Photo by Jorina Raath/Speedshots.co.za
SARU's announcement that only the u/18 Craven Week and u/16 Grant Khomo week will be hosted by SARU, while all the other weeks' futures were in the hands of the parents as they would have to pay an estimated R 3 100.00 per player if no sponsors could be found in time was met with disgust and astonishment. All provinces had to indicate their participation in the other weeks before or on the 14th of February.
After it was confirmed that the majority (most) of the Unions will be competing in all the other weeks the venues and dates for the various youth rugby festivals were confirmed this week.
The u/18 Craven Week as well as the u/16 Grant Khomo week will still be hosted in the second week of the June school holidays at the Nelson Mandela University at Port Elizabeth and will be funded by SARU themselves.
The u/18 Academy Week which is still without a sponsor will be hosted at Jeppe High School for Boys in Johannesburg in the first week of the school holidays.
The u/13 Craven Week will also be played in the first week of the school holidays and will be hosted at Monument Hoërskool in Krugersdorp. The u/13 Craven Week is also still without a sponsor.
The national u/18 LSEN week will be played at two venues. The six Southern Provinces will be hosted at either Port Elizabeth or Uitenhage while the six Northern Provinces will be played at Jeppe High School for Boys or Loftus Versveld. No national LSEN team will be selected as it will be hosted during the same period as the Academy week in the first week of the school holiday.