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Beam me to the rugby festival, Scotty

 

It’s getting close to kickoff time at the Easter rugby festivals and I get the feeling that many people here in Joburg, and in the Botha’s Hill vicinity are seriously considering going along to watch.

If you are a lover of school rugby and have some doubts, think back to how the last two Easters have been and, if you’re still not convinced, switch on BBC World on the TV and look at the pictures from Shanghai where the entire city has been placed on lockdown, and remember April 2020 and 2021 – you’d have rushed to go to the rugby then, wouldn’t you?

When I was a newspaper reporter covering the festivals, I’d pick the game of the day between the three in Joburg and make sure I got to each of those. Lately I pick one location and stick to it. It’s going to be KES this year – OK, maybe I’ll sneak across to St John’s on Thursday to watch the night games, because it’s possible and because, having watched them in action last weekend, I think this St John’s team are going to be worth watching this year, like the one in 2019 was. St John’s play Nelspruit at 8.30pm on Thursday.

If, however, like Captain Kirk, I had a transporter and an engineer called Scotty to operate it, I’d go and watch the game of the day at each venue again– and because in science fiction you aren’t necessarily bound by the usual constraints of time – I wouldn’t have to choose them according to the times they are scheduled at.

On Thursday I’d be at KES (this is the one I’m actually going to get to watch) for the hosts against Queens College at 12.50pm. There’s just so much history and tradition about this fixture. They have played each other many times over the years and there have been some cracking encounters. Then there’s the story behind the missing number 13 in the Queens lineup. And it’s going to be the sort of game that busts the myth that black boys can’t play rugby – in fact they play it in a fashion that I’d go and watch any day.

On Saturday I’ll ask Scotty to beam me to St Stithians for the 1pm game between Maritzburg College and Bishops. Bishops have been back to their run-everything best this year it seems, and I’d like to see that, but I’d choose this game for historical reasons. I was at Saints in 1985 and watched this matchup then. Bishops astounded us on the first two days – we’d never seen anything like it – and they were expected to run College off their feet on Monday. They didn’t, a skinny youngster called Stransky marshalled Maritzburg and it was an absolute thriller. It won’t be another game like that on Saturday, but it will be special.

On Monday I’d go on two transportations – you can do that on the Enterprise. I’ll watch Helpmekaar against Paarl Boys’ High at 4.20pm. Booishaai have been either number one or two in the land for the last 10 years, so who wouldn’t want to see them play? Helpmekaar are calling their 2022 side the “Dream Team”. These boys won the Noordvaal trophies throughout their junior years, and they have taken down some big guns already this year. Will this be another one?

Before that, I’d be at Kearsney for the 3.45pm game between Framesby and EG Jansen. Those are not such famous school names. They come from the tough parts of their respective towns and they play a style of rugby in accordance. Hard and uncompromising – South African rugby, I guess. It will be a game for the purists, I would love to be there for it.

The Festival Fixtures

King Edward

Thursday April 14 - 8.10am Trinityhouse vs Dale College, 9.20am Nico Malan vs Durbanville, 10.30am Ben Vorster vs Centurion, 11.40am Jeppe High School for Boys vs Eldoraigne, 12.50pm King Edward VII School vs Queens College, 2pm Northwood Boys’ High vs Hudson Park.
Saturday April 16 - 8.10am Centurion vs Durbanville, 9.20m Trinityhouse vs Nico Malan, 10.30am Ben Vorster vs Eldoraigne, 11.40 am Northwood vs Queens, 12.50pm Jeppe vs Hudson Park, 2pm KES vs Dale.
Monday April 18 - 8am Northwood vs Centurion, 9.10am Queens vs Durbanville
10.20am Jeppe vs Dale, 11.30am Ben Vorster vs Nico Malan, 12.40pm Hudson Park vs Trinityhouse, 1.50pm KES vs Eldoraigne.

St Stithians

Thursday April 14 - 9.15am St Andrew’s vs St Alban’s, 10.30am Maritzburg College vs Michaelhouse, 11.45am St Stithians vs Clifton, 1pm Parktown vs Wynberg, 2.15pm Bishops vs Grey High.
Saturday April 16 - 9.15am St Alban’s vs Grey High, 10.30am St Andrew’s vs Wynberg, 11.45am Parktown vs Clifton, 1pm Maritzburg College vs Bishops, 2.45pm St Stithians vs Michaelhouse.
Monday April 18 - 9.15am Wynberg vs Clifton, 10.30am Bishops vs Parktown, 11.45am Grey High vs Maritzburg College, 1pm St Alban’s vs Michaelhouse, 2.15pm St Stithians vs St Andrew’s.

St John’s

Thursday 14 April - 12.40 pm Helpmekaar Kollege vs Graeme College, 1.50pm Paarl Boys High vs Golden Lions Invitation, 3pm Hilton College vs St Benedict’s College, 4.10pm Hoër Landbouskool Boland vs Hoërskool Noordheuwel, 6.10pm St Charles College vs St David’s Marist Inanda, 7.20pm Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Welkom Gimnasium, 8.30pm St John’s College vs Hoërskool Nelspruit.
Saturday 16 April - 8.15am Noordheuwel vs St David’s,  9.25am Boland Landbou vs St Charles, 10.35am Lions vs St Benedict’s,  11.45 am St John’s vs Graeme College, 2pm Hilton vs Welkom Gimnasium, 3.10pm Paul Roos Gimnasium vs  Nelspruit, 4.20pm Helpmekaar vs Paarl Boys High.
Monday 18 April - 8.30am St Benedict’s vs St Charles, 9.40am St David’s vs Lions, 10.50am Graeme College vs Welkom Gimnasium, 12pm Helpmekaar vs Nelspruit, 2pm Noordheuwel vs St John’s, 3.10pm Affies vs Boland Landbou, 4.20pm Hilton vs Paarl Boys High.

Kearsney

Thursday 14 April – 8am Umhlali Prep vs KZN Ibutho under-13, 9.30am - Kearsney vs Marlow, 10.45am DHS vs Waterkloof, 12pm Westville vs Monument. 1.15pm Noord-Kaap vs Selborne, 2.30pm Glenwood vs Pretoria Boys, 3.45pm Framesby vs EG Jansen.
Saturday 16 April – 7am Hillcrest Primary vs KZN Ibutho, 8am Noord-Kaap vs Westville, 9.30am Monument vs Marlow, 10.45am Kearsney vs Waterkloof, 12pm EG. Jansen vs DHS, 1.15pm Pretoria vs Framesby, 2.30pm Glenwood vs Selborne.
Monday 18 April - 8am Highbury vs KZN Ibutho, 9.30am Glenwood vs EG Jansen. 10.45am Westville vs Selborne, 12pm Monument vs DHS, 1.15pm Marlow vs Pretoria, 2.30pm Waterkloof vs Noord-Kaap, 3.45pm Kearsney vs Framesby.

 

 

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