YOUTH WEEKS: U13 and U16 teams take grand stage
The opening day’s play on Monday will be jam-packed with 19 matches being played across the two competitions.
The action will continue all week, with the U13 teams playing Tuesday and Thursday, while the U16 teams will battle it out in their second round on Wednesday. Both age groups will take to the field on the final day of the competition on Friday.
The U13 teams will launch the Junior Youth Weeks with the Sharks meeting the Golden Lions, Limpopo Blue Bulls taking on Boland, the Leopards going up against Eastern Province, and Border CD lining up against Zimbabwe respectively at 09.30 (07.30 GMT)
The U16 tournament, meanwhile, will begin at 10.30 (08.30 GMT), with the Golden Lions meeting Border, the Leopards taking on Namibia, SWD battling it out with the Pumas and the Griffons going up against Border CD.
The other big games in the U13 Week will see hosts, the Free State, going up against the Blue Bulls, while Western Province, who finished the tournament as the top side for the last four years, will meet the Griffons.
The main matches in the U16 Grant Khomo Week, meanwhile, will see the top 2016 team, the Blue Bulls, go up against Western Province, with the Sharks meeting Western Province XV and the Free State taking on African neighbours Zimbabwe.
These tournaments follow on the National Girls U18 Week in Welkom and the Learners with Special Education Needs (LSEN) Week in Durban last week, where Western Province and Falcons respectively took top honours.
The U18 Craven Week and Academy Week, meanwhile, will complete the three-week SA Rugby Youth Weeks festival from July 17-22 at St. Stithians College in Johannesburg.
The playing days for the Grant Khomo Week will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The playing days for the Under-13 Craven Week will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
In 2016, The Blue Bulls beat The Sharks 23-20 in the last match of the tournament, which is usually reserved for the teams voted the best at the tournament. This year the Blue Bulls' first match will be against Western Province.
In the Under-13 Craven Week in 2016 Western Province beat the Sharks 12-5 in the top match at the end of the four playing days of the tournament. This year Western Province's first match will be against the Griffons.
Grant Khomo Week, Day 1
A Field
10.30: Golden Lions vs Border
12.45: Western Province vs Blue Bulls
16.00: Free State vs Zimbabwe
B Field
10.30: Leopards vs Namibia
12.45: Boland vs Griquas
C Field
10.30: SWD vs Pumas
12.45: Sharks vs Western Province XV
D Field
10.30: Griffons vs Border Country Districts
11.45: Eastern Province vs Free State XV
13.00: Limpopo vs Valke
Under-13 Craven Week, Day 1
A Field
09.30: Sharks vs Golden Lions
11.45: Western Province vs Griffons
14.00: Free State vs Blue Bulls
B Field
09.30: Limpopo vs Boland
11.45: Namibia vs Griquas
14.00: SWD vs Valke
C Field
09.30: Leopards vs Eastern Province
11.45: Border vs Pumas
D Field
09.30: Border Country Districts vs Zimbabwe
Source: SA Rugby Communications
