View source for Craven Week

{{Short description|Boys' rugby tournament}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox rugby league cup
| title          = Craven Week
| upcoming_season = 
| current_season = 
| last_season    = 
| logo           = Coca-Cola Craven Week logo.gif
| pixels         = 300px
| caption        = The current Coca-Cola Craven Week logo
| sport          = [[Rugby union]]
| founded        = {{Start date and age|df=y|1964}}
| inaugural      = 
| folded         =
| teams          = 20
| country        = 
| champion       =
| season         = 
| most_champs    = 
| website        = 
| ceo            =
| related_comps  =
}}

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 [[South Africa national rugby union team|Springbok]] rugby union player and coach [[Danie Craven|Dr Danie Craven]].<ref name="A bit of Craven Week history">{{cite web | url=http://www.supersport.com/rugby/juniors/news/120709/A_bit_of_Craven_Week_history | title=A bit of Craven Week history | publisher=SuperSport | date=9 July 2012 | access-date=23 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="Coca-Cola Craven Week celebrates 50 years">{{cite web | url=http://www.schoolofrugby.co.za/news/649-coca-cola-craven-week-celebrates-50-years | title=Coca-Cola Craven Week celebrates 50 years | publisher=School of Rugby | access-date=23 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="History of Craven Week">{{cite web|url=https://schoolstribune.com/history-of-craven-week-p578-397.htm |title=History of Craven Week |work=Schools Tribune |access-date=23 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053819/http://schoolstribune.com/history-of-craven-week-p578-397.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>

The tournament has its humble beginnings in an idea by [[Piet Malan]], then Springbok [[Rugby union positions#6. Blindside flanker .26 7. Openside flanker|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 [[Mokopane|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|University of Stellenbosch]] and teacher at [[Port Rex Technical High School|Port Rex Technical School]] in [[East London, South Africa|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.

Currently the tournament is known as the "Coca-Cola Craven Week" with [[The Coca-Cola Company]] as the main sponsor of the event.

==Results==

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:<ref name="Main Matches at the Craven Week for High Schools (1971 - 2014)">{{cite web | url=http://www.sasra.org.za/NewsDocuments/National_Weeks_Documents/Main%20Matches%20at%20the%20Craven%20Week.pdf | title=Main Matches at the Craven Week for High Schools (1971–2014) | publisher=South African Schools Rugby Association | access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="Venues of Previous Weeks">{{cite web | url=http://www.sasra.org.za/national_weeks.htm | title=Venues of Previous Weeks | publisher=South African Schools Rugby Association | access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%; width:70%"
|-
! colspan=9 | Main matches at the Craven Week
|-
! style="width:10%;" | Year
! style="width:20%;" | Venue
! style="width:30%;" | Winner
! style="width:10%;" | Score
! style="width:30%;" | Runner-up
<!-- Year || Venue || Winner || Score || Runner-up------>
|-
| 1964 || [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]] || Border || 10 -9 || Natal
|-
| 1965 || [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]] || Natal || 22 - 11 || Transvaal
|-
| 1966 || [[Pretoria]] || Natal || 13 || Eastern Province
|-
| 1967 || [[Cape Town]] || Vrystaat || 8 - 3 || Western Province
|-
| 1971 || [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]] || Western Province || 11–0 || Griqualand West
|-
| 1972 || [[Potchefstroom]] || Western Province || 16–9 || Western Transvaal
|-
| 1973 || [[Stellenbosch]] || Western Province || 36–7 || Transvaal
|-
| 1974 || [[Johannesburg]] || Western Province || 22–12 || South Western Districts
|-
| 1975* || [[Pretoria]] || Northern Transvaal || 20–8 || Transvaal
|-
| 1975* || [[Port Elizabeth]] || Eastern Province || 46–13 || Natal
|-
| 1976* || [[Wolmaranstad]] || Transvaal|| 28–10 || Northern Transvaal
|-
| 1976* || [[Kroonstad]] || Boland || 13–9 || Free State
|-
| 1977 || [[Oudtshoorn]] || Eastern Province || 19–17 || Western Province
|-
| 1978 || [[Middelburg, Mpumalanga|Middelburg]] || Western Province || 12–3 || Free State
|-
| 1979 || [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]] || Northern Free State || 9–6 || Free State
|-
| 1980 || [[Stellenbosch]] || Free State || 16–6 || Transvaal
|-
| 1981 || [[Worcester, Western Cape|Worcester]] || Transvaal || 11–7 || Western Province
|-
| 1982 || [[Windhoek]] || South Eastern Transvaal || 25–7 || Northern Free State
|-
| 1983 || [[Upington]] || Free State || 13–9 || South Eastern Transvaal
|-
| 1984 || [[Bloemfontein]] || Transvaal || 3–0 || Eastern Province
|-
| 1985 || [[Witbank]] || Free State || 23–15 || Transvaal
|-
| 1986 || [[Graaff-Reinet]] || South Eastern Transvaal || 19–12 || Western Province
|-
| 1987 || [[Paarl]] || Natal / Transvaal || 22–22 || N/A
|-
| 1988 || [[Port Elizabeth]] || Western Province || 16–3 || Free State
|-
| 1989 || [[Johannesburg]] || Transvaal || 17–6 || Eastern Province
|-
| 1990 || [[Durban]] || Natal || 18–8 || Northern Transvaal
|-
| 1991 || [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]] || Northern Transvaal || 10–9 || Border
|-
| 1992 || [[Pretoria]] || Western Province || 22–15 || Free State
|-
| 1993 || [[Secunda, Mpumalanga|Secunda]] || Northern Transvaal || 25–13 || South Eastern Transvaal
|-
| 1994 || [[Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal|Newcastle]] || Border / Eastern Province || 13–13 || N/A
|-
| 1995 || [[Bloemfontein]] || Free State || 15–13 || Boland
|-
| 1996 || [[Stellenbosch]] || Northern Transvaal || 24–12 || Western Province
|-
| 1997 || [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]] || Northern Transvaal || 29–27 || Western Province
|-
| 1998 || [[Vanderbijlpark]] || Blue Bulls || 23 - 19 || Falcons
|-
| 1999 || [[George, Western Cape|George]] || Western Province || 15–11 || Eastern Province
|-
| 2000 || [[Port Elizabeth]] || Pumas || 19–18 || Boland
|-
| 2001 || [[Rustenburg]] || SWD || 26–20 || Blue Bulls
|-
| 2002 || [[Pietermaritzburg]] || Western Province || 31–16 || Free State
|-
| 2003 || [[Wellington, Western Cape|Wellington]] || Western Province || 22–17 || Free State
|-
| 2004 || [[Nelspruit]] || Free State || 17–16 || Western Province
|-
| 2005 || [[Bloemfontein]] || Golden Lions || 38–15 || Eastern Province
|-
| 2006 || [[Johannesburg]] || Blue Bulls || 35–20 || Golden Lions
|-
| 2007 || [[Stellenbosch]] || Free State || 52–3 || Western Province
|-
| 2008 || [[Pretoria]] || SWD || 31–25 || Free State
|-
| 2009 || [[East London, Eastern Cape|East London]] || Western Province || 19–17 || Free State
|-
| 2010 || [[Welkom]] || Free State || 42–21 || Western Province
|-
| 2011 || [[Kimberley, Northern Cape|Kimberley]] || Free State || 28–17 || Golden Lions
|-
| 2012 || [[Port Elizabeth]] || Blue Bulls || 46–0 || Golden Lions
|-
| 2013 || [[Polokwane]] || Western Province || 45–29 || Golden Lions
|-
| 2014 || [[Middelburg, Mpumalanga|Middelburg]] || Eastern Province || 25–7 || South Western Districts
|-
| 2015 || [[Stellenbosch]] || Western Province || 95–0 || Eastern Province
|-
| 2016 || [[Durban]] || Western Province || 27–20 || Golden Lions
|-
| 2017 || [[Johannesburg]] || Golden Lions || 45–18 || KwaZulu-Natal
|-
| 2018 || [[Paarl]] || Western Province || 47–8 || KwaZulu-Natal
|-
| 2019 || [[Bloemfontein]] || Western Province || 56–31 || Blue Bulls
|-
| 2022 || [[Cape Town]] || Western Province || 29–21 || Blue Bulls
|-
| 2023<ref>{{Cite web |last=staff |first=News24 Sport |title= Craven Week: Western Province pummel Bulls in Craven Week 'final' |url=https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/live-craven-week-day-2-20230704 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Sport |language=en-US}}</ref> || [[George, South Africa|George]] || Western Province || 29–5 || Blue Bulls
|-
| 2023<ref>{{Cite web |last=staff |first=News24 Sport |title=WP triumph again as they beat Free State in unofficial Craven Week final |url=https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/live-craven-week-results-and-fixtures-20240624 |access-date=2024-08-04 |website=Sport |language=en-US}}</ref> || [[Krugersdorp]] || Western Province || 37–24 || Free State
|}
&ast; 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.

==See also==
* [[South Africa national under-18 rugby union team]]

==External links==
* [http://www.sasra.org.za South Africa Schools Rugby Association]
* [http://www.schoolofrugby.co.za/cravenweek/history/previous-teams School of Rugby Craven Week Website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150226165113/http://www.rugby365.com/page/144-sa-schools-craven-week Rugby 365 Craven Week Site]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Rugby union in South Africa}}
{{South African youth provincial rugby competitions}}

[[Category:Rugby union competitions in South Africa]]
[[Category:1964 establishments in South Africa]]
[[Category:High school rugby union]]