Excitement builds for U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week

The top schoolboy rugby players in the country will look to make their mark at the Markötter Sports Complex at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch from Monday 13 July, in the grand spectacle of school rugby, the Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week.  The tournament, which features the most the talented Under-18 players, marks the final competition in the Coca-Youth Weeks series, and includes 20 teams in total. The tournament begins on Monday, with 10 teams taking to the field, while the remaining teams will play their first round of matches on Tuesday. The tournament will conclude on Saturday. The rugby festival will also mark the 150th anniversary of Paul Roos Gymnasium. With DHL Western Province having the luxury of home ground advantage, and given their success at the Under-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week in White River and at the Coca-Cola Academy Week in Vanderbijlpark, there will be high expectations on the Cape side, in particular. Namibia and Border CD will meet in the opening match on Monday at 08h30, with the main clash of the day being hosts DHL Western Province going up against the Blue Bulls at 15h30 what should be a thrilling north-south derby. In the main matches on Tuesday, KwaZulu-Natal will go up against the Bidvest Golden Lions, and Eastern Province take on the SWD Eagles. Interestingly, the match on Tuesday between EP and SWD will mark a repeat of last year’s final match, which the Port Elizabeth team won 25-7. The victory marked the first time in 37 years that they emerged as the top team in the U18 showpiece. U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week day-one fixtures, 13 July: 08h30 – Namibia vs Border CD 10h00 – Boland vs Limpopo Blue Bulls 11h30 – Pumas vs Border 13h00 – Free State vs Griffons 15h30 – DHL Western Province vs Blue Bulls Day-two fixtures, 14 July: 09h00 – Griquas CD vs Zimbabwe 10h30 – Valke vs Eastern Province CD 12h00 – Leopards vs Griquas 13h30 – KwaZulu-Natal vs Golden Lions 15h00 – Eastern Province vs SWD Eagles Issued by SARU Corporate Affairs