Exciting array of schools talent lined up for Grey Rugby Festival
By attracting a total of 13 schools from outside the Eastern Province region, the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival will have a smorgasbord of electrifying matches on its progrramme when the action kicks off on March 31.
This annual schools rugby extravaganza, supported by Powerade and AlgoaFM, will be played over two days, finishing on April 2, and there will be plenty to look forward to in the fixtures scheduled for the Philip Field and the Pollock Oval.
Three of those teams – Selborne, Queen’s, and Hudson Park – come from Border, sides who always provide highly entertaining rugby, while 10 other schools from around the country will add an exciting dimension to the festival.
Gauteng will be represented by KES, Jeppe, and Parktown, while Westville, Northwood, and Michaelhouse will display KwaZulu-Natal’s particular brand of running rugby.
Western Cape schools have always been an integral part of the Grey Festival and Bishops, SACS and Rondebosch form a potent trio, all capable of extending their opponents.
This year they will be joined by Southern Cape powerhouse Outeniqua, from George, who has produced a string of high-quality players over many years.
They will be an extremely exciting addition to the occasion and will be keen to make their mark when they take on Selborne in the first encounter, followed by Bishops on the Saturday.
Bishops, themselves, will have much to prove during the festival because their opening game is against Makhanda outfit St Andrew’s, a rivalry that stretches back to 1896.
They were due to meet at the 2020 festival but the Covid-19 lockdown put paid to that. The teams did play in 2021 when Bishops won 38-13, so there will be everything to play for in Gqeberha.
Grey High has set themselves up against tough opponents from Cape Town (SACS) and Johannesburg (KES).
They were due to play SACS two years ago, so this will be a chance for both teams to show their credentials, while the second match will be a repeat of the festival finale in 2018 when Grey defeated KES 33-17.
The Johannesburg side, though, has a strong rugby history and they will be fired up to end this year’s festival in the best way possible.
The provisional fixtures are:
31 March 2022
Philip Field
09:10 – Westville Boys’ High vs Queen’s College
10:20 – Nico Malan vs King Edward VII
11:40 – Framesby vs Jeppe High School for Boys’
12.50 – Outeniqua vs Selborne College
14:00 – St Andrew’s College vs Diocesan College
15:20 – Grey High School vs SACS
Pollock Oval
09:10 – Parktown Boys’ High vs Northwood
10:20 – Kingswood College vs Michaelhouse
11:40 – Woodridge College vs Andrew Rabie
12.50 – Hudson Park vs Despatch
14:00 – Graeme College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
15.20 – Muir College vs Ithembelihle
2 April 2022
Philip Field
09:10 – Muir College vs Parktown Boys’ High
10:20 – Jeppe High School for Boys’ vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
11:40 – Brandwag (Uitenhage) vs Hudson Park
12:50 – Selborne College vs Framesby
14:00 – Outeniqua vs Diocesan College
15:20 – Grey High School vs King Edward VII
Pollock Oval
09:10 – Graeme College vs Despatch
10:20 – Queen’s College vs SACS
11:40 – Grey Unicorns vs Outeniqua II
12:50 – Nico Malan vs Northwood
14:00 – Westville Boys’ High vs Kingswood College
15:20 – St Andrew’s College vs Michaelhouse
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