After a shaky start, with the name of the final participating team and the fixtures being withheld until the last minute, the main rugby offering of the World Schools Festival 2024 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, seemed to run quite smoothly. With some well-known rugby schools from the UK, New Zealand, and South Africa boosting the profile of the event, the competitiveness of most games made it a worthwhile occasion.
In the end, Paul Roos’ Stayers advanced to the main rugby cup final, where they were extremely competitive against Auckland A1 and Blues Regional champions Kelston, who fielded their proper 1st XV (on average, an age group older than the Stellenbosch boys). The final score, 20-12 to Kelston, reflected their quality and justified their win, but they were made to work hard by the younger Saffas, who included several boys that had helped Paul Roos achieve the top ranking in South Africa in 2024. Just like their Irish tour of 2024, the WSF journey is anticipated to put the Maroon Machine on the best track to hit the ground running in 2025.
The other South African school, EG Jansen finished seventh out of the eight teams. The Jansies were highly competitive during the World Schools Festival 2023, and that form set the tone for a memorable 2024 regular season, in which the Oos-Randers were among the best in South Africa. By comparison, this year’s group of 2025 Stayers delivered a performance indicative of a team expected to face more of an uphill challenge once the domestic season kicks off in March 2025. Nonetheless, apart from being a life-defining experience for the youngsters, the bonding and exposure gained during the tour will undoubtedly benefit EG as they continue with their preseason preparations in January 2025.
| WORLD SCHOOLS FESTIVAL 2024 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 : Sun 15-Dec-2024 | ||||||
| RSA | Paul Roos | 36-15 | Llandovery | WAL | ||
| NZ | Kelston | 33-00 | EG Jansen | RSA | ||
| NZ | Westlake | 22-05 | Harrow | ENG | ||
| ENG | Millfield | 29-10 | Zambezi Steelers | ZIM | ||
| Day 2 : Tue 17-Dec-2024 | ||||||
| RSA | Paul Roos | 15-12 | Harrow | ENG | ||
| ENG | Millfield | 27-05 | EG Jansen | RSA | ||
| NZ | Westlake | 21-05 | Llandovery | WAL | ||
| NZ | Kelston | 52-03 | Zambezi Steelers | ZIM | ||
| Day 3 : Thu 19-Dec-2024 | ||||||
| RSA | Paul Roos | 11-07 | Westlake | NZ | ||
| ZIM | Zambezi Steelers | 24-17 | EG Jansen | RSA | ||
| ENG | Harrow | 14-14 | Llandovery | WAL | ||
| NZ | Kelston | 12-05 | Millfield | ENG | ||
| Day 4 : Sat 21-Dec-2024 | ||||||
| NZ | Kelston | 20-12 | Paul Roos | RSA | ||
| NZ | Westlake | 26-12 | Millfield | ENG | ||
| ENG | Harrow | 26-15 | Zambezi Steelers | ZIM | ||
| RSA | EG Jansen | 22-19 | Llandovery | WAL | ||
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