COCA-COLA CRAVEN WEEK – A STAGE FOR IDENTIFYING SOUTH AFRICA’S FUTURE HEROES

Premier youth rugby tournament, Coca-Cola Craven Week, has seen over 280 national team players come through its ranks. The tournament provides South Africa’s top U18 provincial rugby players a platform to battle it out in an action-packed rugby week. This year, the tournament will be played at Paarl Boys High from the 9^th – 14^th July as part of their 150-year school celebrations.

Coca-Cola Craven week is synonymous with showcasing the best of South African up-and-coming youth rugby talent and continues to be a platform for both national and provincial scouts to identify South Africa’s future rugby heroes. In 2014, Coca-Cola took it one step further by introducing the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day initiative, a daily award that recognises and rewards standout players who embody the qualities of a hero. To date, 20 players, including Springboks Curwin Bosch, Embrose Papier and Springbok Sevens player Mfundo Ndhlovu, have all been part of the daily heroes list.  

“Puso Makume, Sponsorship Manager: Coca-Cola Africa shared, “The Coca-Cola Craven Week continues to be a great platform for identifying true youth talent. Since inception, the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day initiative has seen three national players from the tournament ranks. We are proud that our sponsorship has enabled SA Rugby in identifying rugby talent in the country. We have no doubt that this year’s tournament will be no different in unearthing even more future heroes.”

The Sharks flyhalf, Curwin Bosch, was discovered by a Coca-Cola appointed panel of experts and named the 2014 Coca-Cola Hero of the Day on Day 3. After a brilliant heroic display at the tournament. Curwin has since then gone on the represent the SA Schools team, the SA U20 team, the Sharks domestic side and the ultimate achievement of being called up to be part of the national team.

Blue Bulls scrumhalf, Embrose Papier, was discovered by a Coca-Cola appointed panel and named the 2015 Coca-Cola Hero of the Day on day 5 after a heroic display against Boland. Since then Embrose has played for the SA Schools team, the Coca-Cola SA U20 team, the Bulls domestic team and recently had a debut for the Springboks in a match against Wales.

‘Speedster’, Mfundo Ndlovu, was discovered by a Coca-Cola appointed panel of experts and named the 2014 Coca-Cola Hero of the Day on day 1 after a heroic display against a strong Western Province team. In 2015, Mfundo won gold in the Youth Commonwealth Games and now has progressed to debut for the Springboks Sevens team in the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens.

In addition to the remarkable talent that has been identified at the Coca-Cola Craven Week tournament, another player to look out for is the talented Wandisile Simelane, the 2016 Coca-Cola Hero of the Day for Day 2. Wandisile recently represented the Coca-Cola U20 side with distinction at the recent IRB U20 Championship finishing the tournament as the top try scorer.

Look out for the future heroes of South African rugby taking part at this year’s Coca-Cola Craven Week from 9 - 14 July 2018.

Be part of the conversation on Twitter – follow @CocaCola_ZA or search #WhereHeroesAreMade

[ENDS}

Media Contact

Shawn Belluigi

Tel: 083 675 4338

Email: shawn@intunecom.co.za

About the Coca-Cola® Craven Week

The Coca-Cola Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament aimed at identifying the top school rugby players in the country. The tournament started in July 1964 and is named after the legendary National Players rugby union player and coach Dr Danie Craven.  Coca-Cola became the naming rights sponsor in 1985. There are four tournaments that take place during the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks, namely the Coca-Cola U/13 Craven Week, Coca-Cola U/16 Grant Khomo Week, Coca-Cola U/18 Academy Week and the Coca-Cola U/18 Craven Week.  Many of South Africa’s top rugby players have participated in the Coca-Cola Craven Weeks as a springboard to their professional careers including former World Cup winning captain’s John Smit and Francois Pienaar.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands and more than 3,800 beverage choices. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our company’s portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands, 18 of which are available in reduced-, low- or no-calorie options. Our billion-dollar brands include Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Del Valle, Georgia and Gold Peak. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, we are the No. 1 provider of both sparkling and still beverages.  More than 1.9 billion servings of our beverages are enjoyed by consumers in more than 200 countries each day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, create a safe, inclusive work

Thrilling start to Coca-Cola U13, U16 Weeks

Issued by SA Rugby Communications The U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week and U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week got off to a thrilling start at Grey College in Bloemfontein on Monday with a mixture of big wins and gripping encounters characterising the opening day’s play. The Free State, Griffons, Limpopo Blue Bulls, SWD and Western Province registered the biggest scores of the day in the U16 Coca-Cola Craven Week, while Western Province, the Blue Bulls, Zimbabwe and Eastern Province stamped their authority in the U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week, with the lowest score by the winning teams being 32 points. In the U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week, hosts, the Free State dominated their clash against Zimbabwe completely to earn a 71-19 victory, while the Griffons registered a comprehensive 69-13 victory against Border CD, the Limpopo Blue Bulls defeated the Valke for a 48-19, SWD beat the Pumas 39-23 and Western Province outplayed the Blue Bulls 36-17.                        In the U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week, meanwhile, Western Province cruised to a 71-0 victory against the Griffons, the Blue Bulls defeated hosts, the Free State, 45-12, Zimbabwe overpowered Border CD 41-0 and Eastern Province beat the Leopards 32-15. The U13 teams will take to the field for their second round of matches on Tuesday, while the U16 teams will have the day off to rest. U16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week Free State came out firing in their clash against Zimbabwe as they dominated upfront and ran riot on attack with their speedy backs, which saw them take a 45-0 halftime lead. Despite this Zimbabwe refused to give up and scored three times after the break, but they were unable to stop the orange machine from continuing their fantastic attacking form. The home team scored 12 tries in total for a 71-19 defeat. The Griffons started the tournament with a bang as they delivered an impressive performance all round to cross the chalk 11 times, en route to their 69-13 victory against Border CD. Griffons winger Mpho Ntsutle and No 8 Keke Morabe each scored a hat-trick in what was a memorable start to the tournament. The Limpopo Blue Bulls also showed their class on attack and they did well to capitalise on their try-scoring chances, which earned them an impressive eight tries, while they leaked only three to secure their 48-19 victory.   SWD also showed their mettle against the Pumas as they delivered a solid performance in all facets of their game to register a 39-23 victory, with five tries to three by the Mpumalanga side. SWD No8 Hendrick Victor and Pumas winger Michael Dlamini each scored a brace for their teams in the match. Western Province, meanwhile, overcame a tight first quarter against the Blue Bulls in which the teams were level at 14-14 and found their rhythm on attack to cross the tryline five times in total to power their way to a 36-17 victory.  In the closer encounters, Border fought hard against the Golden Lions and did well to apply pressure and work their way into the opposition’s half at crucial stages, which allowed them to outscore the Johannesburg outfit four tries to two for a 24-13 victory. Both the Lions’ tries were scored by centre Henco van Wyk. Namibia on the other hand staged a strong second-half fightback from 17-14 down against the Leopards at halftime to score five tries to three by the Potchefstroom side for their 31-23 victory. Eastern Province had the upper hand against the Free State XV in the first half and they capitalised on this for a 13-3 lead. But the home team fought back in the second half and matched Eastern Province’s three tries in the match, while they also earned a penalty for a 24-21 victory. The clash between Boland and Griquas was nail-biting as each team scored two converted tries in the match, but the difference on the scoreboard in the end was a crucial penalty goal by Boland. KZN, meanwhile, snatched a 15-14 victory in the last minute of their clash against the Western Province XV, with a penalty goal and conversion to two successful conversions by the Cape side handing them the edge on the scoreboard. U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week Western Province, who came out tops in the last four U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week competitions, were in fine form against the Griffons as they cruised to a 71-0 victory. Their forwards laid a solid foundation upfront and their backs showed their class out wide, which paved the way for their 11 tries – four of which were scored by winger Ken Tchimanga. Blue Bulls flanker Tiaan Engelbrecht, meanwhile, proved to be a star performer in his team’s 45-12 victory against hosts, the Free State, as he scored four of their seven tries. The team backed up this impressive display on attack with a solid showing on defence, and limited the Free State to two tries.  Zimbabwe also made a strong statement in their opening game as they defeated Border CD 41-0 thanks to their impressive attack and defence. In total they crossed the tryline seven times after taking a 22-0 halftime lead. A hat-trick by Eastern Province No 8 Luvuyo Nkomphela, meanwhile, set up the Eastern Cape side for a convincing 32-15 victory against the Leopards, in which they ran in an impressive six tries and limited the opposition to only two. The remaining matches were also exciting, with the Limpopo Blue Bulls and Boland involved in a tight tussle. The Limpopo side used their forwards to lay a solid foundation up-front for their backline to attack from, while Boland tried to run hard to gain ascendancy on attack. The Limpopo Blue Bulls, however, outscored the Western Cape outfit three-tries to two, which allowed them to secure a narrow 15-14 victory. Border’s pin-point goal-kicking, meanwhile, earned them an 18-15 victory against the Pumas as flyhalf Bradley Giddy converted one of the teams tries and slotted over two penalty goals to add to their two tries, while the Pumas scored three unconverted tries. SWD outscored the Valke 17-14 in a gripping match in which either team could have won. Three tries by the SWD to only two by the Valke, however, earned them the three point victory. The Golden Lions and KZN ran hard at one another from start to end, but the Lions’ constructive attacking play and ability to break over the advantage line allowed them to take a 16-7 lead at the break thanks to their two tries. Each team were only able to add a try to their score in the second half, which earned the Johannesburg side the 23-14 victory. Three penalty goals by Griquas flyhalf Theunis Hohls, meanwhile, allowed them to secure a narrow 21-19 victory against Namibia in what proved to be a tightly-fought encounter, despite the visitors scoring three tries to only two by Griquas.  U16 Coca-Cola U16 Grant Khomo Week results (Monday, 8 July): Golden Lions 13 - 24 Border Leopards 23 - 31 Namibia SWD 39 - 23 Pumas Griffons 69 - 13 Border CD Eastern Province 21 - 13 Free State XV Western Province 36 - 17 Blue Bulls Boland 17 - 14 Griquas KZN 15 - 14 Western Province XV Limpopo Blue Bulls 48- 19 Valke Free State 71 - 19 Zimbabwe U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week day one results (Monday, 8 July): KZN 14 - 23 Golden Lions Limpopo Blue Bulls 15 - 14 Boland Leopards 15 - 32 Eastern Province Border CD 0 - 41 Zimbabwe Western Province 71 - 0 Griffons Namibia 19 - 21 Griquas Border 18 - 15 Pumas Free State 12 - 45 Blue Bulls SWD 17 - 14 Valke U13 Coca-Cola Craven Week day two fixtures (Tuesday, 9 July): 10h00 – Pumas v Griffons 10h00 – Namibia v Border CD 11h00 – Valke v Griquas 11h00 – Zimbabwe v Leopards 12h00 – Boland v Free State 13h00 – Eastern Province v KZN 14h00 – Golden Lions v Border 15h00 – Western Province v Limpopo Blue Bulls 16h00 – Blue Bulls v SWD

COCA-COLA CRAVEN WEEK – PLATFORM FOR IDENTIFYING SOUTH AFRICA’S FUTURE HEROES

The Coca-Cola Craven Week is where South Africa’s heroes are made. The premier youth rugby tournament, which sees the u18 provincial rugby teams battle it out in an action-packed week, has seen over 260 Springbok players come through its ranks. This year, the tournament returns to Johannesburg for the first time in 11 years and will take place at St Stithians College from 17-22 July 2017.

Coca-Cola Craven week is synonymous with showcasing the best of South African up-and-coming youth rugby talent, and is the platform for both national and provincial scouts to identify South Africa’s future rugby heroes. In 2014, Coca-Cola took it one step further by introducing the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day campaign, a daily award that recognizes and rewards standout players who embody the qualities of a hero. To date, 15 players, including members of the 2017 Baby Boks team Curwin Bosch, Wandisile Simelane and Embrose Papier, have received this accolade.

Sharks flyhalf, Curwin Bosch, was discovered by a Coca-Cola appointed panel of experts and named the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day on Day 3 of the 2014 Coca-Cola Craven Week. After a brilliant heroic display at the tournament, Bosch was selected to play for the SA Schools team for the u18 International Series against France, Wales and England, where he helped his team win two of three matches.

Bosch has since represented South Africa at the Junior Commonwealth Games for the Rugby Seven’s team that won gold, and played for the Junior Springbok side in 2016 and 2017 for the World Rugby U20 Championships. Bosch took his career to the next level when he made his Super Rugby debut for the Sharks, where he produced match winning performances for his team.

Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa’s Senior Communications Manager: Assets and Brand Experience commented, “Having been the proud sponsors of the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks for 32 years, we have witnessed some of the best talent come through its ranks. It was great to see some of our past Hero of the Day winners represent our country at the recently concluded World Rugby u20 Championship in Georgia. Coca-Cola Craven Week has the potential to jumpstart a future in rugby for all its participants and I have no doubt that the next generation of players will be uncovered at this year’s tournament.”

Look out for the future heroes of South African rugby taking part at this year’s Coca-Cola Craven Week from 17 – 22 July 2017.

Be part of the conversation on Twitter – follow @CocaCola_ZA or search #WhereHeroesAreMade

About the Coca-Cola® Craven Week

The Coca-Cola Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament aimed at identifying the top school rugby players in the country. The tournament started in July 1964, and is named after the legendary Springbok rugby union player and coach Dr Danie Craven.  Coca-Cola became the naming rights sponsor in 1985. There are four tournaments that take place during the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks, namely the Coca-Cola U/13 Craven Week, Coca-Cola U/16 Grant Khomo Week, Coca-Cola U/18 Academy Week and the Coca-Cola U/18 Craven Week.  Many of South Africa’s top rugby players have participated in the Coca-Cola Craven Weeks as a springboard to their professional careers including former World Cup winning captain’s John Smit and Francois Pienaar.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands and more than 3,800 beverage choices. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our company’s portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands, 18 of which are available in reduced-, low- or no-calorie options. Our billion-dollar brands include Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Del Valle, Georgia and Gold Peak. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, we are the No. 1 provider of both sparkling and still beverages.  More than 1.9 billion servings of our beverages are enjoyed by consumers in more than 200 countries each day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, create a safe, inclusive work