Top schoolgirls gear up for FNB Youth Weeks

South Africa’s best junior female players will be in action at the FNB U16 and U18 Girls Weeks staged at Queens High School in Johannesburg from Monday, two important tournaments on the local rugby landscape.

The two tournaments form part of SA Rugby’s 2025 FNB Youth Weeks programme and will run from 30 June until 4 July.

Mark Alexander, SA Rugby’s president, described the two girls’ weeks as “nothing short of nation-shifting”.

“They are instruments of progress, opening rugby’s gates wider than ever before,” said Alexander.

“Girls now have structured, high-profile avenues to express and elevate their talent – platforms that were unimaginable not long ago. This isn’t just about athletic development; it’s about transforming perceptions and normalising girls’ rugby as a proud, powerful part of our national sporting fabric.

“By investing in these tournaments, SA Rugby is not just growing a sport – it’s rewriting a narrative. One that says rugby excellence knows no gender and that the next icon of the game could just as easily emerge from a girls’ scrum on a windswept pitch in Gqeberha as from any traditional stronghold.

“It’s a cultural shift that will echo into classrooms, homes, communities – and eventually, into packed stadiums both here and abroad.”

The first round of the U18 competition kicks off on Monday morning, with Eastern Province meeting the Leopards on the A Field at Queens High School.

Meanwhile, Border will face a Golden Lions Invitational team in the opening match of the U16 tournament.

U18 fixtures (Monday, 30 June)

9am: Eastern Province v Leopards, A Field

9am: Western Province v Valke, B Field

10.30am: Sharks v Griffons, A Field

10.30am: South Western Districts v Pumas, B Field

12pm: Zimbabwe v Griquas, A Field

12pm: Border v Blue Bulls, B Field

1.30pm: Opening Ceremony

2pm: Golden Lions v Free State, A Field

2pm: Limpopo Blue Bulls v Boland, B Field

U16 fixtures (Monday, 30 June)

8.45am: Border v Golden Lions Invitational XV, C Field

10am: Sharks v Limpopo Blue Bulls, C Field

10am: Western Province v Leopards, D Field

11.15am: Boland v Griquas, C Field

11.15am: Eastern Province v Zimbabwe, D Field

12.30pm: Border Country Districts v Free State, C Field

12.30pm: Golden Lions v Valke, D Field

2pm: South Western Districts v Griffons, C Field

2pm: Pumas v Blue Bulls, D Field