It is almost time again for the highlight of the school rugby calendar, the annual Coca-Cola Craven Week.

As one of the most elite tournaments in the country, this year’s Craven Week will be hosted in the Limpopo Province for the first time ever.

The week will kick off at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on 8 July and finish on 13 July. This year’s tournament will mark this prestigious event’s half-century celebration and as such, players and organisers will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that local fans and families are not disappointed. The first Craven Week was held in 1964 and, since then, a lot of famous players have passed through the ranks, including John Smit, Victor Matfield, Chiliboy Ralepelle and Dean Greyling.

The Craven Week forms part of the momentous Coca-Cola Youth Weeks “where heroes are made”. It includes the U/13 Craven Week where youngsters “tackle the future”, the U/16 Grant Khomo Week, the U/18 Academy Week and the LSEN (Learners with Special Education Needs) Week.

The junior tournament of the Craven Week has already been played in Bela-Bela, and Limpopo will host the U/13 and U/18 tournaments.

Around 500 players and team officials will arrive in Polokwane for the tournament. This is not counting the number of supporting friends and families as well as the national media and television crews that will also visit the capital city of Limpopo.

The U/18 Limpopo Blue Bulls team is dominated by players from Hoërskool Ben Vorster. Of the 22 players, 13 of their players qualified to take part in the Craven Week.  

Rugby fans are invited to come and support this legendary tournament and see the future rugby stars of South Africa in action. Tickers are R20 per day and R80 for a week pass; scholars in uniform will be admitted for free.