Hoërskool Hugenote (Wellington) hosts the fourth edition of the Cape Schools Sevens Tournament on Saturday, 29 August.
The action begins at 08:00 and ends at 17:00. There will be 16 teams in each of the U15 and U17 age groups.
Each competing school has teams competing in both age groups, except for the Paarl Boys’ High Invitational and the Zimbabwe Junior Sevens sides, with the former competing in the U17 section and the latter contesting the U15 section.
In total, 17 teams will be in action in 88 games.
In its first two years, 2023 and 2024, the tournament featured 12 teams between the U15 and U17 age groups. In 2025, 16 teams competed solely in the U17 age group.
With both age groups now having 16 teams each, 2026 will be the biggest edition of the tournament yet, and the quality of the sides continues to improve.
In the first year of the Cape Sevens, 2023, Boland Landbou lifted both the U15 and U17 Cup trophies.
Paul Roos Gimnasium won the U15 age group in 2024 and 2025, so they will be aiming for a three-peat on Saturday.
Hoërskool Durbanville captured the U17 title in 2024, with Boland Landbou succeeding them in 2025.
The fixture list is full of exciting match-ups. A 09:20 U17 Pool B match between Paul Roos and a Paarl Gimnasium Invitational Outfit promises to be a cracker on Murray Field. Both sides play the game at lightning speed and are among the best rugby-playing schools in the country.
HTS Drostdy‘s teams should not be overlooked. The Worcester locals’ 1st XV averaged an impressive 43 points this season, playing an exciting running game.
With some U16s expected to be in the Donkies‘ U17 lineup, they should provide some indication about what one could expect from the Drostdy 1st XV in 2027. It will also be interesting to see if their U15s play with the same clinical edge.
Stellenberg High will bear watching in the U15 age group. While 2026 was a vintage year for Stellies‘ 1st XV, their age-group teams didn’t produce similarly outstanding results, but Stellenberg’s programme is heading in the right direction. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
The Cape Sevens features four pools of four teams per age group. The top two finishers in each group advance to the Cup quarter-finals, while the bottom two compete in the Bowl quarter-finals.
From there, the winners of the Cup quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals, with the semi-final winners meeting for the Cup title. The losers of the Cup quarter-finals will meet in the Plate semi-finals, with the winners of those games contesting the Plate final.
The winners of the Bowl quarter-finals will advance to the Bowl semi-finals and then the Bowl final, while the quarter-final losers will compete in the Shield semi-finals.
The Cup finalists play for first-place, the Plate finalists for fifth, the Bowl finalists for ninth, and the Shield finalists for 13th.
Every team will play at least five matches, with those sides that reach the respective finals playing six matches.
Teams
U15
Pool A: Paarl Gimnasium, Hoërskool Hugenote, Hoërskool Bellville, Milnerton High
Pool B: Paul Roos Gimnasium, Hoërskool Durbanville, Forward Foundation, Zimbabwe Junior Sevens
Pool C: Stellenberg High, HTS Drostdy, Hoërskool Montagu, Hoërskool Swartland
Pool D: Boland Landbou, Hoërskool Porterville, Hoërskool Strand, Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr
U17
Pool A: Boland Landbou, Hoërskool Strand, Hoërskool Swartland, Paarl Boys’ High Invitational
Pool B: Paul Roos Gimnasium, Hoërskool Hugenote, Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr, Paarl Gimnasium Invitational
Pool C: Hoërskool Durbanville, Hoërskool Porterville, Milnerton High, Hoërskool Montagu
Pool D: Stellenberg High, HTS Drostdy, Hoërskool Bellville, Forward Foundation
Fixtures
29 August
U15
Hennie Roos Field (B)
08:00 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Hoërskool Bellville
08:20 – Hoërskool Hugenote (Wellington) vs Milnerton High
08:40 – Stellenberg High vs Hoërskool Montagu
09:00 – HTS Drostdy vs Hoërskool Swartland
09:20 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Zimbabwe Junior Sevens
09:40 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Forward Foundation
10:00 – Boland Landbou vs Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr
10:20 – Hoërskool Porterville vs Hoërskool Strand
10:40 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Hoërskool Hugenote (Wellington)
11:00 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Hoërskool Durbanville
11:20 – Stellenberg High vs HTS Drostdy
11:40 – Boland Landbou vs Hoërskool Porterville
Laerskool Field (A)
08:00 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Forward Foundation
08:20 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Zimbabwe Junior Sevens
08:40 – Boland Landbou vs Hoërskool Strand
09:00 – Hoërskool Porterville vs Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr
09:20 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Milnerton High
09:40 – Hoërskool Hugenote vs Hoërskool Bellville
10:00 – Stellenberg High vs Hoërskool Swartland
10:20 – HTS Drostdy vs Hoërskool Montagu
10:40 – Hoërskool Bellville vs Milnerton High
11:00 – Forward Foundation vs Zimbabwe Junior Sevens
11:20 – Hoërskool Montagu vs Hoërskool Swartland
11:40 – Hoërskool Strand vs Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr.
U17
Murray Field (A)
08:00 – Boland Landbou vs Hoërskool Swartland
08:20 – Hoërskool Strand vs Paarl Boys’ High Invitational
08:40 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Milnerton High
09:00 – Hoërskool Porterville vs Hoërskool Montagu
09:20 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Paarl Gimnasium Invitational
09:40 – Hoërskool Hugenote vs Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr
10:00 – Stellenberg High vs Forward Foundation
10:20 – HTS Drostdy vs Hoërskool Bellville
10:40 – Boland Landbou vs Hoërskool Strand
11:00 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Hoërskool Hugenote (Wellington)
11:20 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Hoërskool Porterville
11:40 – Stellenberg High vs HTS Drostdy
Robert MacCrone Field (C)
08:00 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr
08:20 – Hoërskool Hugenote (Wellington) vs Paarl Gimnasium Invitational
08:40 – Stellenberg High vs Hoërskool Bellville
09:00 – HTS Drostdy vs Forward Foundation
09:20 – Boland Landbou vs Paarl Boys’ High Invitational
09:40 – Hoërskool Strand vs Hoërskool Swartland
10:00 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Hoërskool Montagu
10:20 – Hoërskool Porterville vs Milnerton High
10:40 – Hoërskool Swartland vs Paarl Boys’ High Invitational
11:00 – Hoërskool Charlie Hofmeyr vs Paarl Gimnasium Invitational
11:20 – Milnerton High vs Hoërskool Montagu
11:40 – Hoërskool Bellville vs Forward Foundation
Cup Quarter-finals
U17s play on Murray Field, U15s play on Hennie Roos Field.
12:10 – QF 1, 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B
12:30 – QF 2, 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A
12:50 – QF 3, 1st Pool C vs 2nd Pool D
13:10 – QF 4, 1st Pool D vs 2nd Pool C
Bowl Quarter-finals for both age groups
U17s play on Robert MacCrone Field, U15s play on Laerskool A Field.
12:10 – QF 1, 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B
12:30 – QF 2, 3rd Pool B vs 4th Pool A
12:50 – QF 3, 3rd Pool C vs 4th Pool D
13:10 – QF 4, 3rd Pool D vs 4th Pool C
U15s Semi-finals
Cup
14:20 – SF 1, Cup QF 1 winner vs QF 3 winner, Murray Field
14:40 – SF 2, Cup QF 2 winner vs QF 4 winner, Murray Field
Plate
15:00 – SF 1, Cup QF 1 loser vs QF 3 loser, Hennie Roos
15:00 – SF 2, Cup QF 2 loser vs QF 4 loser, Robert MacCrone Field
Bowl
14:20 – SF 1, Bowl QF 1 winner vs QF 3 winner, Hennie Roos Field
14:40 – SF 2, Bowl QF 2 winner vs QF 3 winner, Hennie Roos Field
Shield
13:40 – SF 1, Bowl QF 2 loser vs QF 4 loser, Hennie Roos Field.
14:00 – SF 2, Bowl QF 2 loser vs QF 4 loser, Hennie Roos Field
U17s Semi-finals
Cup
15:00 – SF 1, Cup QF 1 winner vs QF 3 winner, Murray Field
15:20 – SF 2, Cup QF 2 vs QF 4 winner, Murray Field
Plate
13:40 – SF 1, Cup QF 1 loser vs QF 3 loser, Murray Field
14:00 – SF 2, Cup QF 2 loser vs QF 4 loser, Murray Field
Bowl
14:20 – SF 1, Bowl QF 1 winner vs QF 3 three winner, Robert MacCrone Field
14:40 – SF 2, Bowl QF 2 winner vs QF 4 winner, Robert MacCrone Field
Shield
13:40 – SF 1, Bowl QF 1 loser vs QF 3 loser, Robert MacCrone Field
14:00 – SF 2, Bowl QF 2 loser vs QF 4 loser, Robert MacCrone Field
U15 Finals
Cup
16:00 – SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner, Murray Field
Plate
16:00 – SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner, Hennie Roos Field
Bowl
15:40 – SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner, Hennie Roos Field
Shield
15:20 – SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner, Hennie Roos Field
U17 Finals
Cup
16:20 – SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner, Murray Field
Plate
15:40 – SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner, Murray Field
Bowl
15:40 – SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner, Robert MacCrone Field
Shield
15:20 – SF 1 winner vs SF 2 winner, Robert MacCrone Field
