Stellenbosch unbeaten at Oakdale
The Oakdale Rugby Festival ended on Monday, 26 March with surprise package Stellenbosch High School the only side to maintain a 100% record.
The sad thing is that their achievement will probably go unnoticed when it comes to selection time for the Boland Craven Week squad, for whom their players are eligible, as the school is frequently overlooked by blinkered officials who conveniently think that Paul Roos – who play for Western Province – is the only rugby-playing school in the Eikestad.
Hosts Oakdale, Langenhoven Gym of Oudtshoorn and Kimberley’s Diamantveld also went through the week unbeaten, but each of them drew one of their three matches.
Perhaps the biggest problem regarding this year’s event was its timing, forced on the organisers by the hosts’ commitments elsewhere in the country later this week. All the Gauteng schools and even a few Western Cape ones were unable to attend because the school term was still in session.
The home team saved the best for last, hammering a hitherto impressive Bellville side 46-14 on the final day to give notice to the other two big ous in the South Western Districts, Outeniqua and Oudtshoorn, that this year’s battle for supremacy is guaranteed to be a close one.
Festival Select XV:
15 Granville Adams (Diamantveld)
14 Rudi September (Overberg)
13 Jacques Nel (Diamantveld)
12 Rudolf Frick (Stellenbosch)
11 Siphamandla Bingwa (Hudson Park)
10 Ewan Adams (Hermanus)
9 Riaan van Zyl (Stellenbosch)
8 Jeandré Rudolph (Oakdale)
7 Zirk Tredoux (Vredendal)
6 Nicolen Carelse (Hermanus)
5 Marcus Brand (Augsburg Gym)
4 CP Potgieter (Diamantveld)
3 Kabous van Schalkwyk (Oakdale)
2 Simon Snyman (Oakdale)
1 Carl Mangold (Bellville)
Festival results at a glance:
Aliwal North vs Bredasdorp, 10-8
Augsburg Gym vs Hermanus, 17-17
Diamantveld vs Hudson Park, 24-0
Grens vs Sentraal (Beaufort West), 17-14
Langenhoven Gym vs Brackenfell, 13-8
Montagu vs Durbanville, 16-7
Oakdale vs Bellville, 46-14
Overberg vs Monument Park, 21-0
Port Rex vs Knysna, 32-7
Stellenbosch vs Walvis Bay, 24-17
Strand vs Vredendal, 20-7
