Cape Schools Week set to start
Cape Schools Week, first held in 1980, starts on Saturday, 27 June 2015, with 10 teams taking part.
The founding father was Ray Connellan, an ardent schoolmaster and rugby man, who wanted to bring together schools in the Eastern Cape where he went to school and taught and the Western Cape where he ended his teaching career.
The idea that there would be rugby and crosscountry at each week, and that is the case this week. The week is set to happen every two years alternately in the east and the west. In 2013 Cape Schools was hosted by Paarl Gim.
There are really good sides at the week. Seven of the ten teams have been on the FNB Top 20. Paarl Gim, Selborne, SACS, Grey PE and Dale are on the most recent ranking with Boland Landbou just below them.
Wynberg, where Connellan taught with such enthusiasm, have withdrawn from this year's tournament. Instead the main sponsor has a team chosen from the Eastern Cape and bearing its name – likely to be a strong side. Although from the East it will fall in as a western team because it has taken the place of Wynberg.
The Western Province teams may well not be at full strength as the Western Province have told the schools that players chosen for Craven Week and the Academy Week are not to play at risk of forfeiting their place in the team for the national weeks.
The teams with Western Province representatives are:
Boland Landbou: Jondré Williams of the Craven Week team and Joppie du Pisanie, Athi Magwala and Bertus Smit of the Academy Week team.
Paarl Gim: Johan Grobbelaar, George Lourens, Ernst van Rhyn and Johan Visser of the Craven Week side and Taigh Schoor, O'Niel Thiart and Wian van Zyl set for Academy Week.
Rondebosch: Ashwin Adams and Zain Davids of the Craven Week side and Imraan Andrews and Mike Mavovana of the Academy Week team
SACS: Jordan Chait and Liam Larkin in the Academy Week team.
Grey will host the tournament in Port Elizabeth this year with matches on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday, all on the Philip Field. On each of those three days there will be crosscountry runs of varying lengths.
Fixtures
Saturday, 27 June 2015
09.30: Dale vs Boland Landbou
10.45: Muir vs SACS
12.00: Queen’s vs Standard Bank XV
13.15: Selborne vs Paarl Gym
15.00: Grey High vs Rondebosch
Monday, 29 June 2015
10.00: Standard Bank XV vs Muir
11.15: Selborne vs Rondebosch
12.30: Dale vs Paarl Gym
13.45: Queen’s vs SACS
15.00: Grey vs Boland Landbou
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
09.00: Selborne vs Boland Landbou
10.15: Dale vs Standard Bank XV
11.30: Grey vs SACS
12:40: Muir vs Rondebosch
14.00: Queen’s vs Paarl Gym
