Where South Africa’s rugby heroes are made
The greatest schoolboy rugby spectacle is about to descend on Middelburg in Mpumalanga from the 14-19 July where the top Under-18 players from all around the country converge for the 51st Coca-Cola Craven Week.
Coca-Cola Craven Week is an important part of the Springbok journey and most of the Junior Springboks have participated in the schoolboy platform and more than 243 Springboks have graduated through its ranks over the years.
This year’s Coca-Cola Craven Week will play out at HTS Middelburg, the old stomping ground of formidable lock, Bakkies Botha. Botha himself played for SE-Transvaal and Eastern Transvaal in the 1997 and 1998 Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week and today is regarded as possibly the most decorated player in the world.
He has been a part of the team that won the Rugby World Cup as well all our local tournaments – Absa Currie Cup, Vodacom Cup and Vodacom Super Rugby; the Castle Incoming tours – Castle Lager Rugby Champinships and British and Irish Lions tour; including the major northern hemisphere tournaments – Heineken Cup and French Top 14.
“It is with great excitement that the Pumas Rugby Union is looking forward to hosting the 2014 Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week at HTS Middelburg in July,” says Jay Botes, Head of Marketing, Steval Pumas. “A festival of top class rugby is anticipated when 460 of South Africa’s most promising provincial school players will convene to display the talent of tomorrow’s Springboks and Vodacom Superugby athletes through the game which South Africans are so passionate about.”
“The infrastructure and facilities at HTS Middelburg makes it the perfect venue and supporters can look forward to a week of unbelievable rugby combined with hearty country hospitality,” he says. Coca-Cola Craven Week forms part of the momentous Coca-Cola Youth Weeks “where heroes are made” which includes the Under-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week held in Durban this year, the Under-16 Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week gracing Pretoria and the Under-18 Coca-Cola Academy Week taking place in Wellington.
Going for over 50 years, the Coca-Cola Craven Week is firmly etched into the hearts of the rugby-mad public and it is no wonder it’s dubbed “the greatest rugby tournament for schoolboys in the world.”
As Mpumalanga waits for South Africa’s hottest, young talent to descend on Middelburg, it always begs the question, how many future Springboks will be playing this year? SuperSport will be televising the games so that you too can watch “where heroes are made.”
