Fiery baptism awaits EP in U18 Craven Week opener at Grey

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A fiery baptism awaits Eastern Province when they come up against a powerful Western Province outfit on the opening day of the U-18 Craven Week tournament at Grey High School in Gqeberha on Monday.

Playing on home soil for the first time since 2012, when matches were staged at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, EP are determined to start with a convincing display on the Kolisi Field (kickoff 3.30pm).

Four matches have been scheduled for Monday, and the traditional opening ceremony featuring all the competing teams will take place between 2.40pm and 3.20pm.

WP have ruled South African schoolboy rugby in recent years and boast the enviable record of being unbeaten for the five past editions of the tournament.

In a first for Craven Week, the U-18 girls’ tournament will run concurrently with the U-18 boys’ event at Grey High School.

The EP girls start with a clash against the Blue Bulls on the Grey B Field on Monday (kickoff 10.45am).

Organisers said entry at Craven Week would be free for all pupils in identifiable uniforms or school tracksuits.

Apart from the action at Grey High School, schoolboy rugby stars will also descend on Kariega when the Academy Week is held at Bergsig Special School from Monday.

In the 2025 edition of the Craven Week tournament in Middelburg, WP ended with three wins from three matches.

In their final match in Middelburg, WP beat SWD 27-21 in a thrilling contest to end another Craven Week unbeaten.

In the lead-up to the tournament, controversy reared its head when some EP coaches threatened to resign amid allegations of interference in team selection.

In a letter to EPRU president George Malgas, the unhappy coaches indicated they were prepared to take the drastic step if the changes remained in place and were not adequately explained.

Undeterred by the allegations, Malgas said his union had done the right thing in ensuring teams were representative of all areas in the region, particularly previously disadvantaged areas.

It is against this background of alleged selection interference that EP teams will go into battle in a bid to bring pride to a region regarded as a hotbed of schoolboy rugby excellence.

Craven Week is not run as a knockout event to crown a champion.

There are no semifinals, a final, or an official overall winner of the week. However, the final fixture features a main match between the two best-performing or most dominant teams of the week.

“South Africa’s youth week stands as the biggest schools’ rugby tournaments in the world, a stage unmatched in scale, tradition and impact,” SA Rugby president Mark Alexander said.

“For thousands of young rugby players, this is the moment they have worked towards for years, and for us as a rugby nation, this is where we witness the next generation of Springboks begin their journey.

“This year’s will not only be a celebration of the talent on the field but also [of] the system, the people and the values that make South African rugby a global force.”

Craven Week fixtures:

Boys U18:

Monday on Grey High A Field: 9.30am: Boland vs Leopards; 11.15am: Free State vs Limpopo; 1pm: Sharks vs SWD Eagles; 2.40pm to 3.20pm: Opening Ceremony; 3.30pm: Western Province vs Eastern Province.

Tuesday on Grey High A Field: 10am: Boland vs Valke; 11.45am: Griquas vs Pumas; 1.30pm: WP XV vs Pumas; 3.13pm: Bulls vs Lions.

Girls U18:

Monday on Grey High B Field: 9.30am: KwaZulu-Natal vs Boland; 10.45am: Blue Bulls vs Eastern Province; 12.00pm: Lions vs Border; 1.15pm: Western Province vs Pumas.

Monday on Grey High C Field: 9.30am: Valke vs Griquas; 10.45am: Free State vs Griffons; 12.00pm: SWD Eagles vs Leopards; 1.15pm: Limpopo vs EP XV.

EP U18 boys squad:

Forwards: Neshaun Bester (Andrew Rabie), Henrico Bodenstein (Pearson), JG De Lange (Marlow), Jano Janse van Rensburg (Nico Malan), Daniel Naude (Grey), Akhona Njonjeni (Graeme), Silindisiwe Ntsokoma (Grey), Juan Potgieter (Grey), Sitenkhosi Qabaka (Kingswood), Ross Thompson (Kingswood), Rueben van Dyk (Nico Malan), Josh van Zyl (St Andrews), Micah Wessels (Grey).

Backline: Luke Doyle (Graeme), Anfred Jansen (Grey), Tristan Kemp (Grey), Lucretia Magau (Graeme), Noah Mbizi (Grey), Erin Nelson (Graeme), Sibulele Ngebulana (Grey), Niel September (Spandau), Will Stevens (St Andrews), Nathan Trytsman (Grey).