Check out all the highlights from the 2013 Cape Town Tens.

Great memories from great times!

With the 2013 Cape Town Tens in the bag, we’re almost ready to open entries for the 2014 event.

The 2014 Cape Town Tens entries open at midday on 18th April on our website www.capetowntens.com – by then we’ll be able to confirm exact final date (early Feb as always), final entry fee and packages (similar to this year), and exact format (there will be a Vets, a Premier, and in all likelihood 4 Beer Divisions, plus a Tag Rugby Division) – by then our website will be updated and improved too.

In the meantime, start lining up your sponsors, and designing your team kit – then you really can hit the ground running. All teams that played in 2013 will be guaranteed an entry if they enter within the first 48 hours, and all details will be revealed then!

Greetings from Tens Rugby HQ!

The dust has just about settled from the 5th anniversary CT Tens, and planning is well underway for 2014 – it really is a round-the-year effort believe it or not!

A few updates from our side in terms of tournament entries, the survey and changes happening at the Tens:

1. The 2013 Repucom CT Tens Survey – thank you sincerely to all those who took the time to complete the survey – your feedback is invaluable to us in helping make sure we continually improve our event.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, but we also do welcome the constructive criticism, as well as the new ideas, so hopefully you’ll notice some of your suggestions and improvements coming through next year. A few fun random facts from the survey:

•  71% “will absolutely not miss the 2014 event”!
• 95% were positive about the tournament hotel
• The Stormers are the most popular S15 side with 45% choosing them
• Castle Light is the most popular drink – 49% saying it’s their favourite

Your single best memory? Some verbatim quotes:

• “Interacting with other teams. Great camaraderie. Saturday night party.”
• “Getting together with old mates and acting like we were back at school! the glory days!
• “My father came to watch my games on Saturday. Last time I played was in matric (2005). First time in 7 years he saw me play rugby again.”
• “The whole 38 hours was amazing, but heads up for the attendance of so many magnificent looking Capetonian girls..WOW!!”
• “Beer tent!! Awesome crowd attended. Other than that it’s a blur.”

2.    Changing of the guard – it’s been an incredible 5 years at the helm of the rugby section of the Cape Town Tens, an amazing privilege to meet so many wonderful party loving rugby people from around the country and the world, and superb to work with the most loyal partners, colleagues, sponsors and other stakeholders possible – to see a beer fueled idea become such a successful reality has been a true career highlight for me.

But being a nomad at heart, means that it’s now time for me to pursue another dream of mine that I’ve had for a very long time, and on the 1st June 2013 I will be setting off on a bicycle on a zig-zag route from Cape Town to London to go and watch the 2015 RWC (hopefully see some of you there!). This means that there is an opportunity to bring in some fresh ideas to the CT Tens team and I’m delighted to take this opportunity to welcome Tom Negri (tom@capetowntens.com) on board! Tom who is an up and coming rugby agent at Prosport International, worked very closely with me on the 2013 Cape Town Tens, and will be taking over the running of the rugby side of the Tens going forward, with immediate effect. I will continue the handover until I leave, but Tom’s a lot more intelligent than me, and is being supported by the same team in Bob, Rob, Don, Geri and co, so this should all ensure a seamless transition. Please join me in wishing him all the very best for his new role!

3.    Now the most important news – the 2014 Cape Town Tens entries open at midday on 18th April on our website www.capetowntens.com – by then we’ll be able to confirm exact final date (early Feb as always), final entry fee and packages (similar to this year), and exact format (there will be a Vets, a Premier, and in all likelihood 4 Beer Divisions, plus a Tag Rugby Division) – by then our website will be updated and improved too. In the meantime, start lining up your sponsors, and designing your team kit – then you really can hit the ground running. All teams that played in 2013 will be guaranteed an entry if they enter within the first 48 hours, and all details will be revealed then!

4.    Yes, we are doing things back to front – details on Jozi and PE will be released shortly…do bear with us – they’re a touch more complicated….

Just a quick note that we’ve been absolutely blow away by the response for entries for the 2013, 5th anniversary Cape Town Tens. The 48 spaces available for the 3 Beer Divisions have been sold out in record time, with over 75 entries having been received, and we can confirm that all are now sold out – if you have entered, and haven’t paid or received confirmation of your place, I’m afraid that we have to break the bad news to you that you’ll be placed on the waiting list (in order or entry received) in the very unlikely event that we have a withdrawal.

We have coincidentally today launched the Jozi Tens, so head on over to www.jozitens.com and consider getting involved in the inaugural event in September…all teams that have entered for Cape Town (whether or not you got in) are entitled to an early bird discount, so get involved!

There are one or two places left in the Veteran’s and Premier Division, so don’t despair if those are your Divisions of choice!