Durban – One of the great treats of the rugby calendar in KZN, the Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, kicks off on Thursday, April 14 and by its conclusion on Monday, April 18, a host of future rugby stars will have been unearthed.
The track record of the Festival speaks for itself. Since its inception in 2008, it has produced numerous provincial and Springbok players, a number of whom won bursaries to the Sharks Academy by starring at the Festival.
After a two-year Covid-enforced hiatus, the Festival resumes with four powerhouse teams from Gauteng —Hoërskool Monument (Monnas) from Krugersdorp; Pretoria Boys High, Hoërskool Waterkloof (Pretoria) and Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen (Boksburg).
Hoërskool Noord-Kaap from Kimberley will be returning to the festival, as well as three strong Eastern Cape teams in Selborne College (East London), Hoërskool Framesby (Gqeberha) and newcomers Hoër Landbouskool Marlow (Cradock).
There are four leading local schools involved in Glenwood, Westville, DHS and hosts Kearsney College.
You could form a Springbok team from the schoolboys who have graduated from the Festival.
We are talking about a Cup winners in Handre Pollard (Paarl Gim), RG Snyman (Affies) plus fellow Springboks in the three Du Preez brothers of Kearsney in Dan, Robert and Jean-Luc; Aphelele Fassi (Dale College); Jan Serfontein (Grey College), Johan Goosen (Grey College) Jaden Hendrikse (Glenwood); Warwick Gelant (Outeniqua) and JD Schickerling (Paarl Gim).
There are others who have gone on to represent other countries: Paul Willemse (Grey College) is playing for France; Alan Dell (Queens College) has played for Scotland and the British and Irish Lions), and Winston Cameron-Dow has played for Germany.
Siviwe Soyizwapi (Dale) is currently is the current captain of the Blitzboks; and a recent visitor to our shores as part of the Munster team in the United Rugby Championship is flanker Chris Cloete (Selbourne).
Burger Odendaal (Monument) is currently captaining the Lions while Tera Mtembu (Dale) is a former captain of the Sharks.
In short, the Kearsney Festival produces superstars, and this year it will be no different.
The fixtures are:
Thursday 14 April
08h00 Umhlali Prep School vs KZN lbutho/Mark Godefroy U13
09h30 Kearsney College vs Hoër Landbouskool Marlow
10h45 Durban High School vs Hoërskool Waterkloof
12h00 Westville Boys’ High School vs HoërskoolMonument
13h15 Hoërskool Noord-Kaap vs Selborne College
14h30 Glenwood High School vs Pretoria Boys High School
15h45 Hoërskool Framesby vs Dr E.G. Jansen
Saturday 16 April
07h00 Hillcrest Primary School vs KZN Ibutho/Mark Godefroy U13
08h00 Hoërskool Noord-Kaap vs Westville Boys’ High School
09h30 HoërskoolMonument vs HoërLandbouskool Marlow
10h45 Kearsney College vs Hoërskool Waterkloof
12h00 Dr E.G. Jansen vs Durban High School
13h15 Pretoria Boys High School vs Hoërskool Framesby
14h30 Glenwood High School vs Selborne College
Monday 18 April
08h00 Highbury Preparatory School vs KZN Ibutho/Mark Godefroy U13
09h30 Glenwood High School vs Dr E.G. Jansen
10h45 Westville Boys’ High School vs Selborne College
12h00 HoërskoolMonument vs Durban High School
13h15 Hoër Landbouskool Marlow vsPretoria Boys High School
14h30 Hoërskool Waterkloof vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap
15h45 Kearsney College vsHoërskool Framesby
