All You Need to Know: KES, St John’s & St Stithians Easter Rugby Festivals 2025
Easter weekend across Johannesburg is once again defined by the roar of schoolboy rugby. Three iconic Easter rugby festivals—hosted by King Edward VII School (KES), St John’s College, and St Stithians College—returned in full force for 2025. These highly anticipated long-weekend events brought together some of the top rugby talent from around the country and abroad, continuing a proud tradition in school sports.
Triple-Header Easter Rugby Festival Format
This year’s easter rugby festival schedule followed the familiar structure: matches were played on Thursday, Saturday and Monday at each of the host venues. However, a fresh element added even more excitement — St John’s and St Stithians expanded their programmes to include U-13 and U-16 matches, broadening the festival’s development focus.
At St John’s College, younger age groups featured prominently, with Monday reserved exclusively for U-13 and U-16 fixtures. These matches unfolded on both the Burger and C Fields, giving budding talent their moment under the spotlight.
St Stithians College also showcased U13 and U16 boys and girls teams on Monday, while the main U-19 action dominated Thursday and Saturday. Their Sportsfest was a true multi-sport event, including netball, squash, tennis, hockey, and football alongside the rugby.
KES: Spotlight on Senior Rugby
At King Edward VII School, the senior U-19 boys played only on Saturday and Monday, while Thursday was devoted to U-13, U-15, and U-16 girls rugby. KES also hosted a parallel hockey festival that spanned the entire long weekend — including Sunday — creating a busy sporting atmosphere on campus.
Meanwhile, beyond Johannesburg, other festivals like the Best of the West in Krugersdorp and KZN’s annual Kearsney College Easter Festival kept the rugby spirit alive across the country.
U-19 First XV Results Recap
St John’s Festival
Thursday:
- Kingswood 43–21 Randburg
- Voortrekker 10–21 Graeme
- Golden Lions Invitational 0–43 Maritzburg College
- St David’s Marist Inanda 3–28 SACS
- Nelspruit 34–31 Welkom Gim
- Pretoria Boys 43–29 Diamantveld
- St John’s 5–29 Hilton
Saturday:
- St David’s 16–20 Golden Lions Invitational
- Welkom Gim 33–50 Diamantveld
- Voortrekker 8–21 SACS
- Pretoria Boys 10–25 Graeme
- Randburg 24–33 St John’s
- Hilton 33–16 Kingswood
- Maritzburg College 13–22 Nelspruit
St Stithians Festival
Thursday:
- Hartpury College 2nd (England) 31–20 Rand Park
- St Stithians 32–0 Clifton
- Northcliff 26–54 St Andrew’s (Makhanda)
- Michaelhouse 65–14 St John’s (Harare)
- St Charles 38–22 Windhoek High
- Hartpury College 1st 10–19 Wynberg Boys
- Bishops 12–38 Helpmekaar
Saturday:
- Clifton 10–32 Windhoek High
- Northcliff 54–19 St John’s (Harare)
- St Andrew’s (Makhanda) 19–14 St Charles
- Bishops 14–19 Hartpury College
- Wynberg Boys 17–18 Helpmekaar
- St Stithians 27–19 Michaelhouse
KES Festival
Saturday:
- Pearson 26–61 Northwood
- Hudson Park 32–26 Eldoraigne
- Queen’s 47–15 Parktown
- Noordheuwel 27–45 Affies
- Jeppe 38–17 Selborne
- KES 20–17 Rondebosch
Monday:
- Pearson 21–12 Eldoraigne
- Queen’s 0–33 Rondebosch
- Affies 57–19 Selborne
- Parktown 25–15 Hudson Park
- Noordheuwel 21–20 Jeppe
- KES 7–12 Northwood (match ended early due to lightning)
These festivals once again highlighted the depth of schoolboy rugby talent in our country, with spirited performances across all age groups. Whether on the rugby field, the hockey turf, or netball court, South Africa’s future stars were on full display, making this Easter weekend another memorable one in the sporting calendar.
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