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Here we go ......




After more that a year, school rugby is starting up again and, while it’s going to be strange having no spectators, and sending the boys home immediately after their games goes against many of the social and educational points the game is supposed to be making, I guess we should be thankful, though.

And, on the Highveld it’s starting with quite a bang – Monument have resurrected their 100th Anniversary tournament after the original organisers pulled out at the 11th hour due, apparently, to sponsorship issues.

What followed in the social media underscored a point I’ve been trying to make for a while now. The Krugersdorp community rallied, just as they did earlier in the year when Monument’s fields were washed away in a flash flood, and all sorts of offers in cash and kind were made to save the festival.

I have no knowledge of what actually followed, but in a day or two it was announced that it was on again, with Blue Ribbon as a sponsor. Tjaart Van der Walt and Wynand Moolman, the rugby and marketing directors, it was posted, didn’t sleep for 72 hours, but they got it done – together with people who have the school and its children at heart.

That’s what I’ve been saying: leave the raising of the children to the community and keep the professionals out.

I’m one of the lucky ones – I’m playing the press card – who will be at Monnas this weekend to see the games. And there are some tasty clashes on the menu. Six of the teams on show would make the national Top 10 list in most years, and quite a few of the others would be knocking on the door.

The most interesting clashes will be late on Saturday – Paarl Boys’ High vs Welkom Gimnasium, Grey College vs Paarl Gimnasium and Monument vs HTS Drostdy. There are plenty of interesting matchups on the other days too.

The teams will, I guess, be a little undercooked – it’s their first hit-out after a long, long break – although I’d be surprised if they haven’t all had some full contact rugby on the quiet already.

It doesn’t matter. For me it’s going to be enough to see some of of our most famous school rugby jerseys in action on a field again.

And I'll be there. Here we go ……..

FIXTURES

Friday 23rd April

1pm EG Jansen vs HTS Drostdy, 2.30pm Menlo Park vs St John's, 4pm Garsfontein vs Nelspruit, 5.30pm Affies vs Noord Kaap.

Saturday 24th April

10am Milnerton vs Northcliff, 11.30am Pretoria Boys’ High vs Rustenburg, 1pm Outeniqua vs Noordheuwel, 2.30pm Helpmekaar vs Stellenberg, 4pm Paarl Boys High vs Welkom Gimnasium 5.30pm Grey College vs Paarl Gimnasium, 7pm Monument vs HTS Drostdy

Monday 26th April

10am St John’s vs Milnerton, 11.30pm Noord Kaap vs Nelspruit, 1pm Monument u-16A vs Paarl Boys' High, 4pm HTS Drostdy vs Ben Vorster 

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