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SA Schools Squad 2013 announcement to come.

13 July, 2013 beet 13

A highlight of the final day of Craven Week has always been the announcing of the SA Schools team, following the unofficial final. It has been confirmed that this year 28 players will be picked. Although Academy Week players will be considered, unless they were absolutely brilliant at Academy Week, chances are there will be no Academy Week players included in the SA Schools team.…

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Craven Week finalists over the years

13 July, 2013 beet 10

UPDATED.

# TEAM P W D L PF PA PD
1 Western Province 20 12 0 8 382 352 30
2 Free State 17 8 0 9 317 275 42
3 Blue Bulls 9 7 0 2 221 144 77
4 Golden Lions 9 4 1 4 139 160 -21
5 Eastern Province 7 2 1 5 110 116 -6
6 Pumas 4 2 0 2 66 57 9
7 South Western Districts 3 2 0 1 69 67 2
8 KwaZulu-Natal 3 1 1 1 53 76 -23
9 Boland 3 1 0 2 44 43 1
10 Golden Lions 3 0 0 3 46 120 -74
11 Griffons 2 1 0 1 16 31 -15
12 Border 2 0 1 1 22 23 -1
13 Pumas 1 1 0 0 19 18 1
14 Leopards 1 0 0 1 9 16 -7
15 Valke 1 0 0 1 19 30 -11
16 Griquas 1 0 0 1 0 11 -11

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Craven Week 2013: Final Day fixtures

13 July, 2013 beet 69

A Noord – Suid final after all.

DATE, TIME TEAM TEAM DETAILS
Sat, 13 July 2013
09h15 Zimbabwe 10 33 Namibia
09h15 Limpopo Blue Bulls 36 39 Eastern Province CD
09h15 Border CD 5 94 Griquas
10h45 Border 14 77 KwaZulu Natal
10h45 Griffons 34 27 Boland
10h45 Griquas CD 17 34 Leopards
12h15 Blue Bulls 29 37 SWD
12h15 Eastern Province 29 18 Valke
13h45 Free State 22 25 Pumas
15h15 Western Province 45 29 Golden Lions
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Craven Week 2013: Day 4 fixtures

10 July, 2013 beet 462

 

DATE, TIME TEAM TEAM DETAILS
Thu, 11 July 2013
09h30 Leopards  64 0 Border CD
11h00 Valke  44 24 Griquas CD
12h30 Griffons  26  20 EPCD
14h00 EP  14 40 SWD
15h30 Free State  19 20 Golden Lions
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WP & KZN call up replacements

9 July, 2013 beet 5

Injuries in both the Western Province and KwaZulu-Natal camps have forced them to fly in replacement players for Craven Week at Polokwane in Limpopo Province.…

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Craven Week 2013: Day 2

8 July, 2013 beet 82
DATE, TIME TEAM TEAM DETAILS
Tue, 09 July 2013
09h30 EP CD 31 10 Leopards A surprisingly one-sided match in the first half. The emphasis seemed to be on cohesion. The EPCD are predominately from just 2 achieving schools – St Andrews and Marlow – making it a lot easier for the team to gel. The Leopards don’t have a high flying team and their strength appears to be from drawing players many different schools and bonding them. In the first half the EPCD structures and understanding was better. They produced good carries and generated a lot of go-forward. Their counter-ruck was also very good and in flyhalf Jason Vers they found a player to dictate play and make things happen. The Leopards looked far more composed in the second half. They protected ball and attacked off the fringes. At 21-10 they missed 2 crucial opportunities to score a try which might have changed the complexion of the game. Instead EPCD repelled them and scored 2 late tries.
11h00 Griquas CD 51 0 Border CD  One-way traffic. One really has to feel for the Border CD players and also wonder what the point is. For the sake of quality and achieving the desired objective it’s time to replace the Border CD with a second Western Province team
12h30 Valke 37 37 Griffons  Quiet an incredible game of rugga. The Griffons caused a major surprise by taking the match to the highly rated Valke team. Good well-drilled phase play set the platform for continued attacks. It really looked like the Valke had underestimated the Griffons. At halftime the Griffons led 23-10. The Valke lifted their standard of play in the 2nd half. Reduced the deficit to 23-17 before the Griffons capitalised on Valke mistakes to extend the lead to 37-24 with just a few minutes left. Somehow the Valke managed to score 2 unconverted tries and a penalty at the death to level the score. Amazingly there was still time to play after this scoring and Griffons man of the match Shaun Reynolds missed a last ditch penalty to win it. Marco Holmes of the Valke impressed with strong ball carries.
14h00 Lions 34 27 SWD
15h30 EP 21 32 Free State
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Ruan Potgieter in hunt for SA Schools

8 July, 2013 beet 11

 

Ruan Potgieter, Ruan Potgieterns Craven Week Flyhalf, will be in the hunt for the SA Schools no 10 jersey when participating in this year’s Craven Week in Polokwane.

Potgieter, now in Grade 12 at Dr.EG Jansen in Boksburg, will be attending his second craven week this year, as he was also the flyhalf in last year’s competition at only 16 years old, and ending at 6th overall on most points scored in the tournament.

Article by Rynand Weyers

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No Noord vs Suid in u18 Craven Week 2013 final

8 July, 2013 beet 11

Just in case you didn’t already know this, the Blue Bulls and Western Province will NOT be playing in this year’s Craven Week final. I guess this one brings the glass half full or half empty concept into play.…

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Craven Week 2013: Day 1 results

8 July, 2013 beet 29
DATE, TIME TEAM TEAM DETAILS
Mon, 08 JULY 2013
08h30 Griquas  17 35 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe caused quite an upset in an untidy game. Structurally the neighbouring country’s team was really good at times and produced some pleasing plays. Zim left wing Matukwa’s try was the result of excellent set move passing, handing and timing execution. Their contesting of the tackled ball was outstanding, helping them to win key turnovers. Griquas lacked cohesion and were their own worst enemies most of the time. Their setpeices weren’t good, they made basic handling errors, they failed miserably in attempts to protect the ball at the breakdown and they fell off regulation tackles. The margin between the teams would have been larger had Zimbabwe not had a player unfairly sinbinned – Griquas scored 14 points (their only 2 tries) during this spell.
10h00 Border  38 20 Namibia A good contest. It was 24-20 with less than 10 minutes to go. Both teams made errors which stopped the flow at times but the speed and urgency made this game a lot better than the one before. Namibia proved to be no pushovers. They did some good things. Border’s passing out wide needs a bit of work and their scrum struggled a bit. Otherwise they produced quite a few team tries. Flyhalf Lungelo Gosa brought his super stepping ability to Limpopo province. Centre Simila Jho won man of the match. There was also a good performance by flank Jerwyn Harty. Namibian flyhalf Chris Arries looked decent and it’s a pity that the guys out wide could not get more and better quality ball.
11h30 WP  40 24 Pumas Awesome game. The first half was high tempo and action packed. Pumas dominating the collisions and tight forwards doing exceptionally well with loosies making big contributions. WP backs are creative, quick and lethal. Their speed of execution is exceptional. At the start of the 2nd half, defences improved and errors started to creep into the game. WP showed more composure though and ended up scoring a further 3 tries to stretch their narrow halftime lead of 19-17 to a comprehensive one. Inside centre Daniel du Plessis proved just what a class act he is by not only scoring 4 tries but doing so many positive things during his time on the ball. There were some other excellent performers. Stand outs included Pumas flank Daniel Maartens and his skipper at TH Conraad van Vuuren, while WP had halfbacks Damian Stevens and Dennis Cox to thank for some smart play. WP wing Grant Hermanus and Pumas scrummy Rowan Gouws also worth looking out for as the tournament progresses.
13h00 Blue Bulls  46 22 KZN The wind picked up for this game. The first half quality could have been better yet there were some very memorable moments. KZN no.8 Ayron Schramm continued to impress with 2 bits of brilliant individualism, both resulting in tries. The Bulls lock RG Snyman showed x-factor of his own. It’s become a bit of a trademark of his but the huge boy continues to surprise all with his distribution skills. He provided 2 assists by being aware of where his support runners were after doing good work with ball in hand. 17-17 at the break turned into 46-22 at full time as the Bulls dominated the 2nd half. KZN struggled to get their hands on quality ball and the lineouts turned out to be a nightmare with KZN showing little innovation to help overcome tall timber of the Bulls that contested very well. For the Bulls, their outstanding centre combo of Franco Naude and Jurie Linde stood out but the foundation was laid by some good forward play. They were strong in the set pieces and backed it up with good consolidation at the breakdown. That said, there is still a bit of work ahead. Prospects look very bright for this Bulls team though.
15h30 Limpopo Blue Bulls  26 31 Boland A highly entertaining game. The winner was hard to pick. Both teams went for it. Defences could have been better at times though. Boland are able to secure good set-piece ball. Their lineout was particularly good. They also produced some slick handling plays and were very dangerous in broken play. Captain Hanro Liebenberg featured prominetly. The Limpopo Bulls have a never-say-die attitude about them and seem to thrive on drives around the fringes. Limpopo flyhalf Andries Bruwer seemed to be the catalyst in most things good. He was confident and added much value. Late in the game centre JP van Wyk came into his own as well. The game produced an exciting finish with the lead switching hands a few times late on and the game ending with Limpopo being held up over the Boland line in their last gasp attempt to win the match.
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SWD wins Academy Week final but…

7 July, 2013 beet 5

Should they have even been allowed to play in that final?

This is a first hand account by a parent who attended Academy Week and witnessed the game between SWD and WP on match day 2, which SWD scraped home by 22-19 but appeared to break the quota rules in doing so:…

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2013 Academy Week XV to be named

4 July, 2013 beet 13

The popular selecting of an Academy Week team after the conclusion of the event is back this year. It’s not sure what the team will be doing but even if the announcement is just for prestige is will be a feather in the cap for the 22 players named.

In years gone Academy teams have played against the SA Schools team, played at Craven Week and even had an international under-18 match against France.…

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KZN’s Reece-Edwards ruled out of Craven Week

4 July, 2013 beet 31

Wednesday was D-Day for making final calls on KwaZulu-Natal Craven Week players that were carrying injuries over the past few weeks. Thankfully Corne Vermaak, Marcel Coetzee and the Du Preez twins are all fit and ready to go but the news wasn’t good for scrumhalf Matt Reece-Edwards, who has not recovered from an injury sustained during the closing stages of Kearsney’s final game against Maritzburg College and will miss the trip to Craven Week.…

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Academy Week still very important to the scouts

30 June, 2013 beet 36

Academy Week plays an important role in South African rugby. The Sharks will testify to this. In 2009 Paul Jordaan of Grey College attracted interest while representing the Free State Academy team as an under-17 player. He ticked all the right boxes and soon after the national youth week he was signed up by the Sharks on a very good junior contract. Today, four years later he’s a Super Rugby starter.

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u18 Craven Week 2013: players who played u13 Craven Week

28 June, 2013 beet 20

This is interesting and probably not a complete exercise either due to time constraints and human error. An analysis of 352 first choice under-18 Craven Week players from 16 regions namely Boland, Border, Blue Bulls, EP, EPCD, Free State, Griffons, Griquas, KZN, Leopards, Limpopo, Lions, Pumas, SWD, Valke and WP reveals that only 66 played under-13 Craven Week in either 2008 or 2009. So for now that is just ±19%. Incredible when one thinks of the emphasis placed by high schools on recruiting under-13 players.…

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Grant Khomo Week 2013: results

28 June, 2013 beet 247

Grant Khomo Week 2013 for provincial under-16 representatives will start on Monday 01 July 2013 at the Izak Steyl Stadium in Vanderbijlpark and is hosted by the Valke. 20 provincial teams are taking part.

TIME PROVINCE PROVINCE
DAY 3
08h00 KwaZulu-Natal 33 19 Valke
08h00 Griquas 29 27 Limpopo Blue Bulls
08h00 Valke XV 18 21 Griquas CD
09h15 Eastern Province 29 10 Golden Lions
09h15 Zimbabwe 22 33 Namibia
09h15 Border CD 6 106 Leopards
10h30 Border 22 10 SWD
10h30 Boland 14 16 Free State
10h30 Pumas 35 7 Griffons
11h45 Blue Bulls 15 22 Western Province
DAY 2
10h30 Pumas 7 38 SWD
10h30 Border CD 3 57 Griquas CD
11h45 Free State 17 10 Valke
11h45 Griquas 24 16 Valke XV
13h00 Border 16 13 Boland
13h00 Leopards 8 19 Namibia
14h15 Western Province 34 22 Eastern Province
14h15 Limpopo Blue Bulls 29 21 Zimbabwe
15h30 Bull Bulls 42 14 Golden Lions
15h30 KwaZulu-Natal 32 20 Griffons
DAY 1
09h00 KwaZulu-Natal 16 12 Limpopo Blue Bulls
09h00 Western Province 50 12 Leopards
10h30 Blue Bulls 30 26 Eastern Province
10h30 SWD 21 10 Griffons
12h00 Border 15 13 Free State
12h00 Valke XV 28 3 Border CD
13h30 Zimbabwe 15 12 Griquas CD
13h30 Boland 17 10 Pumas
16h00 Golden Lions 29 20 Valke
16h00 Namibia 13 9 Griquas

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Academy Week 2013: results

28 June, 2013 beet 155

The 2013 Academy week will take place at Glenwood High School in Durban from the 01 July to 04 July this year. The KZN High Schools Rugby Association will host the tournament. 26 schools from around the country will play rugby making it the biggest tournament of its kind. Match Day 1 fixtures have been predetermined. Fixtures for Match Day 2 and 3 will be decided on after the conclusion of the preceding day’s games.

DAY TIME PROVINCE PROVINCE
3 08h00 Namibia 25 29 Red Valke
3 08h00 Limpopo Blue Bulls 17 20 Leopards
3 08h00 Griquas CD 21 33 Griffons CD
3 09h20 Free State 35 8 Golden Lions
3 09h20 SA LENS 48 5 Border CD
3 09h20 Griquas 39 70 EP CD
3 10h40 Blue Bulls 28 32 KwaZulu-Natal
3 10h40 Griffons 34 20 KZN CD
3 10h40 Border 76 10 Blue Valke
3 12h00 Western Province 24 5 Pumas
3 12h00 Boland 40 28 KZN “B”
3 12h00 Pumas CD 41 32 Leopards CD
3 13h20 Eastern Province 7 32 SWD
2 08h00 SA LENS 33 17 Griquas CD
2 08h00 Blue Valke 26 17 Griquas
2 09h20 EP CD 21 11 Pumas CD
2 09h20 Red Valke 48 6 Border CD
2 09h20 Free State 88 5 Limpopo Blue Bulls
2 10h40 Namibia 55 12 Griffons
2 10h40 KZN “B” 66 0 Leopards CD
2 12h00 Blue Bulls 24 20 Golden Lions
2 12h00 Pumas 22 14 Boland
2 13h20 KZN CD 24 3 Leopards
2 13h20 Griffons 25 7 Border
2 15h00 Eastern Province 24 17 KwaZulu-Natal
2 15h00 SWD 22 19 Western Province
1 08h00 Blue Valke 5 66 Eastern Province
1 08h00 Limpopo Blue Bulls 19 19 Border
1 09h20 Lions 33 38 SWD
1 09h20 Namibia 52 0 SA LSEN
1 09h20 Eastern Province CD 15 41 Griffons
1 10h40 Pumas 26 22 Free State
1 10h40 Griquas 25 39 Griffons CD
1 12h00 Red Valke 0 93 Western Province
1 12h00 KZN “B” 34 0 Griquas CD
1 13h20 Blue Bulls 12 13 Boland
1 13h20 Leopards CD 38 0 Border CD
1 15h00 KZN 54 20 Leopards
1 15h00 KZN CD 36 22 Pumas CD
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u13 Craven Week results: WP & Bulls in final

27 June, 2013 beet 109

It’s North versus South in this year’s under-13 Craven Week final being played at Warmbad High School in Bela-Bela. Western Province complete with their massive front row goes head to head with the primary schoolboys from Pretoria. The two provincial regions topped the standings after three match days of under-13 Craven Week action.

TIME TEAM TEAM
DAY 4
08h30 Border CD 21 5 SWD
08h30 Griquas 12 5 Namibia
09h20 Limpopo 5 32 Leopards
09h20 Free State 26 17 Zimbabwe
10h10 Golden Lions 13 12 KwaZulu-Natal
10h10 Griffons  5 12 Valke
11h00 Mpumalanga 12 29 Border
11h50 Eastern Province 28  0 Boland
13h05 Blue Bulls 10 11 Western Province
DAY 3
09h00 Valke 20 5 Free State
09h50 Griffons 16 5 Griquas
10h40 SWD 7 20 Pumas
11h30 Limpopo 19 33 Border CD
12h20 Blue Bulls 24 0 Golden Lions
13h10 Western Province 20 12 Boland
14h00 Leopards 10 21 Border
14h50 Eastern Province 21 5 KwaZulu-Natal
15h40 Namibia 21 5 Zimbabwe
DAY 2
09h00 SWD 22 5 Griquas
09h50 Valke  5 22 Limpopo Blue Bulls
10h40 Pumas 22 14 Border Country
11h30 Free State 26 5 Namibia
12h20 Griffons 25 7 Zimbabwe
13h10 KwaZulu-Natal 7 13 Boland
14h00 Eastern Province 3 10 Western Province
14h50 Blue Bulls 14 0 Leopards
15h40 Golden Lions 18 7 Border
DAY1
08h30 Golden Lions 36 0 Zimbabwe
09h20 Mpumalanga 17 0 Namibia
10h10 Border 28 17 Free State
11h00 Griffons 3 5 Border CD
11h50 SWD 0 0 Valke
12h40 Leopards 10 5 Eastern Province
14h45 Western Province 31 7 Griquas
15h35 Blue Bulls 19 5 Boland
16h25 Limpopo 5 33 KwaZulu-Natal