One of the biggest Under-19 schoolboy rugby festivals in the world, The Tony Stoops Rugby Festival, boasts an impressive list of 36 teams for its’ eighth edition.
The big news in 2015 is that school rugby powerhouses, Outeniqua, will be in attendance at the Tony Stoops Rugby Festival (TSRF), albeit for one day only. The Kwaggas will feature on the opening day (Thursday 02 April) with their match against Kimberley’s Noord-Kaap set to make the headlines as the main attraction.
2015 sees the TSRF return to it’s regular Easter Weekend slot and once again the teams will make their way to the Tygerberg High School fields from far and wide. Apart from the local Western Province and Boland teams, schools from as far afield as KZN and Gauteng will be in attendance.
Day One’s fixture list looks enticing, with the Outeniqua vs Noord-Kaap clash the obvious highlight. The two schools did not play each other in 2014, however they did meet in a Mutual & Federal Premier Interschools encounter in 2013 when the Kwaggas won 36 – 23 despite missing several SA Schools stars. The other big matches on Day One will take place on the A-Field after the Kwaggas’ clash: a promising Stellenberg will face Humansdorp’s Nico Malan before hosts Tygerberg meet Worcester Gym in the day’s final game.
One should not presume that, because the other fields feature slightly lesser lights, the level of application and competitive spirit will be any lower. The pride with which some of teams from even the tiniest schools represent their towns will leave no-one under any illusion about the strength of the game at platteland grassroots level.
Like the Mutual & Federal Agri Oakdale Rugby Festival, only the Day One fixtures for the TSRF have been released with the remaining fixtures drawn up at the conclusion of each day’s play on a strength vs strength basis.
Participating teams:
WP: Tygerberg, Stellenberg, De Kuilen, Milnerton, Bellville South, Parow, Table View, Jan van Riebeeck and Jan Kriel;
Boland: Swartland, Klein Nederburg, New Orleans, Porterville, Worcester Gym, Weston, Piketberg (just for days one and two), Hopefield, Swellendam, Groendal and Barrydale;
EP: Nico Malan, Otto du Plessis and Westering;
Border: Port Rex THS;
Gauteng: Sutherland;
KZN: Weston Agric, Sarel Cilliers, Voortrekker (Pmb);
Northern Cape: Noord-Kaap (just for days one and three);
North West : Stella
SWD: Outeniqua (just for day one), Oudtshoorn, PW Botha, Langenhoven High, Kairos and York.
Fixtures, Thursday 02 April:
A Field (Tierfontein)
Oudtshoorn vs Voortrekker (PMB)
De Kuilen vs Port Rex
New Orleans vs Sarel Cilliers
Outeniqua vs Noord-Kaap
Stellenberg vs Nico Malan
Tygerberg vs Worcester Gym
B Field (Tierberg)
Kairos vs Stella
Groendal vs Bellville South
Jan van Riebeeck vs Klein Nederburg
Barrydale vs Jan Kriel
Milnerton vs Piketberg
Swartland vs Weston Agricultural
C Field (Tierplesier)
Porterville vs Sutherland
Tabel View vs York
Hopefield vs Westering
Weston vs PW Botha
Swellendam vs Otto du Plessis
Parow vs Langenhoven High
