Overseas flavour to Swartland Festival

The Höerskool Swartland hosts its third rugby festival in Malmesbury on Thursday 12, July and Saturday, 14 July (2012).

The event, seen as providing First XVs with ideal preparation for the third term – which commences the following week – has established a loyal following around the Cape.

However, this year three overseas schools will also be using it as a starting point for their end-of-season tours to the country. The Royal Grammar School of Lancaster, Pate’s Grammar School (from Cheltenham) and the Royal Academy of Belfast will all take part on the Saturday, the first two also fielding their Second XVs.

The programme is packed with highlights throughout, with the local teams carefully matched against each other on the basis of their strength shown so far this season.

Thursday’s final three offerings offer very interesting fare.

Strand have been one of the form teams in Western Cape Premier B circles this year and will relish the chance to test their skills against Ceres’s finest, who will, however, be missing wing and captain Luwandré Visagie and flank Cobus Geldenhuys, both of whom will be in action at the Craven Week.

Drostdy will still have many of their big guns for what has become almost a festival tradition, a clash with Tygerberg. These are arguably two of the most inconsistent teams in the country. So there is absolutely no way of predicting the outcome of their meeting. Let’s just say that if the Tygers can handle the Donkeys’ pack, they stand a chance of success.

In the late show hosts Swartland, never a side to shrink from a challenge, come up against Bishops. The Rockies have surprised even themselves this season with an impressive win ratio, based largely on a very enterprising pack. That would probably be enough to unsettle most teams, but when you’re facing a Bishops team reinvigorated both by both its derby win over Rondebosch and the pending return of several key players from injury, well, that’s a different story entirely..

Saturday is going to be a long day, but the three local matches (Augsburg Gim vs Strand, Charlie Hofmeyr vs Despatch and Bishops vs Stellenberg) appear very finely balanced. Tygerberg and RA Belfast will be very keen to run the rule over each other as they coincidentally meet early the following week.

At the same time HS Tygerberg will be presenting their first Under-16 festival involving an interesting mix of local and Boland teams.

HS Swartland Rugby Festival programme:

Thursday, 12 July:

10.45: Piketberg vs Brackenfell

12.00: Augsburg Gim vs Despatch

13.15: Vredenburg vs Swellendam

14.30: Strand vs Charlie Hofmeyr

15.45: HTS Drostdy vs Tygerberg

17.00: Swartland vs Bishops

Saturday, 14 July:

08.30: Piketberg vs HTS Drostdy B

09.45: HTS Drostdy vs Royal Academy, Belfast

11.00: Charlie Hofmeyr vs Despatch

12.15: Brackenfell vs Pate’s Grammar School (Cheltenham) Seconds

13.30: Vredenburg vs Royal Grammar School, Lancaster Seconds

14.45: Augsburg Gim vs Strand

16.00: Swartland vs Pate’s GS Firsts

17.15: Bishops vs Stellenberg

18.30: Tygerberg vs RGS, Lancaster Firsts

HS Tygerberg Under-16 Rugby Festival:

Thursday, 12 July

09.15: Tygerberg B vs Paulus Joubert

09.15: Hermanus vs Kasselsvlei

10.15: Rondebosch vs Hamiltons

10.15: Tygerberg A vs Weston

11.15: Swartland vs SACS

Saturday, 14 July

09.15: Tygerberg B vs Hamiltons

09.15: SACS vs Weston

10.15: Paulus Joubert vs Kasselsvlei

10.15: Rondebosch vs Swartland

11.15: Tygerberg A vs Hermanus

By Tony Stoops