Eastern Cape powerhouses primed for Graeme Rugby Day
A programme of riveting matches featuring the powerhouses of Eastern Cape schools is guaranteed to provide a rugby extravaganza when the Graeme Rugby Day, sponsored by Buco, takes place in Makhanda on March 19.
Tournament director Nico van der Meulen is excited about the array of talent which will be on display as Eastern Province and Border teams gear for a much-anticipated season after the two years of languishing in the Covid-19 wilderness. The Graeme Rugby Day was last held in March 2020.
Adding spice to the occasion is that the fixtures present a series of match-ups between schools from EP and their Border counterparts, with bragging rights very much at stake.
Hosts Graeme College, as has been their approach during their hosting of this day, have not shied away from taking on the bigger schools, and this year they will be seriously challenged by Border rivals Selborne.
The East London outfit has a long and proud tradition of rugby and it is said that there is never a weak Selborne team.
But Graeme, themselves, also own a rugby legacy of serious proportions and the class of 2022 will be fired up to make a point on their home ground.
This is the feature match of the day, but it will be preceded by several mouth-watering clashes in which schools who don’t normally meet each other in the regular league schedules get a chance to play different opponents.
In this way, Dale College will be gearing up for a titanic clash with the tough outfit of Marlow Agricultural from Cradock.
Marlow is never subdued easily, but they will also need to be on guard against a Dale side well known for their exciting brand of rugby.
Makhanda side Kingswood will be well tested when they take on Queen’s College, while Hudson Park and Cambridge will have their hands full against Nico Malan and Muir respectively.
In a departure from the cross-border action in two earlier games, there are sure to be outstanding encounters when Grey High face Brandwag and St Andrew’s take on one of the top Gqeberha schools in Framesby.
These are repeat fixtures from the 2020 Graeme Rugby Day which threw up two epic games, won by Brandwag (17-10) and St Andrew’s (15-12).
All four teams will be aware of the significance of laying down a marker early in the season and that will only add an extra dimension to the exciting programme set up for Somerset Field.
PHOTO: Bern Mackenzie
The fixtures are:
08:00 – Pearson vs Mary Waters
09:10 – Hudson Park vs Nico Malan
10:20 – Cambridge vs Muir College
11:30 – Dale College vs Marlow Landbou
12:40 – Grey High School vs Brandwag (Uitenhage)
13:50 – St. Andrew’s College vs Framesby
15:00 – Kingswood College vs Queen’s College
16:10 – Graeme College vs Selborne College
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