Global Schools Challenge 2024 – humble beginnings…

…with the promise of bigger and better things to come (watch this space).

Organising a school rugby festival is no small feat, and launching a new event is an especially daunting challenge. Credit must go to the fledgling Global Rugby Challenge festival for getting this December’s event at Grey College off the ground despite numerous obstacles. Earlier in the year, verbal and signed commitments had been secured from several schools in New Zealand, the UK, and Ireland. However each fell out for their own reasons.

The festival will feature a draft system where players from smaller schools, as well as lower-ranked teams from larger schools, will get the chance to compete and gain exposure. Players will only find out which team they’ve been selected for on 12 December when they will be called up on stage to receive their jerseys, much like the American draft system.

The competition will be a knockout format, with both Cup and Plate trophies up for grabs.

The Premier Schools Division was initially intended to feature three local teams against three international teams. However, after the late withdrawal of Kings College and St John’s from Harare, organisers managed to secure Denstone (Eng), the defending champions of the St Joseph’s Festival, and Hamilton U18, a local team, to fill the spots. Although Hamilton is a local team, they bring strong players and will provide high-level competition for the other teams.

Strathallan from Scotland, an emerging rugby programme, will also be part of the competition, alongside Grey College, Grey High, and Oakdale from South Africa. From the perspective of the local schools, the festival is seen as an important development programme, with a focus on testing team combinations ahead of the upcoming season. No trophies will be awarded for this division, but a team of the tournament and player of the tournament will be named at the end of the competition.

Games will be live streamed on Supersport Schools for local audiences and Rugbypass app for international audiences.

GLOBAL SCHOOLS CHALLENGE
Sat.14Dec	INV	UXI Griquas	vs	Vryburg XV	INV	Global S/C – Inv QF
Sat.14Dec	INV	Connect XV	vs	Urban Warriors	INV	Global S/C – Inv QF
Sat.14Dec	INV	NextGenXV	vs	Toti XV	INV	Global S/C – Inv QF
Sat.14Dec	INV	UXI Free State	vs	Peaches XV	INV	Global S/C – Inv QF
Sat.14Dec	RSA	Oakdale	vs	Strathallan	SCO	Global Schools Challenge
Sat.14Dec	RSA	Grey College	vs	Hamilton u18	INV	Global Schools Challenge
Sat.14Dec	RSA	Grey HS	vs	Denstone	ENG	Global Schools Challenge
Mon.16Dec	INV	Match 1 Loser	vs	Match 2 Loser	INV	Global S/C – Inv Plate SF
Mon.16Dec	INV	Match 3 Loser	vs	Match 4 Loser	INV	Global S/C – Inv Plate SF
Mon.16Dec	INV	Match 1 Winner	vs	Match 2 Winner	INV	Global S/C – Inv Cup SF
Mon.16Dec	INV	Match 3 Winner	vs	Match 4 Winner	INV	Global S/C – Inv Cup SF
Mon.16Dec	RSA	Grey College	vs	Denstone	ENG	Global Schools Challenge
Mon.16Dec	RSA	Grey HS	vs	Strathallan	SCO	Global Schools Challenge
Mon.16Dec	RSA	Oakdale	vs	Hamilton u18	INV	Global Schools Challenge
Wed.18Dec	TBA	TBA	vs	TBA	TBA	Global S/C – Inv Plate 3rd/4th
Wed.18Dec	TBA	TBA	vs	TBA	TBA	Global S/C – Inv Plate Final
Wed.18Dec	TBA	TBA	vs	TBA	TBA	Global S/C – Inv Cup 3rd/4th
Wed.18Dec	TBA	TBA	vs	TBA	TBA	Global S/C – Inv Cup Final
Wed.18Dec	RSA	Grey HS	vs	Hamilton u18	INV	Global Schools Challenge
Wed.18Dec	RSA	Oakdale	vs	Denstone	ENG	Global Schools Challenge
Wed.18Dec	RSA	Grey College	vs	Strathallan	SCO	Global Schools Challenge