Die Burger still seems to be struggling to establish itself as a knock-out tournament of significance.
The concept for this small Cape coastal belt competition is borrowed from the highly successful Noordvaal Beeldtrofee (formerly Administrators’ Cup) and is therefore a good one.
Based on the number of students, schools fall into either a large, medium or small category per provincial region. The four provincial regions being Boland, Eastern Province, South Western Districts and Western Province. The format is structured is to arrive at an EP vs SWD semi-final and a Boland vs WP semi-final with the aim being to get the best school 1st XV’s per category per region to contest these semifinals. The 3 category finals will then take place on 30 August 2014 at the home ground of the large school winner who did not host the final last year. So this year either Framesby (EP) or Oakdale (SWD) will host the finals.
In large school semi-finalists Oakdale and HTS Drostdy (Boland), the organisers have their wishes of strongest regional large schools granted.
Marlow are this year’s Eastern Province representatives even though they are not the Eastern Province no.1 team, Grey High School is. Grey however do not participate in Die Burger.
In WP the honour of playing HTS Drostdy was meant to go to Paul Roos, the undisputed WP Premier League champions of 2014. Paul Roos has however declined the offer. Second choice Paarl Gim, who has been a regular in Die Burger over the past few years are also believed to have turned down the opportunity. So now WP will be represented by Paarl Boys High, who have already played more games than just about any other top rugby school in South Africa before taking on this commitment.
It could have been worse. Boishaai could have said no as well and then Die Burger would really have struggled for credibility. In such a prestigious rugby school as Boishaai, the tournament still has a worthy high profile WP competitor but certainly some of the gloss has been taken off it and left a large question-mark about Die Burger relevance to school rugby in the Western Cape and perhaps the Eastern Cape as well.
Fixtures:
19/08/2014 : Drostdy vs HJS Paarl BH
Marlow vs ??? (Oakdale appears to have dropped out)
@Die Ken: En ja, ek onthou baie goed die Hugenote en die FH Odendaals van daai tyd. Lichtenburg het hoeka teen Hugenote in die kwarteind of halfeind die jaar vroeër, in 1987 verloor.
@Die Ken: Ek het op Lichtenburg groot geword en ons het in 1988 die eerste span geword wat die direkteurstrofee vir 1ste spanne sowel as vir o’15s gewen het. Daardie jare het die o’14 en o’16 spanne nog nie deelgeneem nie. Die gees was groot en die lekker om te wen heerlik, en dit was goed. Nou dat my kind in Affies is en ek ervaar hoe hulle deelneem in vriendskaplike derbies, het ek ‘n ander uitkyk op wat nice is. Ek sal nooit vergeet die lekkerte om die beker te gewen het nie, dit was ‘n once-off. Iewers beleef Affies se seuns Saterdag na Saterdag ‘n “eindstryd”, en die gees is elke Saterdag finominaal… en elke kind neem aan ietsie deel op die dag, nie net soos toe ek op Liggies was die 1stes en o’15’s nie. Nietemin, ek ag die direkteurstrofee nog steed as ‘n moerse prestasie, en werklik iets om voor te werk, en dit is genuine ‘n nice gevoel as jy dit wen, maar dan kry jy derbies…
Niks wat Dok my geleer het nie, iets wat ek maar ervaar het deur die lewe.
@Cappie: Is dit wat Dr Edwards julle manne voer?
@Queenian: or waste
@PRondersteuner: nie heeltemal waar nie, die trek tussen Klerksdorp en Nelspuit, of Vereeniging en Pietersburg is ook maar ver
@Woltrui: Chris Rossouw was kaptein v Hugenote en SA Skole (Brendan Venter o/k v SA Skole) en Japie Mulder het ook vir Hugenote in 1987 gespeel, alhoewel, ek’s nie seker of Japie in die finaal gespeel het weens ‘n besering nie?
This is a waist of time.
@valke: Valke jy is reg. As ek reg is het Chris of Charles Roussouw vir Hugenote gespeel?
@Woltrui: As ek reg onthou het FH Odendaal daai finaal net – net teen Hugenote Seunskool verloor in 1987.
As jong st 7 mannetjie in die paweljoen ons Hugies span ondersteun.
@Oakdale supporter: Dis hoekom ek se dat hulle die toernooi deur die jaar moet speel. Neem die uitslae van die “gewone” wedstryde en bepaal dan net die semifinaliste. Die Beeld skole het ook nie die groot afstande om te reis nie.
@Soutie 1: Yes, so both of us get a massive 28 games in total. This is a very hard schedule. Tygerberg on Saturday, Drostdy (again) on 19 Aug, SACS on the 23rd and then the final on 30 Aug. Hope they will reconsider, especially since Oakdale has withdrawn.
Hierdie kompetisie is so ‘n deurmekaar spul!!
Oakdale het sopas laat weet dat hulle ook onttrek het. Die wedstryd die naweek teen Framesby is glo nie die SF nie, dit moet teen Marlow wees.
Oakdale het Marlow 10 dae terug met amper 30 punte gewen, maar Marlow het aangedring dat die Semi-Finaal wel op Cradock gespeel moet word. Daar moet reeds die naweek 500 km gereis word na Framsby, volgende naweek 300 na Boland Landbou vir interskole.
Die ekstra wedstryd sou in die week moes plaasvind en wel weer 600 km weg, wat die seuns 2 dae se skool sou kos. Ek neem die hoof glad nie kwalik dat hy onttrek het nie!!!
@PaarlBN: Including Paarl Boys tour to Japan they (1st team) will have played 27 matches by August 23. Their first fixture was on March 14. They are playing on average 2 games a week if you excluded the July school holidays. They seldom have an easy fixture either. Include the Burger final 28. This is almost as many as a senior professional rugby player from the Southern Hemisphere play annually.
@Woltrui: Ek stem saam. Ek het al as skoolseun van die Admin beker en/of Beeld trofee gehoor en gelees, maar altyd gewonder hoekom daar nie so iets hier in die Kaap is nie. Miskien eendag, maar ek twyfel.
Beeld(Administrateurs) beker is deel van enige rugby speler se kultuur in die Noorde. As skool laaities het almal van ons 30 jaar of so gelede daaraan deelgeneem en heg dus groot waarde daaraan. Die meeste van ons kry egter rillings as dit as uitklop reeks aangespreek word. Dit was nooit én is nie n uitklop reeks nie. Spanne word eers vanaf die semi-finale uitgeskakel. Soos die CB het die Beeld reeks n baie mooi geskiedenis. In die verlede het klein, groot en “makro”skole om die selfde trofee meegeding. Ek sal nooit vergeet hoe FH Odendaal, n minuskale klein skooltjie in Pretoria, onder leiding van Joost Van der Westhuizen, eers die liga in Pretoria gewen het en uiteindelik tot die finaal van die Admin beker deurgedring het.
Interskole toernooi bied egter baie ander positiewe. Ek verstaan hoekom die Burger trofee nie suksesvol in die Kaap is nie.
@Rooibaard: Derbies waar die hele skool teen mekaar betrokke is soos Paarl Gim teen Boishaai en Paul Roos teen Grey is verseker baie meer aanloklik, aanskoulik, aanvaarbaar, lekkerder en waardevol vir almal.
Nobody wants to play this tournament – wrong time, wrong idea. Most schools play out of respect for the sponsor. Should be abandoned.
@Soutie 1: I count 24 games for some of the Boishaai players already. Nr 6 flanker, as well as nr 13, if I have my stats straight. Meeste van die ander het rondom 20 wedstryde gespeel. Tot op 30 Augustus is daar nog `n verdere 4 wedstryde oor. Sekerlik hard op die manne- wonder of dit regtig soveel saak maak?
I think our boys in the Western Cape play enough rugby already!! They are not show ponies
Ek dink nie dis agv die groot 3 nie. Die probleem is hul het reeds ‘n vol jaarprogram. ‘n reeks soos die moet lank vooruit voor plek gemaak word en die Burger is net nie so ernstig hieroor nie – daar is nie ‘n geskiedenis om te volhou nie, dus sal die reeks nie aftrek kry nie.
Pity us Cape schools don’t want to play knock out tournaments. Just because the Big 3 are against it
Yes, the PR withdrawal took me by surprise as well. I heard that the PR players were withdrawn from the WP side to play Italy on Friday. Obviously the Grey College game next week is more important to them than this tournament and I don’t blame them.
Why not play this tournament throughout the year like the Beeld tournament. PR played Oakdale 2 weeks ago. Why play them again?