The Pretoria Boys High School Easter Rugby Festival brings together top schools from across the country in a thrilling celebration of elite schoolboy rugby – the premier rugby festival of the year, where tradition, intensity, and excellence collide on one unforgettable stage.
As Pretoria Boys High School celebrates 125 years of excellence, tradition, and sporting legacy, we proudly present the only Easter Rugby Festival in Pretoria – a showcase of premier schoolboy rugby on the historic Brooks Field.
This festival brings together some of South Africa’s finest rugby schools in a celebration of competition, camaraderie, and heritage, honouring a century and a quarter of Red, White and Green excellence. Over two unforgettable days, rugby takes centre stage as we continue to build a legacy worthy of 125 years.
Schools battling out:
Pretoria Boys High School, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool, Grey High School (PE), Maritzburg College, Michaelhouse, Selborne College, South African College High School (SACS), Jeppe Boys High School, Rondebosch Boys’ High School, Parktown Boys’ High School
A huge thank you to our sponsors!
Visa and FNB are proud to headline sponsor the Pretoria Boys High School Easter Rugby Festival 2026, celebrating the school’s 125-year legacy of excellence and youth development. Through this partnership, both organisations support platforms that nurture schoolboy rugby talent and strengthen pathways from grassroots participation to higher levels of the game. As part of the festival experience, Visa and FNB will also enable a fully cashless environment, providing spectators with fast, secure and convenient digital payments while they enjoy the rugby.
Masslift Africa proudly supports school hockey and the development of South Africa’s young athletes. As the long-standing distributor of Mitsubishi forklifts in Southern Africa, the company is committed to youth empowerment and believes sport plays an important role in building teamwork, resilience, leadership, and discipline.
By supporting this festival, Masslift Africa helps create opportunities for young players to grow, compete, and thrive in a positive sporting environment.
The University of Pretoria is proud to support the Nomads Hockey Festival, celebrating young athletes striving for excellence through sport.
Through initiatives like TuksSport, the university champions the development of resilience, leadership, and confidence in student athletes who balance academics with high performance.
UP wishes all players a rewarding season filled with growth, teamwork, and memorable moments on the field.
EASTER RUGBY FESTIVAL
Message from the Headmaster
It is with great pleasure that Pretoria Boys High welcomes the many schools and visitors to this Easter Rugby Festival. Pretoria Boys High School has chosen to host this event in the same year that we celebrate our schools 125 Year Anniversary. A wonderful occasion as we celebrate everything that is great about our school and at the same time everything that is great about healthy school boy sport rivalry.
In particular we would like to welcome the visiting schools who will participate in this festival. We are indeed grateful that they accepted this invitation. These schools have specifically been chosen due to the long standing relationship PBHS has with them. Each school who will participate in this festival is valuable to us and we look forward to nurturing these relationship going forward. Of the ten schools who will participate in this 125 Year Anniversary Rugby Festival five took part in the schools Centenary Rugby Festival twenty five years ago. These schools include AHS, Jeppe High School for Boys, Parktown Boys High School, Maritzburg College and Michaelhouse.
As we enjoy these two days of rugby, let us remember that our job as schools is not to produce professional sportsmen. Our job is to instil a love for the game, a respect for opponents, officials and the rules and a realisation that winning while important is not what matters most. It is my wish that during the course of this week the comradery between team mates as well as the opposition will be as important as any results. Likewise, the interactions between staff and supporters from the different schools. In the process may you make new friendships that last a life time as we connect through this wonderful sport.
I hope you enjoy your visit to our beautiful campus and the city of Pretoria. I wish all players, coaches, parents and spectators a wonderful two days of competitive and healthy rugby.
Message from the Director of Rugby, Paul Anthony
In 1978 the then Main Rugby Field at Pretoria Boys High School was officially named Brooks Field in honour of Mr Bill Brooks, a legendary teacher and rugby coach.
It is on this hallowed ground that the school will host its 125 Celebration Rugby Festival. And what a festival it promises to be.
We extend a true Boys High welcome and thanks to the schools from Gauteng: AHS, Jeppe Boys High and Parktown Boys High; from the Eastern Cape: Grey PE and Selborne College; from KZN: Maritzburg College and Michaelhouse; and from the Western Cape: SACS and Rondebosch.
What a privilege it is to have these great schools at our festival, and we look forward to a weekend of school boy rugby in its purist form.
My connection with the school and Brooks field spans over 45 years. As a schoolboy I wore the Candies in 1974, 1975 and 1976. Then, as a teacher, I coached the Candies for many years and was part of the 2001 Centenary Rugby Festival.
In 2007, I left to coach professionally but was back at Brooks field, as a parent, to watch my sons do battle in the school’s colours.
In 2019 I returned to Boys High as Director of Rugby, and what an honour to once again, 25 years later, be involved in a PBHS Rugby Festival.
God willing, 25 years on, I will still be around, all be it ‘rheumatic of shoulder and feeble of foot’, to take my place at the tender age of 93 under the shade of the eastern stand, as a proud Old Boy, and well-behaved spectator at the school’s 175-Year Celebration.
‘Tis Here We Learn to Live.’
