Author: ralsty

As Durban buzzed with excitement ahead of the Springboks vs Ireland showdown at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday, Hoërskool Rustenburg claimed a three-point win over Glenwood on Dixon’s Field, with Awie Alberts keeping his cool and converting a penalty in injury time to lift his team to the victory.

Rustenburg struggled throughout the match with their kicking, landing only one of their four conversion attempts. But cometh the hour, cometh the man, and Alberts rose to the occasion when it was most needed, sending the kick through the uprights from 35m out, and sending the small travelling party into a frenzy of celebrations.

Rewatch all of the action on SuperSport Schools.

The first 10 minutes of the match was a see-saw affair with both teams going over for tries.

Rustenburg drew first blood, but Glenwood responded through centre Lizwe Mtetwa, who cut through the defences of the visitors with a thrilling run from the half-way line. The big number 12 weaved his way through the visitors’ flailing defenders to go over under the poles untouched after a brilliant piece of individual play.

Rustenburg, though, seized the momentum, with Xavier Steenkamp, Henré Robinson, Jonre Jefthas all crossing for tries.

The Green Machine‘s outside centre Sispho Dwayi replied for the hosts to reduce the deficit to only three points.

Then, Rustenburg wing Wesley van Loggenberg was taken out without the ball after chipping over the Glenwood defence. The tackle was fairly late and high, and the referee hit Glenwood with a penalty try.

At halftime, Rustenburg was well positioned, leading 24-14, and they would have felt confident heading into the second stanza.

After the break, though, Glenwood upped their game. Their defence sharpened up and their attack was more incisive.

When hooker Martin van Wyngaardt junior scored to level the scores, it appeared as if the contest was headed for a draw. Then, Alberts landed his crucial kick.

For Glenwood, flyhalf Juan Viljoen kicked and carried well, but another loss will have stung.

The Green Machine faces two more tough fixtures, against Northwood and Maritzburg College, and will need to regroup quickly.

Rustenburg will, meanwhile, return home buoyed by a second successive win over Glenwood and eager to resume their pursuit of a Noordvaal title.

Point Scorers

Glenwood 24 (14) – Tries: Martin van Wyngaardt, Sispho Dwayi, Lizwe Mtetwa. Conversions: Juan Viljoen (3). Penalty: Juan Viljoen. Rustenburg 27 (24) – Tries: Xavier Steenkamp, Henre Robinson, Jonre Jefthas, penalty try. Conversion: Jaden Meyer. Penalty: Awie Alberts.

 

Pretoria Boys High will have their work cut out for them when they take on a KES side, which has shown its class throughout the season, on Saturday.

The Candies are the visiting side and will be eager to snag an upset on the Red Army‘s home turf, although that is a very stiff challenge.

In the first meeting of the schools earlier in the season, KES won 24-14 on Brooks Field.

Kick-off is at 13:30 on Reds Field. Catch all of the action live on SuperSport Schools.

Pretoria Boys also lost on both occasions last year, going down 23-32 and 19-28. KES has compiled a strong season in 2024, but coach Marco Engelbrecht hopes his side will produce a smooth performance after the long school holidays and not be rusty.

King Edward will be playing close to their strongest XV, although standout flank James Kobrowisky will be missing. Several players are making a return to the side after spending time on the sidelines with injuries. Captain and hooker Esethu Mnebelele, who was also named the captain of the South African Schools side, returns to action after being forced to miss time with an ankle injury which healed just before the Stadio Craven Week.

He and his props, Connor White and Frank van der Merwe, give the Red Army a solid front row, which will present Boys High with a tough challenge.

The KES lineup includes three South African Schools’ players, with Mnebelele, who also made the team in 2023, being joined in the side by flyhalf Vusi Moyo and eighthman Kebotile Maake.

Moyo, with his keen tactical awareness and educated boot, is a joy to watch in the number 10 jersey. Seth Venter, from Boys High, will face a challenging match-up opposite Moyo, but the former flank will enjoy the opportunity of trying to shut down his opposite number, who recently signed a contract with the Sharks.

Boys High’s winger Ntsako Ndlovu was named in the South African Schools A squad after sparkling for the Blue Bulls at the Craven Week. He was part of the team that edged out the Golden Lions 35-34 in a thriller. He is blessed with pace and will be itching for a bit of space to have a crack and show off that blazing speed.

Rickus Wessels is still out injured for the Candies, with Tyler Mason replacing him at inside centre position.

The Boys High coaching staff has not been shy about mixing it up in the backline this season, with several of the players playing multiple positions, including scrumhalf Tumisho Motswi, who has also featured at fullback.

Motswi and flank Akin Akingbola were member of the Bulls u17A team, which won the Rhino Week Rugby Tournament during the holidays.

For many of the matric players, this will be their final match against their rivals. Neither team will be holding anything back and, while Pretoria Boys High are the underdogs, they will view the contest as an opportunity to break their losing streak against their Johannesburg opposition.

FIXTURES

u14A: 9:00 – King Edward VII vs Pretoria Boys High School (John Hurry 1)
u15A: 09:50 – King Edward VII vs Pretoria Boys High School (John Hurry 2)
u16A: 11:00 – King Edward VII vs Pretoria Boys High School (Reds Field)
u19B: 12:15 – King Edward VII vs Pretoria Boys High School (Reds Field)
u19A: 13:30 – King Edward VII vs Pretoria Boys High School (Reds Field)

Teams

King Edward VI: 15 Mbuso Methula, 14 Ntsako Shivuri , 13 Olunje Mehlomakulu, 12 Tristan Maugeri, 11 Haniel Monkoti , 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Regan McGurk, 8 Chinedu Amadi, 7 Sam Bruwer, 6 Kebotile Maake (vc), 5 Michael Bownes, 4 Thomas Beling, 3 Nathan Frank vd Merwe, 2 Esethu Mnebelele, 1 Connor White.

Pretoria Boys High School: Pretoria Boys High School: 15 Itu Baloyi, 14 Ntsako Ndlovu, 13 Motheo Dimpe, 12 Tyler Mason, 11 Ompfuna Tsanwani, 10 Seth Venter, 9 Tumisho Motswi, 8 Katlego Shebu, 7 Akin Akingbola, 6 Panyaiotis Ellinas, 5 Tshepiso Shikhibana, 4 Stephen Adams, 3 Ofentse Moeng, 2 Thapelo Mphela, 1 Jeffery Singo.

Glenwood High School marks their return from the school holidays with a clash against Hoërskool Rustenburg and an early kick-off, scheduled for 11:10 on Dixon’s Field on Saturday.

Glenwood have lost their last three matches, going down to 19-32 to St Charles, 24-31 to Northwood, and 22-25 to Kearsney College.

It has been a tough year for the Green Machine, and the visitors will be eager to capitalise on their host’s struggles.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools.

Just before the mid-year holidays, Rustenburg lost 33-45 to Hoërskool Waterkloof, who have, admittedly, enjoyed a fine season, but Rusties also put together a 22-19 win over Hoërskool Nelspruit.

Playing at home is always a positive for Glenwood, who will be led by Sharks’ Stadio Craven Week hooker, Martin van Wyngaardt junior. He was the school’s sole representative in the Sharks’ u18 team, which is a stark difference from years gone by. Glenwood, though, are a never-say-die bunch, always feisty, always playing to the final whistle, and Van Wyngaardt and his props, Ronald Peterson and Uzukhanye Xaba, will be up for the battle against a big Rustenburg pack.

Hoërskool Rustenburg had six players represent the Leopards at the Craven Week, where the provincial side went down against Boland and the Valke but ended with a win over the Limpopo Blue Bulls.

Locks Pedrie Human and Erich Potgieter will have plenty of work to do throughout the match against Glenwood and should provide impetus at the breakdowns.

Unfortunately for Rusties, fullback Lorenzo Snyers and scrumhalf Adriano George, who both ran out for the Leopards at the Craven Week, will miss the game.

Glenwood will be eager to shake off the holiday rust quickly on Saturday. They face another two challenging outings after the Rustenburg clash, taking on Northwood and Maritzburg College, both for the second time this season. In their first meetings, Northwood, as mentioned above, won 31-24, while College scored an 18-7 victory in the rain on Dixon’s.

Meanwhile, Durban High School (DHS), who had Mahle Sithole and Aka Boqwana selected for the SA Schools side, and Zingce Simka included in the SA Schools A team, have had their scheduled clash with Parktown Boys’ High called off. It won’t be rescheduled.

FIXTURES

u14A: 8:00 – Glenwood vs Rustenburg (Dixon’s Field)
u15A: 9:00 – Glenwood vs Rustenburg (Dixon’s Field)
u16A: 10:00 – Glenwood vs Rustenburg (Dixon’s Field)
u19A: 11:10 – Glenwood vs Rustenburg (Dixon’s Field)

Teams

Glenwood: 15 Sthabiso Dube, 14 Lesedi Kumalo, 13 Sispho Dwayi, 12 Lizwe Mtetwa, 11 Sihle Mazibuko, 10 Juan Viljoen, 9 Ronan Rankin, 8 Jordan Hargreaves, 7 Tyler Conyngham, 6 Mkululi Mhlongo, 5 Tylo Madaat, 4 Michael Ize-Iyamu, 3 Uzukhanye Xaba 2, Martin van Wyngaardt, 1 Robin Peterson.

Hoërskool Rustenburg: 15 Wade Daivey, 14 Christaan van der Berg, 13 Jon – Rè Jeftas, 12 Hendrè Robinson, 11 Wesley van Loggenberg, 10 Awie Alberts, 9 Jaden Meyer, 8 Coenraad Coetzer, 7 Dirk Huisamen, 6 Wickus Jacobs 5 Pedrie Human, 4 Edrich Potgieter, 3 Okert Grobler, 2 Xavier Steenkamp, 1 Divan Welgemoed.

The u18 Independent Schools Festival has showcased some young rugby talent from across the country. Over the past few days, teams have battled fiercely on the field, displaying exceptional skill, determination, and sportsmanship.

Kearsney remained unbeaten at the u18 Independent Schools Festival securing a 26-7 win against St David’s Marist Inanada, who up until this fixture had also gone unbeaten. Kearsney’s Nhlanhla Ndlovu scored twice to put his team in a commanding position and ending what was a close match.

The Bulls Development XV fell short of Hilton College despite both sides only registering their first points during the second half. At halftime the score read 0-0 with everything to play for. Rukudzo Madinga scored for Hilton, which was converted by flyhalf John Grubb, who added to his successful penalty. The final result finishing 10-7 to Hilton College.

Cornwall lost narrowly to St Andrew’s College by a mere margin of seven-points, with the end result going the way of Eastern Cape team, 19-7. The smaller of the two schools, Cornwall will take a lot from the performance against several top schools during the festival. St Andrew’s were awarded the only penalty try for the festival, which was added to the tries of Coel Trollope and Daniel Arnold.

St Stithians were able to ward off CBC Boksburg, who put up a fight despite eventually losing 31-17. CBC were able to stay well within the reaches of Saints, before leaking 14-points in fairly quick succession which saw CBC to stay in any sort of contention from the match. Flyhalf Oliver Wilson converted 3 tries from five but played well during the game.

St John’s College Malan Du Plesiss put in a man of the match performance to get his side over the line against Clifton College and ending the festival on a winning note with the team winning 22-12. Going unbeaten throughout the festival, is just what the coaching staff would have been hoping for. The Blues have a prospective 2025 on the horizon with an exciting talent in flyhalf Gerald Van Wyk.

St Charles blew St Benedict’s College away winning 38-0 to end off what has been a good festival for the side, finishing it off in convincing fashion.

St Alban’s clenched a narrow three-point victory over St Andrews from Bloemfontein winning their final match 29-26, in what was an exciting match-up. Tries were spread across a number of players Ntsika Ngwadla, Griff Shroeder and Keegan Dick all found themselves on the scoresheet.

St Andrew’s Pietro De Cao had a good day-out scoring two tries of his own and successfully converted three out of four of his placement kicks but wasn’t enough to get his team over the line.

From the nail-biting finishes to the spectacular tries, the festival has celebrated the true spirit of rugby. This year’s festival delivered some thrilling encounters for rugby fans, who can relive all the action on SuperSport Schools. The schools have plenty to look forward to leading up to the 2025 season with more than enough talent floating around.

Results Day 3 – Wednesday, 3 July

St David’s Stayers XV 7 -16 Kearsney Stayers XV
St Stithians Stayers XV 31-17 CBC Boksburg
Hilton College Stayers XV 10-7 Blue Bulls U17 Development XV
Cornwall Hill College 7-19 St Andrew’s College Stayers XV
St Benedict’s Stayers XV 38, St Charles Stayers XV 0
St Alban’s College Stayers XV 29-26 St Andrew’s School
St John’s College Stayers XV 22- 12 Clifton Stayers XV

After a day’s rest, the second day of the u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF) got underway on Monday at St Alban’s College with some interesting matchups on the cards.

St David’s Marist Inanda came away with a hard-fought 16-0 win over Clifton College in the opening match of the day.

After a slow start in the first half, during which they kicked a single penalty, they added a try, a conversion and two more penalties from flyhalf Luca Cabion after the break.

Cornwall Hill College put up a valiant fight against St Stithians College, taking the game down to the wire, but Saints emerged as 7-0 winners, with Tyler Maclellan the lone try scorer. Despite heavy pressure from Cornwall, the Saints’ defence refused to buckle.

The Kearsney Stayers XV dominated against St Benedict’s, storming to a 79-5 victory in which they shackled the Bedfordview boys and ran riot when in possession. The KZN school was unrelenting, and they executed their tactical plays well to make the most of their numerous scoring opportunities.

St Charles College maintained their unbeaten run at the festival, picking up a tough 17-12 win over St Andrew’s College. Wing Radley Isaacs scored an excellent try to seal the deal for Saints, darting through the flailing St Andrew’s defence. The Eastern Cape side scored a try on the final whistle, but it wasn’t quite enough to snatch the win.

CBC Boksburg shocked St Andrew’s School, winning by a margin of 10 points, with their powerful front row leading the way. In another closely contested match, they picked up a 15-5 victory.

For the most part, low scoring has been a feature of the festival, and the winning score was as low as it could get in the clash of Woodridge College and Uplands College, with Woodridge slotting a single penalty to win 3-0.

St John’s College clung on for a 14-14 draw against the Blue Bulls Development side in the second last match of the day. In a see-saw contest, Gerald Van Wyk, scored the last try of the match to level the scores with 10 minutes to play. The Bulls pushed hard for victory, but St John’s maintained a disciplined defence, starving the development side of space, to keep them out.

As the sun began setting over the Highveld, St Alban’s took on a spirited Hilton College in the day’s last match. With a clinical performance, which included a strong running game, Hilton cantered to a 38-7 victory.

The visitors were in control throughout the game and offered very limited opportunities to the hosts. While the scrums were evenly contested, a barrage of first half points left St Alban’s with a mountain to climb to get back into the match.

The final day of the festival takes place on Wednesday, 3 July. Matches will be played concurrently on three fields to allow for an early finish so that the teams are able to depart early for home.

RESULTS
Day 2 – Monday 1st July 2024 

Clifton Stayers XV 0-16 St David’s Stayers XV
Cornwall Hill College 0-7 St Stithians Stayers XV
Kearsney Stayers XV 79-5 St Benedict’s Stayers XV
St Andrew’s College Stayers XV 12-17 St Charles Stayers XV
CBC Boksburg 15-5 St Andrew’s School
Uplands College 0-3 Woodridge
Blue Bull u17 Development XV 14-14 St John’s College Stayers XV
St Alban’s College Stayers XV  7-38 Hilton College Stayers XV

Fixtures Day 3 – Wednesday, 3 July

08:00 – St David’s Stayers XV v Kearsney Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
08:00 – St Stithians Stayers XV v CBC Boksburg (Baloyi Field)
08:00 – Hilton College Stayers XV v Blue Bulls U17 Development XV (Murray Field)
09:10 – Cornwall Hill College v St Andrew’s College Stayers XV (Murray Field)
09:10 – St Benedict’s Stayers XV v St Charles Stayers XV (Baloyi Field)
09:10 – St Alban’s College Stayers XV v St Andrew’s School (Bloem) (Moshate Field)
10:20 – St John’s College Stayers XV v Clifton Stayers XV (Moshate Field)

The u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF) kicked off at St Alban’s College on Saturday, with 16 teams from around South Africa in action.

The festival, coming late in the season, features many stayers’ teams and it is a perfect opportunity for the independent schools to take stock of where their squads are ahead of the 2025 season.

The event format features matches of 25 minutes’ duration per half, with rolling substitutions allowed. At the conclusion of the event, a Festival XV will be named, and they’ll play in the NextGen XV u18 Tournament at Grey College in Bloemfontein in December.

Cornwall Hill College ran out winners in their opener, storming to a 21-0 victory over CBC Boxburg, with Max Land, Daniel Van Ravensteyn and Dade Kunneke scoring tries. The second half became a little scrappy, which was possibly a consequence of a raft of substitutions, reckoned coach Dewald Kruger.

In a tight battle, St John’s College went down to KZN’s Kearsney College, who claimed a hard-fought 12-7 victory.

In another close Gauteng vs KZN game, Hilton College beat St Stithians College by exactly the same score, winning 12-7, with Langa Dlamini and Dan Sweeney scoring tries for the Midlands’ school.

St David’s Marist Inanda made light work of Uplands College, running riot in a 39-0 victory, which included a brace for Nathan Hwindingwi.

Woodridge, from the Eastern Cape, won by 10 points over St Benedict’s College, recording a 17-7 win.

Clifton, meanwhile, comfortably beat St Andrew’s School, from Bloemfontein. The Durban boys led 17-0 at halftime but were given a stiff fight in the second half, eventually winning 24-5.

St Charles clawed their way to a victory over the u17 Blue Bulls Development side, coming back from 0-6 down to win 12-6. Raphael Ajibade was named the man of the match after a strong performance for Saints, which included an excellent try.

In the final match of the day, the hosts, St Alban’s, held off St Andrew’s College to claim a narrow 10-5 win, which will give the Pretoria side a boost of confidence ahead of Monday’s matches. Matthew Nelson and Kai Cele crossed for tries for the winners.

The festival ends on Wednesday, 3 July, with the third and last round of matches.

Results Day One

CBC Boksburg 0-21 Cornwall Hill College
Kearsney College Stayers XV 12-7 St John’s College Stayers XV
Hilton College Stayers XV 12-7 St Stithians College Stayers XV
St David’s Marist Inanda Stayers XV 39-0 Uplands College
St Benedict’s College Stayers XV 7-17 Woodridge College
Clifton College Stayers XV 24-5 St Andrew’s School
Blue Bulls u17 Development XV  6-12 St Charles College Stayers XV
St Alban’s College Stayers XV 10-5 St Andrew’s College Stayers XV

Fixtures Day 2 – Monday 1st July 2024 

08:00 – Clifton Stayers XV v St David’s Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
09:10 – Cornwall Hill College v St Stithians Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
10:20 – Kearsney Stayers XV v St Benedict’s Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
11:30 – St Andrew’s College Stayers XV v St Charles Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
12:40 – CBC Boksburg v St Andrew’s School (Moshate Field)
13:50 – Uplands College v Woodridge (Moshate Field)
15:00 – Blue Bull u17 Development XV v St John’s College Stayers XV (Moshate Field)
16:15 – St Alban’s College Stayers XV v Hilton College Stayers XV (Moshate Field)

Fullback Gerald Van Wyk stole the show, with only two minutes left on the clock, by launching a devastating counterattack that produced the winning try for St John’s College against St Stithians College on Burger Field on Saturday.

After trailing for most of the game, the Blues sneaked over the line to claim the Pink Day honours by four points, 24-20.

Rewatch the all the action on SuperSport Schools.

St Stithians scored first from a well-executed lineout, storming up to the hosts’ try line before flank Ross Turner went over to silence the home crowd.

Then, a smart tap-and-go from Chris Anderson saw the flyhalf sell a classic dummy pass before bursting through a gap to dive over for another five points, which took the visitors 12-0 clear.

Blues’ substitute and utility-back Kago Masote scored just before the break, after the hosts had pressed hard to deep inside the St Stithians’ 22. A pass out wide opened up space for Masote to charge over unchallenged.

Saints then suffered a big blow when their talented no. 10, Anderson, was stretchered from the field with an injury.

At half-time, only five points separated the sides. Trailing at home, St John’s came out all guns blazing in the second stanza.

Saints tacked on another eight points, but some handling errors and a blunder, which resulted in a yellow card, left St John’s with a favourable opportunity to pull back some points. They made it count, with Jacob Smith and Joshua Shannon each scoring tries.

The match was a fine showcase for independent schools’ rugby, with the Pink Drive emerging as the biggest winner on the day, thanks to the awareness that was raised for the cause, with the teams both wearing pinks socks, the field’s lines being painted pink, and spectators wearing pink to show their support.

In Pretoria, St Alban’s marched to a 29-14 victory over St David’s Marist Inanda. It was a hard-earned and morale-boosting victory for the Hoops after they delivered a disappointing performance last weekend against St John’s.

Eighthman Daniel Bouwer, returning from injury, was among the points’ scorers. He also showcased good ball-handling skills and was impactful at scrum time.

St David’s converted three penalties from the boot of Diego Ferreira, as a result of sloppy play by the hosts, and only one point separated the schools at the beginning of the second half, with St Alban’s leading 10-9.

However, as was the case last week, St Alban’s found a new lease on life after the break, and this time they ran in four tries, with Tumelo Mohale dotting down twice.

Prop D’Andre Mushonga scored for the visitors, but it was not enough to bring his side back into contention, as the Hoops were well ahead by the time he went over.

Meanwhile, St Benedict’s registered only their second win of the season and their first since early in March by beating Cornwall Hill College 14-3.

Cornwall Hill’s only points came from a penalty kick by flyhalf Matthew Fox. In reply, Bennies scored two tries, one from Declan le Roux and the other from Tebogo Phukuile. Inside centre Braeden le Roux easily converted both.

St Benedict’s will be relieved to have tasted victory after a long dry spell during which both points and victories were hard to come by.

Point Scorers

St John’s College 24 (7) – Tries: Jacob Smith, Joshua Shannon, Kago Masote, Gerald van Wyk. Conversions: Gerald van Wyk (2). St Stithians 20 (14) – Tries: Ross Turner, Chris Anderson.  Conversions: Chris Anderson (2). Penalty: Josh Meyer (2).

St Alban’s 29 (10) – Tries: Tumelo Mohale (2), Daniel Bouwer, Everett Gosling, Andreas Phillipou. Conversions: Joshua Verster (2). St David’s 14 (9) – Try – D’Andre Mushonga. Penalties: Diego Ferreira (3).

St Benedict’s 14 (7) – Tries: Declan le Roux, Tebogo Phukuile. Conversions: Braeden le Roux (2). Cornwall Hill 3 (3) – Penalty: Matthew Fox.

St John’s College takes on their rivals, St Stithians College, in the highly anticipated annual Pink Day clash on Saturday in Johannesburg.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools. Kick-off is at 12:15.

In 2016, the inaugural full-scale Pink Derby was held. Two years later, pink playing socks became a part of the occasion.

The collaboration of the rivals has helped to raise awareness of the importance of early detection of, and screening for, gender-related cancers in South Africa.

Playing for a cause, means Saturday’s showdown is about a battle for supremacy on the rugby field, but there’s more to the game than that.

Last year, Saints beat St John’s 31-19 at home. This season, both boast strong packs, but the match-up of the backlines could be where the game will be decided.

The Blues head into the contest as the favourites. In their most recent outing, they stormed to a 54-24 win over St Alban’s. Despite that big win, there is one change of personnel and one positional switch to the St John’s starting XV. Malan du Plessis makes way for Tino Munyurwa at outside centre, but Du Plessis swops the no.13 for the no. 8 jersey.

St Stithians was well beaten at home last weekend by Kearsney College, with the rejuvenated KZN school powering their way to a 50-12 victory, which was their fourth in succession. Saints struggled to keep up with the coastal side’s tempo and they’re going to be challenged in a similar fashion by St John’s whose hard running approach brought them 47 points in the first half of their win over St Alban’s.

Saints’ flyhalf Chris Anderson crossed for two tries against Kearsney, with the second one, especially, being a superb solo effort. He’ll need more support from his team-mates against St John’s, though.

St David’s Marist Inanda heads across the Jukskei to take on a wounded St Alban’s College. The Hoops have been hamstrung by injuries, which have robbed the side of several key players, in recent weeks, but they’ll be eager to right the ship after coming up short on their Old Boys’ Day last weekend.

The Pretoria school, although well beaten by St John’s, will take heart from their second half performance. After trailing by 40 points at the break, they managed to outscore their visitors 18-7 in the second half, which spoke volumes about the character within the team.

Kick-off takes place at 12:00 on Moshate Field. The conditions should be ideal for some entertaining, running rugby.

St David’s are, meanwhile, enjoying a good run of form, having topped 40 points in successive wins over Cornwall Hill College (41-9) and St Benedict’s College (48-27).

Scrumhalf Diego Ferreira has been a reliable source of points for the Johannesburg school, with his trusty boot. His opposite number, Joshua Verster, also handles his side’s kicking duties. The duel between two feisty no. 9s should be fun.

The teams beaten by St David’s over the past two weekends, St Benedict’s College and Cornwall Hill have a 12:30 kick-off. Last weekend, Bennies scored the most points they have put up in 2024, apart from their only win of the season, on 9 March, against Queens High School.

Despite the challenging season, St Benedict’s captain Jason Cutler has been a standout player week in and week out, Last weekend, with good support from his team-mates, Bennies enjoyed a seven-point lead over St David’s at halftime. Too bad that matters went south in the second half as St David’s won by 21 points.

Still, Bennies will be encouraged by a more cohesive effort, which brought some continuity to their play and saw them hit double figures for the first time since 1 April, when they went down against Graeme College at the St John’s Easter Rugby Festival.

Cornwall Hill, like Bennies, led against St David’s at halftime before being overrun in the second half. They’ll look to their flyhalf Matthew Fox to control the game and to build on his good kicking performance against St David’s.

Next weekend, the u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival takes place in Pretoria, with Cornwall Hill, St John’s, St Stithians, St David’s, St Benedict’s and St Alban’s, who are the hosts, in action against other leading independent schools from KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and the Free State.

FIXTURES

St John’s vs St Stithians

u14A: 8:00 – St John’s College vs St Stithians (D Field)
u15A: 9:00 – St John’s College vs St Stithians (C Field)
u16A: 10:00 – St John’s College vs St Stithians (Burger Field)
u19B: 11:05 – St John’s College vs St Stithians (Burger Field)
u19A: 12:15 – St John’s College vs St Stithians (Burger Field)

St Alban’s vs St David’s

u14A: 09:30 – St Alban’s vs St David’s (Murray Field)
u15A: 10:30 – St Alban’s vs St David’s (Baloyi Field)
u19B: 09:30 – St Alban’s vs St David’s (Moshate Field)
u16A: 10:45- St Alban’s vs St David’s (Moshate Field)
u19A: 12:00 – St Alban’s vs St David’s (Moshate Field)

St Benedict’s vs Cornwall Hill

u14A: 08:00 – St Benedict’s vs Cornwall Hill (A Field)
u15A: 09:00 – St Benedict’s vs Cornwall Hill (A Field)
u19B: 10:00 – St Benedict’s vs Cornwall Hill (A Field)
u16A: 11:15 – St Benedict’s vs Cornwall Hill (A Field)
u19A: 12:30 – St Benedict’s vs Cornwall Hill (A Field)

TEAMS

St John’s College: 15 Gerald van Wyk, 14 Bryson Walker, 13 Tino Munyurwa, 12 Thomas Ivers, 11 Jacob Smith, 10 ⁠Joe MacRobert, 9 Tom Kruger, 8 ⁠Malan Du Plessis, 7 John-John Bierman, 6 Matt Liss, 5 Zain Newman, 4 Dom Kamangu , 3 Matthew Kaplan, 2 Kakuhle Tunguta, 1 Joshua Shannon.

St Stithians College: 15 Josh Meyer, 14 Cullen Bradford, 13 Nthabeleng Mafole, 12 Gabriel Hore, 11 Tyler Maclennan, 10 Chris Anderson, 9 Aphelele Ngcuka, 8 Jono Caveny, 7 Tashinga Chingonzo, 6 Ross Turner, 5 Francois Botes, 4 Luke Thorrold, 3 Keabetswe Mapukana, 2 Braedon Hollingworth, 1 Branden Lightfoot.

St Alban’s College: 15 Matthew Nelson, 14 Davon Jacobson, 13 Aidan Kloppers, 12 JJ Steenkamp, 11 Sihle Msiza, 10 Everett Gosling, 9 Joshua Verster, 8 Daniel Bouwer, 7 Thabiso Mbembele 6 Criston Richter, 5 Keegan Dick, 4 Jandre Botha, 3 Neo Gama, 2 Craig Milne 1 Andreas Philippou.

St David’s Marist Inanda: 15 Teegen Rossini, 14 Tristan Lambe, 13 Theo Fonternel, 12 Elliot Skei, 11 Owami Maropola, 10 Luca Cabion, 9 Diego Ferreira, 8 Jack Brady, 7 Tahin Patel, 6 James Askew, 5 Mark Hudson, 4 William Allemann, 3 Marco Bitter, 2 Connor McWilliams, 1 D’Andre Mushonga.

St Benedict’s College: 15 Matthew Hovelmeier, 14 Donnel Sibanda, 13 Anagona Marufu, 12 Braeden le Roux, 11 Wade Ramsay, 10 Declan le Roux, 9 Iviwe Mlilo, 8 Jason Cutler, 7 Matthew Joubert, 6 Tebogo Phukuile, 5 Luke Carr, 4 Nicholas Moravec, 3 Matthew Rourke, 2 Thato Ntshangase, 1 Victor Goncalves.

Cornwall Hill College: 15 Matthew Fox, 14 Arno Mosupye, 13 Nathan du Plooy, 12 Onkabetse Leketi, 11 Daniel van Ravensteyn, 10 Tshepo Molete, 9 Eric van Ravensteyn, 8 Dade Kunneke, 7 Tristan Austin, 6 Max Land, 5 Julian Hattingh, 4 Zander Bosman, 3 Omar Sabah, 2 Evangelos Papadopolous, 1 Tana Nhando.

Facing a challenging match-up, St John’s College executed their game plan flawlessly on the St Alban’s Old Boys’ Day to scorch their way to a convincing 54-26 victory, while St Benedict’s College went down 27-48 to St David’s Marist Inanda.

St John’s adopted a ball-in-hand strategy and delivered a high-tempo game, scoring seven tries in a devastating first half performance, which carried them to a huge 47-7 lead by halftime.

The visitors pressed hard from the outset, giving very few opportunities to their hosts, and were very effective on the offensive.

Eight out of their starting 15 scored tries, with wing Bryson Walker converting six out of his seven conversion attempts. Fullback Gerald Van Wyk added another, as well as a penalty and a try.

In the second half, St Alban’s produced a spirited fightback, and defended well to concede only seven more points. They also went over for three tries, which included a penalty try.

However, the damage had been done and the Hoops had a mountain to climb and a miracle to perform to pull off a victory.

Afterwards, the St John’s coaches praised their players for their commendable performance and effort. The Blues’ Kathleo Lynch described it as his side’s “best performance of the season so far.”

St Benedict’s College, meanwhile, put up 22 points in the first half of their clash with St David’s, which was easily their highest points’ total of the season. At the break, they led 22-15.

Captain Jason Cutler scored two tries for the home side, and he was well supported by prop Victor Concalves and wing Tshegofatso Mojapelo, who also broke through for tries.

However, in the second half, St David’s surged back into the contest and eventually won going away to spoil Bennies’ old boys’ celebrations.

Fullback Teegen Rossini and wing Kuzivakwashe Majuru benefitted from getting on the end of some good passing to each bag a brace of tries.

Next up, St David’s faces St Alban’s College on the coming weekend, while St John’s will be favoured when their take on their old rivals St Stithians College in their annual derby match.

Point Scorers

St John’s 54 (47) – Tries: Dom Kamangu, Joe MacRobert, Kakuhle Tunguta, Gerald van Wyk, Joshua Shannon, Jacob Smith, John-John Bierman, Thomas Ivers. Conversions: Bryan Walker (7), Gerald Van Wyk. St Alban’s: 26 (7) – Tries: Ben Stevenson, Keegan Dick, Jandre Botha, Penalty try. Converssions: Joshua Verster (2).

St David’s: 48 (15) – Tries: Kuzivakwashe Majuru, (2), Teegen Rossini (2), Jack Brady, Tahin Patel, Marco Bitter. Conversions: Diego Ferreira (5). Penalties: Diego Ferreira. St Benedict’s: 27 (22) – Tries: Victor Concalves, Tshegofatso Mojapelo, Jason Cutler (2). Conversions: Braeden Le Roux (2). Penalty: Braeden Le Roux.

St Albans College will be aiming to turn things around against St John’s after a fast start from St Stithians saw Saints grab a 26-16 win over the Pretoria school last weekend.

It’s going to be a tough task to beat the Blues, though, with St Alban’s missing several experienced players due to a string of injuries, which have struck the side in recent weeks.

The Hoops will be boosted by their home crowd, however, with kick-off on Moshate Field happening at 13:30.

St John’s have shown this season that they are able to hold their own with a solid defence, but they will be tested by flyhalf JJ Steenkamp, who has demonstrated his versatility, playing in a number of positions in the backline this season.

St Alban’s will be without one of their leading players, no. 8 Patrick Weir, who is one of their injured. His place at the back of the scrum is taken by Daniel Bouwer, who will also wear the captain’s armband.

St John’s is in good form. Last weekend, they crushed St Benedict’s College 54-0 and will be keen to ride that momentum against St Alban’s. Oliver Tait, who starred for the Blues in that win, misses out, while Gerald Van Wyk moves to fullback, with the talented all-round sportsman Joe MacRobert returning to the lineup at flyhalf.

St Benedict’s College has endured a hugely challenging season and have found points hard to come by. Since a successful 2023, it has been an uphill slog all the way.

The visitors, St David’s Marist Inanda, have demonstrated good counterattacking abilities and have picked up several crucial wins during their campaign. Their record includes a 59-0 win over Bennies earlier this season.

St David’s inside centre Theo Fonternel and substitute utility back Owami Maropola each scored two tries when they last met, and they will have another opportunity to add more points to their personal tallies on Saturday.

Kick-off for the first XVs takes place at 12:30, with St David’s College making the trip to Bedfordview. Last year, on the same ground, St Benedict’s picked up a 17-13 victory in a very physical game.

Bennies’ coach Andrew Barnes commented: “We are expecting a big onslaught from them after we beat them on their Old Boys’ Day last year. We have five players in the squad tomorrow that didn’t play in the first fixture earlier this year. Hopefully that creates a dynamic squad that helps the game be competitive on Old Boys’ Day.”

Last weekend’s win over Cornwall Hill College was a big morale boost for St David’s, with the team putting 35 points on the board in the second half after trailing 6-9 at halftime

Diego Ferreira slotted all of his kicks, and his excellence off the tee has secured a number of wins for the team this season, including a defeat of St Stithians College.

The only change to the St David’s side that beat Cornwall Hill happens in the front row, where Siyabongo Nkomo takes over from D’Andre Mushonga.

Bennies lost last weekend after everything fell apart in the second half against St John’s, who turned a 14-0 halftime advantage into a 54-0 romp. St Benedict’s, too, have made only one change, with Zac Raats replacing Luke Carr in the second row.

FIXTURES

St Alban’s vs St John’s

u14A: 09:30 – St Alban’s St John’s (Murray Field)
u15A: 10:30 – St Alban’s vs St John’s (Baloyi Field)
u19B: 10:30 – St Alban’s vs St John’s (Moshate Field)
u16A: 11:40 – St Alban’s vs St John’s (Moshate Field)
u19A: 13:10 – St Alban’s vs St John’s (Moshate Field)

St Benedict’s vs St David’s Marist Inanda

u14A: 08:00 – St Benedict’s vs St David’s (A Field)
u15A: 09:00 – St Benedict’s vs St David’s (A Field)
u19B: 10:00 – St Benedict’s vs St David’s (A Field)
u16A: 11:15 – St Benedict’s vs St David’s (A Field)
u19A: 12:30 – St Benedict’s vs St David’s (A Field)

TEAMS

St Alban’s College: 15 Matthew Nelson, 14 Malesela Sema, 13 Tumelo Mohale, 12 Enzo Olivier, 11 Sihle Msiza, 10 JJ Steenkamp, 9 Joshua Verster, 8 Daniel Bouwer, 7 Thabiso Mbembele 6 Ben Stevenson, 5 Keegan Dick, 4 Jandre Botha, 3 Neo Gama, 2 Craig Milne 1 Andreas Philippou.

St John’s College: 15 Gerald Van Wyk, 14 Bryson Walker, 13 Malan du Plessis, 12 Thomas Ivers, 11 Jacob Smith, 10 ⁠Joe MacRobert, 9 Tom Kruger, 8 ⁠Rohan Sheldon, 7 Menzi Bongwe, 6 John-John Bierman, 5 Zain Newman, 4 Dom Kamangu , 3 Matthew Kaplan, 2 Kakuhle Tunguta, 1 Joshua Shannon.

St Benedict’s College: 15 Matthew Hovelmeier, 14 Tshegofatso Mojapelo, 13 Freddie Durrant, 12 Braeden le Roux, 11 Wade Ramsay, 10 Declan le Roux, 9 Iviwe Mlilo, 8 Jason Cutler, 7 Matthew Joubert, 6 Tebogo Phukuile, 5 Zac Raats, 4 Nicholas Moravec, 3 Matthew Rourke, 2 Thato Ntshangase, 1 Victor Goncalves.

St David’s Marist Inanda: 15 Teegen Rossini, 14 Tristan Lambe, 13 Theo Fonternel, 12 Elliot Skei, 11 Kuzivakwashe Majuru, 10 Luca Cabion, 9 Diego Ferreira, 8 Jack Brady, 7 James Askew, 6 Tahin Patel, 5 Mark Hudson, 4 William Allemann, 3 Marco Bitter, 2 Connor McWilliams, 1 Siyabonga Nkomo.