COCA-COLA® HERO OF THE DAY (DAY 4)

Juan (JJ) Van der Mescht from the Sharks has been named the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day for day 4 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.  JJ was selected for the award by a Coca-Cola appointed panel of rugby experts, led by Springbok legend Victor Matfield. He scored the first try of the match and had an opportunity to score another but selflessly passed the ball to his captain Phendulani Buthelezi to score instead.

“It is an honor and privilege to get the Hero of the Day award, and an even greater privilege to get the award from one of my heroes, Victor Matfield,” said Mescht.

“JJ is part of a fantastic Sharks team and is one of the reasons they are such a great team. What impressed me the most was his incredible sportsmanship and selflessness when he offloaded the ball to his teammate when he could’ve dotted it down himself,” said Matfield.

Phindi Phiri, Coca-Cola South Africa’s Marketing Assets Manager, “Congratulations to JJ for being chosen as the Coca-Cola Hero of the Day for day 4. The Coca-Cola Craven Week is where South Africa’s best, up and coming rugby players are identified – this is where heroes are made. JJ is a selfless player that puts his team mates first. Part of being a hero is being a team player and he embodies this trait perfectly. I hope that this is just the beginning of a long and successful career in rugby for him.”

 

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

COCA-COLA CRAVEN WEEK HEROES STAR FOR BABY BOKS: CURWIN BOSCH

The Coca-Cola® Craven Week is where heroes are made with the vast majority of Springboks having come through its ranks. The latest generation of heroes are continuing to illustrate the proof of this statement with three past Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day winners - Curwin Bosch, Keanu Vers, and Embrose Papier, all going on to represent the South Africa U20 team which recently did service at the IRB U20 Championship in Manchester.

This year will once again see the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day awarded in recognition of the standout, game changing hero moment of each tournament match day.  2016 will be the third year the award will be up for grabs having already seen some of its previous winners go on to achieve big things. 

Curwin Bosch, who received the award in 2014 for a game changing try, is a prime example of this.  Bosch has been one of the junior stars in SA rugby over the last few years. He was named the Coca-Cola® Craven Week Player of the Year in 2014, and in 2015 he played a key role in the success of the SA Schools and Youth Commonwealth Games teams. The former Grey High fullback made his senior provincial debut earlier this season for the Cell C Sharks.

Curwin, in looking back at his Coca-Cola® Craven Week days, spoke of his pride in winning the award. “It was an honour and privilege to be named the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day. The competition marks the cornerstone of junior rugby in South Africa and it was fantastic to receive the award. Every player works hard to be selected for their provinces, and to be there is a privilege. The Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award, however, was the cherry on top,” he said.

Fetsi Mbele, Coca-Cola South Africa’s Senior Communications Manager: Brand Experience commented, “It is great to see players like Curwin Bosch, who won the Coca-Cola® Hero of the Day award at the 2014 Coca-Cola® Craven Week furthering their careers in rugby. The Coca-Cola® Craven Week is Where Heroes Are Made and players like Curwin continue to illustrate this.  The Coca-Cola® Craven Week has the potential to kick start a future in the game for all its participants and we can’t wait to see what talent will be uncovered this year. ”   

Look out for the future heroes of South African rugby taking part at this year’s Coca-Cola® Craven Week from 10 – 16 July 2016.

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

[ENDS}

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