Klerksdorp Record, Krugersdorp - Hoërskool Monument is currently hosting the U18 Stadio Craven Week, which runs until Saturday June 29.
The opening ceremony included a speech from the president of the Golden Lions, Nevel Jardine, where he stated that Craven Week is one of the most important weeks for rugby in the world, due to the long-term impact this week has on the rugby community.
According to SA Rugby general manager Yusuf Jackson, there were three matches played before the opening ceremony, to stretch out the day so that everything does not happen in the morning.
He added that the matches were between South Western District (SWD) vs Valke (41–34), Boland vs Leopards (41–21) and Eastern Province (EP) vs Border (24–14). “This week leads to the players being picked for the U18 Springbok team, where this leads to them eventually advancing to the national Springbok team,” Jardine added.
After the opening ceremony, the first match for the U18 Craven Week started. This match was between the WP and the Sharks, where the WP dominated the match with a result of 36–26.
Monnas principal Johann Calitz says that it is an honour to host the Craven Week on their school campus.
“It is also an opportunity to show the Krugersdorp community quality rugby. We are thankful for the opportunity that SA Rugby, SA School Rugby Association and Stadio allowed us to host the Craven Week,” Calitz concluded.
The Leopards were in action against the Valke on Wednesday June 26. The result was not known at the time of going to press.