SA’s best Sevens teams on show at Champions Tournament
Grey College will play host to the country’s leading teams when the High School Sevens Series, proudly sponsored by Toyota, concludes with the Champions Tournament, in Bloemfontein, on Friday and Saturday.
The event brings together the top u15 and u17 sides from events in the series that have already taken place around South Africa.
The hosts are in Pool A of the u17 competition with Kempton Park, Cambridge, Welkom Gimnasium, and Bloemfontein Invitation, while Pool B features Sarel Cilliers, Dinamika, Durbanville, Jim Fouché and Monument.
Grey’s toughest opposition in Pool A of the u17 event would appear to be their Free State neighbours, Welkom Gimnasium, the winners of the Heidelberg Sevens.
Gimmies are renowned for playing an attractive running game and giving the ball air in the 15-man format and that translates well to Sevens where, given more space to operate in, their imagination is given full rein.
In Pool B, Monnas, who won the Monument Sevens going away, look like the team to beat, but Pool B also appears to be, at a glance, a more open group. Sarel Cilliers, Durbanville, and Jim Fouché won the Pionier Sevens, Cape Schools Sevens, and Jim Fouché Sevens respectively, and Durbanville’s win in the Cape Schools tournament included beating the Stellenbosch powerhouse, Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG), in the semi-finals.
The u15 competition features two fewer teams, with Grey College, Kempton Park, Monument, and Bloemfontein Invitation in Pool A, and Graeme College, Northwood, Noordheuwel, and Sentraal in Pool B.
One of the first things to note is that Kempton Park has matched Grey and Monument by having teams in both the u17 and u15 events, so that, in itself, is already quite some achievement. Pool A, though, is likely to come down to a showdown between the home team and Monument.
Pool B is less predictable, although Noordheuwel was a hugely impressive winner of the Heidelberg Sevens. Northwood claimed the Glenwood Sevens‘ title where the competition among the top u15 teams in KZN is extremely tight.
They beat Glenwood in that final. Two A couple of weeks later, at the DHS Sevens, it was DHS against Westville in the final, and Northwood finished as the runners-up in the Plate competition. They’ll need to be on their game from the first match to the last if they are to challenge for the honours in Bloemfontein.
U17 Champions Tournament
Pool A
Kempton Park
Grey College
Bloemfontein Invitation
Cambridge
Welkom Gimnasium
Pool B
Sarel Cilliers
Dinamika
Durbanville
Jim Fouché
Monument
Friday, 20 September
Pitch One
12:00 – Kempton Park vs Welkom Gim
12:20 – Grey College vs Cambridge
12:40 – Dinamika vs Jim Fouche
13:00 – Kempton Park vs Bloemfontein Invitation
13:20 – Sarel Cilliers vs Durbanville
13:40 – Jim Fouche vs Monument
14:00 – Dinamika vs Durbanville
14:20 – Grey College vs Bloemfontein Invitation
14:40 – Sarel Cilliers vs Jim Fouche
15:00 – Kempton Park vs Cambridge
15:20 – TBA vs Welkom Gim
15:40 – Dinamika vs Monument
16:00 – Durbanville vs Jim Fouche
16:20 – Kempton Park vs Grey College
16:40 – Sarel Cilliers vs Dinamika
17:00 – Bloemfontein Invitation vs Cambridge
17:20 – Durbanville vs Monument
17:40 – Grey College vs Welkom Gim
Pitch Two
12:00 – Sarel Cilliers vs Monument
13:40 – Cambridge vs Welkom Gim
Saturday, 21 September
Playoff Games
09:00 – 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B (21)
09:20 – 3rd Pool B vs 4th Pool A (22)
09:40 – Winner Pool A vs 2nd Pool B (23)
10:00 – Winner Pool B vs 2nd Pool A (24)
Final Placings
10:20 – 9th/10th – 5th Pool A vs 5th Pool B
10:40 – u15 7th/8th – Loser Bowl semi 1 vs Loser Bowl semi 2
11:00 – 7th/8th – Loser 21 vs Loser 22
11:20 – u15 5th/6th – Winner Bowl semi 1 vs Winner Bowl semi 2
11:40 – 5th/6th – Winner 21 vs Winner 22
12:00 – u15 3rd/4th – Loser Cup semi 1 vs Loser Cup semi 2
12:20 – 3rd/4th – Loser 23 vs Loser 24
12:40 – u15 Cup final – Winner Cup semi 1 vs Winner Cup semi 2
13:00 – Cup final – Winner 23 vs Winner 24
U15 Champions Tournament
Pool A
Grey College
Kempton Park
Monument
Bloemfontein Invitation
Pool B
Graeme College
Northwood
Sentraal
Noordheuwel
Friday, 20 September
Pitch Two
14:00 – Grey College vs Kempton Park
14:20 – Monument vs Bloemfontein Invitation
14:40 – Graeme College vs Northwood
15:00 – Sentraal vs Noordheuwel
15:20 – Grey College vs Bloemfontein Invitation
15:40 – Monument vs Kempton Park
16:00 – Graeme College vs Noordheuwel
16:20 – Sentraal vs Northwood
16:40 – Grey College vs Monument
17:00 – Northwood vs Noordheuwel
17:20 – Kempton Park vs Bloemfontein Invitation
17:40 – Graeme College vs Sentraal
Satturday, 21 September
Pitch Two
Semi-finals
09:00 – Bowl Semi 1 – A3 vs B4
09:20 – Bowl Semi 2 – B3 vs A4
09:40 – Cup Semi 1 – A1 vs B2
10:00 – Cup Semi 2 – B1 vs A2
Finals
Pitch One
10:40 – 7th/8th – Loser A3 vs B4 vs Loser B3 vs A4
11:20 – 5th/6th – Winner A3 vs B4 vs Winner B3 vs A3
12:00 – 3rd/4th – Loser A1 vs B2 vs Loser B1 vs A2
12:40 – Cup final – Winner A1 vs B2 vs Winner B1 vs A2
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