If exciting schoolboy rugby fixtures, crunching tackles and terrific tries get you going, then this year’s North-South rugby tournament will get your heart racing.

Kicking off on Friday at Paul Roos Gimnasium in Stellenbosch, this year’s tournament – being played at the Western Cape school for the first time – promises to be as action-packed as ever. The annual school rugby tournament started 11 years ago, according to the tournament founder and director, former Springbok Pieter ‘Slaptjips’ Rossouw.

In a video interview with The True Test, Rossouw said the initial tournament consisted of then-hosts Die Hoërskool Menlopark and Hoërskool Waterkloof (representing the north) and Paarl Gimnasium and Hoërskool Harrismith (representing the south). It has grown in leaps and bounds since, with 24 schools taking part in last year’s edition.

Over the past few years, Pretoria’s Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, better known as Affies, has been the usual venue for the tournament played over the Easter period, but this year the tournament heads south.

Some of the exciting first-team match-ups on Friday include Outeniqua versus Menlopark (11:30) and HTS Drostdy taking on Affies (16:00). The penultimate match of the day sees Hoër Jongenskool Paarl facing Waterkloof at 17:30 before the clash between Paarl Gimnasium and King Edward VII School at 19:00.

The festival continues on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday and promises to deliver spectacular schoolboy rugby that should not be missed. All the fixtures can be found here.

If you’re unable to attend the matches in Stellenbosch, don’t fret – the clashes will be broadcast on SuperSport Schools.

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