Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Celebrating the best in schoolboy rugby at St John’s
THE 27th St John’s College Easter Rugby Festival took place over the Easter weekend and was a celebration of the best in schoolboy rugby. The three-day rugby festival saw no league tables, trophies or medals as this festival was all about the love of rugby, school spirit and community, and St John’s College welcomed visitors to the festival from far and wide with a line-up of u19 College and u13 Preparatory teams.
Local teams included St David’s
Marist Inanda, St Benedict’s College, the Golden Lions XV, Hoërskool Hans Moore, Hoërskool Noordheuwel and hosts St John’s College. Kingswood College and Graeme College travelled from the Eastern Cape, Bethlehem Voortrekker Hoërskool from the Free State, Hilton College and Maritzburg College from KwaZulu-Natal, Hoërskool Nelspruit from Mpumalanga, SACS and Hoërskool Landbou from the Western Cape and Falcon College from neighbouring Zimbabwe. The Preparatory School sides joined the festival from Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the visitors who attended the festival over the Easter weekend, making it a truly memorable and joyous occasion. We would like to thank the visitors, players, coaches, sponsors and rugby fans for celebrating the spirit of rugby and the camaraderie it brings to the community,” said Stuart West, executive headmaster of St John’s College.
The Easter Rugby Festival was a wonderful day out for the whole family, where visitors could enjoy the St John’s Pre-Prep Tea Garden, gourmet food trucks, and a Beer Village.
The VIP Deck overlooking Burger Field offered a spectacular vantage point and brought you closer to the game than ever before. This perfectly appointed, luxuriously furnished deck offered excellent rugby viewing and an outstanding atmosphere where fun was had by all.
The festival partnered with SuperSport Schools, delivering live streams of all the games via the SuperSport Schools app and the final day saw all the games televised live on SuperSport Channel 216. This year, visitors were also afforded the Festival app, where supporters could access all the team lists, fixtures and results, plus a direct link to the website where all action photographs from the games are available to download free of charge.
“We recognise that sport and education play an important part in nurturing the growth potential of well-rounded young people, fostering healthy competition and teamwork for a brighter future.
“Standard Bank is thrilled to be part of a platform that united communities through the universal language of sports,” said Tshiamo Molanda, head of Youth and Mass Market PPB SA at Standard Bank.