The inaugural Oakland World Schools Festival got off to an emphatic start with some of the world’s top schoolboy rugby players coming together for a true South African feast.
The week-long tournament which will feature some of the most promising schoolboy talents will kick-off in earnest on Tuesday until Saturday in Paarl.
The teams were treated to a proper spread of lamb spit and ‘rooster koek’ in the shadow of the Drakenstein Mountain range.
The tournament will feature some of South Africa’s prestige schoolboy rugby teams such as Affies, Boland Landbou, Glenwood, Monument, Grey College, Outeniqua, Oakdale, Paarl Gim, Paarl Boys’ High and Hilton College.
The festival forms part of Paarl Boys’ High School’s 150-year celebrations and includes 10 teams from five continents with sides from New Zealand, England, Italy, the United States, Australia, Namibia and Argentina will make up the international contingent.
Carinat Sports Marketing Managing Director and ex-Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said the welcoming evening was the culmination of a long-time dream.
“It is really humbling standing in this beautiful setting seeing all the players and all the coaches mingling,” Meyer said.
“That is what this tournament is all about, it is about the spirit of rugby. It’s not about which team is the best, but about friendships.”
As the buses drove into the picturesque Ashanti Estate in Paarl, the players would line up extending a hand of friendship.
Surrounded by konka fires the players mingled and got to know each other before they step onto the field of battle.
Meyer said he hoped the tournament would inspire the next generation of South African and international heroes.
“I’ve always wanted to do something big in rugby and leave a legacy which I shared with Paarl Boys’ High School’s coach Sean Erasmus,” Meyer said.
“When he (Erasmus) read in the newspapers I wanted to get involved in schoolboy rugby we got together, and our vision was the same as theirs.”
The festival consists of four match days with mouth-watering encounters scheduled for each day on Tuesday (April 3), Wednesday (April 4), Friday (April 6) and on Saturday (April 7).
The recent announcement of title sponsor Oakland Dairies will see the launch of the Oakland Cup, a Ryder Cup-style contest between South Africa and the Rest of the World.
The format ensures that each match counts, where two points will count towards a win and a draw are worth one point.
The collated points will determine the winner of the Oakland Cup which will add an extra incentive when the South African sides take on teams from abroad.
Erasmus, who has lead Boishaai to the number-one position on the South African schoolboy rankings, said his plans of hosting an international schoolboy competition had finally come to fruition.
“Walking in her I was very humbled, it was something we have been looking forward to since 2014 when we started planning and talking about this,” Erasmus said.
“It is a special year for Boishaai turning a 150-years-old and having everyone here to enjoy it makes it so much more special.”
The last day of the World Schools Festival will come to an emphatic end when the SA Legends and the Boishaai Legends teams cross swords on Saturday, April 7 featuring former Springbok and provincial legends.
The Oakland World Schools Festival embodies the spirit of rugby and traditional values and is the best global gathering of schoolboy talent.
Tickets available on www.computicket.com
Prices vary from R55 for adults, R35 for school pupils between the ages of 10 and 18, and children under the age of 10 are charged R15 per person per day. Four-day rugby passes are priced at R190, R110 and R35 for adults, school pupils and children respectively.
Die gasheer van die Old Mutual Insure Agri Rugbyweek net buite Riversdal, Oakdale Landbou, het ook vanjaar die meeste spelers in die borg se XV-tal wat na afloop van die week aangekondig is. Oakdale Landbou het vier spelers Magnus Muller (loskopstut), Henco Beukes (flank), Hannes Gous (slot) en Clyde Lewis (heelagter) in die span wat verkies is. 
Hilton College had too work hard to beat St David’s Marist by 24-10 in their final game of the annual St John’s College Easter Festival in Johannesburg. St David’s led by 7-3 at the break. 
Die Hoër Jongenskool Paarl eet nie van die vloer af nie en sal dit tydens dié skool se Wêreld-skolerugbyfees beaam.
Grey-kollege van Bloemfontein en Garsfontein het die toeskouers verskeie oomblikke gegee om die twee spanne uitbundig te ondersteun tydens hulle wedstryd tydens die Noord/Suid-toernooi op Menlopark se hoofveld hier.