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The Kearsney College Easter Festival Fixtures for 2015 has been announced. The school at Botha’s Hill just outside Durban will host the tournament next year for the eigth time.

Two new teams, Menlopark of Pretoria and SACS of Cape Town, will take part in next year’s tournament. They will replace Monument of Krugersdorp and Nico Malan of Humansdorp at the festival. Eleven of the 12 sides at next year’s tournament was in School of Rugby’s Top 20 of 2014. 

The hosts will kick off the tournament with a clash on the first day against Selborne College of East London. The main clash of the first day is between Grey College and HTS Middelburg. The clash betweeen EG Jansen and Affies on the first day also promises to provide some fireworks. 

The main match on the last day will be between Kearsney College and SACS. Grey College who finished on the top of the school boy rankings of 2014 will face Menlopark and EG Jansen in their other two clashes at the Easter Festival. 

The Fixtures:

Day 1 Thursday, 2 April 2015

09:30: Kearsney College vs Selborne College
10:45: SACS vs Dale College
12:00: Menlopark vs Glenwood
13:15: EG Jansen vs Affies
14:30: Westville Boys’ High vs Framesby
15:45: Grey College vs HTS Middelburg

Day 2 Saturday, 4 April 2015

09:30: SACS vs Affies
10:45: Westville Boys’ High vs EG Jansen
12:00: Kearsney College vs Dale College
13:15: Selborne College vs HTS Middelburg
14:30: Grey College vs Menlopark
15:45: Glenwood vs Framesby

Day 3 Monday, 6 April 2015

09:30: Westville Boys’ High vs HTS Middelburg
10:45: Framesby vs Menlopark
12:00: Glenwood vs Selborne College
13:15: Grey College vs EG Jansen
14:30: Affies vs Dale College
15:45: Kearsney College vs SACS
17:00: Awarding of Sharks Academy Bursaries

Results 

Diocesan College 11,  Glenwood 23
Diocesan College 45,  Kingswood College 14
Diocesan College 29,  Boland Landbou 25
Diocesan College 85,  Hugenote (Wellington) 0
Diocesan College 39,  St. Andrew’s College (Benoni) 15
Diocesan College 80,  SACS 5
Diocesan College 52,  De Kuilen 17
Diocesan College 12,  Paarl Gimnasium 34
Diocesan College 19,  Wynberg Boys’ High 20
Diocesan College 94,  Bellville HS 7
Diocesan College 52,  Rondebosch Boys’ High 14
Diocesan College 25,  Michaelhouse 41
Diocesan College 40,  Kearsney College 13
Diocesan College 49,  St. Alban’s College 5
Diocesan College   3,  Paarl Boys’ High 36
Diocesan College 14,  Paul Roos Gimnasium 36
Diocesan College 26,  SACS 12
Diocesan College 17,  Wynberg Boys’ High 34
Diocesan College 36,  Drostdy THS 17
Diocesan College 22,  Rondebosch Boys’ High 21

Players: André Manuel, Saud Abrahams, Gerard Pieterse, Sam Mitchell, Tristan Leyds, William Day, Jez McIntyre, Devon Bruiners, Keenan Jacobs, Mervano da Silva, Cornel Smit, Justin Carey, JP Smith, William Warne, Avela Biko, Justin Rowe-Roberts, Nic Bester, Justin Heunis, Seb Prentice, Luke Leach, Siya Qamgwana.

20 or more points in a match: 

29 – Cornel Smit vs. Bellville HS (1 try, 12 con)
25 – Cornel Smit vs. SACS (80-5) (1 try, 10 con)
25 – Tristan Leyds vs. Kearsney College (3 tries, 5 con) 
20 – Gerard Pieterse vs. Kingswood College (2 tries, 5 con)

3 or more tries in a match:

4 – Keenan Jacobs vs. Rondebosch Boys’ High (52-14)
3 – André Manuel vs. Bellville HS
3 – Keenan Jacobs vs. Bellville HS 
3 – Sam Mitchell vs. SACS (80-5)
3 – Sam Mitchell vs. Hugenote (Wellington)
3 – Tristan Leyds vs. Kearsney College

Etniese swart rugbyspelers in Suid-Afrika het ’n sosio-ekonomiese agterstand wat ook bydrae tot die feit dat die spelers ’n reuse agterstand in hulle voeding het.

Dit het al tien skolerugby-afrigters van regoor Suid-Afrika wat Beeld eens oor dit wat hulle dink die vernaamste oorsake is, dat so baie etniese swart spelers na skool verlore raak. As jy dink aan ’n swart speler wat vir homself naam in Suid-Afrikaanse rugby gemaak het, het een van die afrigters hom waarskynlik op skoolvlak onder hande gehad.

“Ons het ’n besigheidsplan in werking gestel om dié spelers se voeding reg te stel. Ons het die grootbaas van Supplements SA, Ewan Kromhout, ingekry. Hy het bevind dat dié spelers reeds vanaf 12 jarige ouderdom nie die regte voedingswaarde inkry nie. Dit veroorsaak dat hulle nie so groot soos die wit spelers is wanneer hulle op o.19-, o.21-vlak of daarna kom nie,” het Theo Pieterse, afrigter van Itembelihle, gesê.

Pieterse het spelers soos die Springbok, Solly Tyibilika en die Pumas se slot Giant Mtyanda op skool geslyp.

Buiten die voeding wat ’n probleem is, sê Pieterse dat sy skoolspan se veld eintlik ’n gemors is en dat hy vir die kinders ’n droë broodrol voor oefening gee om te eet. Itembelihle het wel van Saru ’n gimnasium ontvang om te help met die spelers se ontwikkeling.

Nog ’n afrigter wat baie vir swart spelers in Suid-Afrika doen is André Hay van Ben Vorster. Die Springbok-stut, Trevor Nyakane, is deur sy hande.

“Disipline is ’n faktor sowel as die struktuur waaraan die spelers op skool gebonde is. Na skool verval dié struktuur en dan skielik kry die spelers geld wat hulle nooit gehad het nie en daar is skielik kuierplekke en meisies wat oor die pad kom en dan verdwyn die spelers,” het Hay gesê.

Daar is volgens Hay oorgenoeg spelers met talent. “Hier is rondom ons seker 600 swart skole in ’n 30 km radius en die spelers moet geidentifiseer word en ’n ondersteuningsbasis,” het Hay gesê.

*Jacques Viljoen, wat lank ’n afrigter by ’n skool was wat heelwat swart spelers opgelewer het, voel dat enige speler ondanks sy kleur die regte toerusting, finansies, voeding en ondersteuning nodig het om dit as proffesionele speler te maak. “Ek het fenomenale spelers by dié skool afgerig. Ek kan nie onderskei tussen wit en swart spelers nie, vir my is almal rugbyspelers,” het Viljoen gesê.

Viljoen stel voor dat afrigters op provinsiale o.19- en o.21-vlak dalk nie op hulle wenpersentasie geevalueer word nie, maar dalk liewer ’n doel gestel word om byvoorbeeld vier swart spelers elke jaar deur te bring wat gereed is om senior provinsiaal te speel.

*Barend Potgieter was soos Viljoen ook by ’n tradisionele wit skool betrokke, wat besluit het om talentvolle swart spelers geleenthede te gee. “Dié spelers se agtergrond tel teen hulle. Hulle ontvang geen ondersteuning van die huis af nie en hulle ouers maak hulle nie in ’n rugbykultuur groot nie. Daar is ook nie ’n sisteem in plek vir die seuns wat nie kan gaan swot en nie skool kan klaarmaak nie, wat die geval by baie van die talentvolle swart spelers is,” het Potgieter gesê.

* Viljoen en Potgieter is skuilname vir afrigters wat bang is hulle word weens die sensitiewe aard van dié saak benadeel.

Die rugbyafrigter van die Hoërskool De Aar se o.17-span, Jan Botha, is vir ses maande geskors nadat hy twee o.18-spelers in ’n ligawedstryd teen die Hoërskool Vaalharts van Jan Kempdorp ingespan het.

Die vonnis is vir ’n jaar opgeskort.

SA Rugby se nuusverklaring oor die voorval lui dat Vaalharts die ligapunte vir die kragmeting kry, met De Aar wat sy ligapunte verbeur.

Dié Griekwa-liga se eindstryde is egter reeds op 16 Augustus beslis. Die betrokke liga-wedstryd is deur Vaalharts met 23-16 gewen. Volgens ’n ingeligte het Vaalharts al die aand voor die wedstryd op De Aar oorgeslaap. Die Brode moes 342 km aflê vir die kragmeting.

Van De Aar se o.17-spelers het nie opgedaag nie en Botha het die twee o.18-spelers nader getrek om te verseker dat daar ’n wedstryd plaasvind.

Volgens SA Rugby se Bok­smart-regulasies mag die o.18-spelers nie in die kragmeting gespeel het nie weens hul ouderdom.

’n Speler mag ook nie twee jaar of jonger as die ouderdomsgroep van die kragmeting wees nie. Die twee spelers was nie goed genoeg om in De Aar se eerste span se groep te wees nie en sou dus glad nie vanjaar kon rugby speel nie.

Die nuwe ouderdomsgroepe is juis deur Griekwas se skolevereniging tot stand gebring om te verseker dat rugby op die platteland voortbestaan. Skole neem in drie ouderdomsgroepe, o.19, o.17 en o.15, deel. Volgens die Boksmart-regulasies en die vorige indeling van ouderdomsgroepe sou spelers in hul o.16-jaar glad nie rugby by van die skole kon speel nie.

“Die veiligheid van rugbyspelers in alle ouderdomsgroepe is vir ons van uiterste belang. Hierdie kritieke regulasies is goedgekeur en verlede jaar in werking gestel by al 14 unies om skolerugbyspelers se veiligheid te verseker,” het Jurie Roux, uitvoerende hoof van Saru, gesê.

Volgens Roux is die regulasies ingestel om te keer dat gevaarlike praktyke plaasvind waar spelers wat te jonk is teen ouer spelers speel. Saru sal afrigters vervolg wat dié reëls oortree.

Griekwas se skeidsregtersvereniging, met Kat Swanepoel aan die stuur, is ongetwyfeld die unie wat Boksmart se regulasies die strengste toepas.

Daar word glo ’n soortgelyke geval by die Hoërskool Hopetown gedurende die seisoen ondersoek.

Hoewel die regulasies erkenning verdien dat dit die spel baie veiliger maak, wonder kenners hoe groot die impak daarvan op die platteland is en hoeveel spelers verlore vir die spel raak.

Simon Bolze will replace leading Vodacom Blue Bulls Under-19 point’s scorer, Dewald Human, at flyhalf for Saturday’s Absa Under-19 Provincial Championship clash against the Xerox Golden Lions.

The change is one of four in the backline from the team that beat Western Province last weekend.

Fullback Wyatt Murphy is out injured and replaced by Thys van Wyk, while midfielder Peet Schoeman comes in for Adrian Maebane. Theo Maree will start at scrumhalf, with Ivan van Zyl moving to the bench.

A notable inclusion on the bench is hooker Jan-Henning Campher. The Garsfontein High School player represented the Blue Bulls at Craven Week and SA Schools earlier this season and will play of the bench if Desmond Stramis fails a fitness test.

The Vodacom Blue Bulls team to play the Golden Lions at 15h00 is: Thys van Wyk, Jinx Molapo, Peet Schoeman, Jurie Linde, Duhan van der Merwe, Simon Bolze, Theo Maree, Hanro Liebenberg (c), Allisonn Calvonn, Menzi Nhlabathi, RG Snyman, Jason Jenkins, Matthys Basson, Jan van der Merwe, Njabula Gumede. Replacements: Desmond Stramis/Jan-Henning Campher, Stephan Ebersohn, Abongile Nonkontwana, Burger van Niekerk, Ivan van Zyl, Attie Louw, Stefaan Grundeling.

A schools rugby coach who breached South African Rugby Union (SARU) rules governing under age rugby has been suspended and the points his school took for the match were overturned, following a SARU disciplinary hearing.

The charge was the first brought to SARU under new regulations that were introduced to protect players under the age of 18 at the start of last season.

They stipulate that no player may appear for a team if he is over age or if he is more than two years younger than the maximum stipulated age for that particular age group. In practice the regulations means that in under-13 rugby, for example, only players who are turning 12 or 13 in the year of play can appear. Players, who are 13 at the time of the match, but turning 14 in the same year, would be ineligible. Similarly a player turning 11 in the same year (or younger) would be ineligible.

“The safety of rugby players at all ages is of paramount importance to SARU,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SARU. “These critical regulations were approved and brought into force last year by all 14 member provinces to ensure the safety of players at schoolboy age.

“Prior to their introduction there was the danger of players as young as 14 or 15 playing against boys of 19 with all the inherent risks that that implies.

“These regulations were passed to outlaw that dangerous practice and we will pursue those who breach these regulations.”

Roux said that the rules did allow for the age band to be expanded to a maximum of three years for specific high school players in exceptional circumstances, and only upon official application and approval received by the provincial unions. But those exceptions would only be granted if a number of compulsory criteria were fulfilled on the recommendation of a qualified IRB Level II coach.

“The regulations have required a cultural change at schoolboy rugby level where age may not have been a factor in selection before,” said Roux. “But they have been introduced for the benefit and safety of players.

“Coaches must understand that if they breach these regulations and players are seriously injured as a result that they have potentially laid themselves open not only to SARU’s disciplinary code but also to the criminal courts.

“These are important regulations that we take very seriously.”

The regulations are part of SARU’s BokSmart national rugby safety campaign and can be found in full at http://boksmart.sarugby.co.za/content/boksmart-legislation

In the match in question, players from the De Aar Secondary School were falsely passed off as being Under-17 in a match against Vaalharts Secondary School, when, in fact, they were 18. Mr Jan Botha, the coach responsible, was suspended from all forms of rugby under the jurisdiction of SARU for six months (suspended for one year) and the league points earned by De Aar were forfeited and credited to Vaalharts.

Issued by SARU Corporate Affairs