SA’s top U18 girls will receive an opportunity to showcase their 15-a-side rugby skills on the provincial stage for the first time starting on Monday when the inaugural SARU Girls Under-18 Week begins at Glenwood High School in Durban.

The tournament, which runs from July 6 to 10, features 16 teams – including Zimbabwe – and follows the successful hosting of the SARU Girls Under-16 Week in Oudtshoorn.

In previous years the U18 tournament was limited to a Sevens competition and these 15-a-side Girls U18 matches will be played on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, respectively.

Both the U16 and U18 tournaments are in line with SARU’s objective to grow women’s rugby and to assist with the development and scouting of players who could represent the national team in future.

Similarly to the U16 Week, talent scouts will attend the tournament and will select an Elite Squad at the conclusion of the competition which will be invited to attend a training camp in the October holidays.

The players will also have access to coaching at SARU’s Youth Training Centres at the Blue Bulls Limpopo, Blue Bulls, Border, Eastern Province, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Province Rugby Unions, respectively, to improve their skills.

The Blue Bulls will meet SWD and Border take on the Free State in the opening matches on Monday at 10h00, with the other big match-ups being the Pumas battling it out with the Griffons, the Valke challenging the Leopards and the Limpopo Blue Bulls going up against Boland respectively.

Neighbouring Zimbabwe, who will also make their mark in the SARU Women’s Sevens Interprovincial tournament later in the year, meanwhile, will meet Eastern Province in their first clash.

SARU U18 GIRLS NATIONAL WEEK FIXTURES – DAY ONE, MONDAY, JULY 6:

A Field:
10h00 – Blue Bulls v SWD
11h00 – Eastern Province v Zimbabwe
12h00 – Limpopo Blue Bulls v Boland
14h00 – Pumas v Griffons
15h00 – Valke v Leopards

B Field:
10h00 – Border v Free State
11h00 – KwaZulu-Natal v Griquas
12h00 – DHL Western Province v Golden Lions