Craven Week's final match

On Saturday, South Western Districts play Eastern Province in the last match of the 2014 Craven Week. Those young players will be especially excited about it while there may be some disappointment in the teams that did not make it because this match is to some a final of sorts, the winner the 2014 Craven Week champion.

This match has been a focal point of Craven Week since 1971, conflicting though it did with Dr Craven's wishes and no team is proclaimed the Craven Week champion.

Doc laid down his principles for Craven Week at the very first Craven Week in 1964. He wanted no championship and no distinction other than the winning or losing of matches. For him there would not be a national team chosen and no championship of any kind. He wanted a rugby festival, not trials and not a competition.

Since 1974 there has been a national team chosen each year and from 1971 there is this match which is looked on as the final of a championship.

This year the final match will be between South Western Districts and Eastern Province, the first time the two have met in this match.

South Western Districts have played and won two such matches this century

Eastern Province did this in 1975 and 1977, which is a fair while ago. In 1975, 1976 and 1977 Eastern Province were unbeaten. In 1994 Eastern Province drew with Border and four times they lost the match.

Their 1975 win was remarkable as it came after Western Province had won the first four matches.

The last time Craven Week was held in Middelburg was in 1978 when the final match was between Western Province and Free State. Carel du Plessis was at flyhalf for Western Province and Jaco Reinach was on the wing for Free State. The outstanding player of the week was Jan Serfontein, nicknamed Boelie, father of the Springbok centre Jan who played for SA Schools three years in a row, captain in 1978. Father Jan played SA Schools for three years in a row and did not become a Springbok. Son Jan played for SA Schools once and became a Springbok, but then the chance of becoming a Springbok was far, far slimmer in father Jan's time. He would surely have been a Springbok in the modern era – a man amongst boys even when he was a boy.

Final matches, 1971-2012

Some of the names have changed. Transvaal are now the Golden Lions, Northern Transvaal the Blue Bulls, South Eastern Transvaal the Pumas of Mpumalanga, Northern Free State the Griffons, Western Transvaal the Leopards and Natal KwaZulu-Natal.

1971: Western Province vs Griquas, 11-0

1972: Western Province vs Western Transvaal, 16-9

1973: Western Province vs Transvaal, 36-7

1974: Western Province vs South Western Districts, 22-12

1975: Eastern Province vs Natal, 46-13

1976: Boland vs Free State, 13-9

1977: Eastern Province vs Western Province, 19-17

1978: Western Province vs Free State, 12-3

1979: Northern Free State vs Free State, 9-6

1980: Free State vs Transvaal, 16-6

1981: Transvaal vs Western Province, 11-7

1982: South Eastern Transvaal vs Northern Free State, 25-7

1983: Free State vs South Eastern Transvaal, 13-9

1984: Transvaal vs Eastern Province, 3-0

1985: Free State vs Transvaal, 23-15

1986: South Eastern Transvaal vs Western Province, 19-12

1987: Natal vs Transvaal, 22-22

1988: Western Province vs Free State, 16-3

1989: Transvaal vs Eastern Province, 17-6

1990: Natal vs Northern Transvaal, 18-8

1991: Northern Transvaal vs Border, 10-9

1992: Western Province vs Free State, 22-15

1993: Northern Transvaal vs South Eastern Transvaal, 25-13

1994: Border vs Eastern Province, 13-13

1995: Free State vs Boland, 15-13

1996: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province, 24-12

1997: Northern Transvaal vs Western Province, 29-27

1998: Griqualand West vs Western Province, 32-21

1999: Western Province vs Eastern Province, 15-11

2000: Mpumalanga Pumas vs Boland, 19-18

2001: South Western Districts vs Blue Bulls, 26-20

2002: Western Province vs Free State, 31-16

2003: Western Province vs Free State, 22-17

2004: Free State vs Western Province, 17-16

2005: Golden Lions vs Eastern Province, 38-15

2006: Blue Bulls vs Golden Lions, 35-20

2007: Free State vs Western Province, 52-3

2008: South Western Districts vs Free State, 31-25

2009: Western Province vs Free State, 19-17

2010: Free State vs Western Province, 42-21

2011: Free State vs Golden Lions, 28-17

2012: Blue Bulls vs Golden Lions, 46-0

2013: Western Province vs Golden Lions, 45-29