The SDC Noordvaal Cup 2024 season kicked off in March with Group 1’s matches starting on the 20^th of April and promises to provide even more action and excitement than in the past. The tournament is not only the oldest school rugby competition in South Africa but also one of the largest in the world with over 20 000 school boys playing in the tournament. There are some massive clashes on the first weekend, the most notable Helpmekaar hosting Monument in what should be an epic battle. “It doesn’t matter where you play in the competition. If Monnas for example plays against a team it’s about the whole community of the school with the other age-groups and lower grade team also being important. This is why this is such a great tournament,” said Swys de Bruin, former Springbok assistant coach, during the launch of the SDC Noordvaal Cup.

The launch function was hosted within Toyota’s museum in Johannesburg. The main sponsor of this series, SDC Group, is a leader in skills development training, business legislation, and prosperity management. More than 200 schools from five of South Africa’s nine provinces participate in the competition: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West, Limpopo, and Free State. Six of the country’s rugby provinces – Blue Bulls, Golden Lions, Limpopo, Leopards, Pumas, and Falcons – are represented in this series. The competition is over 100 years old, with the first tournament taking place in 1920.

Hoërskool Ermelo were crowned the first champions after defeating Heidelberg Volkskool 3-0 in the final. The competition has since expanded into a series decided across five groups with the first group consisting of four divisions – Cup, Plate, Shield, and Bowl – comprising a total of 37 schools. In the Cup division, Hoërskool Garsfontein from Pretoria is the defending champion after defeating Dr. EG Jansen from Boksburg 41-22 in the final last year. Last year, the Noordvaal Schools Rugby Association’s (NVSRA) management decided to expand the divisions in Group 1. Hoërskool Rustenburg was promoted from the Plate division to the Cup division, meaning there will be ten schools competing in the top division this year.

The two new additions to the Plate division are Oos-Moot from Pretoria and Ligbron Academy from Ermelo. Rustenburg was crowned champions of the Plate division last year after defeating Kempton Park 49-24 in the final. In the Shield division, Secunda is the defending champions at first team level. They defeated Oos-Moot 35-29 in the final of 2023. There are three new additions for 2024 in this division: Wesvalia from Klerksdorp, Hoërskool Pietersburg, and Die Anker from Brakpan, all of which have been promoted. Die Anker was the champions of the Bowl division in 2023 after beating Wesvalia 37-28 in the final. Therefore, there will be a new champion crowned in two of the four divisions this year.

Four new faces will make their debut this year in the Bowl division, including Piet Retief, Potchefstroom Gymnasium, Wagpos from Brits, and Hoërskool Randburg, all of whom find themselves in Group 1 for the first time. The competition’s structure from Group 2 to Group 5 follows the playoff model where the teams from the respective unions qualify for the playoff rounds. The finals for Group 1 will be decided on Saturday, August 24th, while the finals for Group 2 to Group 5 will take place on August 17th. Toyota SA is the automotive category sponsor and a major supporter of rugby from grassroots level up to the Springboks. In addition to the SDC Group and Toyota, other tournament partners include Nutricon, PNA, JacarandaFM, Netwerk 24, Gilbert, and Van Deventer & Van Deventer Attorneys.