Craven Week kicks off

Battle on for SA Schools’ spots

THE U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week and Coca-Cola Academy Week players will have more than playing to their potential and earning top honours in the tournaments on their mind when they take to the field at St Stithians College in Johannesburg today, with selection to the SA Schools teams to spur them on.

The SA Schools team for the U19 International Series next month will be selected from these competitions, which will serve as extra motivation for the players to deliver their best performances.

The annual competition will be hosted in Cape Town and features three rounds of matches on August 11, 14 and 19, with the SA Schools team facing Wales, France and England.

The two U18 Coca-Cola Youth Weeks follow on two weeks of tournaments in the SA Rugby Youth Weeks Series, which included the U16 Grant Khomo Week and U13 Craven Week in Bloemfontein, the Learners with Special Education Needs Week in Durban and also the National Girls’ U18 Week held in Welkom.

The thrilling action kicks off early today, with the Tshepa Trading Griffons meeting GWK Griquas Country Districts in the opening match of the U18 Craven Week at 8.30am, while the Valke will take on the Limpopo Blue Bulls in the first match of the Academy Week at 8am.

The main matches of the day in the U18 Craven Week will see Western Province, who finished the competition as the top team last season, take on the Pumas, while hosts, the Bidvest Waltons Lions oppose Border.

The big match-ups in the Academy Week will feature Western Province, who also took top honours last season, and Boland, while the Sharks will meet South-Wetsern Districts.

The 10 remaining teams in the U18 Craven Week and 14 teams in the Academy Week will battle it out in their opening round tomorrow.

The matches will continue on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

All the teams have Friday as a rest day in order to recover.