Historic competition to be known as the SDC Noordvaal Cup in future
The oldest schoolboy rugby tournament in South Africa will in future be known as the SDC Noordvaal Cup.
The organisers of the tournament, the Noordvaal Schools Rugby Association (NVSRA) has managed to secure a title sponsor with The Skills Development Corporation coming onboard for the next three years.
The competition started back in 1920 as the AG Robertson Cup after which it was known as the Administrator Trophy (1922-1981). In 1982 it was renamed as the Directors Trophy until 1994.
In 1995 the competition got its first corporate sponsor with Beeld coming onboard. The competition was known as the Beeldtrofee untill 2016 when it became the Virsekerbeker.
The coverage from SuperSport Schools will also increase for the coming season.
The sponsorship was announced during a function at Loftus Versfeld with former Springbok Victor Matfield as the guest of honor. Matfield played in the 1994 final of the tournament where his school lost against Affies.
Netwerk24 and Jacaranda FM is the media sponsors of the competition.
The CEO of SDC, Daniel Gibhard, interestingly also played in a final of the tournament. He represented Potchefstroom Gimnasium when they were crowned champions of the Big Schools back in 2004.
The CEO of Provantage, Jacques du Preez, who are managing the sponsorship also played in a final. He was on the winning side for Randburg against Lichtenburg in the 1990 final. Du Preez scored a vital try in the 14-6 victory in a match his direct opposition was Richard Bands.
Bands played flank at school before moving to the front-row later in his career.
The participating schools come as far as Komatipoort in the east, Eric Louw from Musina in the North, Heilbron from the south and Vryburg and Christiana in the west. 832 kilometres from east to west and 655 kilometres from north to south.
This tournament is with the more than 200 schools that participate across five provinces without a doubt the biggest in South Africa.
