BIGGEST 1ST XV SCHOOL RUGBY FESTIVAL IN SOUTH AFRICA
The biggest just seems to get better every year!
The Tony Stoops Rugby Festival is the biggest 1st XV rugby festival in South Africa. This year’s tournament looked like it had maxed out with a record 33 schools taking part. Not so. Next year no fewer than 44 schools are lined up. That is incredible!
The TSRF will have it’s very own Tier-1 match-ups for the first time in its 7th year of existence. HJS Paarl Boys High, Noord-Kaap, Rondebosch and Wynberg are in the mix and when coupled with the likes of Tygerberg and Swartland, should produce some highly entertaining games to watch. Here is the Day-1 A-field schedule which is as good if not better than what the other school rugby festival around the country have to offer.
Results from the top games from this year’s tournament
| DAY | DATE | SCHOOL | SCHOOL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | 29/03/2014 | De Kuilen | 16 | 10 | Oudtshoorn |
| Sat | 29/03/2014 | Rondebosch | 21 | 0 | Worcester Gim |
| Sat | 29/03/2014 | Tygerberg | 26 | 20 | Sasolburg |
| Sat | 29/03/2014 | Wynberg | 56 | 18 | Swartland |
| Sat | 29/03/2014 | HJS Paarl BH | 19 | 19 | Noord-Kaap |
| Sat | 29/03/2014 | Piketberg | 50 | 12 | Despatch |
| Mon | 31/03/2014 | Tygerberg | 45 | 21 | Klein Nederburg |
| Mon | 31/03/2014 | Rondebosch | 16 | 22 | Piketburg |
| Mon | 31/03/2014 | HJS Paarl BH | 76 | 3 | Sasolburg |
| Mon | 31/03/2014 | Wynberg | 21 | 17 | Noord-Kaap |
| Wed | 02/04/2014 | Piketberg | 38 | 7 | Sasolburg |
| Wed | 02/04/2014 | Tygerberg | 25 | 10 | Noord-Kaap |
This successful festival is driven by retired teacher Tony Stoops’ passion and backed by a handful of generous sponsors who seem to share his motives of community service and love for school rugby above all else. As a result numerous schools and hundreds of mainly local Western Cape schoolboys benefit from the experience of a school rugby festival and with it the spirit of camaraderie that is an inherent part of just about every Cape school kid’s lifestyle.
Interesting fact: Pieter-Steph du Toit, newly capped Springbok and the Currie Cup player of the final first caught the eye of a Sharks scout while playing for Swartland at the TSRF.
| # | School | # | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tygerberg | 23 | Milnerton |
| 2 | Noord-Kaap | 24 | Montana |
| 3 | HJS Paarl BH | 25 | New Orleans |
| 4 | Wynberg | 26 | Otto du Plessis |
| 5 | Rondebosch | 27 | Oudtshoorn |
| 6 | Alexander Road | 28 | Parel Vallei |
| 7 | Bellville South | 29 | Pecanwood College |
| 8 | Bosmansdam | 30 | Piketberg |
| 9 | De Kuilen | 31 | Porterville |
| 10 | Despatch | 32 | Robertson |
| 11 | Dirkie Uys | 33 | Sasolburg |
| 12 | Edgemead | 34 | Schoonspruit |
| 13 | Emil Weder | 35 | Scottsdene |
| 14 | Hopefield | 36 | Swartland |
| 15 | Hottentots Holland | 37 | Swellendam |
| 16 | HTS Newton | 38 | Swellendam Secondary |
| 17 | Jan Kriel | 39 | Table View |
| 18 | Jan van Riebeeck | 40 | Victoria Park |
| 19 | Kirkwood | 41 | Vredenburg |
| 20 | Klein Nederburg | 42 | Westering |
| 21 | Labori | 43 | Worcester Gym |
| 22 | Langenhoven HS | 44 | York |
I hope this weather clears up. It’ll be a good afternoon out with the lightie!
@BoishaaiPa: Solank ek nie hoef te betaal nie en dit nie een van my dogters is nie, bly ‘n troue tops. ‘n Troue in die Karoo sal ek doen net vir die rit! Ons sien in elk geval op die Plaas later vanjaar as jy nie jou draaie kry nie
@Ploegskaar: Sure thing!
@rugbyfan: Gaan jy nie jou blaps regstel nie vrind? Vermoed die manne gaan dan hul oppinie oor arrogansie behou.
@BoishaaiPa: Prioriteite ou vriend
!!
@Ploegskaar: Ek weet waar Parow is…Ek werk immers saam met Jack se skoonpa!..Ek weet net nie of ek in die Kaap gaan wees daardie tyd nie want my famielie en skoonfamielie se jongmense trou nou so op n streep dat ek nie meer kan byhou nie..Ek weet daar is 2 troues in Maart wat vir my voorle..een in die Karoo en een weet ek nie eers waar dit is nie..Ek moes laasjaar 3 troues oor langnaweke deurwerk en het my rugbykyk heeltemal opgedonner…Ek vermoed die ergste!
@Ploegskaar: Ek weet PRG se Eerste, Tweede en Derde spanne neem min of meer daardie tyd aan toernooie in George deel. Dalk die Eerste dag.
@Ploegskaar: Sal graag so maak. Moet net uitvind tussen die klong se rugby en Sussie se toneelfeeste of dit moontlik gaan wees. Maar beslis. Die jaar gelukkig lank. Die PLAAS kom hoeka vanjaar by ons kuier.
@Koos Roos: Ditto vir jou KR, ek sal die eerste dag daar wees, as jy wil bladskud, kry my sel no by Beet. Het reeds jou tjomme Maroon en PaulRoosPa ontmoet op die Plaas laasjaar en dalk kan BoishaaiPa sommer ook kom, as hy weet waar Parow is.
@Playa: I will be attending on the first day, maybe have a meet and greet, to make up for that miss at Cape Schools Week. Get my cell no from Beet.
@ Beet.
That would be great. I am realy going to try and catch at least one day. Thanx for your input too.
@rugbyfan: Careful to generalize- only Boishaai on that list, is in that category
@Ploegskaar: Come on Ploegie, you know Rugbyfan better than that. If it was BOGGIE, I would understand
, I really do not believe he was being arrogant with that question.
Im really keen to catch at least a day of the action.
Great news. I will definitely attend the tournament. I would like to see some of the Cape Southern Suburbs Tier 2/3 teams taking part. In my young days most of the Tier 2 schools were very competitive beating the 2nd teams of the Tier 1 schools regularly and could be competitive against a 1st team but now they struggle to compete against 3rd team level.
@Koos Roos: That’s a good idea KR! I’ll try get the list of sponsors and add them to the article. When the tournament first started Tony used to dip into his own pocket to cover the shortfall and I’m not talking just a few Rands here either. For someone who gains nothing out of this tournament financially short or long term, it is very honourable. I think he still pays for some of the stuff but some generous sponsors are really helping to grow the event into a favourite on the W/Cape SBR calendar.
@QC86: This article was actually posted in November last year, and the comments (including rugbyfan’s) followed shortly thereafter. Looking at it again though, it still looks like a pretty arrogant snotty comment to me two months after the fact.
Dalk ‘n onskuldige vraag op die verkeerde manier gestel. Komaan boys, ons almal sê soms iets tong in die kies. As dit nie die geval is nie, Rugbyfan, skuld jy ons Capies a Pology! Al wat ek kan sê is : Welgedaan aan Tony en al die borge. Is daar ‘n manier dat mens kan uitvind wie hulle is Beet? Hulle verdien ons ondersteuning. Veronderstel mens moet gaan kyk, maar dit oorvleuel weer met ander toernooie.
Easy chaps,knowing rugbyfan i am sure there was no bad intentions meant.
Ek wou niks se nie maar gaan nie van my hart n moordkuil maak nie.
Die TSRF het van die begin af uitgegaan om die klein- tot medium skole iets te bied wat altyd net die sogenaamde groot skole gehad het.
Niemand kan die sukses van die toernooi betwyfel nie.
Verskeie spelers van skole wat al deelgeneem het is by die TSRF opgeraap deur die groter skole. Scouts van die onderskeie provinsies is ‘n algemene gesig by die toernooi en dit bied hierdie outjies ook ‘n geleentheid om raakgesien te word.
Nog ‘n feit is dat deelname gratis is……kan nie dink aan nog toernooie waar dit gebeur nie. Nog ‘n bewys dat die toernooi meer spelers n geleentheid gee.
RUGBYFAN > het jy al enige iets gedoen om rugby te bevorder? Nee ek glo nie, so noem maar die TSRF ‘n toernooi vir die “B’ liga skole – jy weet beslis nie van beter nie.
@beet: Thanks for providing some perspective Beet !
@rugbyfan: Strange how a seemingly sensible blogger can show his true colours with a single thoughtless post. What’s not surprising is that this type of arrogant remark is more than often associated with those displaying that Shimla jersey.
@rugbyfan: It does consist mainly of tier-2 and tier-3 schools who don’t usually get invited to the well-known festivals.
In fact contrary to the way I wrote the article, the intention the behind TSRF has never been to pick and choose starting with tier-1 schools. It’s always been a let’s try accommodate all approach which has in fact resulted in the likes of HJS and Wynberg now playing there because of the messed up holidays in April 2014
The festival is organised for the benefit of schools and players who might otherwise have stayed at home. It’s put together by one man who often has to pay extra costs from his own pocket to make it happen.
Provincial rugby scouts from various provinces see it as opportunity and therefore attend.
@rugbyfan:
That’s a pretty nasty comment don’t you think ?
What is this like the B league festival of the Cape?
Van krag tot krag. Welgedaan aan die organiseerders!