Hypothetically, the schoolboy rugby season is called off due to Covid, however you have the chance to choose one last round of fixtures to proceed. Which match-ups would you most like to see take place?
Obviously there are some of the annual local derbies both new and old still outstanding:
Paarl Gymnasium vs Paarl Boys’ High
Oakdale vs Outeniqua
Durbanville vs Stellenberg
Bishops vs Rondebosch
St Andrew’s vs Kingswood
Dale vs Queen’s
DHS vs Glenwood
Hilton vs Michaelhouse
Diamantveld vs Noord-Kaap
Jeppe vs KES
St John’s vs St Stithians
Affies vs Waterkloof
Garsfontein vs Menlopark
Long distance derbies:
Boland Landbou vs Oakdale
Brandwag vs Nico Malan
Grey High vs Selborne
Grey College vs Affies or Paul Roos
Maritzburg College vs Pretoria Boys’ High
Or maybe just the high-flyers:
Paarl Gymnasium vs …
Grey College vs …
Oakdale vs …
Outeniqua vs …
Paarl Boys’ High vs …
Bishops vs …
EG Jansen vs …
Monnas vs …
Or just for the sadists out there:
Western Province Craven Week team vs …
@beet: that might work….
@Smallies: Stopping them: Unwillingness to defy the DBE.
What they are better off doing is organising their school teams into clubs bearing different names to the schools and playing as these clubs.
Since there is uncertainty about whether or not schools can still practice rugby on their own grounds, I think schools can and should continue with training. That would allow them to prepare a “club team” to play another “club team” on a ground that is not considered school property.
@beet: So what’s to stop schools to move their games to varsities and municipal fields where possible…
@Smallies: Yeah it’s more to do with two different bodies looking after an overlapping area. So the Dept of Education says no contact sport for schools but until SARU either says we will abide and restrict all players u18 or younger from playing rugby altogether, a boy can play rugby outside of school.
In Durban there is a school named Clifton that shares its main rugby and hockey fields with Varsity College, a few kms away from the school. So now a rugby boy may not run onto that same field as a representative of his school team but he may do so representing the Varsity College or any other club rugby team. Same applies for hockey I guess.
@Smallies: 🤣👊🏼
@beet: So covid het nou gemigrate van strande en parke en resturante na skool sport tereine ….snaaks dat covid nie van taxis ,busse ,en taverns hou nie ….dit moet die baie mense saamgepak in n klein area wees ,covid is mos bang vir dit en verkies wide open spaces….
@beet: this clearly illustrates the sheer stupidity and incompetence of our overlords….
@Running_Rugby1861: It seems like trials and even Craven Week can still go ahead provided neither activity is held on school premises.
Can Provincial trials still take place under current regulations or not, I’m guessing not. Because even if SA Rugby go the test all to play 3 games route, with out trials you can’t select a team to take part?
@tzavosky:
@beet: Eish, that sounds a bit like selling counterfeit cigarettes! (I bought leave tobacco that was sold as “cricket deterrent” during the hard lock down!)
By now everyone knows that school rugby has officially been suspended as of 19 May 2021.
As things stand, club rugby is still permitted. It may not be ideal but it does represent an opportunity for the schoolboys to continue playing rugby. Obviously they won’t be permitted to do so as representatives of their schools playing on school fields but as far as playing rugby is concerned, the door that is still open. Some of the big derbies mentioned above in the post above can still to go ahead if the initiative exists.
Guys let’s just wait and see, never know what DBE has too say.
@Oakdale supporter: Dit sal hartseer wees as dit nie gebeur nie….
@Smallies: Ek hoop regtig volgende week se Oakdale v Grey gaan afkom!
Grey v PRG
Gim v Boishaai
Oakdale v Boland Landbou
Monnas v Eg Jansen
Aliwal-north v Burgersdorp