Johannesburg - At long last the Standard Bank Kearsney College Easter Rugby Festival is back after being kicked into touch by Covid for two years.
It will be a happy Easter indeed for schoolboy rugby fans when the popular festival resumes on Thursday, April 14 at the KwaZulu-Natal school and concludes on April 18.
In between those dates, 12 of the country’s leading rugby schools will do battle, and the lineup is impressive.
There are four powerhouse teams from Gauteng —Hoërskool Monument (Monnas) from Krugersdorp, Pretoria Boys High, Hoërskool Waterkloof (Pretoria) and Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen (Boksburg).
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Hoërskool Noord-Kaap from Kimberley will be returning to the festival, as well as three strong Eastern Cape teams in Selborne College (East London), Hoërskool Framesby (Gqeberha) and newcomers Hoër Landbouskool Marlow (Cradock).
There are four crackerjack local schools involved in Glenwood, Westville, DHS and hosts Kearsney College.
Since the inaugural festival in 2008, the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival has played an invaluable role in the development of South Africa’s schoolboy rugby culture and growth.
The event provides an opportunity for players to enjoy the incredible experience and fun of playing in a major festival, as well as the opportunity to be noticed and to advance their rugby careers at provincial and national.
The Sharks High Performance Manager, Michael Horak, says the festival means a welcome resumption for players and supporters after the unfortunate break.
“The Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival is one that every young rugby player strives to be a part of. The Sharks Academy has been a proud partner of this iconic festival since its inception. We continue to back the effectiveness and importance that it holds in attracting the best schoolboy teams from around the country,” Horak said.
The Sharks and Sharks Academy will watch all three days of play over the Easter weekend and the Academy will once again offer bursaries to selected players from the festival.
Just one player to have come through this bursary system is current Sharks fullback Aphelele Fassi, who starred at the festival for Dale College.
If you missed our reLive series yesterday where we featured the best KERF games from the past years then watch our compilation of best tries of 2017 - 2019 from this iconic Kearsney Easter Rugby festival. pic.twitter.com/AmpUPkw4gE
In keeping with the festival’s tradition, four primary school teams will be offered the opportunity to participate, providing young players with the excitement and challenges of playing on a full-size field in front of large crowds.
This year Umhlali Preparatory, Hillcrest Primary and Highbury Preparatory Schools will each face the KZN Rugby Union’s Ibutho-Mark Godefroy Under-13 team to open each day’s play.
IOL Sport