THE annual Pam Golding Properties Graeme College Rugby Day will showcase the Eastern Cape's top schools sides when it takes place on March 21.
It has become the traditional pipe-opener to the schools rugby season and many teams will look forward to testing themselves against strong opposition.
Graeme do not have a team from outside the province in the lineup this year. Grey High, unbeaten in the Eastern Cape last year, headline the lineup.
Others include Dale, Queen's, Selborne, Marlow and Framesby, plus the hosts.
Besides the first teams in action, there will also be matches for the under-14 and U15 teams from the schools taking part.
The Graeme Rugby Day will be followed by the Grey High Rugby Festival eight days later.
Then there will be the normal Easter weekend tournaments around the country.
Last year, Grey did not host their festival as they attended the Maritzburg College 150th anniversary, but this year the event is back with a bang. The hosts have lined up no fewer than 27 schools for three days of rugby on the Phillip and Pollock fields from March 29 to April 2.
Interestingly, one of the teams involved are La Plata, from Argentina, while other sides who have not been regular entrants in recent years include KES, Parktown, Jeppe, all from Johannesburg, and Windhoek Gymnasium from Namibia.
Grey will play their old KwaZuluNatal rivals Kearsney and Michaelhouse, who will sandwich a clash against Nico Malan of Humansdorp.
Following that, several Eastern Cape schools will compete in Easter tournaments, the main ones to be played in KZN (Kearsney) and Johannesburg.
Schools for the festival schedules released so far are:
Graeme Rugby Day:
Graeme, Grey High, Selborne, Hudson Park, Cambridge, Dale, Queen's, Marlow, Brandwag, Framesby, Pearson, Nico Malan, Kingswood, St Andrew's, Muir, Port Alfred, Nathaniel Nyaluza, PJ Olivier.
Grey High Festival: Grey High, Nico Malan, Dale, Pearson, Daniel Pienaar, Kingswood, Queen's, Graeme, Marlow, Selborne, Hudson Park, Ithembelihle, Muir
Kearsney Easter Festival: Dale, Framesby, Nico Malan, Selborne
KES Easter Festival: Marlow, Graeme, Queen's, Grey High
St Stithians Easter Festival: St Andrew's
Wildeklawer tournament, April 28-30 (Kimberley): Grey High, Selborne