Some massive clashes coming in Absa Wildeklawer 2023
A total of 102 schools from across the country will take part, with 182 teams currently practising for this tournament and 4 325 players are hoping to give it their all during the event
THE ABSA Wildeklawer sports tournament is one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the South African schools sporting calendar, and this year’s edition promises to be an absolute cracker when it kicks off on Friday for the High Schools.
This year will be the 13th year that this prestigious event will be held at the Diamantveld High School. A total of 102 schools from across the country will take part, with 182 teams currently practising for this tournament and 4 325 players are hoping to give it their all during the event.
With the fixtures now released, rugby fans across the country are already counting down the days until kickoff.
This year four different venues’ sporting grounds will be used. Diamantveld, Boys’ High School and Newton Primary will host the netball and rugby while the Sol Plaatje University will be hosting the soccer.
The Under-14 and Under-15 rugby matches will be contested at the Kimberley Boys’ High fields, while the Under-16s and Under-19s will do battle at Diamantveld.
The opening rugby match of the tournament, on Friday evening, will see Paarl Boys High take on Glenwood High School. This match has become a fixture of the tournament, and is always a closely contested affair. Both teams will be eager to get off to a strong start and set the tone for the rest of the weekend’s action.
But it is the main match on the first full day of rugby that has everyone talking. Grey College from Bloemfontein will face off against Garsfontein from Pretoria in what promises to be an epic clash on Saturday. Both teams have a proud history of rugby excellence, and the rivalry between them is sure to add an extra edge to an already fiercely contested encounter.
This is a match that will be talked about for years to come.
Helpmekaar-kollege from Johannesburg will also be in action on Saturday, taking on Paarl Gymnasium in what is sure to be another tough encounter. The Johannesburg team will then face a formidable Paarl Boys High side in their second match of the tournament. This is a tough draw for Helpmekaar-kollege, but they will be determined to rise to the challenge and prove their mettle against some of the best schoolboy rugby teams in the country.
On Monday, the last day of the tournament,
Garsfontein will face their toughest challenge yet when they take on Outeniqua at 4.20pm. Outeniqua are celebrating their centenary this year, and the team’s players will no doubt be pumped up for this match, and eager to show what they are made of against one of the top teams in the tournament.
But, besides all these tantalising encounters, the big game of the tournament is the one that everyone will be waiting for. Affies and Paul Roos Gymnasium will go head to head on Monday at 5.30pm in a clash that is always a highlight of the South African schoolboy rugby calendar.
These two teams have a long and storied history, and their encounters are always closely contested and fiercely fought. Rugby fans across the country will be glued to their screens to watch this match unfold.
Needless to say, there are plenty of other exciting matches to look forward to as well.
Paarl Gymnasium and Monument will renew their rivalry, while Oakdale Landbou and EG Jansen could provide some unexpected excitement. And speaking of EG Jansen, the Boksburg-based team is back in the tournament this year after a couple of years’ absence. They will take on Outeniqua in what promises to be an intriguing encounter on Saturday at 3.10pm.
And we haven’t even spoken about the netball yet. This year, Diamantveld’s netball team have been thrown into a tough pool and they will have to dig deep to end up in the top 10 this year.
On Friday morning the DHS Under-19 netball team will be facing off against Hoërskool Rustenburg and Hoërskool Sentraal. On Saturday it will be a really tough day for them when they face off against La Rochelle, Hoërskool Garsfontein, and Paarl Girls High.
Unfortunately, there are also some teams that will not be participating in this year's tournament. Waterkloof and Menlopark, both from Pretoria, as well as locally based Northern Cape High School, have been cut from the line-up.
While this is disappointing for the fans of those teams, it just goes to show the high level of competition that is required to participate in the Absa Wildeklawer rugby tournament.
All in all, this promises to be an unforgettable weekend of sport.
With so many talented teams and outstanding players taking to the field, there is sure to be plenty of drama, excitement, and memorable moments.
And it will especially be rugby fans across the country who will be eagerly anticipating kickoff, hardly able to wait to see what the tournament has in store.