Fixtures for TSRF, Day One
Boasting 44 teams, the 2014 Tony Stoops Rugby Festival presented by C2M Chartered Accountants Inc., to be held at Tygerberg from Saturday 29 March to Wednesday 2 April, will be the biggest and, given the standard of some of those attending, quite probably the best so far.
The fact that the ten-day holiday at the end of the first school term does not coincide with Easter and all its attendant festivals has meant that several big guns have seen fit to attend the TSRF in order to maintain their early-season fitness levels rather than remain idle.
The four nationally prominent teams on view will be Paarl Boys’ High, Wynberg and Rondebosch – all of whom will all be in action only on the first two days of proceedings – and Kimberley powerhouse Noord-Kaap, who will play on all three days.
As this is a festival, not a tournament, the three WP Premier A outfits will be playing against teams from other provinces. Consequently, the highlights of the week look like being Paarl Boys’ High vs Noord-Kaap at 15.20: on Saturday 29 March and Wynberg vs Noord-Kaap at the same time on Monday 31 March.
The organizers are delighted to welcome seven regulars from the Eastern Province, three from the South Western Districts plus Noord-Kaap and dark horses Sasolburg High, the latter as first-timers from the northern edge of the Free State, to supplement the 32 WP and Boland teams.
The A Field schedule for the opening day offers non-stop high-class entertainment. First up are Boland high-flyers Piketberg, followed by Oudtshoorn of the South Western Districts, after which the most prominent WP teams on the bill take to the field.
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.
Please note that three teams – Schoonspruit, Klein Nederburg and New Orleans – will not be in action on the Saturday as they will be involved in trials to determine a Western Cape Schools of Excellence team. They will enter the fray on the Monday, along with Fairbairn College.
Provisional programme for Saturday 29 March
A Field (Tierfontein)
09.00: Piketberg vs Despatch
10.10: De Kuilen vs Oudtshoorn
11.20: Rondebosch vs Worcester Gym
13.10: Tygerberg vs Sasolburg
14.20: Wynberg vs Swartland
15.30: Paarl Boys’ High vs Noord-Kaap
B Field (Tierberg)
09.00: Milnerton vs Victoria Park
10.10: Jan van Riebeeck vs Otto du Plessis
11.20: Dirkie Uys vs Hottentots Holland
13.10: Vredenburg vs Scottsdene
14.20: Bellville South vs HTS Newton
C Field (Welpiekamp)
09.00: Langenhoven High vs Alexander Road
10.10: Montana vs Kirkwood
11.20: Edgemead vs Barrydale
13.10: Swellendam vs Parel Vallei
D Field (Tierplesier)
09.00: Bosmansdam vs York
10.10: Porterville vs Westering
11.20: Robertson vs Table View
13.10: Labori vs Emil Weder
14.20: Jan Kriel vs Hopefield
The fixtures for Monday and Wednesday will be drawn up after play, based on Saturday’s and Monday’s results respectively.