FNB Grant Khomo schools rugby tournament kicks off with a bang in Pretoria
The reason for this is that the rugby played by the country's best u.16 players was red hot.
Experts around the two rugby fields at St Albans agreed that the quality of the rugby played on the first day of the 2025 FNB Grant Khomo Week once again underlined why South Africa is currently the world leader in this sport.
St Albans College's school grounds were a colourful hive of activity with hundreds of flags fluttering in the light breeze, as well as gazebos and stalls set up everywhere to meet the needs of players, officials and spectators.
A total of 20 teams, including all of the country's rugby provinces, as well as representative teams from Zimbabwe and Namibia and a few invitational teams from the larger provinces, gathered in Pretoria for the 2025 version of this annual tournament.
During the official opening ceremony, Willem Strauss, president of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, congratulated the 460 boys who will participate in the tournament on their achievement in being rewarded with a place in their respective teams after hard work before and during the season.
'Remember that you are here to enjoy rugby and compete to the best of your ability, but also to live out the values of our beloved game. Values such as teamwork, respect, discipline, resilience and good sportsmanship,' Strauss emphasized.
While the logistics surrounding such an event are of course of utmost importance, ultimately it is all about the action on the field and that is where the spectators were treated to some of the most exciting play.
* The first match of the tournament kicked off at 09:30 on St Albans College's Moshate (B) field.
In this match, in which the teams of Zimbabwe and Border Country Districts faced each other, the boys from South Africa's northern neighbour were too strong for the Eastern Cape team and after scoring eleven tries, Zimbabwe won 71-3.
In the main match at the Moshate field, the Griquas defeated the Iqhawe XV 50-14.
Other results on the Moshate field throughout the day were as follows:
Valke 24; Limpopo Blue Bulls 15
Griffons 32; Namibia 24
Westerns Province XV 30; Pumas 27
Border and the Leopards kicked off the day's action on the Baloyi (A) field. Eight excellent tries were scored in the match – three by each team. Border was ultimately the winner with a score of 26-22.
The home team, the Blue Bulls, were also in action on the Baloyi field. With a brilliant Dandré Brink, centre from Affies at the forefront, the young Blue Bulls ultimately won their match against Boland 32-13. Brink scored twice and was named Player of the Match.
In the very exciting main match of the day on the Baloyi field, Western Province (WP) had too much ammunition for the Free State. WP won 55-22, after scoring eight tries to the Free State's three.
Other results on the Baloyi field throughout the day were as follows:
South Western Districts (SWD) 27; Eastern Province (EP) 10
Sharks 44; Lions 35
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
Day two of 2025 FNB Grant Khomo Week delivers surprise and tries by the dozen
Day two of 2025 FNB Grant Khomo Week delivers surprise and tries by the dozen It's still freezing cold in Pretoria and all day yesterday the sun was a little shy to stick its head out properly in the east of the city, but once again these weather conditions didn't stop the cream of the country's U16 rugby talent from playing some great rugby on day two at the 2025 FNB Grant Khomo Week. With SANRAL in their infinite wisdom deciding to carry out roadworks on the N1 between Lynnwood Drive and Atterbury Road in Pretoria during office hours yesterday, there were many frustrated motorists who would have given anything to find a gap and escape the chaos. Although they were not destined to do so, things were different just a few kilometres east at the St Albans College grounds in Lynnwood Ridge. There, spectators were treated to a great time watching the country's best U16 rugby players find gaps on the rugby field. A few runaway victories may not have provided the necessary intensity expected at a tournament of this stature, but some spectacular tries produced by exciting running rugby were a cure for the cold for many spectators. Speaking of runaway victories, it started early during the first game of the day on St Albans' Baloyi A-field, when the Limpopo Blue Bulls scored ten unanswered tries to overwhelm Border Country Districts 60-0. In the second match on this field, Namibia achieved their first victory of the tournament by beating the Iqhawe XV 43-26. Other results at the Baloyi A-field were as follows: Leopards 39; Valke 15 Griquas 40; Zimbabwe 25 EP 27; Pumas 15 On the Moshate field, the day's action also began with a whitewash, when the Lions scored seven tries to thrash Boland 43-0. However, it was in the third match on this field that the big surprise of day two occurred when the WP XV – in fact the WP's second team – beat the Free State quite easily 37-18. In probably the most exciting and one of the toughest matches of the tournament so far, the Blue Bulls and the Sharks played to a 29-all draw. Local fans probably thought the young Bulls were on their way to their second win at the tournament, but two tries late in the game by Sharks wingers, Lisa Sijadu and Mojalefa Mogale, enabled the boys from KwaZulu-Natal to pull off a draw. The Sharks could have even won, but flyhalf Daniel Miskey, who otherwise played brilliantly, missed the final goal kick after Mogale's try. However, the drama was not over yet, because the Blue Bulls had a chance to seal the victory in the dying moments of the match, but flyhalf Reuben Smith unfortunately failed with a fairly easy penalty. Other results on the Moshate field were as follows: Griffons 38, Border 17 WP 29; SWD 21 Meanwhile, both WP teams, as well as the Sharks and the home team, the Blue Bulls, have been rewarded for their performances and unbeaten record since Monday when the fixtures for the final day's action were made. Matches will also be played on the school's third rugby field, the Baloyi B-field, on Friday to ensure that the tournament can be concluded shortly after lunch. Tomorrow's fixtures are as follows: Moshate field 09:00 – Griffons vs Eastern Province 10:15 – Golden Lions vs South Western Districts 11:30 – Blue Bulls vs Western Province XV 13:15 Western Province vs Sharks Baloyi A-field 09:00 – Zimbabwe vs Namibia 10:15 – Border vs Boland 11:30 – Free State vs Griquas Baloyi B-field 09:00 – Border Country Districts vs Iqhawe XV 10:15 – Pumas vs Valke 11:30 – Limpopo Blue Bulls vs Leopards Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Leopards overpower Valke in dominant FNB Girls Rugby Week performance
The Leopards delivered a powerful performance in Match 2 of the second day at the 2025 FNB U16 and U18 Girls Rugby Week, shutting out the Valke with a convincing 15-0 victory at Queens High School in Johannesburg. From the opening whistle, the Leopards controlled the game through smart positional play and relentless pressure, Bedfordview Edenvale News reports. Their tactical dominance left the Valke with limited scoring opportunities throughout the match. Captain Lumka Mtebele led by example, capping off the performance with a decisive try in the closing stages. Her leadership and impactful play earned her the Player of the Match accolade. With this commanding win, the Leopards have set a high standard as the tournament progresses, showcasing depth, discipline and skill in the youth women's rugby arena.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
FNB Grant Khomo schools rugby tournament kicks off with a bang in Pretoria
Pretoria is currently experiencing a particularly cold winter, but the chilly weather was forgotten when the first matches in this year's FNB Grant Khomo schools rugby tournament kicked off on Monday morning at the St Albans College sports grounds in Lynnwood Glen, Pretoria. The reason for this is that the rugby played by the country's best u.16 players was red hot. Experts around the two rugby fields at St Albans agreed that the quality of the rugby played on the first day of the 2025 FNB Grant Khomo Week once again underlined why South Africa is currently the world leader in this sport. St Albans College's school grounds were a colourful hive of activity with hundreds of flags fluttering in the light breeze, as well as gazebos and stalls set up everywhere to meet the needs of players, officials and spectators. A total of 20 teams, including all of the country's rugby provinces, as well as representative teams from Zimbabwe and Namibia and a few invitational teams from the larger provinces, gathered in Pretoria for the 2025 version of this annual tournament. During the official opening ceremony, Willem Strauss, president of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, congratulated the 460 boys who will participate in the tournament on their achievement in being rewarded with a place in their respective teams after hard work before and during the season. 'Remember that you are here to enjoy rugby and compete to the best of your ability, but also to live out the values of our beloved game. Values such as teamwork, respect, discipline, resilience and good sportsmanship,' Strauss emphasized. While the logistics surrounding such an event are of course of utmost importance, ultimately it is all about the action on the field and that is where the spectators were treated to some of the most exciting play. * The first match of the tournament kicked off at 09:30 on St Albans College's Moshate (B) field. In this match, in which the teams of Zimbabwe and Border Country Districts faced each other, the boys from South Africa's northern neighbour were too strong for the Eastern Cape team and after scoring eleven tries, Zimbabwe won 71-3. In the main match at the Moshate field, the Griquas defeated the Iqhawe XV 50-14. Other results on the Moshate field throughout the day were as follows: Valke 24; Limpopo Blue Bulls 15 Griffons 32; Namibia 24 Westerns Province XV 30; Pumas 27 Border and the Leopards kicked off the day's action on the Baloyi (A) field. Eight excellent tries were scored in the match – three by each team. Border was ultimately the winner with a score of 26-22. The home team, the Blue Bulls, were also in action on the Baloyi field. With a brilliant Dandré Brink, centre from Affies at the forefront, the young Blue Bulls ultimately won their match against Boland 32-13. Brink scored twice and was named Player of the Match. In the very exciting main match of the day on the Baloyi field, Western Province (WP) had too much ammunition for the Free State. WP won 55-22, after scoring eight tries to the Free State's three. Other results on the Baloyi field throughout the day were as follows: South Western Districts (SWD) 27; Eastern Province (EP) 10 Sharks 44; Lions 35 Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
