🔥 Trending Craven Week 2026: Fixtures, Results, and Key Information

The Craven Week is a prestigious annual rugby union tournament for schoolboys in South Africa, showcasing young talent across various age groups. The 2026 edition, specifically the FNB U18 Craven Week, is scheduled to take place at Grey High School in Gqeberha (Eastern Cape) from July 6th to July 11th, 2026 ⁴⁵⁹¹⁰.

Overview of the 2026 FNB U18 Craven Week

The tournament brings together the top U18 schoolboy rugby players from across South Africa's provinces. It is a key event for talent identification and development within South African rugby ⁸.

Dates and Venue

• Dates: July 6th - July 11th, 2026 ⁴⁵⁹¹⁰
• Venue: Grey High School, Gqeberha ⁴⁵⁹¹⁰

Participating Teams

Teams from various provinces will compete. While the full list of squads is typically announced closer to the event, some provinces that regularly participate include:

• Boland
• Leopards
• Free State
• Limpopo Bulls
• Sharks
• SWD (South Western Districts)
• Western Province
• Eastern Province
• Border
• Valke
• Griquas
• Pumas
• Western Province XV
• Griffons
• Blue Bulls
• Lions

The Sharks, for instance, have already announced their U18 Craven Week squad for 2026 ¹.

Fixtures for the Opening Days

The initial fixtures for the U18 Craven Week on Monday, July 6th, and Tuesday, July 7th, 2026, are as follows ³:

Monday, July 6th, 2026

• Boland vs Leopards
• Free State vs Limpopo Bulls
• Sharks vs SWD
• Western Province vs Eastern Province

Tuesday, July 7th, 2026

• Border vs Valke
• Griquas vs Pumas
• Western Province XV vs Griffons
• Blue Bulls vs Lions

Other Youth Weeks in 2026

In addition to the U18 Craven Week, SA Rugby's Youth Weeks calendar for 2026 includes several other significant tournaments ⁴⁷:

• U18 Girls Week: July 5th - July 11th (Grey High School, Gqeberha) ⁴
• U18 Academy Week: July 5th - July 11th (Bergsig LSEN Uitenhage) ⁴
• U18 LSEN Craven Week: June 28th - July 2nd (Baysville, East London) ⁴
• U16 Grant Khomo & Girls Week: June 29th - July 3rd (Kearsney College, KwaZulu-Natal) ⁴

How to Follow the Tournament

Fans can follow the Craven Week through various platforms that provide live fixtures, results, and daily news ⁵⁸⁹:

• Online Sports News Portals: Websites like News24, Octafield, and SuperSport Schools News typically provide comprehensive coverage ⁵⁶⁸⁹.
• SA Rugby Official Channels: SA Rugby often provides updates on their official platforms ⁷.

Seeding and Format

The current seeding model for the U18 Craven Week is based on results from the previous two U18 Craven Weeks, U18 Academy Weeks, and U18 Grant Khomo Weeks ². While this system is in place, there has been discussion about its dated nature and the potential for a more modern approach ².

As the tournament progresses, daily results and updated fixtures will be made available through the aforementioned sports news outlets.