{"id":94136,"date":"2026-04-23T14:56:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T12:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=94136"},"modified":"2026-04-23T14:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T12:56:14","slug":"five-players-to-watch-at-the-2026-fairtree-sport-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=94136","title":{"rendered":"Five players to watch at the 2026 Fairtree Sport Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dylan Stumke on the attack in Die Ho\u00ebrskool Menlopark’s 46-28 victory over Boland Landbou at the Noord\/Suid in Pretoria at the end of March. Photo: Wim Pretorius.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Fairtree Sport Festival<\/strong>, hosted by Die Ho\u00ebrskool Menlopark<\/strong> in Pretoria, is an exciting new platform for schoolboy rugby, creating opportunities for more players to showcase their talents on a big stage.<\/p>\n

Follow all the action live on\u00a0SuperSport Schools<\/a> – (www.supersportschools.com)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In previous years, the focus on the long weekend has mostly been on the\u00a0 ABSA Wildeklawer Sports Tournament<\/strong> in Kimberley.<\/p>\n

Although Wildeklawer remains the premier gathering of South Africa’s top schools, other festivals, including the Standard Bank Grey High Festival<\/strong><\/a>, have broadened the reach of an overflowing talent pool. The new Fairtree Sport Festival takes place in the Jacaranda City<\/strong><\/em> on Saturday, 25 April, and Monday, 27 April.<\/p>\n

As always, the team at SuperSport Schools Plus<\/strong><\/a> has taken on the challenging task of identifying five potential standouts.<\/p>\n

The Five to Watch are:<\/p>\n

Dylan Stumke<\/strong> (Die Ho\u00ebrskool Menlopark<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

In 2023, Dylan Stumke<\/strong> took social media by storm when, as a 16-year-old, he slotted a massive penalty from almost 60 metres. That sparked whispers of him becoming the next Francois Steyn<\/strong>. Since then, Stumke’s name has become widely recognised.<\/p>\n

In 2025, he was one of only two players from Die Ho\u00ebrskool Menlopark<\/strong> to represent the Blue Bulls<\/strong> at the Craven Week<\/strong> in Middelburg, despite being in Grade 11 only. Last year, the Parkies<\/strong><\/em>‘ midfielder was also included in the SA Rugby u17 Elite Player Development (EPD) <\/strong>programme.<\/p>\n

On Friday evening, when Menlopark takes on Ho\u00ebrskool Tygerberg<\/strong>, Stumke will return from an injury sustained against Paarl Gimnasium<\/strong> at the NMI Toyota Noord\/Suid<\/strong> earlier this month. It’s a timely boost for the Pretoria school.<\/p>\n

Stumke is a key figure in a dangerous backline, where he combines powerful carries with sharp vision, particularly alongside Jody Abrahams<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Kabelo Thloaele<\/strong> (Ho\u00ebrskool Marais Viljoen<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

The message to opponents of Kabelo Thloaele<\/strong> is simple: give him space at your peril.<\/p>\n

An experienced member of the Marais Viljoen side, Thloaele was a standout performer in 2025, terrorising defences with his finishing ability on the wing. He has since transitioned to full-back, where his ruthless counter-attacking is his greatest weapon.<\/p>\n

His combination of finishing instincts and attacking vision will make him a major threat against Ho\u00ebrskool Merensky<\/strong> on Saturday and Dinamika<\/strong> on Monday.<\/p>\n

Stephan Janse van Rensburg<\/strong> (Ho\u00ebrskool Pietersburg<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

Stephan Janse van Rensburg<\/strong> epitomises the modern-day prop. The captain of Ho\u00ebrskool Pietersburg<\/strong> made a significant impact as a 17-year-old in 2025, asserting his authority in the front row.<\/p>\n

His consistent dominance was rewarded with selection for the Limpopo Blue Bulls<\/strong> at the Craven Week in Middelburg, and, subsequently, a place at the SA Rugby EPD camp, where he joined the likes of Menlopark’s Stumke and Abrahams.<\/p>\n

While his scrummaging forms the foundation of his game, his ball-carrying ability and uncompromising defence complete a formidable skill set, making him one to watch across both days in Pretoria.<\/p>\n

Phillip Rykaart<\/strong> (Ho\u00ebrskool Randburg<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

If one is looking for a player with a relentless work rate and a massive engine, Phillip Rykaart<\/strong> is a name that pops up. A consistent performer since he emerged in 2025, he has since expanded his versatility.<\/p>\n

Initially a lock, his ability to influence all areas of play has seen him evolve into a Pieter-Steph du Toit<\/strong>-type forward because he is equally effective on the flank.<\/p>\n

He is renowned for his punishing tackles and powerful carries, which often require multiple defenders to bring him down.<\/p>\n

If Rykaart asserts himself up front, Ligbron Akademie<\/strong> and Ho\u00ebrskool Ben Vorster <\/strong>will face a tough challenge.<\/p>\n

Hein Oelofse<\/strong> (Heidelberg Volkskool<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

In a highly talented Heidelberg Volkskool<\/strong> side, Hein Oelofse<\/strong> stands out.<\/p>\n

He’s the quintessential scrum-half – nuggety and alert to any opportunities to catch the opposition off guard. He’s playing for the Volkies<\/strong><\/em>‘ 1st XV for a second year and is a key figure in their backline.<\/p>\n

His service from the base of the scrum, whether on the front foot or under pressure, remains consistently reliable, and he rarely delivers a poor performance.<\/p>\n

Oelofse’s consistent form suggests he will be one of the key contributors to Heidelberg Volkskool<\/strong>‘s challenge when they face Bloemfontein’s Ho\u00ebrskool Fichardtpark <\/strong>on Monday. He and his teammates will be eager to make a strong statement in Pretoria before they face Ho\u00ebrskool Zwartkop <\/strong>in the final of the NWU Prestige Series<\/strong> a week later.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Fairtree Sport Festival, hosted by Die Ho\u00ebrskool Menlopark in Pretoria, is an exciting new platform for schoolboy rugby, creating opportunities for more players to showcase their talents on a big stage. Follow all the action live on\u00a0SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com) In previous years, the focus on the long weekend has mostly been on the\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":92538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/92538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}