FRAMESBY High School’s first rugby team will participate in one of the country’s topschoolboy rugby festivals, the 12th annual Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival.
The programme of this year’s festival, which was launched late last month, promises rugby enthusiasts exciting running rugby from some of the country’s top rugby-playing schools over the Easter weekend. It offers participating players opportunities to secure a possible future in provincial and national rugby.
Twelve SA school teams will participate on April 18, 20 and 22 on the Kearsney College campus in Botha’s Hill.
This year Hoërskool Transvalia will participate for the first time, joining Gauteng’s Pretoria Boys’ High, Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen, HTS Middelburg and Welkom-Gimnasium Secondary School from Gauteng; Eastern Cape’s Selborne College and Hoërskool Framesby; KwaZulu-Natal’s Glenwood High School, Durban High School and hosts Kearsney College; HTS Drostdy from Worcester and Hoërskool Noord-Kaap from Kimberley.
The festival promises a celebration of entertaining action, with six first XV fixtures daily. Kicking off each day’s rugby will be a match between primary school teams Highbury Preparatory, Hillcrest Primary, Umhlali Preparatory and the KZNRU Ibutho/Mark Godefroy u/13 development team.
Etienne Fynn, managing director of the Sharks Academy, said the festival provided players with an ideal platform from which to demonstrate their abilities.
“The Sharks Academy takes pride in being associated once again with the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival as the format and calibre of players, along with the spectacular venue, ensure quality fixtures take place year on year.
“We have had memorable games taking place between non-traditional rivals – this epitomises what the festival has brought to the KwaZulu-Natal and South African Easter festival landscape,” he said.
Fynn confirmed the Sharks Academy would again offer bursaries to three selected players after the festival’s final game. These bursaries include a contract with the academy, accommodation and a tuition bursary with one of its education partners.
Speaking at the launch, Kearsney College headmaster, Elwyn van den Aardweg, said the school was preparing to welcome the capacity crowds which the event always attracts.
“The festival is a perfect destination for schoolboy rugby enthusiasts from across the country. Durban, with its exciting holiday attractions and wonderful Easter-time weather, and Kearsney, situated on the most beautiful campus, combine to ensure a fun-filled weekend of savouring the best of schoolboy rugby with family and friends and enjoying the wonderful festival atmosphere,” he said.
Festival director, Mouton Badenhorst, emphasised the strong family focus of the event.
This year’s festival will again feature the popular KidZone, offering a number of exciting rides and jumping castles for the little ones to enjoy.
Participating players and the public are requested to leave new or good condition second-hand rugby kit and clothing in designated collection bins at the main field.
The Boots and Balls outreach initiative, started in 2015, will ensure all donated kit is sorted, refurbished and distributed.
For more information and fixtures go to www.kearsney.com.
