24 August 2023
(Feature photo by Martin Ashworth)
Michaelhouse welcomes 25 teams representing 21 schools onto its campus on Sunday, 27 August, for the Michaelhouse under-12 Sevens Prep Rugby Festival. The schools hail from far and wide throughout KwaZulu-Natal.
This year’s event is the eighth edition of the festival, which was first held in 2014. As with so many events, Covid-19 took it out of action for two years. In the last edition of the event before the pandemic, 28 teams from four provinces were in action.
Leading teams
In the early days of the Michaelhouse under-12 Sevens Prep Rugby Festival, Merchiston was the dominant school. Then, Vryheid’s Nuwe Republiek took over that mantle. In more recent years, Penzance has been in the ascendancy.
The festival has been a source of outstanding young rugby talent over the years, with the winners of the best individual trophy having won scholarships to many of KZN’s major high schools before going on to make their marks at A team and provincial levels.
Sunday’s schedule
Sunday’s event will be played on four fields simultaneously – Meadows 1, Meadows 2, Far Meadows 1 and Far Meadows 2 – with the action starting at 08:00 on two of the fields and finishing with the final matches on all four, which kick off at 14:00. Prize giving follows at 14:30.
It’s a festival, which means there is no winner. However, the team that plays the most attractive rugby will receive a trophy. In 2022, that honour went to Penzance Primary School. There is often an alignment of winning rugby and attractive rugby.
Appropriately, with the Rugby World Cup set to kick off with a cracker between hosts France and New Zealand on 8 September, the teams will compete in pools named after the countries who are the most favoured to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy.
Pools
Pool Ireland features Ashton (Ballito), Huttenpark 1 (Newcastle), Merchiston (Pietermaritzburg), Nuwe Republiek (Vryheid), Penzance (Durban) and Westville, with matches taking place on Meadows 1.
In Pool France are Chelsea (Durban), Clifton 1 (Nottingham Road), Cordwalles (Pietermaritzburg), Kloof, Lucas Meyer (Vryheid) and Scottsville (Pietermaritzburg), and they’re in action on Meadows 2.
The Pool All Blacks line-up includes Atholl Heights (Westville), Egerton (Ladysmith), Hillcrest 1, Paulpietersburg, Pelham (Pietermaritzburg) and Winterton. Their matches will be played on Far Meadows 1.
And the final group, Pool South Africa features Cowan House (Hilton), Clifton 2 (Nottingham Road), Arbor Park (Newcastle), Hillcrest 2, Huttenpark 2 (Newcastle) and Nuwe Republiek 2 (Vryheid). Their base is Far Meadows 2.
The weather forecast is for a wet and cold Saturday. Sunday, the day of the festival, should be on the cooler side of things, but without the rain. The action, though, should be hot.
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