The Craven Week has been the pinnacle of South African schoolboy rugby since 1964.
The idea was initially conceived by Piet Malan, who until Sunday 5 July 2015 at the time of his passing was the oldest surviving Springbok at the age of 96. The idea originated as part of the the South African Rugby Union’s 75th anniversary celebrations and was intended as a festival of schoolboy rugby. The President of the South African Rugby Board at the time was the much-loved Doctor Danie Craven and on his acceptance of the concept, after being convinced that it was not going to be a competition, the festival was named after him.
The Craven week was always intended to be a festival of rugby and there is no league or official knockout concept, but the two unbeaten teams at the end of the week play in the final game on the Saturday afternoon. Aside from the privilege of playing for the honour of their provincial teams, all games are televised so there is a tremendous amount of exposure for those hoping to try their luck at a professional rugby career.
The teams competing are the under-18 sides of the most of the main rugby unions in South Africa, as well as a number of the rural unions with the national under-18 teams from Namibia and Zimbabwe competing too. At the end of the week, a South African Schools as well as a South African Academy team are selected. The players selected for these teams have the inside track for selection to the South African under-20 team the Baby Boks and are very much in the limelight to prove themselves as the future of South African rugby.
Having watched many games during the 2015 tournament, it was pleasing to see how attack minded these young players were, making a mockery of the claim that South African players do not have skills. They have those skills until it is coached out of them in the professional structures by outdated coaches who do not know how to use those skills effectively.
There is certainly a high degree of talent scouting by the bigger unions at the Craven Week, but much of that is done before the Craven Week even starts, with unions having to declare their interest in other unions’ players by 1 July each year and the week serves as a final trial for those players identified and an opportunity to those who may have slipped through the scouts’ net earlier.
There is a worry going forward as the Gauteng Education Department (GED), under which the Lions as well Northern Transvaal (The Bulls) fall in the education system, have started putting pressure on SARU to change the composition of competing teams to match the school districts used by the GED. In both Johannesburg and Pretoria, schools are divided into three districts. What this would do would be to force both of these unions to send three teams to the Craven Week. This is a high risk proposition for both unions as well as the Craven Week. Diluting their strength will surely not be palatable for either union and will also remove the direct connection which they have always had with the teams they have sent to compete. These teams would also not have an identity which the general public could relate to and would not be representative of the teams which they normally support.
Sending six teams to compete as opposed to the current two teams will also add additional cost, which in a country where sponsorship is scarce is probably not the best option, for very little real return.
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