The Tony Stoops Rugby Festival

The annual Tony Stoops Rugby Festival will celebrate its seventh year by bringing together 35 teams from across the country to enjoy a fun-filled event over three days at Tygerberg High School.

The festival is aimed primarily at sides below the top tier in the Western Province plus anybody else, which seems to be mostly Bolanders, who wants to pitch in. The 2012 crop included a team from Kwa-Zulu Natal, 6 from the Eastern Cape, 6 from the South Western Districts and even Noord-Kaap, who graciously agreed to play in the flagship game on the Saturday.

In 2008 the first Tony Stoops Rugby Festival, comprising just eight teams, took place at HS President and then grew to 10 teams in 2009, 24 in 2010, 34 in 2011 and 42 in 2012.

The festival was able to accommodate so many teams because HS President could offer us four fields, Ben Theron - the refereeing equivalent of powdered milk - took personal charge of all the match officials and all the WP and Boland sides simply drove in and out each day.

The 2013 Festival, the first at Tygerberg, involved 34 schools and was an outstanding success, thanks in no small part to the generosity of our sponsors and the accommodating nature of our host school.

The 2014 festival gained a major sponsor and the participants included large doses of Noord-Kaap, Paarl Boys' High, Wynberg and Rondebosch among a field of 44 teams.

The 2015 festival will take place on Thursday 2, Saturday 4 and Monday, April 6.

Participating teams:

WP: Tygerberg, Stellenberg, De Kuilen, Milnerton, Bellville South, Parow, Edgemead (just for days one and three), Bosmansdam, Table View, Jan van Riebeeck, Jan Kriel

Boland: Swartland, Klein Nederburg, New Orleans, Porterville, Worcester Gym, Weston, Piketberg, Hopefield, Swellendam, Groendal and Barrydale

EP: Nico Malan, Otto du Plessis, Victoria Park, Westering

Gauteng: Sutherland

KZN: Voortrekker (Pmb)

Northern Cape: Noord-Kaap (just for days one and two)

North West: Stella

SWD: Outeniqua (just for day one), Oudtshoorn, Langenhoven High, Kairos, York

Fixtures:

April 2

A-Field

09.00: Oudtshoorn vs Voortrekker (Pmb)

10.10: De Kuilen vs Westering

11.20: New Orleans vs Otto du Plessis

13.20: Outeniqua vs Noord-Kaap

14.30: Stellenberg vs Nico Malan

15.40: Tygerberg vs Worcester Gym

B-Field

09.00: Kairos vs Edgemead

10.10: Groendal vs Victoria Park

11.20: Jan van Riebeeck vs Klein Nederburg

13.20: Barrydale vs Jan Kriel

14.30: Milnerton vs Hopefield

15.40: Swartland vs Bellville South

C-Field

09.00: Porterville vs Sutherland

10.10: Table View vs York

11.20: Weston vs Stella

13.20: Parow vs Langenhoven High

14.30: Piketberg vs Bosmansdam

Source: StoopStats