{"id":45476,"date":"2023-07-13T13:31:20","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T11:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/"},"modified":"2025-03-21T13:24:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T11:24:28","slug":"eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE SCHOOL’S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In one of its best years, Eastern Province showed it is a real powerhouse in South African Schools\u2019 rugby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the u\/16s\u2019 unbeaten run at the Grant Khomo Week in the Western Cape last month, the u\/18s also won their three matches in George last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The u\/18s exceeded expectations at the Craven Week, by beating Free State 26\u201323, Boland 40\u201326 and the Sharks 33\u201322.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Utility back, Jamiane Dampies (Brandwag), pointed out some key factors in the success of the team, after he was named Player of the Match against the Sharks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that the players were prepared to give everything they had in every match, and added that the management team made it possible for them to perform at their best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the team was under pressure, that fighting spirit came to the fore to pull the match out of the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the process, EP scored some spectacular tries, even in wet conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head coach, Elric van Vuuren (Despatch High), and his team, were impressive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They did their homework on the opponents, prepared well, rotated the squad effectively and came up with some shrewd team selections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highlight was the victory over the highly-rated Free State, described by Van Vuuren as \u201cvery special\u201d, which gave the players a lot of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flanker De Wet Fourie (Daniel Pienaar) was named Player of the Match, and Dampies scored a sensational individual try in this encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against Boland it was the other flanker, Batho Hlekani\u2019s turn to get the Player of the Match award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hlekani (Graeme College) was named Player of the Week, and was included in the South African Schools team which was named after the last match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fourie and the EP captain, Imaani Pemba (Grey High, hooker), were picked for the SA Schools A side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zibabalwa Booi (Ndzondelelo High, prop) and flyhalf Dominic Malgas (Nico Malan) were named as replacements in the squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two SA teams will take on each other at Boland Landbou near Paarl tomorrow afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were many more stars for EP, and a few are unlucky to have missed out on national selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of the list is the vice-captain, Dempers Meyer (Marlow, scrumhalf), who was outstanding in George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dampies, Sinengomso Brawen (Kingswood College, wing) and Burrie van Heerden (Marlow, eighth man) should also have been close to higher recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lavela Pongolo (Grey High) will represent his country at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago next month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was included in the South Africa u\/18 Sevens team, who will compete in the Games from Friday, August 4 to Friday, August 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Team South Africa will depart on Friday, July 28.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In one of its best years, Eastern Province showed it is a real powerhouse in South African Schools\u2019 rugby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":45478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"f93e4d69-a5ae-43e5-b766-40c4571ff0dd","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Henk Steenkamp","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-45476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nIN THE SCHOOL'S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA | UD Express (Uitenhage)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"IN THE SCHOOL'S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In one of its best years, Eastern Province showed it is a real powerhouse in South African Schools\u2019 rugby.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UD Express (Uitenhage)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-13T11:31:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-21T11:24:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"493\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"493\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Henk Steenkamp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"UD Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e204c6259f59eee600a8578c6fc1f4d6\"},\"headline\":\"IN THE SCHOOL’S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-13T11:31:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-21T11:24:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":442,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2023\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/\",\"name\":\"IN THE SCHOOL'S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA | UD Express (Uitenhage)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-13T11:31:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-21T11:24:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg\",\"width\":493,\"height\":493,\"caption\":\"Eastern Province rugby logo. Photo: Facebook\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"IN THE SCHOOL’S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"UD Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\\\/videos\"],\"description\":\"UD Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) and Despatch communities since 1971, making it the oldest single-title free sheet in South Africa. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 30,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door across Kariega, Despatch, and surrounding areas every week.\",\"email\":\"udexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"0+2719925650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e204c6259f59eee600a8578c6fc1f4d6\",\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"UD Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/author\\\/udexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"IN THE SCHOOL'S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA | UD Express (Uitenhage)","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"IN THE SCHOOL'S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA","og_description":"In one of its best years, Eastern Province showed it is a real powerhouse in South African Schools\u2019 rugby.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/","og_site_name":"UD Express (Uitenhage)","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2023-07-13T11:31:20+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-21T11:24:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":493,"height":493,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Henk Steenkamp","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EP_Media24","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"UD Express","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/"},"author":{"name":"UD Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/e204c6259f59eee600a8578c6fc1f4d6"},"headline":"IN THE SCHOOL’S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA","datePublished":"2023-07-13T11:31:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-21T11:24:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/"},"wordCount":442,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2023","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/","name":"IN THE SCHOOL'S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA | UD Express (Uitenhage)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg","datePublished":"2023-07-13T11:31:20+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-21T11:24:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg","width":493,"height":493,"caption":"Eastern Province rugby logo. Photo: Facebook"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/eastern-province-rugby-a-powerhouse-in-sa-20230712-3\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"IN THE SCHOOL’S DEN | Eastern Province rugby a powerhouse in SA"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/","name":"UD Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization","name":"UD Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"UD Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000\/videos"],"description":"UD Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) and Despatch communities since 1971, making it the oldest single-title free sheet in South Africa. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 30,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door across Kariega, Despatch, and surrounding areas every week.","email":"udexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"0+2719925650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/e204c6259f59eee600a8578c6fc1f4d6","name":"UD Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4337d3a25ac3ba8455c9939374a81adbc30eb5033a750ee59190cfb8f29e6d5d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"UD Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/author\/udexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d90d2ee9f0b248f4b764301c43b80218.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53691,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/ep-sevens-captain-another-doring-from-despatch-20181010-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":45476,"position":0},"title":"EP sevens captain – another \u2018Doring from Despatch\u2019","author":"UD Express","date":"11 October 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"RUGBY player and captain of the Eastern Province U\/17 Sevens team, Litha Adam from Despatch, led his team in winning all their matches up to the final of the Interprovincial Sevens tournament which was held in Potchefstroom.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45473,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/craven-week-only-one-de-wet-fourie-20230712\/","url_meta":{"origin":45476,"position":1},"title":"Craven Week: Only one De Wet Fourie","author":"UD Express","date":"13 July 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"No, there was only one De Wet Fourie in the Eastern Province u\/18 rugby team at this year\u2019s Craven Week.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/774880890bf048e7a2d87b641313d66f.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/774880890bf048e7a2d87b641313d66f.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/774880890bf048e7a2d87b641313d66f.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/774880890bf048e7a2d87b641313d66f.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/774880890bf048e7a2d87b641313d66f.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/774880890bf048e7a2d87b641313d66f.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44145,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/progress-u21s-crowned-triple-champs-20240918\/","url_meta":{"origin":45476,"position":2},"title":"Progress u\/21s crowned triple champs","author":"UD Express","date":"19 September 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Progress Rugby Club were crowned the three-time consecutive Andr\u00e9 Rademan Eastern Province Rugby u\/21 champions at the Adcock Stadium on August 17.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f68dcc5813aa45918045e4f32c1ea948.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f68dcc5813aa45918045e4f32c1ea948.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f68dcc5813aa45918045e4f32c1ea948.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f68dcc5813aa45918045e4f32c1ea948.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f68dcc5813aa45918045e4f32c1ea948.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f68dcc5813aa45918045e4f32c1ea948.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":266965,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/elijah-makes-dower-practising-school-proud\/","url_meta":{"origin":45476,"position":3},"title":"Elijah makes Dower Practising School proud","author":"UD Express","date":"11 September 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Balgobin Human, a dedicated Sports Co-ordinator, mentors young rugby player Elijah Hendricks, who recently joined the Eastern Province U12 Elephants team after impressive trials.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Elijah Hendricks and his coach, Balgobin Human.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1000238791_82473-e1757592657572.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1000238791_82473-e1757592657572.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1000238791_82473-e1757592657572.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1000238791_82473-e1757592657572.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1000238791_82473-e1757592657572.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44363,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/next-up-sevens-rugby-tournaments-20240724\/","url_meta":{"origin":45476,"position":4},"title":"Next up: Sevens rugby tournaments","author":"UD Express","date":"25 July 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"THE search is on to find the best u\/17 Sevens Rugby players in the province.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50832,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/local-teams-off-to-graeme-rugby-day-20200219-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":45476,"position":5},"title":"Local teams off to Graeme Rugby Day","author":"UD Express","date":"20 February 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"HOST school Graeme College will renew a rivalry with the tough Marlow Agricultural outfit when the Pam Golding Properties Graeme Rugby Day takes place in Grahams-town on March 14.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"UD Express (Uitenhage)","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45476"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=45476"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=45476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}