Wikipedia / Craven Week
Wikipedia / Craven Week
The Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament organised for schoolboys in the Republic of South Africa. The tournament started in July 1964, and is named after the legendary Springbok rugby union player and coach Danie Craven. The Western Province U18 side are the current holders of the Craven week after claiming the unofficial final in 2026 defeating Western Province XV 40-24. Western Province U18 also currently hold the most final wins (21).
History
The tournament has its humble beginnings in an idea by Piet Malan, then Springbok flanker, in 1949, around the time of the South African Rugby Board's 75th anniversary. He wanted schools to feature in the celebrations and approached Danie Craven in Potgietersrus on how this could be done.
Dr Craven took the idea to his board who decided on getting the 15 schools unions together for a week. The man who kept the idea alive however was one Jan Preuyt, a former student at the Stellenbosch University and teacher at Port Rex Technical High School in East London. Preuyt had played rugby for Griqualand West and was also the chairman of Border Schools.
At the time there was no such thing as a South African Schools organisation, and the South African Rugby Board were not involved, so Preuyt and Schalk van der Merwe, Principal of George Randall High school, took the initiative to organise the first Craven Week tournament on their own.
The competition began with 15 teams in 1964, growing to 28 in 1987 and 32 in 2000. The format was changed in 2001, and now allows for just 20 teams. Each of South Africa's fourteen provincial unions field at least one team, with some unions sending two squads (one from their urban base and another representing "country districts"), plus representation from Namibia and Zimbabwe in most years.
Each year since 1974 a South African schools team has been selected, and the competition has been open to players of all races since 1980 when Craven himself requested that it be done. The competition has since become a hunting ground for talent scouts trying to find the best new players for their provinces and many young upcoming stars see the tournament as an opportunity to further their careers. The format has been replicated at other age and skill levels, including a U18 Academy Week for provincial B sides, the Grant Khomo Week for U16 teams, and Iqhawe Week for U15 sides which places special emphasis on players from underprivileged or underserved areas.
Results
By Year
Despite there being no official final for the Craven Week tournaments, there is a main match every year that features the two best teams at the tournament. The results of these main matches since 1971 are:* In 1975 and 1976 there were 2 Craven weeks due to the school holidays of the old Transvaal and the rest of SA not corresponding.
By Province
* These statistics combine the achievements of The Transvaal prior to the provinces being split into the Golden Lions, Blue Bulls, Pumas, Valke & the Leopards.
Provinces
The following provincial teams participate in the annual Craven Week festival:
Namibia and Zimbabwe were regular participants in the Under-18 Craven Week, competing as invited national sides alongside South Africa's provincial teams, particularly following the tournament's restructuring in 2001. However, both countries were excluded from the main U18 Craven Week from 2018 onward after SA Rugby reduced and refocused the competition, with Namibia and Zimbabwe thereafter featuring at the U18 Academy Week instead.
Results
2026
2026 Craven Week Log While the Craven Week tournament does not feature an official points log, the ranking below compiles the cumulative match statistics for all participating provinces during this edition. This statistical summary does not represent an accurate reflection of team strength or a definitive ranking, as the scheduling format means certain provinces face significantly higher-ranked opponents than others. However, the table accurately reflects the tournament's final performance outcomes at both extremes, clearly identifying the top two performing sides who contested the main final match.The fixtures for the 2026 U18 Craven Week Festival are:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Unofficial 2026 Craven Week Final
2025
2025 Craven Week Log While the Craven Week tournament does not feature an official points log, the ranking below compiles the cumulative match statistics for all participating provinces during this edition. This statistical summary does not represent an accurate reflection of team strength or a definitive ranking, as the scheduling format means certain provinces face significantly higher-ranked opponents than others. However, the table accurately reflects the tournament's final performance outcomes at both extremes, clearly identifying the top two performing sides who contested the main final match.The results from the 2025 U18 Craven Week Festival were:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Unofficial 2025 Craven Week Final
2024
2024 Craven Week Log While the Craven Week tournament does not feature an official points log, the ranking below compiles the cumulative match statistics for all participating provinces during this edition. This statistical summary does not represent an accurate reflection of team strength or a definitive ranking, as the scheduling format means certain provinces face significantly higher-ranked opponents than others. However, the table accurately reflects the tournament's final performance outcomes at both extremes, clearly identifying the top two performing sides who contested the main final match.The results from the 2024 U18 Craven Week Festival were:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Unofficial 2024 Craven Week Final
2023
2023 Craven Week Log While the Craven Week tournament does not feature an official points log, the ranking below compiles the cumulative match statistics for all participating provinces during this edition. This statistical summary does not represent an accurate reflection of team strength or a definitive ranking, as the scheduling format means certain provinces face significantly higher-ranked opponents than others. However, the table accurately reflects the tournament's final performance outcomes at both extremes, clearly identifying the top two performing sides who contested the main final match. The results from the 2023 U18 Craven Week Festival were:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Unofficial 2023 Craven Week Final
2022
2022 Craven Week Log While the Craven Week tournament does not feature an official points log, the ranking below compiles the cumulative match statistics for all participating provinces during this edition. This statistical summary does not represent an accurate reflection of team strength or a definitive ranking, as the scheduling format means certain provinces face significantly higher-ranked opponents than others. However, the table accurately reflects the tournament's final performance outcomes at both extremes, clearly identifying the top two performing sides who contested the main final match. The results from the 2022 U18 Craven Week Festival were:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Unofficial 2022 Craven Week Final
2019
2019 Craven Week Log While the Craven Week tournament does not feature an official points log, the ranking below compiles the cumulative match statistics for all participating provinces during this edition. This statistical summary does not represent an accurate reflection of team strength or a definitive ranking, as the scheduling format means certain provinces face significantly higher-ranked opponents than others. However, the table accurately reflects the tournament's final performance outcomes at both extremes, clearly identifying the top two performing sides who contested the main final match. The results from the 2019 U18 Craven Week Festival were:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Unofficial 2019 Craven Week Final
2018
2018 Craven Week Log While the Craven Week tournament does not feature an official points log, the ranking below compiles the cumulative match statistics for all participating provinces during this edition. This statistical summary does not represent an accurate reflection of team strength or a definitive ranking, as the scheduling format means certain provinces face significantly higher-ranked opponents than others. However, the table accurately reflects the tournament's final performance outcomes at both extremes, clearly identifying the top two performing sides who contested the main final match. The results from the 2018 U18 Craven Week Festival were:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Unofficial 2018 Craven Week Final
2017
2017 Craven Week Log While the Craven Week tournament does not feature an official points log, the ranking below compiles the cumulative match statistics for all participating provinces during this edition. This statistical summary does not represent an accurate reflection of team strength or a definitive ranking, as the scheduling format means certain provinces face significantly higher-ranked opponents than others. However, the table accurately reflects the tournament's final performance outcomes at both extremes, clearly identifying the top two performing sides who contested the main final match. * CD represents Country District sides representing in the Eastern Province, Griquas, and Border.
The results from the 2018 U18 Craven Week Festival were:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day5
Unofficial 2017 Craven Week Final
Squad Selections
2026
The following U18 squads were named for the 2026 Craven week:
*AW are players who represent the Academy Week team. *WP XV are players who represent the Craven Week B side for Western Province.
Honours
The honour roll for each Craven Week year is as follows:
See also
External links
References