COCA-COLA® U18 CRAVEN WEEK HEROES TO DON GREEN AND GOLD

Three of the five Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award winners, selected at the 2016 u18 Coca-Cola® Craven Week, have been named in today’s SA Schools squad announcement.  Wandisile Simelane (Golden Lions); JC Pretorius (Pumas) and Khanya Ncusane (Western Province) were all named in the squad which will be taking on England, Wales and France.

The Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day was awarded on each match day of the Coca-Cola® Craven Week to a player who inspired or changed his team’s fortunes with a hero moment.  Each of the SA Schools selectees were picked for the award by a panel of experts, including SuperSport’s Elma Smit.  Their selection no doubt brought them to the attention of the SA Schools selection panel and sees them joining the squad of twenty-six players who will wear the famous green and gold later this year.

Wandisile Simelane, who hails from Jeppe High School for boys, retains his place in the squad and has been touted as one of the brightest up and coming heroes in South African rugby. He was selected for the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award on day three of the tournament after scoring a hat-trick of tries in the space of twenty minutes in his team’s opening match.

“My two Coca-Cola Craven Weeks have, without a doubt, provided a springboard for me to launch my career in rugby.  The week provides players with opportunities like nowhere else and is very important for young rugby players to show what they are made of,” commented Simelane.

Fetsi Mbele Coca-Cola South Africa’s Senior Communications Manager: Brand Experience commented, “Coca-Cola is extremely proud to support the development of South Africa’s next rugby heroes through the sponsorship of the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks.  The emergence of heroes such as Wandisile, JC and Khanya is what the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks are all about.  We can’t wait to follow their progress as they forge a career for themselves in rugby.”  

The Coca-Cola® SA Schools team will face Wales on Friday 12 August at the City Park Stadium in Cape Town, France on the 16^th August at Bishops Diocesan College, Cape Town and England on the 20^th August at Paarl Boys High in Paarl.

[ENDS]

Clips of their interviews:

JC Pretorius

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbwCp7r3q-o

Wandesile Simelane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKMc7bQyWkQ

Khanya Ncusane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LpKtzSfLh4&feature=youtu.be

Coca-Cola® Hero of the day for day 5

Ngwekazi Khanya Ncusane from Western Province has been named the Coca-Cola® Hero of the day for day 5 of the U18 Coca-Cola® Craven Week.

The prestigious Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award is presented on each day of the tournament in recognition of a game changing ‘hero’ moment.  Ngwekazi was selected for the award by a Coca-Cola appointed panel of rugby experts, led by SuperSport anchor Elma Smit.  His hero moment came after the Lions had found their way back into the game after scoring an intercept try. The Lions kicked off and the ball moved very quickly down the Western Province backline where the big eighth man was standing on the wing. There was nothing on for him when he received the ball so he tried to make something out of nothing. Ngwekazi broke through the Lions defense and chipped the ball through for his support players, setting off a move which eventually led to him scoring the match defining try.

“I saw other players wearing the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day red shorts and when I won the award I was really pleased that I got mine too. I wish that I had the chance to wear them in a match as I believe the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day is more prestigious than a man of the match award,” said Ngwekazi.

“A big congratulations to Khanya on his selection as the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day.  This year’s final match was an exciting, hard fought contest. At the end of the match it was Ngwekazi's moment that separated the two teams. His award is well deserved,” added Elma Smit.

Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa’s Senior Communications Manager: Brand Experience concluded, “The Coca-Cola® Craven Week is Where Heroes Are Made and for many of the players here this week, this is just the beginning of a future in the game.  I look forward to following the likes of Ngwekazi as they carve out a career for themselves in South African rugby.”   

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