Fun in the sun at the Skuilies u/9 Rugby Festival 

For the past two Saturdays, rugby enthusiasts, proud parents, and more than 300 u/9 rugby players have gathered at Laerskool Skuilkrans in Pretoria to have fun and play rugby. 

Hosted on Saturday, 2 and 9 March by Laerskool Skuilkrans, rugby players from 14 different schools, including Laerskool Totiusdal, Laerskool Swartkop, Laerskool Pretoria Oos, Laerskool Anton van Wouw and more, got together to enhance their skills all while encouraging a love of rugby. 

According to Werner de Beer, the festival’s organiser, and Laerskool Skuilkrans’ sports manager, the u/9 Skuilie Rugby Festival aimed to encourage rugby development specifically for u/9 players. 

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“For most of them, it is their first time playing 15-man rugby. The thinking behind the festival was to get everyone together and let them play their first game,” de Beer said. 

Twelve schools with about 25 teams all got to play against each other in matches that ran 15 minutes per side. 

There was no kicking for poles, and team coaches were allowed on the field to help the players understand the game better. 

“It’s mostly running rugby, which is good for development. But ultimately, it was about enjoyment,” de Beer said. 

Another reason for the festival was so parents could see their kids play. “Some schools play all their matches during the week when parents are at work, and now the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles all get to see them play. It’s great to see the parents get involved and see their children play,” de Beer added. 

Although this year’s u/9 Skuilie Rugby Festival was the school’s first, de Beer and his team are already planning a bigger and better event for next year. 

“Next year is our school’s 50th birthday, so we want to have a whole-week festival during the holiday. So we can have it from Monday until Saturday,” he said. This festival is a forerunner for next year.    

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Melissa Stydom, a parent from Laerskool Swartkop, praised the event’s success. She said she was thrilled to see her child participate in the sport and how much he has improved. 

Zelmari Wildner, a parent from Laerskool Doringkloof, also loved the festival. “It’s very well organised. The kids are having lots of fun. It’s very nice that the coaches are on the field with the kids. That’s how they learn.”

Another rugby parent, Attie Engelbrecht from Laerskool Totiusdal, also felt that the festival really helped with development. “If you look at how the kids played two months ago, it was a disaster, and now they’ve improved so much.”