Eastern Cape School sides are sizing each other up for the forthcoming Pam Golding Properties Graeme Rugby Day in Grahamstown on Saturday (12 March).
Eastern Cape School sides are sizing each other up for the forthcoming Pam Golding Properties Graeme Rugby Day in Grahamstown on Saturday (12 March).
There will be a number of fixtures played throughout the day – ranging from U14 to 1st team level – on the three Graeme rugby fields.
The first major 1st XV fixture will see Grey High School, widely regarded as one of the best rugby schools in the country, take on Stirling High at 10.20am on Somerset Field.
Although some critics feel Stirling High may struggle, Grey High School rugby coach, Tim Fraser, says they will not be making the mistake of taking their opponents lightly when they face them in their clash.
Because Easter falls on the final weekend in March, the Graeme Rugby Day is being played a week earlier than usual and Fraser says they are regarding the tournament as a vital part of their planning for the season.
"The Graeme Rugby Day is very important to us. It gives us a chance to look at our combinations ahead of the the St Stithians Festival. We certainly will not be taking Stirling lightly.”
Grey is regarded by many as one of the top rugby schools in the Eastern Cape. Fraser said their preparations have gone well, with the squad having undergone fitness training and gym work, while also focusing on their skills development and decision-making.
They team has five backline players from last year, while SA Schools loose forward Khwezi Mafu will be a key figure in a largely untried pack.
"We don't have a massive pack and we will concentrate on being a mobile. We want to make sure we compete with the top sides," said Fraser.
The first Grahamstown school in action will be St Andrews who face up against Hoerskool Nico Malan at 1.50pm as they look to start their 2016 pre season on a positive note.
St Andrews will be hoping for a better year on the local front, as they lost to both Graeme and Kingswood in 2015 and will be eager to move past that and get their preparations under way for the year to come.
Graeme College will then play Hoer Landbouskool Marlow immediately after before Kingswood closes the day's play at 4.10pm when they play top Border school, Queens College.
Other schools who will be playing during the day include Selborne College, Dale College and Pearson High School.
The festival marks the beginning of the schools pre season preparations ahead of the school rugby season which will run from now until the beginning of August.
For Graeme and St Andrews as well as Grey High, this festival will be a great time for managers and coaches to observe their teams and try out combinations before they travel to Johannesburg to participate in the prestigious St Stithians tournament which starts on 24 March.
First kick-off is at 8am when Dale takes on Pearson. Spectators will be hoping for a high standard of school rugby throughout the day, which has come to be thought of as a highlight in the Grahamstown school sports calendar.
The first team fixtures are:
8am: Dale v Pearson; 9.10: Union v Hudson Park; 10.20: Grey High v Stirling; 11.30: Muir v Cambridge; 12.40: Selborne v Framesby; 1.50: St Andrew’s v Nico Malan; 3pm: Graeme v Marlow; 4.10: Kingswood v Queen’s.
