All eyes on big guns as schools spotlight shifts to Kimberley, Gqeberha
PREVIEW: Affies and Grey College will have a point to prove at the Wildeklawer Tournament, while hosts Grey High will tackle Michaelhouse at the festival staged in Gqeberha.
The final phase of “Festival Season” will play out at the tournaments staged in Kimberley and Gqeberha over the long weekend.
All six of the top dogs will be in action at the Wildeklawer Tournament, as well as the likes of Garsfontein and Stellenberg, who’ve claimed some monumental wins in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, the leading teams from the Eastern Cape will face the likes of Michaelhouse, Rondebosch and SACS at the two-day festival staged at Grey High.
Rugby365 looks ahead to some of the biggest match-ups on the long weekend.
Also Read: Schools Rankings – April 19: Paarl Gim chasing top spot
WILDEKLAWER TOURNAMENT
The number of fixtures and the issue of player welfare has been a big talking point over the past couple of months – given that the North-South tournament, Easter festivals, and Wildeklawer series are scheduled within the same five-week block.
As the focus shifts to the tournaments in Kimberley and Gqeberha this weekend, the coaches face yet another player-management challenge.
And given all we’ve seen in recent weeks, it would be fair to expect a few more upsets.
Paul Roos beat Grey High recently, but may still be smarting after their loss to Stellenberg the week before.
Corne Uys’s charges have a tough draw at the Wildeklawer Tournament, but wins against Garsfontein on Friday and Oakdale on Monday will ensure that they get their season back on track.
Several intriguing battles between the best teams in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal regions will be worth following.
Northwood beat DHS recently, and will go into their first fixture this weekend against Paarl Boys with confidence.
Paarl Gim will battle DHS, who could set the record straight with a big Western Cape scalp.
Boishaai may be targeting their second fixture against Affies, though.
The Pretoria juggernauts have lost four games already this season – falling to Garsfontein last week – and will be desperate to prove a point.
That said, if they focus solely on the clash against Boishaai, the Wit Bulle may leave themselves vulnerable in the initial match against Outeniqua. The Kwaggas have won four from six this season, and so nearly claimed the prize scalp of Boishaai, before losing 22-26.
Grey College are also under pressure to bounce back after sustaining three losses in a row.
Grey will tackle Noordheuwel, who have not been at their best in 2026, on Saturday.
A tougher assignment looms on Monday, given that Jeppe are coming off a win against Westville – and they will remember the big win against Grey at the North-South tournament in 2024.
Stellenberg are the form team in the country, but will need to keep winning to retain their spot at the top of the unofficial rankings.
Their first opponents – Martizburg College – have shown signs of improvement this season and are on a four-game winning streak, while hosts Diamantveld will be difficult to beat on their home patch.
WILDEKLAWER TOURNAMENT FIXTURES
FRIDAY
Nico Malan v EG Jansen
Diamantveld v Queens
Paul Roos v Garsfontein
SATURDAY
Waterkloof v Durbanville
Monument v DHS
Maritzburg College v Stellenberg
Westville v Oakdale
Jeppe v Boland Landbou
Paarl Boys v Northwood
Affies v Outeniqua
Grey College v Noordheuwel
Paarl Gim v Helpmekaar
Marlow v NK Barbarians
Rustenburg v Sentraal Barbarians
Fichardtpark v Pietersburg
MONDAY
Diamantveld v Stellenberg
Helpmekaar v Queens
Outeniqua v Maritzburg College
Noordheuwel v Boland Landbou
Northwood v Garsfontein
Paul Roos v Oakdale
DHS v Paarl Gim
Grey College v Jeppe
Affies v Paarl Boys
Waterkloof v Westville
NK Barbarians v Sentraal Barbarians
Rustenburg v Marlow
EG Jansen v Durbanville
Monument v Nico Malan
GREY HIGH FESTIVAL
Selborne made headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, when the dispute between coach Jake White and headmaster Andrew Dewar played out across various media outlets.
Last weekend, however, the First XV made a statement when they beat Graeme College – one of the most consistent teams in the Eastern Cape over the past few seasons.
On the back of that result, Selborne will believe that they can beat SACS at the Grey High Festival on Saturday.
SACS are coming off a narrow win against Bishops, but recently lost to Pretoria Boys, Maritzburg College and Durbanville.
Michaelhouse will look to add another big scalp to their collection when they face the festival hosts on Saturday. House have beaten Northwood, Affies and Jeppe in recent weeks.
Rondebosch started the season well, scoring more than 40 points in wins against Tygerberg, Selborne and Pretoria Boys.
After losing in away fixtures against Wynberg and Boland Landbou, they should be looking to set the record straight in the coming festival fixtures against Glenwood and KES.
GREY HIGH FESTIVAL FIXTURES
SATURDAY
Kingswood v St Charles
Graeme v Kearsney
Daniel Pienaar v Hudson Park
Parel Vallei v Framesby
St Stithians v Drostdy
SACS v Selborne
Glenwood v Rondebosch
Dale v Pearson
Grey High v Michaelhouse
Muir v Mali XV
MONDAY
Pearson v Drostdy
Kingswood v St Stithians
Kearsney v SACS
St Andrews v Michaelhouse
Graeme v St Charles
Selborne v Glenwood
Rondebosch v KES
Grey High v Pretoria Boys
Muir v Dale
OTHER FIXTURES
SATURDAY
Hilton v Bishops
KES v Pretoria Boys
Parktown v Northcliff
Duineveld v Sentraal
Hentie Cilliers v Bethlehem Voortrekker
Trio v Welkom Gim
