Author: ralsty

St Benedict’s College won an absolute nailbiter in the dying minutes of their most recent match against the home team, Parktown Boys’ High School, 22-18.

Parktown were off to a flying start with their hard-running forwards. St Benedict’s College defended as best they could, however, eventually conceding two tries.

A pickup and go try from Parktown’s prop Karabo Phokwane as well as an opportunistic try from the fast winger Reval Meth ensured that the home team had points on the board.

St Benedict’s were nursing a few injuries after the fixture against St Alban’s. Hero from the previous match, fullback Onkgopotse Monaheng started on the bench but made heads turn when he was eventually brought on to the field.

Being brought on at halftime, he opened the game up with his electrifying runs and long kicks. This ignited a spirited comeback from St Benedict’s, who were sitting 13-0 down at halftime.

A superb forward’s try by Daniel Walsh brought the game to 12-13, after fullback Onkgopotse Monaheng scored and converted his kick earlier in the half.

Parktown recovered and scored a try against the run of play to take the game to 12-18, failing to convert their kick.

With two minutes on the clock, Jason Pengelley scored a try to take things to 17-18, with the conversion being missed. Enough time for a kickoff, St Benedict’s put several phases together before flanker Thando Jadezweni broke the line and put away Onkgopotse Monaheng, who had several defenders to beat. The fullback scored in the corner, taking the game to 22-18, ensuring that his heroics continued.

The try after time was up resulted in St Benedict’s securing a great comeback win and putting their season back on course.

St Benedict’s College earned a second hard-fought win over rivals St Albans College, leaving the boys in blue and grey reflecting back on a crucial missed opportunity. 

With a few minutes left on the clock, St Albans were awarded a penalty opportunity to take the lead, but scrummie Joshua Verster failed to capitalise on the possibility of putting his side into a winning position.

Not long afterwards, Bennies converted a penalty off the boot of fullback, Onkgopotse Monaheng, who sent the ball sailing through the poles. It was a well-judged placement kick, which ultimately sealed the deal for the home team. 

The match started out very slowly, with both sides not allowing the other to break the shackles. Both teams were happy to play a more defensive style of play, ensuring that they did not allow for the floodgates to open up.

It took 25 minutes for the first points of the day to be scored. The Hoops took advantage of a handling error by St Benedict’,s which saw them score the first try of the match from flyhalf Druan Visagie, who made the most of a mistake from the Bennie backline.

Inside centre Uche Ejike scored on a short line from a scrum, which was won after Bennies were awarded a penalty. 

At the halfway mark the score sat 7-7, a very similar position as the previous match, which reflected an 8-8 scoreline at the same stage of that game. 

For the second half of the game, it was much the same as it was in the first half, with both teams looking to try and score a few more points and find a way to create a result. 

Flanker Patrick Weir added a try to the St Albans scoresheet and then winger Nathi Beda from St Benedict’s added shortly after, keeping the scoreline even. 

Upcoming Fixture – St Benedict’s College vs St John’s College – 03 June 2023

Looking ahead St Benedict’s will be entering into this weekend’s fixture against St John’s College full of confidence.

The first XV kicks off at 12:30 pm on Saturday at St Benedict’s College.

The Blues are coming off a considerably large loss against King Edward VII who were on the day the better of the two sides, winning 31-6.

St John’s have shown in the past that they have some strong fighting spirit and will provide Bennies with some stiff competition, but are going into this fixture as the underdogs.

Can the comeback kings make it three straight wins in a row?

Scorers:

St Benedict’s College 22 (0) – Tries: Onkgopotse Monaheng (2), Jason Pengelley, Daniel Walsh. Conversions: Onkgopotse Monaheng (2). Parktown Boys High’ School 18 (13) – Tries: Reval Meth (2), Karabo Phokwane. Penalties: Sebastian Sekoto. 

 

St Benedict’s College 17 (7) – Tries: Uche Ejike, Nathi Beda. Conversions: Onkgopotse Monaheng (2) Penalties: Onkgopotse Monaheng.

St Albans College 14 (7) – Tries: Druan Visagie, Patrick Weir. Conversions: Josh Verster (2).

The teams: 

Parktown Boys’ High: 15 Sihle Mncube, 14 Karabo Phokwane, 13 Bhukosi Moyo, 12 Lisassa Mnukiso, 11 Reval Meth, 10 Sebastián Sekoto, 9 Thembela Foli, 8 Busisiwe Mngomezulu 7 Olwenkosi Sibeko, 6 Joshua Yoane, 5 Sibusiso Stefaans 4 Sandziso Sithole, 3 Karabo Mbakota, 2 Chris Junior Maile, 1 Junior Shongwe.

St Benedict’s College: 15 Jason Pengelley, 14 Ntelezi Mchunu, 13 Raymond Hassim, 12 Braeden Le Roux, 11 Nathi Beda, 10 Charlie Panteli, 9 Sabelo Shangase (captain), 8 Jason Cutler, 7 Thando Jadezweni, 6 Tebogo Phukuile, 5 Declan Murphy, 4 Luke Carr, 3 Jack Brewer, 2 Victor Goncalves, 1 Daniel Walsh (vice-captain). 

27 May 2023

St Benedict’s College: 15 Onkgopotse Monaheng, 14 Ntelezi Mchunu, 13 Daniel Koen, 12 Uche Ejike, 11 Nathi Beda, 10 Jason Pengelley, 9 Sabelo Shangase (captain), 8 Jason Cutler, 7 Thando Jadezweni, 6 Byron Smit, 5 Declan Murphy, 4 Luke Carr, 3 Jack Brewer, 2 Victor Goncalves, 1 Daniel Walsh (vice-captain). 

St Albans College: 15 John-Joshua Steenkamp, 14 Michael Rider, 13 James Edwards, 12 Luke Sass (vice-captain), 11 Nkosi Malaza, 10 Druan Visagie , 9 Josh Verster, 8 Daniel Bouwer, 7 Matthew Peirce, 6 Patrick Weir, 5 Alex Yeatman, 4 William Von Broembsen, 3 Craig Milne, 2 Luke Webber (captain), 1 Cody Petersen. 

Results:

31 May 2023

u19B – Parktown Boys’ High School 26, St Benedict’s 7
u16A – Parktown Boys’ High School 41, St Benedict’s 0
u15A – Parktown Boys’ High School 0, St Benedict’s 7
u14A – Parktown Boys’ High School 38, St Benedict’s 7

27 May 2023

u19A – St Benedict’s 0, St Albans 34
u19B – St Benedict’s 18, St Albans 3
u16A – St Benedict’s 0, St Albans 34

Jeppe Boys High School stole the limelight from Pretoria Boys’ High, in extra-time winning 22-16, when Pretoria Boys’ High made a small error in front of the poles, which resulted in the visiting team walking away victorious.

With the match well within extra-time, Jeppe scored their winning try by their dominant inside centre Exauce Kevani right under the poles, making life easy for fellow centre Khuthadzo Rasivhaga, who easily converted the final kick of the match.

Throughout the match Pretoria Boys’ High School were well on top, showing some high-quality defensive play mixed with some good counter-attacking play. The back three made some incredible tackles to stop a rampant Jeppe offence.

However, Jeppe’s Khuthadzo Rasivhaga had a great match, scoring the first try of the game. He converted two out of his three placement kick opportunities. He also sent through a penalty kick, which made the difference.

Both sides were putting in some big hits, which resulted in a very physical game of rugby, much to the delight of both the travelling and home supporters.  

Two tries in the second half from Boys High hooker Shaun Schurmann and scrumhalf Joshua Naude put the Candies, in a very good position to lead for the first-time in the match. All it required was for the team to hold onto possession and not give away any unnecessary penalties.

Naude’s try in particular showed some fighting spirit from the gritty number nine, and got the crowd right involved with the game, as the referee and linesmen were put in a difficult position to make the final call. In the end, the decision went in favour of the home team.

Jeppe will be happy with the turnaround from last weekend’s result and putting them back in a winning mindset.

Sport is a funny thing and a great leveller. One weekend you are at the bottom of the pile and then the next you are on the top. This time last weekend, Jeppe would have gone home feeling the same way, having lost a match in the final minute themselves against Affies.

The big takeaway, and as the cliché goes, it is not over until the fat lady sings, or in this case, until the referee blows the final whistle.

Both schools will enjoy the break, and several of the players will be representing their respective unions in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how these two schools will finish off their 2023 seasons.

Scorers:

Jeppe High School for Boys 22 (7) – Tries: Khuthadzo Rasivhaga, Bryce Samuel, Exauce Kevani. Conversions: Khuthadzo Rasivhaga (2) Penalties: Khuthadzo Rasivhaga. Pretoria Boys’ High 16 (6) – Tries: Shaun Schurmann, Joshua Naude. Penalties: Tebogo Nchabaleng (2).

The teams:

Pretoria Boys’ High: 15 Kyle Hezlett, 14 Itumeleng Baloyi, 13 Chris Smith, 12 Rickus Wessels, 11 Ompfuna Jack Tsanwani, 10 Tebogo Nchabaleng, 9 Joshua Naude (vice-captain), 8 Panyaiotis Ellinas, 7 Stephen Adams, 6 Etienne Du Preez, 5 Tshepiso Shikhilbana, 4 Seth Venter, 3 Kitso Mokoena, 2 Shaun Schurmann, 1 Randy Muzungu.

Jeppe High School for Boys: 15 Sanele Shabangu, 14 Thulani Shabalala, 13 Khuthadzo Rasivhaga, 12 Exauce Kevani, 11 Bokamoso Maphisa, 10 Matthew Coetzee, 9 Bryce Samuel, 8 Mosiki Ndlaba, 7 Luke Cannon, 6 Lesedi Masemola, 5 Nathan Claasen, 4 Risima Khosa, 3 Luca Trevisan, 2 Kaleb Burger, 1 Ricardo Burger.

Results:

u19A: Pretoria Boys’ High School 16, Jeppe High School for Boys 22
u19B: Pretoria Boys’ High School 10, Jeppe High School for Boys 31
u16A: Pretoria Boys’ High School 8, Jeppe High School for Boys 22
u15A: Pretoria Boys’ High School 15, Jeppe High School for Boys 52
u14A: Pretoria Boys’ High School 12, Jeppe High School for Boys 21

Pretoria Boys’ High School celebrates its Founder’s Day, turning 122 years old, which is relatively young compared to some of the other traditional boys’ schools in the country.

The school will be looking to celebrate in style with the prospect of some fine sporting action taking place on the special day.

This weekend, the Pretoria school will be hosting a very strong Jeppe High School for Boys first XV, who have demonstrated this season that they are a side not to be taken lightly at all. The first time these two schools met was back in 1935.

Last weekend, Jeppe nearly pulled a heist over the Candies’ traditional rivals, Affies, losing narrowly by two points in the final stages of what was an extremely exciting match. Jeppe looked like they were going to cause a major upset but found themselves on the back foot of a powerful onslaught by the Affies forwards.

The Candies came off a 15-point loss to the Midlands school, Michaelhouse, who won the match 34-19. Boys’ High would have felt that had one or two things gone their way the result might have ended differently.

In 2022, these two schools played each other twice, with Jeppe walking away victorious on both occasions, winning 16-10 and 36-12.

In total, the schools have faced up against each other 88 times, sharing the spoils, with Pretoria Boys having won 47 times compared to Jeppe’s 34 wins.

However, based on the last 10 results, Jeppe have won nine matches and Boys’ High only winning once.

Jeppe have shown that they have a strong forward pack this season, where they have contested evenly with other schools such as King Edward VII and Hoërskool Monument’s front row, flanker Luke Cannon fired last weekend.

Jeppe’s Thulani Shabalala looks a good player. He will need to have his radar on this weekend, when kicking for poles, as a few points might make the difference. He is well supported by outside centre Khuthadzo Rasivhaga who has moved out of the full-back position.

Pretoria Boys’ High have made a few changes to the side which faced Michaelhouse last weekend, fullback Kyle Hezlett makes a return to the side. He reads the game well and marshals the back three effectively and efficiently.

Chris Smith comes in for Ntsako Ndlhovu in the outside centre position and will relish playing in front of a home crowd.

The lanky lock Tshepiso Shikhilbana, has shown his ability to win lineouts for his side and will be someone that will be on Jeppe’s radar.

Expect the grass bank, behind the poles to have a strong old boy contingent, who will be there cheering on their side. With mid-year exams fast approaching, both teams will want to end this half of the season on a strong and positive note.

Can Pretoria Boys’ High draw inspiration from what is a special day for the school on the hill and walk away with a much-needed win under the belt? Or will Jeppe ruin the celebrations with their tenacity for big matches?

Teams:

Pretoria Boys’ High: 15 Kyle Hezlett, 14 Itumeleng Baloyi, 13 Chris Smith, 12 Rickus Wessels, 11 Ompfuna Jack Tsanwani, 10 Tebogo Nchabaleng, 9 Joshua Naude (vice-captain), 8 Panyaiotis Ellinas, 7 Stephen Adams 6 Etienne Du Preez 5 Tshepiso Shikhilbana 4 Seth Venter, 3 Kitso Mokoena, 2 Shaun Schurmann, 1 Randy Muzungu.

Jeppe High School: 15 Sanele Shabangu, 14 Thulani Shabalala, 13 Khuthadzo Rasivhaga, 12 Exauce Kevani, 11 Bokamoso Maphisa, 10 Matthew Coetzee, 9 Bryce Samuel, 8 Mosiki Ndlaba, 7 Luke Cannon, 6 Lesedi Masemola, 5 Nathan Claasen, 4 Risima Khosa, 3 Luca Trevisan, 2 Kaleb Burger, 1 Ricardo Burger.

Fixtures:

u14A – 9:00 (Dorey Near)
u15A – 10:00 (Oehley Far)
u16A – 11:00 (Oehley Far)
u19B – 12:00 (Brooks Field)

u19A – 13:10 (Brooks Field)

A schoolteacher once said, ‘It’s often not how you start but how you end something which can determine the success of it.’ Looking at the St Alban’s College rugby season thus far, the side is due for a turnaround.

The Hoops have had a fairly disappointing season this year up until now, but will be looking to turn things around when they take on Northcliff High School at home this weekend. St Alban’s have shown patches of promise during the season, but would like the moving pieces to fall into place.

The first XV kicks off at 12:00, on the prestigious Moshate Field.

The side has only won a handful of their fixtures. The side will feel unlucky about their most recent outing, losing narrowly in the last five minutes of the match to St Benedict’s College, going down 17-14 in what ended up being an exciting end to a fairly evenly contested match.

Hooker and captain Luke Webber will be eager to lead from the front and will be instrumental in winning possession from possible scrums. 

Points will be the order of the day and The Hoops will be gearing towards accumulating them through wingers Nkosi Malaza and Mike Rider.

Northcliff come off of a string of losses having lost to St Stithians College going down 30-22 and losing to Parktown two weeks ago. Last weekend’s match could have gone the way of Northcliff had it not been for a few tactical errors by some of the players which cost them three simple try scoring opportunities.

Outside centre Jordan Swanepoel and scrumhalf Zenovian Johnson will want to carry over their good form going into this fixture. The two backline players will need to ensure that their side seizes any try scoring opportunity which may present itself.

Jaden Baillie has been putting in the hard yards for the team and will be eager to take on the St Alban’s. The strong eighth man will need to put in a big effort this weekend again.

St Alban’s College will fancy their chances with the home advantage and playing in front of a home crowd. The one thing that’s been seen throughout the season is that Northcliff has a strong support base who are willing to travel around the province in support of their boys and are not afraid to be heard from the stands.

This should be an entertaining encounter with both teams looking to redeem themselves and put them back on a winning path leading into the backend of the season.

Teams:

St Alban’s College: 15 John-Joshua Steenkamp, 14 Michael Rider, 13 Tumelo Mohale, 12 Luke Sass, 11 Nkosi Malaza, 10 Druan Visage, 9 Joshua Verster 8 Daniel Bouwer, 7 Matthew Price, 6 Patrick Weir, 5 Llyod Schneberger, 4 William Von Broembsen, 3 Craig Milne, 2 Luke Webber, 1 Cody Petersen.

Northcliff High School: 15 Dylan Fourie, 14 Ziyaad Bhyat, 13 Jordan Swanepoel, 12 Luke Roos, 11 Gerrit Muller, 10 Dylan Venter, 9 Zenovian Johnson 8 Jaden Baillie, 7 Chad Matthews, 6 Ethan Hayes, 5 Peter Diesel, 4 Liam Alderson, 3 Mpummolelo Bhehbe, 2 Tshiamo Makobo, 1 Blake Neale.

Fixtures:

u14A – 09:35 (Murray)

u19B – 09:35 (Moshate Field)
u15A – 10:45 (Baloyi B)
u16A – 10:45 (Moshate Field)
u19A – 12:00 (Moshate Field)

A classy performance from the Midlands side Michaelhouse added another notch to their list of wins.

This time taking on the Candies and winning away 34-19.

Rewatch the action on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

The 1.96m tall Campbell Ridl, wearing the number 13 jersey, showed that he is a powerful centre, breaking through the Candies’ defences with brute force and scoring an excellent try. 

Boys High scored their first try of the day after winning a line out and driving a strong maul towards the tryline by hooker Shaun Schurmann. The ball found its way across into the corner, where winger Ompfuna Jack Tsanwani scored. 

With the score sitting at 15-12 to the away side, the game was still very much in the balance, with the potential for it to sway either way.

The Candies’ feisty number two again was in the mix again assisting and setting up flanker Stephen Adams to score a try. 

A try for Michaelhouse hooker Thabo Njaba soon after the break, extended the lead by 10 points.

Two more tries from Leo Muziva and the Sharks Craven Week eighthman Wandile Mlaba both filled their pockets with a few points to enjoy on the bus ride home. This ultimately sealed the game. 

Muziva’s try came from an innovative cross-field kick from Luke Davidson, which saw the winger leaping and gaining some air to convert.  

Pretoria Boys’ High looked good for the majority of the match but a few small defensive errors created a few gaps for Michaelhouse to push for strong offensive plays. 

The Candies take on Jeppe High School for Boys next weekend, who have shown this season they are a quality unit losing narrowly to Affies by two points. 

Michaelhouse looks a good side, and will want to carry on this sort of momentum into their return fixture against Hilton College which takes place on the 16th of June 2023. 

Where the hunt for their hundredth win over their rivals continues… 

Scorers:

Michaelhouse 34 – Tries: Jordyn Kleynhans, Campbell Ridl, Thabo Njapha, Leo Muziva, Wandile Mlaba. Conversions: Luke Davidson (3) Penalty: Davidson. Pretoria Boys’ High 19 – Tries: Ompfuna Jack Tsanwani, Stephen Adams, Seth Venter. Conversions: Tebogo Nchabeleng (2).

The teams:

Pretoria Boys’ High: 15 Tebogo Nchabeleng, 14 Itumeleng Baloyi, 13 Ntsako Ndlhovu 12 Rickus Wessels, 11 Ompfuna Jack Tsanwani, 10 Justin Tattersall (captain), 9 Joshua Naude, 8 Panayiotis Ellinas, 7 Stephen Adams, 6 Etienne Du Preez, 5 Tshepiso Shikibana, 4 Seth Venter, 3 Kitso Mokena, 2 Shaun Schurmann (vice-captain), 1 Randy Muzungu.

Michaelhouse: 15 Murray Baker (vice-captain), 14 Graham Wynne, 13 Campbell Ridl, 12 Tom Baguley, 11 Leo Muziva, 10 Luke Davidson, 9 Jack Hughes, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Fortune Mpofu (captain), 6 Tristan Arde, 5 Michael Thornton, 4 Jordyn Kleynhans, 3 Luthando Buthelezi, 2 Thabo Njapha, 1 Aphiwe Shelembe.

Results:

u19A – Michaelhouse 34, Pretoria Boys’ High School 19

u19B – Michaelhouse 29, Pretoria Boys’ High School 12
u16A -Michaelhouse 40, Pretoria Boys’ High School 12
u15A – Michaelhouse 5, Pretoria Boys’ High School 7
u14A – Michaelhouse 29, Pretoria Boys’ High School 20

Affies won away and clinched a two point win in the final minute of the match ensuring that they walked away victorious and escaping a loss to hosts Jeppe High School for Boys.

The hero  of the day, eight man Dieter Schubert scored the crucial winning try.

Rewatch all the action on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com.

Jeppe started off the match by bringing the heat and applying pressure in the first five minutes scoring a try through an overlap which saw winger Bokamoso Maphisa breaking through the defenses.

The black and white were brilliant in pressing the Wit Bulle during the maul throughout the match this was evident in the teams second try which was carried over the line from flanker Ruben van Rensburg. He ended the match with two tries next to his name after a fantastic try early in the second half. 

Affies matched the Jeppe mauling power by scoring their second try after retaining possession within the five meter line after a strong scrum, which gave prop Ethan van Wyk an opportunity to score.

At halftime with the scoreline sitting at 19-14 to the Wit Bulle, Jeppe would have definitely felt that they were well within a chance of creating an upset. 

Try of the day though came in the form of Jeppe fullback Khuthadza Rasivhaga, who made a beeline to the try line after breaking through the Affies defense and speeding past the opposition backline.

Migael de Lange, showed good composure ensuring that his final kick of the match went through the poles and making sure his team went back to Pretoria, with a win in the bag. 

History repeated itself, with Jeppe losing in the final stages of the match in a similar fashion to the team that played in 2018. The coaching staff will look back on this result and think that it was well within their grasp. 

Scorers:

Affies 33 (19) – Tries: Steyn Truter, Jonathan Eloff, FC Van Rooyen, Ethan Van Dyk, Dieter Schubert. Conversions: Migael de Lange (4). Jeppe High School for Boys 31 (14) – Tries: Ruben van Rensburg (2), Bokamoso Maphisa, Khuthadza Rasivhaga. Conversions: Thulani Tshabalala (4). Penalty: Tshabalala.

The Teams:

Jeppe High School for Boys: 15 Khuthadza Rasivhaga, 14 Thulani Tshabalala, 13 Exauce Kewani, 12 McMillen Mongwana, 11 Bokamoso Maphisa, 10 Matthew Coetzee, 9 Bryce Samuel, 8 Mosiki Ndlaba, 7 Ruben van Rensburg, 6 Lesedi Masemola, 5 Luke Cannon, 4 Risima Khosa, 3 Luca Trevisan, 2 Kaleb Burger, 1 Ricardo Brandao.

Affies: 15 Migael de Lange, 14 Stephen Brits, 13 Antonie Fourie, 12 Janco Purchase, 11 Ivandre Van Wyk, 10 Zander Smith, 9 Hendre Schoeman, 8 Dieter Schubert, 7 Ruan Lippold, 6 Braam Swanepoel, 5 JD Hattingh, 4 Jonathan Eloff, 3 Ethan van Dyk, 2 FC van Rooyen, 1 Steyn Truter.

Results:

u19A – Affies 33, Jeppe 31.
u19B – Affies 17, Jeppe 6.
u19C – Affies III 48, Spring Boys’ High 3
u19D – Affies IV 13, Jeppe III 5.
u19E – Affies V 48, Jeppe IV 5.

u16A – Affies 70, Jeppe 10.

u15A – Affies 54, Jeppe 8.

u14A – Affies 59, Jeppe 3

This season has been good for Michaelhouse thus far and they will look at extending their winning ways whereas Pretoria Boys’ High School go into the fixture looking at rebuilding their season after a mixed bag of results thus far. 

Michaelhouse venture up the escarpment from the quiet midlands to take on a strong Pretoria Boys’ High School at Brooks Field with the first XV starting at 13:10. 

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

The Candies are coming off of the back of a convincing win over St Bendict’s College away last weekend where the team managed to win by a margin of 19 points. Vice-captain Shaun Schurmann putting in another stellar performance for his team. 

Michaelhouse enjoyed an off weekend with the private schools having a midterm break. In their previous match the team beat a very competitive Durban Boys High School 31-27 at Meadows, where Luke Davidson kicked with sniper-like precision and will most likely enjoy kicking at altitude that the Highveld offers. 

Wandile Mlaba and inside centre Campbell Ridl, have both recently been selected for the Sharks u18 Craven week team, who will be going down to George later in July. Both players will want to put in big performances in their final exchange with Boys High. 

Looking back at the start of the season Pretoria Boys High School have made several changes to their starting XV, bringing in several new players including flanker Etienne Du Preez and lock Seth Venter both players wanting to cement their positions. 

Benchmarking these two teams, both sides have lost their respective matches to Hilton College this season with Michaelhouse going down (20-17) and Pretoria Boys’ High losing away from home (39-15).

Historically, these two teams have only faced each other on six previous occasions, with the first match taking place in 1945, where Pretoria Boys High School won 8-0. Overall, both sides have won three matches each and would lean to a very even spread of results. In the last encounter back in 2016 Michaelhouse won 17-11.

On paper and based on the most recent set of results Michaelhouse enters into the match as favourites, but the Candies do have home advantage. The red, white and green have shown during the course of the season that they are very capable of playing some fantastic rugby.

Supporters can expect a high-quality match, where we can expect classic Gauteng weather conditions on the day, making for a great day out.  

The teams:

Pretoria Boys’ High: 15 Tebogo Nchabeleng, 14 Itumeleng Baloyi, 13 Ntsako Ndlhovu 12 Rickus Wessels, 11 Ompfuna Jack Tsanwani, 10 Justin Tattersall (captain), 9 Joshua Naude 8 Panayiotis Ellinas, 7 Stephen Adams, 6 Etienne du Preez, 5 Tshepiso Shikibana, 4 Seth Venter, 3 Kitso Mokena, 2 Shaun Schurmann (vice-captain), 1 Randy Muzungu.

Michaelhouse: 15 Murray Baker (vice-captain), 14 Graham Wynne, 13 Campbell Ridl, 12 Tom Baguley, 11 Leo Muziva, 10 Luke Davidson, 9 Jack Hughes, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Fortune Mpofu (captain), 6 Tristan Arde, 5 Michael Thornton, 4 Jordyn Kleynhans, 3 Luthando Buthelezi, 2 Thabo Njapha, 1 Aphiwe Shelembe.

Fixtures:

u14A – 9:00  (Dorey Near)
u15A –  10:00 (Oehley Far)
u16A –  11:00 (Oehley Far)
u19B –  12:00 (Brooks Field)
u19A –  13:10 (Brooks Field)

King Edward VII will be without their regular flyhalf Vusi Moyo who has been ruled out for the next four weeks due to a fractured jaw for their fixture against hosts. Inside centre Caleb Lombard also misses out. 

Tristan Maugeri, who has played full-back this season, has shown promise and has been in good form in the past few matches, moves into the number ten position. 

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

St John’s College is fresh off a 13-0 point win over Parktown Boys’ High last weekend, winning a patient match which saw them playing a defensive style of rugby but knicking points when the opportunities presented themselves. 

The Blues will need their front row to perform as they will be up against stiff competition. Props Finaly Foden and Vincent Miles will need to step up for the home team. The Red Army front row was impressive last weekend and will look to put up another solid showcase.  

Lock Dominic Kamangu has been in good touch recently for The Blues carrying over some good form and has shown a commanding presence in the line-outs. 

KES on the other hand cruised to an easy victory last weekend over Westville Boys’ High School (33-14 ) dominating the match and who were particularly brutal highlighting their strong offensive play. 

The Red Army have proven that when they have possession of the ball they eye the try line. Perhaps St John’s will look at playing a defensive form of rugby and will look to inside centre Nkosi Sibanda to provide counter-attacking opportunities to get points on the scoreboard. 

Timi Oluwe has shown throughout the season that he is a player that the opposition needs to watch out for. He is quick and is always on the lookout for breakaway opportunities. He has been well supported by scrummie Ruan Van Rensburg.

This fixture should provide a quality game for both sets of spectators. Growing up as children we were often posed with the question, ‘Are you in the blue or the red team?’ 

So this weekend we pose the question, Who will you be supporting The Blues or The Red Army? 

The teams:

King Edward VII: 15 Mbuso Methula, 14 Haniel Monkoti, 13 Timi Oluwole, 12 Bryce Benett, 11 Jack Bruwer, 10 Tristan Maugeri , 9 Ruan Van Rensburg, 8 Kebotile Maake, 7 Thandolwethu Biyela (Captain), 6 James Kobrowisky, 5 Tyron Smith, 4 Thomas Beling, 3 Joshua Aube, 2 Siphosethu Mnebelele, 1 Lesedi Moloi. 

St John’s College: 15 Bryson Walker, 14 Bradley Chabalala, 13 Tino Munyurwa, 12 Nkosi Sibanda, 11 Jacob Smith, 10 Oliver Tait, 9 Thomas Kruger,  8 Thomas Archer, 7 Grant Barnes, 6 Matt Macmaster (Captain), 5 Liam Brodie, 4 Dominic Kamangu, 3 Vincent Miles  2 Kyle Watson, 1 Finlay Holden.

Fixtures: 

u14A – 8:00 am (D Rugby Field)

u15A – 9:00 am (C  Rugby Field)

u16A – 10:00 (Burger Field)

u19B – 11:00 am (Burger Field)

u19A: 12:30 pm (Burger Field)

 

There is an old saying be wary of the wounded buffalo, and this week Jeppe should be vigilant of the Wit Bulle who will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat. 

Jeppe’s school motto Forti Nihil Difficilius, which translates to Nothing Is Too Difficult For The Brave, will be etched into the minds of the boys before taking to the field. 

Although Affies will be coming off of a sizable (60-19) loss at home against a very strong Grey College. The boys from Pretoria will be confident in their ability to bounce back from defeat.

Affies will be making the trip across the Jukskei River, where they will be taking on the hosts Jeppe High School for Boys with kick-off taking place at 14:30 pm.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

In last year’s fixture Jeppe lost the match by 18 points with Affies winning the match 35-17 at home.

Back in 2018, Jeppe nearly had a surprise win over Affies leading in the final five minutes of the match yet succumbing to an attacking outfit which saw them lose in the dying minutes of the match.

Jeppe however will be hoping to carry on the momentum that was created over the past two  weekends, where the side recently crushed St Davids (73-8), with winger Thulani Tshabalala racking up 28 points. 

Hosts Jeppe have a formidable line up, where the two big flankers Ruben van Rensburg and Lesedi Masemola will be firing to go. 

Up until last week the Wit Bulle have shown consistency during the season and will need to put the loss behind them to build on the successes they have had earlier in the season, winning X out of Y games this far.

Affies will be without their flyhalf Reuben Pienaar, who has sustained an injury to his knee, ruling him out for this fixture. He is replaced by Zander Smith who will be looking to make his mark on the match.

It will be an interesting matchup and should be a thrilling prospect for rugby fans. 

Other Fixtures

In other matches across Johannesburg, Parktown Boys’ High School will be taking on St Davids who have had a difficult time this season.

Parktown enter into the match as favourites although losing narrowly to St John’s College last weekend.

The teams:

Jeppe High School for Boys: 15 Khuthadza Rasivhaga, 14 Thulani Tshabalala, 13 Exauce Kewani, 12 McMillen Mongwana, 11 Bokamoso Maphisa, 10 Matthew Coetzee, 9 Bryce Samuel, 8 Mosiki Ndlaba, 7 Ruben van Rensburg, 6 Lesedi Masemola, 5 Luke Cannon, 4 Risima Khosa, 3 Luca Trevisan, 2 Kaleb Burger, 1 Ricardo Brandao.

Affies: 15 Migael de Lange, 14 Stephen Brits, 13 Antonie Fourie, 12 Janco Purchase, 11 Ivandre van Wyk, 10 Zander Smith, 9 Hendre Schoeman, 8 Dieter Schubert, 7 Ruan Lippold, 6 Braam Swanepoel, 5 JD Hattingh, 4 Jonathan Eloff, 3 Ethan Van Dyk, 2 FC van Rooyen, 1 Steyn Truter.

Fixtures:

u14A –  9:00 (White Field)
u15A – 11:00  (White Field)
u16A – 11:00 (Collard Field)
u19B –  13:15 (Collard Field)
u19A – 14:30  (Collard Field)

St Benedict’s College will be looking to win the return fixture against rivals St Albans College. The first leg played out on Moshahe Field earlier this season where St Benedict’s won narrowly 25-20, where an evenly contested match played out in the Jacaranda City. 

However both teams are coming into this weekend’s fixture looking at changing their fortunes from last weekend’s disappointing results. 

St Albans lost to St Stithians 31-24, but will remain positive having beaten Clifton College from Kwa-Zulu Natal prior to that 22-10.

Pretoria Boys’ High School gave St Benedict’s a tough time winning the match 38-19 away last weekend. The Bedfordview side have shown improvement since the start of the season where they had a difficult  outing at the St John’s College Easter Festival. 

Overall both teams have struggled to build any sort of winning momentum this season.

St Benedicts will draw inspiration from skipper Sabelo Shangase, who has displayed his natural ability to control a game, ensuring that he leads from the front, directing his side like a conductor in front of their orchestra. 

All eyes will be on attacking fullback Onkgopotse Monahenge, according to his coach Andrew Barnes, ‘Onkgopotse has the ability to kick the ball a country mile!’ He is well supported in the back three by both wingers Ntelezi Mchunu and Nathi Beda. 

The Hoops have made a few changes to their team, with Joshua Verster moving into the number nine jersey. He has played most of the season as the sides flyhalf. Druan Visage moves into the all important number ten position, where he will look to put the backline into scoring positions.

Expect another tightly contested match with both teams eyeing a victory. The Hoops will be out to prove that they have the ability to win away from home and St Benidicts will be looking to leverage their home advantage. 

The teams: 

St Benedict’s College: 15 Onkgopotse Monaheng, 14 Ntelezi Mchunu, 13 Raymond Hassim, 12 Uche Ejike, 11  Nathi Beda, 10 Jason Pengelley, 9 Sabelo Shangase (captain), 8 Jason Cutler, 7 Thando Jadezweni, 6 Byron Smit, 5 Declan Murphy, 4 Luke Carr, 3 Jack Brewer, 2 Victor Goncalves , 1 Daniel Walsh (vice-captain). 

St Alban’s College: 15 John-Joshua Steenkamp, 14 Michael Rider, 13 James Edwards, 12 Luke Sass (vice-captain), 11 Nkosi Malaza, 10 Druan Visage , 9 Josh Verster, 8 Daniel Bouwer, 7 Matthew Peirce, 6 Patrick Weir, 5  Alex Yeatman, 4 William von Broembsen, 3 Craig Milne, 2  Luke Webber (captain), 1 Cody Petersen. 

Fixtures:

u16A – 10:00 (A Field)
u19B –  11:00 (A Field)
u19A – 12:00  (A Field)