In the wake of this holiday’s results, the festival double has come under scrutiny. Several leading sides attempted the Noord-Suid tournament followed by an Easter festival just days later—only to suffer defeats. Naturally, questions have been raised about the practicality of the double.
Yet the real issue may be more nuanced. In many cases, teams arriving at their second festival faced fresh opposition—sides that had the benefit of a rest weekend.
The double has always carried prestige, but it remains at the mercy of the calendar.
At the centre of it all is Easter. A movable date each year, it shapes the school rugby season and directly impacts the feasibility of backing up two major festivals in quick succession.
Traditionally, the challenge lies in the proximity between Noord-Suid and the Easter festivals. Three calendar variations come into play: Easter early in the holidays, late in the break, or outside the holiday window entirely. Each scenario places different demands on squads chasing the double.
Of late, a clear trend has emerged—Noord-Suid generally precedes Easter. While that sequencing appears logical, it still creates a demanding turnaround. Teams must navigate two high-intensity environments with limited recovery time.
When Noord-Suid falls just before Easter, sides carry momentum—but also fatigue. Injuries, depth, and smart rotation become decisive factors in sustaining performance across both stages.
The result is a double that remains possible, but increasingly conditional. It is no longer purely about quality—it is about timing, resilience, and a squad’s ability to withstand a calendar that never stands still.
| FESTIVAL | DATE | DAYS |
| Easter – Thu | 02/04/2015 | |
| Noord Suid | 08/04/2015 | 6 |
| Noord Suid | 19/03/2016 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 24/03/2016 | 5 |
| Noord Suid | 01/04/2017 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 13/04/2017 | 12 |
| Noord Suid | 28/03/2018 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 29/03/2018 | 1 |
| Noord Suid | 15/03/2019 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 18/04/2019 | 34 |
| Noord Suid | 25/03/2022 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 14/04/2022 | 20 |
| Noord Suid | 31/03/2023 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 06/04/2023 | 6 |
| Noord Suid | 22/03/2024 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 28/03/2024 | 6 |
| Noord Suid | 28/03/2025 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 17/04/2025 | 20 |
| Noord Suid | 27/03/2026 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 02/04/2026 | 6 |
| Noord Suid | 19/03/2027 | – |
| Easter – Thu | 25/03/2027 | 6 |
Someone reminded me that Tiaan Basson also picked up a worrying injury yesterday
@beet (Comment #14)
So apparently the Stormers and the WP High Schools Association has no real link. So there is still a good chance for Travis to get the nod ahead of Ethan van Biljoen, who looks set to stay at WP.
@Westville_Boy (Comment #13)
Agreed that O’Ryan Kleyn was the lead contender for SAS 12. He just had the one up on the main contenders. Still long way to go and plenty of 12/13s in the running.
For 13 I’d say Nathan Aneke and Erin Nelson putting up their hands while Eddie Mabena doing good things as is Danie Botma and Blessing Monareng has been a surprise package, so perhaps Tiaan Basson now shifts in one to 12.
Pity the Bosch 12 got injured. He looked proper.
With the worst kept secret about Travis signing for the Bulls out, how does that impact on his WP CW selection? Province now very serious about their Junior Pathway and will surely look to favour boys who sign for them for after school. Will be interesting because overall TP is probably still the no.1 rated 10 in SA for the season to date.
@daccer (Comment #12)
It happened late in the game.. they strapped the knee he came on … he never did much though. When he did the last kick you can see him pull up on it!! I think Sa Schools was a given for him.. massive loss for grey could derail already a tough season for them… Regarding Sa school Leaves Ethan Van Biljoen as the 10 Travis as a 12 then 13 from Paul Roos.
I cant see anyone else.
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@Westville_Boy (Comment #11)
That’s a shame for him as was definitely a contender for SA Schools honours. Is this the injury from the Nudgee game? I think he played on with the injury which is surprising if it was so serious.
@daccer (Comment #10)
From his teammates.
@Westville_Boy (Comment #9)
can i ask where you heard this? it is a problem for Grey if true as they seem to be racking up injuries to outside backs.
Massive loss for Grey O Kleyn is out for the season so I have been told
WHO SIGNED OFF ON THE GREY/NUDGEE MATCH, 45 HRS AFTER THEY PLAYED STELLENBERG?
I agree that NS is too early in the season. It is by far the premier tournament. These Easter festivals ( except Pretoria Boys High) and WK tournament should count less in terms of rankings as it’s 60 minute games. A lot can happen in the last 10 minutes of a 70 minute game.
NOORD/SUID TOO EARLY IN SEASON TO HAVE ANY REAL MEANING
@Kaya 85 (Comment #2)
I think you may be right Kaya. Dare I say it, the learnt some tough lessons last year? Bearing in mind, many of these players will be involved in Craven Week trials and Craven and Academy Week itself. Jeppe has a crazy 2026 fixture list – wow, they won’t die wondering, that’s for sure !!
Agreed, Grey Bloem are going to regret their crazy schedule, for the next 20 years the Aussies are going to say Nudgee beat SA’s best, when that could have been avoided with some basic sensible planning…….
@Rainman (Comment #1)
I agree too….either N/S or Easter…but both is rough.
Maybe N/S will become a single match tournament. Already looking like it could get out of hand, with all the teams…
I think KES got it right …1 match at Noord Suid…+ two festival games…= Three games in 11 days …
And that is with only one ‘warm up’ game…
I also feel that coaches must be smarter with rotation of players.
@beet
Agree 100%
I think teams are going to pick their battles next year. It’ll either be Noord-Suid OR Easter. The double just isn’t worth the risk. And I’m not even talking about the risk of the results. Player welfare is the biggest thing. If schools attend both, they literally enter Term 2 running on empty. Good news is, there are enough quality schools in the country to still run both sets of fixtures without doubling up.