South Africa’s best junior female players will be in action at the FNB U16 and U18 Girls Weeks staged at Queens High School in Johannesburg from Monday, two important tournaments on the local rugby landscape.
The two tournaments form part of SA Rugby’s 2025 FNB Youth Weeks programme and will run from 30 June until 4 July.
Mr Mark Alexander, SA Rugby’s president, described the two girls’ weeks as “nothing short of nation-shifting”.
“They are instruments of progress, opening rugby’s gates wider than ever before,” said Mr Alexander.
“Girls now have structured, high-profile avenues to express and elevate their talent—platforms that were unimaginable not long ago. This isn’t just about athletic development; it’s about transforming perceptions and normalising girls’ rugby as a proud, powerful part of our national sporting fabric.
“By investing in these tournaments, SA Rugby is not just growing a sport – it’s rewriting a narrative. One that says rugby excellence knows no gender and that the next icon of the game could just as easily emerge from a girls’ scrum on a windswept pitch in Gqeberha as from any traditional stronghold.
“It’s a cultural shift that will echo into classrooms, homes, communities, and eventually, into packed stadiums both here and abroad.”
The first round of the U18 competition kicks off on Monday morning, with Eastern Province meeting the Leopards on the A Field at Queens High School.
Meanwhile, Border will face a Golden Lions Invitational team in the opening match of the U16 tournament.
U18 fixtures (Monday, 30 June):
09h00: Eastern Province v Leopards, A Field
09h00: Western Province v Valke, B Field
10h30: Sharks v Griffons, A Field
10h30: South Western Districts v Pumas, B Field
12h00: Zimbabwe v Griquas, A Field
12h00: Border v Blue Bulls, B Field
13h30: Opening Ceremony
14h00: Golden Lions v Free State, A Field
14h00: Limpopo Blue Bulls v Boland, B Field
U16 fixtures (Monday, 30 June):
08h45: Border v Golden Lions Invitational XV, C Field
10h00: Sharks v Limpopo Blue Bulls, C Field
10h00: Western Province v Leopards, D Field
11h15: Boland v Griquas, C Field
11h15: Eastern Province v Zimbabwe, D Field
12h30: Border Country Districts v Free State, C Field
12h30: Golden Lions v Valke, D Field
14h00: South Western Districts v Griffons, C Field
14h00: Pumas v Blue Bulls, D Field