u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival gets underway as coaches take stock

The u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF) kicked off at St Alban’s College on Saturday, with 16 teams from around South Africa in action.

The festival, coming late in the season, features many stayers’ teams and it is a perfect opportunity for the independent schools to take stock of where their squads are ahead of the 2025 season.

The event format features matches of 25 minutes’ duration per half, with rolling substitutions allowed. At the conclusion of the event, a Festival XV will be named, and they’ll play in the NextGen XV u18 Tournament at Grey College in Bloemfontein in December.

Cornwall Hill College ran out winners in their opener, storming to a 21-0 victory over CBC Boxburg, with Max Land, Daniel Van Ravensteyn and Dade Kunneke scoring tries. The second half became a little scrappy, which was possibly a consequence of a raft of substitutions, reckoned coach Dewald Kruger.

In a tight battle, St John’s College went down to KZN’s Kearsney College, who claimed a hard-fought 12-7 victory.

In another close Gauteng vs KZN game, Hilton College beat St Stithians College by exactly the same score, winning 12-7, with Langa Dlamini and Dan Sweeney scoring tries for the Midlands’ school.

St David’s Marist Inanda made light work of Uplands College, running riot in a 39-0 victory, which included a brace for Nathan Hwindingwi.

Woodridge, from the Eastern Cape, won by 10 points over St Benedict’s College, recording a 17-7 win.

Clifton, meanwhile, comfortably beat St Andrew’s School, from Bloemfontein. The Durban boys led 17-0 at halftime but were given a stiff fight in the second half, eventually winning 24-5.

St Charles clawed their way to a victory over the u17 Blue Bulls Development side, coming back from 0-6 down to win 12-6. Raphael Ajibade was named the man of the match after a strong performance for Saints, which included an excellent try.

In the final match of the day, the hosts, St Alban’s, held off St Andrew’s College to claim a narrow 10-5 win, which will give the Pretoria side a boost of confidence ahead of Monday’s matches. Matthew Nelson and Kai Cele crossed for tries for the winners.

The festival ends on Wednesday, 3 July, with the third and last round of matches.

Results Day One

CBC Boksburg 0-21 Cornwall Hill College
Kearsney College Stayers XV 12-7 St John’s College Stayers XV
Hilton College Stayers XV 12-7 St Stithians College Stayers XV
St David’s Marist Inanda Stayers XV 39-0 Uplands College
St Benedict’s College Stayers XV 7-17 Woodridge College
Clifton College Stayers XV 24-5 St Andrew’s School
Blue Bulls u17 Development XV  6-12 St Charles College Stayers XV
St Alban’s College Stayers XV 10-5 St Andrew’s College Stayers XV

Fixtures Day 2 – Monday 1st July 2024 

08:00 – Clifton Stayers XV v St David’s Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
09:10 – Cornwall Hill College v St Stithians Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
10:20 – Kearsney Stayers XV v St Benedict’s Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
11:30 – St Andrew’s College Stayers XV v St Charles Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
12:40 – CBC Boksburg v St Andrew’s School (Moshate Field)
13:50 – Uplands College v Woodridge (Moshate Field)
15:00 – Blue Bull u17 Development XV v St John’s College Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
16:15 – St Alban’s College Stayers XV v Hilton College Stayers XV (Moshate Field)