‘Home of the Reds’ geared for 21st KES Easter Rugby Festival
The home of the Reds, King Edward VII School, and the greater Johannesburg area will be abuzz on the eve of the 21st annual King Edward VII Easter Rugby Festival.
Follow all the action live on SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)
The Festival was first staged in 2002 as part of the centenary celebrations of King Edward VII School. Owing to its overwhelming success, it soon became an annual fixture on the school rugby calendar.
This year’s event kicks off on 17 April with primary schools taking to the field, ready to entertain the large crowds that the Festival consistently attracts. On Saturday, 19 April, 12 high school teams will compete across two days of exhilarating rugby action.
The hosts, King Edward VII School, will be eager to return to winning form. The Reds have suffered four consecutive defeats but will be eyeing redemption in the main fixture of the First XV matches, when they face Rondebosch Boys’ High School.
The opening day may well be headlined by a highly anticipated clash between two newcomers to the Festival: Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) and Hoërskool Noordheuwel from Krugersdorp. These two teams replace Paarl Boys’ High School and Hoërskool Ben Vorster.
Rugby enthusiasts will no doubt be watching closely, particularly after Noordheuwel’s impressive performance at the recent North/South Tournament in Stellenbosch. Affies, however, will also arrive full of confidence following their outstanding performance against Paarl Gimnasium in Paarl, which concluded in a thrilling 16–16 draw.
That Affies-Nories fixture, kicking off at 12:45 on Saturday, will be a highlight, while, in the curtain-raiser, Jeppe High School for Boys faces a formidable Selborne College side. It will be a strong test ahead of Jeppe’s clash with Noordheuwel, which also promises fireworks on the second day.
Another top-class outfit, Northwood, returns to the Festival once more. The KwaZulu-Natal side has been in superb form during the early stages of the season and will open the day’s proceedings at 09:00 on Saturday, facing off against Pearson. Northwood will also look forward to Monday, when they become the second team to challenge the Reds in the main fixture of the day.
Fixtures:
Saturday – 19 April:
09:00 – Pearson vs Northwood
10:15 – Hudson Park vs Eldoraigne
11:30 – Queen’s College vs Parktown Boys’ High School
12:45 – Noordheuwel vs Affies
14:00 – Jeppe High School for Boys vs Selborne College
15:15 – King Edward VII School vs Rondebosch Boys’ High School.
Monday – 21 April:
09:00 – Pearson vs Eldorainge
10:15 – Queen’s College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High School
11:30 – Affies vs Selborne College
12:45 – Parktown Boys’ High School vs Hudson Park
14:00 – Noordheuwel vs Jeppe High School for Boys
15:15 – King Edward VII School vs Northwood.
