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Bloem powerhouse primed to excite in Graeme Rugby Festival

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South African schools powerhouse Grey College are relishing the prospect of returning to Makhanda when they take part in the GBS Graeme College Rugby Festival from March 23-25. The Bloemfontein school, who took part in the Graeme Rugby Day several seasons ago, have for many years been the benchmark of excellence in SA schoolboy rugby and their presence adds lustre to an already impressive programme of matches over the three days.

To celebrate their 150 th anniversary Graeme have extended their annual one-day tournament to a three-day format, enabling them to attract such exciting teams as Grey College, Hilton and SACS to the event.

In addition, leading Eastern Cape schools such as Selborne, Framesby, Grey High, Queen’s and Kingswood and Dale will be in action over the three days.

Grey College, in particular, will be high on everyone’s list to watch as they combine a powerful pack of forwards with an exciting backline.

They will be up against Marlow Agricultural and St Andrew’s, providing a wonderful opportunity for those two teams to measure themselves against the best.

Grey director of rugby Bobby Joubert said they were excited about being part of the festival, which would provide excellent preparation for their 2023 programme.

“It really is great to be back at the Graeme College Festival and we feel it’s important to support traditional rugby schools in SA,” he said.

“Also coming up against teams that we don’t regularly play such as Marlow and St Andrew’s gives us an opportunity to test ourselves against different systems.

“We are also preparing for upcoming fixtures at the North-South tournament and the Wildeklawer, but having said that, we are definitely not underestimating the Eastern Cape schools.

“They both performed well with young teams in 2022 and now they will play with experienced players.”

After going through a series of trials, the Grey College team are itching to experience some competitive action to test their combinations.

“We have a young backline that will accept the challenges ahead,” Joubert said. “Our forwards are more settled, with players who represented the first team in 2022.

“I believe our strengths will be the aerial domination of our players. We have to work on our ruck speed to avoid slow ball and turnovers.”

While Grey have built a worldwide reputation for their rugby excellence, Joubert said their philosophy was to develop their pupils holistically.

“Our priority is to create a balanced individual through our rugby programme for them to be successful in life and not just in rugby,” he said.

In just less than two weeks, the young Grey College men will get a chance to show their credentials both on and off the field in what will be a thrilling three days’ of action in Makhanda.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.