anticipate for the year, not too sure though. Out of the way festival matches also tend to encourage “flair” you might otherwise not see, but the coaches will certainly be trying some game plans out.
@ Beet- Don’t Kearsney play NW this Saturday? (Home or Away?). If the twins are injured then it will be an interesting dog-fight.
@Gungets Tuft: I’m not taking these KP games very seriously – they will be an individual show-fest. Waste of time if you ask me – and unneccessary risk to the players before a long season. The game to watch this weekend will be College vs Westville as Wartburg. At least we are talking proper rugby. Might just make a turn there after trials………..
@Gungets Tuft: College is taking a very different looking team.
@beet: Expect quite a few new names from College. Cricketers, swimmers and polo players are all back.
@Westers: Hi Westers. I will try. They are going to be just squads tho.
I don’t foresee that Kearsney, Westville or College will change much from the teams they put out at Voortrekker and Glenwood shoud stick with the tried and tested as well.
@beet, Do you have any way of getting team lists for the games tomorrow night?
@star: Wouldn’t be a red-card – but I think that would fall under the referee’s discretion to not allow a player to continue due to medical concerns………
@CyndiAtRugby: Given the average age of the participants I nominate Florence Nightingale as the medic.
Everyone except for myself and Star will need to google that. I know because she was a junior nurse when I had my tonsils removed … told her to turn the damn lamp off, I was trying to sleep.
@star: Can you imagine being the medic on duty? It would be so very worthwhile though. “Old Boys Bloggers Rugby Tournament”
@ Cyndi- I do not think you would be able to keep a straight face with all the big talkers falling about the place. I think the pictures would have to be rated PG.
@star: I would certainly enjoy ‘shooting’ that game
Maybe Varsity Old Boys should play Westville Old Boys and then watch the massacre! Nah, I would love and Old Boys game, would be huge fun taking out many of my mates
@ Greenblooded-You would most probably red card me as I ran on for the way I looked-and so no
@star: Would you be happy with me as the referee??…….
@ Cyndi- It would be no contest. I would be able to sell Grassy a dummy all day long
We would have to get Gungets to do the commentary. Now that would be enjoyable
@Halfgreen: All the fixtures are on the website. Follow this link: http://glenwoodhighschool.co.za/sites/default/files/Glenwood%20Rugby%20Fixtures%202013%20(3)_0.pdf
@Grasshopper: It seems that you have missed my point. As there doesn’t seem to be a solution via the schools, maybe the 2 old boys groups should play each other
@Gungets Tuft: Mr Gungets Tuft, that K2 paddling story was beautifull.
Not only did I learn a lot about paddling, the lesson in live was also brilliant.
@Ploegskaar: Saw something in the paper today about it. Greenies will be up in arms. Silly arguments though, if all tourism stops because of shark attacks the subsistence fishermen will kill more fish than the nets ever did.
Out now – off to College for a skop.
@Gungets Tuft: So right, things have gotten so bad that I have skipped The Hoek, Kommetjie and Misty’s for the past few years. Fish Hoek will apparently even be getting shark nets shortly, FFS! Spelling noted, close enough for a Dutchie though.
@Ploegskaar: Tjaaarsuss ou Ploeg, the greycoats down your part of the world are a little off-putting bru. And wrapping myself in neoprene makes me feel like I need to go into British politics …
If you have never spearo’d at Vidal, or hooked a 30kg daga off a ski at Ballito then all you have done is frozen your vegetables for no reason. And we call ’em groyns esor, ugly groins are to be found at the Despatch rugby club.
@star: Ploeg thinks all front paddlers are on “crack” .. {snigger}
@Cyndi, I am more than happy to speak with Trevor Kershaw, Sean Erasmus, Tony Pinhiero, Graham Obeholzer whoever about what I say on here and will stick with it. In fact I have already spoken to Graham about alot or my grievances and he has looked into them. Old Boys should have a say, they don’t have to listen but if they don’t watch the cash flow dwindle and the OB’s sons go to different schools……it’s really a simple equation……piss of old boys then no money and no kids!
@ Gungets- What are you on today? Is the wife out of town perhaps
@Gungets Tuft: Oh, so you a goat-boater then? For your “sport” I would stick to the term rowing though, paddling is something that you do in a 4:3 wetsuit to catch a real heavy pip-breaker down the Weskus. You guys do a vaguely related sport between those ugly groins in Surf (industry) City as well, although surfing warm slop hardly compares.
Eish! I just arrived and just check all the difficult people here! Sounds like a bit of history I missed so I better go read up about it. Whats it called? The Battle of words or was it an incident?
Being a newbee at the harbour I better know my facts or might run into trouble. So whos library do I visit. Oh, just by the way! Need help. Who’s got or can direct me to the Glenwood under 15A and under 14A rugby side fixtures for the season. Need to do some planning and visit some remote offices for business! Talk to you soon.
@Ploegskaar: When I wrote that, I just knew … just knew … and that it would be you too. What is it about these Boland open spaces …. where is Beet with the tippex .. or is the word “tip” going to get you all sweaty as well ..?
And it is not rowing .. it is paddling. Rowing is where you get 2, 4, 8 okes, all following one oke called the “stroke”, and they have a cox when there are 8 of them. All of them need to listen to their cox.
Tsk, tsk, tsk – it is a boat thing I think … (stopping now cosYcos Beet is going to have a thrombosis …)
@CyndiAtRugby: You do not know who I am and you never will!!!! So do not generalise, I am a well behaved man at all Glenwood games!!!! I am the Invisible man!!!!
@Gungets Tuft: I know nothing about rowing, and after reading your analogy, will continue to avoid at all costs. Any sport where there is a back paddler (tail gunner seems more apt) that is required to discreetly increase stroke strength, is certainly not for me.
@Gungets Tuft: As always – your analogies and metaphors are out of the top drawer!!
@CyndiAtRugby: Thanks for all that parental advice – you remind me so much of my mother when I was a young-un. As for hiding behind a name, let me remind you that I am one of 2 bloggers on this forum who have openly stated their identities. I am not ashamed, embarrassed or unwilling to bear scrutiny or have a debate with anyone on anything I have ever posted here.
@GreenBlooded: And so my point of social media blogging is made
To go back to my point – it hasn’t been resolved over all these months of moaning, so either move on. The game is just not going to happen officially this year.
The second point is, just because you change your name doesn’t make you invisible. Everyone knows who 90% of you are and who your kids is. THINK before you INK – high school rugby is about the kids at school and has an impact on them. If this blog is not for the kids, then Beet needs to make it a closed blog.
@GreenBlooded: Reminds me of paddling in a K2 (double). The back paddler (just like the spectator at rugby) has a limited role. That is to paddle (like an Evenrude motor) and to loudly congratulate the front paddler (who does all the steering) on the excellent decisions and lines. In the unlikely event the front paddler does take a slightly wonky line (unlikely, cosYcos front paddlers are Pope’ish in their infallibility), then the role of the oke in the back is a diplomatic silence and increased stroke strength.
So, the parents cheer the good stuff, shoosh when the lighties make the odd error, and enjoy the fact that their kids know when their decisions are not 100% and they are learning under their own steam (all good for the times that daddy is not going to be there to put them right – and all of if non-fatal). Loads of parents like that, and good on them. May they propser and their numbers multiply many-fold, and be a shining example to fatty dad who is so disappointed with his own youth (he is probably taking after his own dad!!). There, I’ve said it ..
Jeez – is it just me or does this site change spelling?
@CyndiAtRugby: I am one of them and I make no appologies for that. I DESTEST hyprcrits and people with crafty agendas which are not in the interested of fair play. Sorry if that stance offends you.
The social media upset which you refer to did involve me and you know exactly how it involved me yet you simply leave it hanging that I was just ‘involved’. If you are going to dig up old bones on a public platform, please tell the whole story – not the half intended to make me look bad.
@GreenBlooded: Actually there are only about 3 or 4 people on this blog who keep harping on about this game and it hasn’t changed anything. If memory serves me correctly, there was HUGE upset with a social media debate which included you, that had negative repercussions. I have heard a lot from those people about this game, but not much elsewhere – not from players or parents of players of either side.
The College/Glenwood is that way it should be done and is what we should all strive towards.
@Gungets Tuft: There is nothing more frustrating for a coach than to try and get boys to play to a certain gameplan only to have Daddy shouting contradictory instructions to his boykie from the sideline. So instead of the backline move which you had planned running through, Daddy’s little scrummie darts through, get’s smoked by the No 8 and knocks the ball on. Had a few extreme cases of this in my time and they never seem to get the message. Let the coach do the coaching. Unfortunately the little guys are far more eager to impress Dad than they are to impress Coach – so Coach always get’s the shaft.
We need to distinguish the vicarious parent from the parent who is just out their to support his kid though. We don’t want to end up painting the parent who goes out to support his boy with some positive motivation with the sme brush. Parents needs to understand that the kid plays for his own enjoyment – not the satisfaction of the parent.
@CyndiAtRugby: Sorry – when I say “you” I mean my target audience, not you personally. My target audience is standing on the sideline bellowing instructions to the boys and coach, abusing the ref and the opposition. They know who they are.
@CyndiAtRugby: Cyndi – perhaps, but schools can’t keep introducing cooling off periods when leadership fails. There was huge potential for aggro last year between the College and Glenwood U15’s and 1st’s that was defused by solid and principled leadership from the two headmasters and the respective coaches. At both matches Steve La Marque and the College coach very publicly got both teams together into a circle (not sure if it was a prayer – Steve was the head of the boarder RE stuff so it cuold have been), but whatever it was, it defused a lot of possible tension. We have said it before, the leaders need to lead, publicly, or all sorts of flotsam get sucked into the vacuum. Then parents need to grow up and stop trying to live vicariously. If you were k#k at school you gain nothing from your boy being good. If you consistently lost at school that water has long since flowed under the bridge. I suggest you cross the same bridge and move along.
@CyndiAtRugby: Ja – either you are a fan of social media and blogging or you are not. The fact is when there are controversial issues in play, people will talk, discuss, theorise, hypthesise, argue, comment and otherwise wax lyrical. Human nature. If it is not happening on the blogs, it will still be happening on the stands and in the car parks so ‘the various blogs’ can’t be held up as the bad guy in this. Humans are what we are. Look at all the conjecture and passion flying about on the Oscar story. Sorry to be the first one to shoot you down.
GreenHopper & Greenblooded
Must echo your sentiments about Westville – There is no doubt Westville is a great school – good in sport and Academics & probably one of the best all round Govt schools in SA
Comments about being aloof ring true – I’ve seen it & felt it and other nuetrals have commented about this – the knife went deep last year and while we Glenwood blokes can get over things and move on there is some feeling of negativity towards W’ville
At the Gelofte nite series last year – the Friday before The Westville game I was chatting to some Westville boys about the game the next day and they kept on harping on about the Westville 1st team being basically a “2nd ” team for the match – I got the impression that they were primed to say this – just in case they lost ! – say no more !!
@Gungets Tuft: I will probably be shouted down for this comment, but I am rather relieved that the game is not happening this year for exactly that reason. The things that happened off the field last year gives great cause for a cooling off period before something major happens.
IMHO we need to move on from this as it is the various blogs which strengthen the animosity.
@Grasshopper: Okay sorry I thought you’d got the inside scoop there.
@Grasshopper:
Yeah no doubt that BJ was a success story but I meant in the late noughties where SBR has become SOOOO serious.
Glenwood do have an 8th man from KZN Development.
Love them sayings, Dieu et mon droit etc…
Yah GWD U15 are good, just like our U16. Interesting that DHS won the 1st encouter between the two by more than 100 runs so GWD have obviously improved loads.
@Beet, all I am aware of is the KZN Development No8 and he is not even guaranteed a start, maybe a bit light. I don’t know of any others, you are closer to Sean than me so can you share anything?
@Grasshopper: Haha Hopper. What have you found out? Remarkable how you have IDed a prop, hooker, lock. What about a no.8? And another prop perhaps
@Horsy, our Under15A’s are unbeaten, 8 from 8 so not a bad showing from DHS. I think all the games have been pretty close though….just a few runs or a couple of wickets..
@Horsy, true true. I am hoping Glenwood have not brought in too many players, max 3 and they must have been in grade 10 last year. Mike Van Aardt was a success for us. What about BJ Botha for DHS in the 90’s, he was brought in for grade 12 from Kloof, he must be considered a success story. If Glenwood have got players, hopefully it’s a lock, prop or hooker. Yes, all schools have great motto’s and sayings, Deo Fretus, Nihil Humani Alienum, Carpe Diem, Incepto Ne Desistum etc. We all played for the badge and pride of the school we represented…..
RESULT:
DHS U15A lost by one wicket to Glenwood in a game I’m told went down to the last over.
Well done lads, better luck next time.
@Grasshopper:
Yes we have your classic Michaelhouse type of fixture list. Good and manageable, small too!
Haha! It is also the truth though, bought players have rarely brought success stories with them. Mbembe turned out to be a nightmare, a couple others weren’t too good too. Only success stories were Edward Mongwambe( Craven Week 2011) and Leroux Van Zyl who was bought in grade 9.
Better to just stick with what you got. If they are good then great, the beer will definitely go down better but if they aren’t then its OK too as long as they go down with passion and pride and be good ambassadors for School.
We know our time is coming and greatness isn’t rushed. Till then all I ask for is the boys to never forget that badge that they are representing because as is written in the DHS Hall:
“May each and everyone of them ever remember that as he is, so is his school”
@Horsy, love the jibe ‘none of our players are bought’. Jeez, that could not be more of a blantant jibe at the local rivals. The fixture list is not that challenging, but if DHS are building then that is a good approach. The key for DHS this year is to get as many grade 10 and 11’s playing as possible. Obviously, grade 12’s too so to have at least 5 open sides. Really good luck to the coach, he is going to have a tough year but hopefully the Old boys and management stick with him for at least 3 years to give him a chance….
http://www.rugbynewssa.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1084:dhs-building-on-up&catid=8&Itemid=100009
DHS RUGBY FIXTURES 2013
DATE FIXTURE VENUE
6 March 1st XV vs Northwood Kings Park (KZNRU Festival)
9 March KZN Development Home
16 March Port Natal/Pinetown Pinetown
21 March Vryheid Away (A&B Teams Only)
27 ‐ 30 March GLENWOOD FESTIVAL U16A/U15A/U14A Teams Only
30 March ‐ 3 April COLLEGE 150TH FESTIVAL 1ST TEAM ONLY
20 April MARITZBURG COLLEGE Away
27 April WESTVILLE Home
4 May PARKTOWN Away (A&B Teams Only)
11 May NORTHWOOD Home
18 May GLENWOOD Home
22 May CLIFTON Away
25 May ST CHARLES Away
1 June KEARSNEY Away
8 June HILTON Home (FOUNDERS DAY)
15 June MICHAELHOUSE Away (A&B Teams Only)
@beet: Hahhha. It is like the old story about 3 English footbal teams having swearwords in their names. Sc#nthorpe. Ars3nal and Manchester @#$#%% United
@Woltrui: You got some great Varsity Cup Young Guns to keep you going till the season starts + most things are done and dusted down here by the July holidays when you guys are just taking a break.
Ai ja jai. We up north are green with envy.
You Durbs boitjies are already playing competative rugby while we must be happy with this Super 15 (or whatever) “getjommel”. Affies are only playing trails on the 9th of March.
If it wasnt for the fact that all the beautifull girls of SA is staying in Pretoria I would have pulled my roots and headed down south.
@Gungets Tuft: I’ve come up with some creative automated tippexing of my own now. However if people start talking about the great performances of the scholarship player in the MHS u14s or the Kearsney u16 scrummy it might just backfire.
@beet: Tippex ….
.. your wish is my command … 
@Grasshopper:
Unfortunately DHS doesn’t have an U16 side so they won’t get the chance next year.
Also, DHS and Clifton sides had 6 players each in KZN U14 team whilst GWD only had 2 players make it as NTR’s
@Horsy, give Steve La Marque another year with them and they will be turning those narrow losses to wins…..
@Grasshopper:
Yeah true but a good win anyway for DHS.
Haha kind of feel sorry for your u15s. If it were not for DHS and Clifton they would be the best. They literally smash everyone else out there and lose to just these two. They even beat a good St Johns team!!
@Gungets Tuft: Hey man. No more creative spelling. It’s enough that Ploegskaar is able to use the words in all variants and tenses.
@All Black: Bwahha .. there is a panel-beaters right next door (cirrius – Flannagans) where I drop my crash victims cars off. Often see that branded DHS vehicle there so I know it isn’t extra maths.
Perhaps they sell pencils there?? … or just put lead into them … {checking over at Beet to see if he is going to arrive with his Tippex …}
@Horsy, to be fair the Glenwood 1st team waterpolo is far weaker than last year. Some good Under15’s comign through though. Well done to your golf team too, good win there.
@star:
They were last year. You can’t ALWAYS have the best guys… Last year their squad was unbeaten. The only loss was the stayers side in November.
They will be back on top in 2 years. Their U15s have won every tournament they’ve entered thus far. U14 and U16 although good, not up to Clifton standard.
@ Horsy- I see that Clifton lost to PBHS in water polo. I thought they were the benchmark in SA
@Gungets Tuft: Does Teazers still operate? I will take it that you just happened to drive past and saw that it does still operate.
Just as a small point. College had a few problems with Glenwood last year. A meeting was set, parameters agreed upon and hands were shaken. The two schools played to two draws and this year will meet 3 times. Good precedent I would think.
Well done to DHS 1st water polo for beating Glenwood 11-8 and Kloof 18-2.
They’ve only lost once thus far so they most def having a good season!
Also well done to the Golf side which I think is unbeaten!
@GreenBlooded: Agreed. Just make the f***s arm-wrestle or something, or take them down to Teazers and have an independent expert give a definitive answer on size.
Old Mrs Brickhill (pbuh), my grade 3 class teacher, sorted out childish kak like this better than the grown ups.
@Grasshopper: No – for heaven’s sake leave the DoE out of it. Remember how they over-reacted to the taxi accidents by banning all school travel? The last thing we want is them to ban all school sport in KZN for a year to ‘investigate these issues’.
The Westville vs Glenwood standoff is a sad story but both schools have moved on quickly to replace the fixtures, Westville vs PBHS and Glenwood vs Monnas. Seems a mad scenario where schools that are within 10k of each other have to look for fixtures in Gauteng. Anyway, no headmaster is there forever so lets hope the next lot at both schools can move on. It seems Fennel could move on but Hall or Kershaw can’t. What’s even more stupid is that Kershaw lives in Westville and I think is a well known Westville resident (stand to be corrected). Also, these boys are going to need to play together come Craven Week time, we can’t have animosity causing us to do badly at Craven Week. It’s something a higher authority needs to sort, maybe even the Minister of Education, does anyone have a contact there? Maybe even try via a member of parliament……both schools are still partially Gov owned, the grounds are so they would need to listen to the gov…
@GreenBlooded: And bound to boil over the first time they play. The boys will be spurred on by their parents … bad recipe …
@Amalekite: Ja – the story is closed and we should move on. In light of the animosity which currently exists between the 2 schools I think it will be a while before people stop talking about it. Bad situation.
@Grasshopper: Look in your day, it may have been the case. I am talking about the present.
@star: What I meant was: I could not agree more regarding the Marne subject being closed after a year. It has been like a dripping tap. Time to move on.
@Grasshopper: …..or even the private schools like Hilton, Michaelhouse and Kearsney where you would expect such aloofness. I know EXACTLY what you are talking about on that point.
@Star, OK hate is a strong word. Let’s just say Westville dislike Glenwood alot as we are a thorn in their side. Westville Old Boys pumped tons of money into the school to put in place a professional sporting structure expecting over night success, but Glenwood had the same plans and improved at the same time giving Westville a good run for their money. It frustrated Westville that their ‘poor’ neighbours down by the harbour were getting success too. I am mates with many Westville Old boys and they tell me exactly how Westville feels. i like that there is some heat between schools otherwise games would be boring but Westville and Trevor Hall genuinely don’t like being challenged by another Gov school in the area. I may be wrong but that is what it feels like. I still remember walking around Westville as a kid in my Green Glenwood blazer and being looked down upon and getting remarks…….the tension has been there for years. Nothing like that happens with College, Northwood etc…
@star: Oh come now mate – Westville knew about Marne since the previous year. Why wait until the Thursday before the game to bring up the issue? Tell me that was not ‘by design’ to maximise disruption? Crafty ***** Trevor Hall. Anyway – let’s kiss and make up on this. It was a long time ago.
@ Amalekite- You must not be so accommodating to old ” hot” blooded.”
“No space on the scoreboard for comments”. Look at the paragraph above and the comments made.” Designed” equals intent, which created the disruption( excuse) and the more “honourable”.Well I never :mrgreen:I honestly think there was as much disruption to the Westville players and a lot more pressure to succeed given the situation I think it was Grassy that said Westville hate GW and that is the reason there are no matches currently. He also said it was a given. I am a WOB for over 30 years now and I cannot ever remembering hating GW. Mature or not I am not going to allow to be told how I feel and that it is a given. I suppose the other side of the coin is love and as you will see we will all kiss and make up as the season goes.Even have a beer or two.
@GreenBlooded: Could not agree with you more.
@Amalekite: Hey – whatever. Westville’s actions at the 11th hour were designed to cause a major disruption to Glenwood and they did exactly that. Glenwood were more honourable here if you ask me – they conceded to Westville’s whinge so that the game could go on and so put playing ahead of winning.
As I always say – no space on the scoreboard for comments. Westville won. Lets just leave it at that – pointless starting this whole debate again.
@GreenBlooded: The ” dubious ” circumstances could have been avoided, if the school that felt hard done by, had decided to boycott the game. Instead, they went ahead and lost. They still have not got over it, and time will tell how long it will take for them to do so. Had they won the game, chances are, things would not have spiralled out of control to this point. Time to get over it, move on and look positively ahead in the interest of the boys. If it was up to the boys, this is what they would do. They are a lot more mature than most of the adults in this case.
Concerning the ” massive match first off last season too and that worked out pretty well for you “, I beg to differ. Westville’s season in 2012 was below par for their standards, as was the season of the sore losers.
@All Black: Interesting comments around The Sharks not wanting to travel. A friend of a friend told me that the KZNRU is kind of ‘dead’ i.e. nobody working in that department. If its true it will mean that the amateur arm is not functioning?!? So, who then cares if Club or School rugby is still functioning effectively in the outskirts of KZN as The Sharks are all about The Sharks. The match at Woodburn was a great example of taking the game to the people vs trying to sentralise Rugby at KP. Also, not the first time I heard that the employees at KP are not to keen to drive past the tollgate.
@Engelsman: If memory serves you had a massive match first off last season too and that worked out pretty well for you – albeit under very dubious circumstances.
@Engelsman, I wouldn’t read too much into these early season results. As the article says, I think most schools will use these warm-up games as an opportunity to try out combinations and give game time to as many prospects as possible. 20 minutes each way is hardly a match with a squad of 25 and rolling subs. It will give us, the spectators, an idea of the talent on offer. This is a great initiative and hopefully Hilton and MHS come on board in the future.
Some big clashes coming very early in the season. Westville vs Kearsney so soon, many of the boys will be coming off a cricket season straight into a major clash, not so sure if its too clever.
@HORSEFLY NO.1: @HORSEFLY NO.1: This festival has run for the past few years (not exactly sure how many). The interesting thing is all the A teams (or those who’s parents can afford it) will be in the Cape. Stellenbosch has an U14 festival, Boishaai is U15 and Paarl Gim U16. Guess the Western Cape are bringing the shopping to them
What is this Glenwood rugby festival thats happening this year for u14,u15 and u16??
DHS are participating as per our recently released fixtures
Heard about this last week. Should be good!
Also realize that school will use this as trials so let’s not get too excited now!
College vs Glenwood won’t be anything like the real thing!
Think Sharks realise how big this is and are try to cash in and monopolise
@All Black: Thats a good one
@badboy: Would have to be an office overlooking the field. They dont get out much.
@Queenian: If it was Old JJS we would see you there then i suppose.
@BOG: Is that at OG or old old JJS
@badboy: On Saturday, are they having the Noggin (Gathering of OGs for outsiders) before or after the match, Cheetahs vs Sharks?
Maybe they should just station one of there scouts permamently at Grey Bloem the Sharks seem to be like a old Grey Club.
Sorry Bulls you lost out
@Gungets Tuft: Pretty good assessment.
@All Black: If it wasn’t being held at Kings Park it would be too far for the lard-arses to travel. I reckon the newspaper has to be delivered to the dunny, they read the reports from the U20’s from the Free State and others, make a phone call mid-dump and buy the players.
@beet: I am waiting for the day that the Craven Week trials are moved to Durban because it is too far for the Sharks guys to travel to PMB.
@All Black: Throw in a social event and a photographer to take his pic at the party and this festival becomes like a dream come true for Garth Giles, the convenor of KZN selectors.
I think the aim was initially to get all the small schools and CD schools involved so that the talent that exists there could be showcased but many of them dropped out, so they had to restyle the festival.
But I think a rugby day involving as many KZN teams as possible at the Stadium is a good idea.
College vs Glenwood 3 times a year – not so great.
@Greenwood: True. It would have been good. I think one more disagreement and the scheduling would have been difficult. I would also have loved to have seen DHS vs Campbell.
Not quite sure what this festival is all about? Is this the Sharks trying to get all the talent at one venue so that they dont have to travel? Not that anyone did before. That means Glenwood and College play each other 3 times in the year and Glenwood and Westville dont play each other? I am not surprised that MHS are not involved. They dont want to play too much rugby. 12 matches last year was way too much. Man up MHS.
I think we should bribe the organisers to rearrange a game or 2 here
How about Westville vs Glenwood being snuck in here – even better put up a boxing ring and let the 2 Trevors have it out at half time