Union’s u/13A rugby team will head off into summer with a good feeling after having comfortably overcome their Volkskool counterparts by 57 points to 12 during the traditional season ending derby played on Saturday, 10 August, at the Botanics Sports Grounds.

A large crowd enjoyed the entertaining match and it served as a fitting finale for a team who have given it their all and played some attractive rugby this season.

Six months ago, wrapped up in all the excitement of Union’s Centenary year, this special group of young rugby players embarked on a very exciting rugby season.

“Throughout the year, we placed a lot of emphasis on the development of this group of players, with great success being achieved,” said coach Mr. Floris Steenkamp.

“The goal with these young sportsmen was to equip them to the best of our abilities for their future in senior rugby as many of these players will be playing for the high school next year.” The team’s season kicked off with a tour to East London where the boys enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other better while building team spirit. “This was certainly needed as many of our fixtures proved quite challenging,” said Mr. Steenkamp. As a team made up of u/12’s and u/13’s, they found themselves the underdogs on most occasions. This, however, did not stand in their way as they met every match with passion and a lot of heart – never giving up and always giving it their best.

The team’s pre-season training proved to be highly beneficial as the team enjoyed tremendous success in the build-up to the annual Anne Beagley Junior Rugby & Hockey Festival. The festival, which also celebrated its 20th year of existence, ended off a busy second term with rugby teams from all over the country descending on Union’s fields for three days of exciting junior rugby. Apart from the exhilarating fixtures, there was ample time for the Union boys to make new friends and to enjoy all the fun events over the course of the weekend.

The boys continued to gain momentum in the third term with impressive victories over their Port Elizabeth rivals Clarendon Park and Herbert Hurd, with all roads leading to a highly anticipated Interschools match with neighbours, Laer Volkskool. “Our boys displayed true character and unwavering fighting spirit in the way they played their final game of the season,” said Mr. Steenkamp. “This was truly a special season for our u/13A team – while scoring a total of 806 points in 25 games, they only conceded 283 points, losing five matches of which three were at festivals,” he concluded.

Well done gents!!