Author: captainmorgan

Saturday, day one of the Primo Big 10, threw up some unexpected results, with the hosts, Hilton College, finishing top of Group A, Northwood topping Group B, and Michaelhouse leading the way in Group C.

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It was very tight in Group A, with Hilton edging out St Charles 2-1 after striking twice in quick succession, while the other two matches – between St Charles and Glenwood (1-1) and Hilton and Glenwood (0-0) – ended in draws.

The Green Machine, the defending champion, then, were destroyed by Maritzburg College in their cross-pool playoff game, with the Red, Black, and White rolling to a 5-0 win.

Surprisingly, College, the 2023 winners and the Mancosa KZNHFA Coastal A-League champion, finished only third in their pool. They drew 1-1 with Northwood but lost 0-1 to DHS, while Northwood claimed a 2-0 victory over DHS.

Then, in the cross-pool playoffs, Hilton and DHS drew 1-1, while Northwood claimed a narrow 1-0 win over St Charles.

Saints gave a good account of themselves, but two hard-fought defeats by a single goal consigned them to the 9th and 10th playoff on Sunday morning.

In Group C – which had four teams and not three like Group A and Group B – Michaelhouse, who won the KZNHSFA Inland C-League title in the second term, trailed by a goal against Westville Boys’ High, the Mancosa KZNHSFA Coastal A-League champion, in their opening game, but they levelled the score by slotting a penalty. Then, goalkeeper Luke Mitchell saved a spot kick that had been awarded to Westville, and the teams played to a 1-1 draw. That save, in the end, secured top spot in the group for ‘House.

They also sneaked by Kearsney 2-1, which was the same score as when the teams met at the end of July. Against Clifton, Michaelhouse ran wild, powering their way to an 8-0 win.

Westville, meanwhile, edged out their neighbours, Kearsney, 1-0, and scored some crackers in a 4-0 win over hapless Clifton, who went down to Kearsney 1-2 in their opener.

That’s set up a 9th/10th playoff between Clifton and St Charles late on Sunday morning. Before that, though, the quarterfinals will be played.

Hilton takes on Kearsney on the lush green grass of Zungu Field at 09:00, while Northwood and Maritzburg College face off on the bouncier surface of Etheridge, where they drew in Saturday’s group game.

Hilton has looked solid more than spectacular on their home ground, but they’re tough to break down, and keeping the opposition off the scoresheet is a job already half done.

Northwood appears rejuvenated and transformed after a disappointing showing in the Mancosa KZNHSFA Coastal A-League in the second term. It’s hard to reconcile the team that played so well on Saturday at Hilton with the side that came so close to being relegated from the Coastal A-League.

The Knights were one of the most impressive outfits on display on day one, but they take on a tricky opponent in College on Sunday. It’s not exactly a favourable draw.

Michaelhouse tackles DHS on Zungu at 10:00, while it’s Glenwood versus Westville on Etheridge at the same time.

Given their impressive ascension to the top of Group C, ‘House will fancy their chances against School.

Westville will feel that Glenwood has shown some vulnerability, and the Griffin has the strikers to make the Green Machine pay if they don’t keep it tight at the back.

Results 

Group A
Hilton 2-1 St Charles
St Charles 1-1 Glenwood
Hilton 0-0 Glenwood

Group B
Northwood 2-0 DHS
Northwood 1-1 Maritzburg College
Maritzburg College 0-1 DHS

Cross-pool playoffs
Hilton 1-1 DHS
St Charles 0-1 Northwood
Glenwood 0-5 Maritzburg College

Group C
Michaelhouse 1-1 Westville
Clifton 1-2 Kearsney
Westville 4-0 Clifton
Michaelhouse 2-1 Kearsney
Westville 1-0 Kearsney
Michaelhouse 8-0 Clifton

Fixtures, Sunday, 17 August

Quarterfinals

QF1 – 09:00 – Zungu – Hilton (A1) vs Kearsney (2nd best 3rd)
QF2 – 09:00 – Etheridge – Northwood (B1) vs Maritzburg College (Best 3rd)
QF3 – 10:00 – Zungu – Michaelhouse (C1) vs DHS (B2)
QF4 – 10:00 – Etheridge – Glenwood (A2) vs Westville (C2)

9th/10th – 11:00 – Clifton (C4) vs St Charles (3rd best 3rd)

Semi-finals

SF1 – 13:00 – Zungu – W QF1 vs W QF4
SF2 – 13:00 – Etheridge – WQF2 vs W QF3

Final

15:00 – Zungu – W SF1 vs W SF2

Boland’s Malherbe van Niekerk caused the only upset of the day as the Growthpoint SA Junior Nationals Squash Championships got off to a flying start at the V&A Waterfront, in Cape Town, on Thursday.

The u17 and u19 age groups are in action on the all-glass court at Makers Landing from Thursday to Saturday, with the Senior Nationals and the u15 division taking place from 28-30 August.

Van Niekerk was seeded sixth in the boys’ u17 section and fully deserved his win over third-seed Aiden McNeill, of KwaZulu-Natal, who never gave up trying throughout a tough five games.

After splitting the first four games, it all boiled down to the decider, in which Van Niekerk seized the early advantage with some good strokeplay, which included pulling off a winning boast and a tight drop to set up a 9-6 lead.

Soon after that, he moved to match point and killed off the contest with an accurate drive to the back of the court to qualify for the top four.

The winners of Thursday’s matches will contest pool A in a round-robin format on Friday and Saturday, while the losers move into pool B.

There was also a good contest in the girls’ u17 section when Border’s Kate van Biljon found herself in a proper arm wrestle against Vivienne van der Schyff, of Free State.

Fourth-seed Van Biljon won the first game 11-8 against the fifth seed, but Van der Schyff got back into the match by taking the second game by a similar margin.

There was not much to choose between the two, and they were always within a few points of each other, although Van Biljon took a significant lead by winning the third game, also 11-8.

As they battled for supremacy, the Border player reached her first match point but put a lob out of court to go into a tiebreaker at 10-10.

Crucially, another Van der Schyff error gave Van Biljon her second match point and this time she made no mistake to wrap up a thrilling contest.

Besides those two results, the day was sprinkled with interesting matches as the players fought to qualify for the top four.

The top seeds did not always have things their own way, but in the end, they were able to find their rhythm to vindicate their rankings.

For instance, Northerns’ Judah Phillips, the u19 top seed, was pushed all the way by Boland’s Anrieg Small in the first game before winning it 11-9. He then got into his stride and dropped only six more points.

Christian Swanepoel, the boys’ u17 number one seed, from Eden, also had to work hard in his first game before subduing Milan Raffa, of Northerns, 11-9. He established his supremacy by taking the second 11-7 and coasted through the third for the loss of only four points.

Qualifying Round Results 

U17

Girls: 1-Makayla Naidoo (KZN) bt 8-Amelia Lubbe (Northerns) 3-0 (11-3 11-4 11-5), 2-Elzandri Janse van Rensburg (Northerns) bt 7-Hanrie Duits (Eden) 3-0 (11-7 11-4 11-6), 3-Starla Phillips (Northerns) bt 6-Tara Neville-Smyly (WP) 3-0 (11-2 11-6 11-4, 4-Kate van Biljon (Border) bt 5-Vivienne van der Schyff (Free State) 3-1 (11-8 8-11 11-8 12-10).

Boys: 1-Christian Swanepoel (Eden) bt 8-Milan Raffa (Northerns) 3-0 (11-9 11-7 11-4), 2-Dean Katzin (Free State) bt Logan Kidson (Northerns) 3-0 (11-7 11-8 11-7), 6-Malherbe van Niekerk (Boland) bt 3-Aiden McNeill (KZN) 3-2 (11-5 9-11 11-4 7-11 11-6), 4-Dylan Keswell (WP) bt 5-Luke Goldschmidt (EP) 3-0 (11-2 11-5 11-2).

U19

Women: 1-Dené Van Zyl (Boland) bt 8-Katelyn Walland (EP) 3-0 (11-8 11-2 11-4), 2-Chante Leppan (Northerns) bt 7-Benedette van Tonder (Free State) 3-0 (11-0 11-1 11-4), 3-Brianna Robinson (Easterns) bt 6-Marlene van Wyk (Boland) 3-0 (11-7 11-4 11-1), 4-Cevana Naidoo (KZN) v 5-Lucy Malherbe (WP).

Men: 1-Judah Phillips (Northerns) bt 8-Anrieg Small (Boland) (11-9 11-1 11-5), 2-Thomas Boutall (WP) bt 7-Heinu van Jaarsveld (Joburg Squash) 3-0 (11-3 11-3 11-3), 3-Louis le Riche (Boland) bt Nicholas Basson (WP) 3-0 (11-9 11-4 11-6), 4-Benji Newman (EP) bt 5-Ruvay Ramdhin (KZN) 3-0 (11-9 11-6 11-5).    

Another chapter in nearly a century of schools’ rugby rivalry will unfold when Grey High steps onto Selborne College‘s “Fortress” in their King Price Derby Series showdown in East London, on Saturday.

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The annual derby, typical of many such events in South African schools’ sport, is set to culminate in a gripping finish when the 1st XVs square up to try to take one final positive from the 2025 season.

Since 1926, Grey High and Selborne have been going at it, and seldom does a match go past without a titanic struggle for supremacy.

Inevitably, there are the occasional fixtures where one of the sides has blown the other away, but an indication of how closely they are matched is reflected in their nine encounters since 2014, which have resulted in five wins for Grey and four victories for Selborne. In six of those matches, the winning margin was by six points or less.

Besides renewing old rivalries, it is also an opportunity for the winning side to take something from the season. Both have less than perfect records in 2025. However, whatever has happened before will be swept away in the glow of victory.

Grey High also has the incentive of scoring a rare win at the Fortress, a venue where they have not conquered Selborne since their outstanding season in 2014 when they won 20-18. That was also the year when they last beat Grey College.

The visitors will be well prepared for the match, having secured recent victories over Framesby and Muir, while going down to Grey College.

Now, they’ll be looking for a massive team effort to set up their dangerous backs by creating some space for their devastating runners, including fullback Meyer Prinsloo and wing Noah Mbizi.

Selborne, meanwhile, will be smarting after conceding close losses to Border rivals, Queen’s College and Dale College, in recent matches.

With their powerful prop Robert John-Osunkwo leading the way up front, they will want to set a platform to launch attacks deep into enemy territory.

If they can achieve that, then wing Iviwe Kabale looms a real threat to the visitors. He showed what he could do last week against Dale with two stunning tries and Grey know they will have to keep him and his backline colleagues under pressure throughout.

In Komani, Queen’s will be aiming to bounce back after a rare defeat against Graeme College last weekend. They host Cambridge. The visitors will know a huge challenge awaits them on the Rec Ground.

Buoyed by their win over Selborne last Saturday, Dale will be aiming to build on that when they tackle the tough Hudson Park outfit at The Graveyard, in Qonce.

But while there are positives to be taken, their coaches will remind them that this weekend will be a fresh start, and they will need to have their feet flat on the ground against one of the most competitive units in the Eastern Cape.

At Ooskus Gymnasium, the home side will also be tested when they entertain Stirling in a morning clash, starting at 11.20.

Selborne vs Grey since 2104

2014: Selborne 18-20 Grey
2015: Grey 18-22 Selborne
2016: Selborne 27-21 Grey
2017: Grey 59-22 Selborne
2018: Selborne 36-21 Grey
2019: Grey 23-17 Selborne
2020: Covid-19|
2021: Covid-19
2022: Grey 32-26 Selborne
2023: Selborne 12-10 Grey
2024: Grey 48-27 Selborne

Teams:

Selborne College vs Grey High School at 15:30 in East London

Selborne College: 15 Bungqina Nuku, 14 Samora Bushet, 13 Njongo Mbanga, 12 Aaron James, 11 Iviwe Kabale, 10 Samuel Jacobsen, 9 Aaron Senekal, 8 Uviwe Jikwana, 7 Dominic Stegmann, 6 Travis Enslin, 5 Luca Liebenberg, 4 Mbono Gqoboko, 3 Zothanda Mrara, 2 Liam Hansen, 1 Robert John-Osunkwo

Grey High: 15 Meyer Prinsloo, 14 Noah Mbizi, 13 Bradley Myburgh, 12 Ciaran Killian, 11 Michael Oosthuizen, 10 Ray-Dylan Wilkinson 9 Matthew Doster, 8 Sibonelo Stuurman, 7 Jean Nel, 6 Cody Wilmot, 5 Osvaldas Diedonis, 4 Riley Higgs, 3 Ross Atkinson, 2 Evan Mucka, 1 Silindezihle Ntshokoma.

Dale College vs Hudson Park High at 13:30 in Qonce

Dale College: 15 Inga Mafanga, 14 Yamkele Molose, 13 Phikolomzi Mtyalela, 12 Nxande Ngcaba, 11 Mahle Mehlomane, 10 Soso Dyani, 9 Onikwa Boniwe, 8 Kamva Sithole (captain), 7 Liyabona Mayikana, 6 Linamandla Peter, 5 Kungawo Jaca, 4 Ebenezer Sarpong, 3 Sanele Bistoli, 2 Lakhanya Mbewu, 1 Phawu Ludwaba.

Hudson Park: Hudson Park:   15 Mahle Zinto, 14 Bahlumile Mavuso, 13 Ukhona Kama, 12 Lunathi Dolo, 11 Masibulele Kwakwini, 10 Likho Gidi, 9 Landile Gidi, 8 Sibabalwe Mtshini, 7 Likhanye Mandila, 6 Phindokuhle Mdlalana, 5 Hlumelo Gobile, 4 Tenda Saunyama, 3 Tyrique Peters, 2 Kwakokuhle Pasha, 1 Manyano Mpundu.

Queen’s College vs Cambridge High at 14:30 in Komani

Queen’s College: 15 Mveli Mqolo, 14 Ayathanda Mtyando, 16 Thina Fenako, 12 Lithemba Maxegwana, 11 Joshua Jordaan, 10 Inganathi Mnunu, 9 Ayola Somhlahlo, 8 Acwenga Saul, 7 Sambesiwe Vetman, 6 Jeffrey Niland (captain), 5 Kaunda Billie, 4 Zeacke Mata, 3 Ahlume Gqetywa, 2 Bulumko Manqina, 1 Amyoli Ngxongwana.

Cambridge: to be confirmed.

Ooskus Gymnasium vs Stirling High at 11:20 in East London

Ooskus Gym: 15 Chivago Petrus, 14 Xavier Smith, 13 Stefan de Jager, 12 Kwagga Liebenberg, Sabian Rieck, 11 Josh du Plessis, 10 Jaun Nel, 9 Ethan Jansen, 8 Roussouw Nel, 7 Tiaan Frazer, 6 Cole van der Merwe, 5 De Wet Thiart, 4 Eben Viljoen, 3 Leon Muller, 2 Bruwer Smit 1 Zander Brink.

Stirling: to be confirmed.

Glenwood High defends the Primo Big 10 title they won in 2024 at Hilton College this coming weekend.

Last year, it was a case of third time lucky for the Green Machine, who had twice fallen at the final hurdle previously.

Thus far, though, the Durban school has put together a patchy season. They reached the semi-finals of the Mancosa KZN High School Football Association Coastal A-League in the second term and, more recently, were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Plate competition at the Curro Halala Cup, which was won by Northern Academy on the past weekend.

They’ll face competition from, among others, the KZN Coastal A-League champion, Westville Boys’ High, and the KZN Inland A-League champion, Maritzburg College, for the title.

Both sides feature outstanding strikers, with Dayyan Fudu leading the Westville frontline, and Mazithi Qasha up front for College.

Glenwood is in Group A, with Hilton College and St Charles. Hilton was in action at the St David’s Marist Inanda Nedbank Challenge Cup over the past weekend, where they won three and drew three. Michaelhouse was there, too, and they, also, went three and three.

Clifton College won one, drew one, and lost four at St David’s. They, however, have been one of the busier teams thus far, also competing in the Kearsney Soccer Tournament, where the hosts finished fourth, and that could help their challenge.

Tournament football makes different demands on teams when compared to league competition, and those sides that have been in tournament action will have a leg up on those who haven’t. St Charles is a side that hasn’t seen much action, which makes them unpredictable.

Speaking of unpredictability, Clifton very nearly derailed Glenwood’s title charge in the group stage last year. They beat the Green Machine 1-0, but Glenwood pulled off a 2-1 win over Maritzburg College after going a goal down before the Red, Black, and White defeated Clifton 3-1 to knock Clifton out of contention. It was a close shave for Glenwood.

Group B features the 2024 runner-up, Durban High School (DHS), Northwood, and Maritzburg College. DHS placed third at the Kearsney Soccer Tournament after a so-so run in the KZN Coastal B-League. Much like Northwood, though, their fortunes appear to be on the up.

The Knights endured a poor KZN Coastal A-League run, but they found their form just in time to avoid relegation. Since then, they’ve played some good football.

College, though, will be favoured in Group B. After going all the way in 2023, they were ousted by Glenwood in the semifinals last year, losing 1-2 after they had eliminated highly regarded Westville in the quarterfinals.

Group C features four teams – Michaelhouse, Westville, Clifton, and Kearsney. Westville is, arguably, the favourite in the group, but it’s tough to call.

Last August, the vagaries of knockout football were exposed when unfancied Michaelhouse captured the Jody Momple Cup when facing many of the teams that will be in action on the weekend.

Kearsney’s been a tough unit to read thus far. They’ve been competitive, in every game and, with a slight improvement, could make some noise.

Clifton has been more inconsistent, but they have some good quality in their lineup. Perhaps, as was the case last year, they’re the kind of side that could pull off an upset or two, but going all the way appears unlikely.

With Group A and Group B having only three teams each compared to the four in Group C, Saturday’s afternoon schedule will include cross-pool playoff matches between sides in Group A and Group B.

FIXTURES

Saturday, 16 August

Group A (Field 1 – Zungu)

09:00 – Hilton vs St Charles
11:00 – St Charles vs Glenwood
13:00 – Hilton vs Glenwood

Group B (Field 2 – Etheridge)

09:00 – DHS vs Northwood
11:00 – Northwood vs Maritzburg College
13:00 – Maritzburg College vs DHS

Cross-group matches (A and B)

15:00 (Etheridge) – St Charles vs Northwood
15:00 (Zungu) – Hilton vs DHS
16:00 (Zungu) – Glenwood vs Maritzburg College

Group C (Field 3 – New Field)

09:00 – Michaelhouse vs Westville
10:00 – Clifton vs Kearsney
12:00 – Westville vs Clifton
13:00 – Kearsney vs Michaelhouse
15:00 – Westville vs Kearsney
16:00 – Michaelhouse vs Clifton

Playoffs: Sunday, 17 August

Quarterfinals

QF1 – 09:00 – Zungu – A1 vs 2nd best 3rd
QF2 – 09:00 – Etheridge, B1 vs Best 3rd
QF3 – 10:00 – Zungu, C1 vs B2
QF4 – 10:00 – Etheridge, A2 vs C2

* If the 2nd best 3rd place team is from Group A, they will change with the best 3rd place team.

9th/10th Playoff

12:00 – Zungu – C4 vs 3rd-best 3rd

Semi-finals

SF1 – 13:00 – Zungu – W QF1 vs W QF4
SF2 – 13:00 – Etheride – W QF3 vs W QF2

Final

15:00 – Zungu – W SF1 vs W SF2

Clarendon High School for Girls and Selborne College, both from East London, won the girls’ and boys’ titles for a seventh time each at the 40th annual Top Schools Squash Tournament. hosted at Epworth School, in Pietermaritzburg, over the weekend.

At the event, the massive contribution of the doyen of girls’ squash in South Africa, Sally White, who has been a part of the Top Schools Tournament since its start, was also recognised.

SA Schools’ Squash presented White with a Meritorious Service certificate, which read: “SA Schools’ Squash acknowledges with grateful thanks, forty years of highly commendable, dedicated and loyal service to SA Schools’ squash, as pioneer and custodian of the SA Top Schools’ Squash Tournament.”

Under White’s tutelage, Epworth has long been one of the leading squash-playing schools in the country and has won the Top Schools title an eye-popping 21 times, including nine times in succession between 1991 and 1999.

In recognition of her outstanding service to Epworth’s squash programme, the school’s squash courts were renamed the Sally White Squash Courts.

On court, the girls’ defending champion, Clarendon High School for Girls, was ever so slightly less dominant than when they won the 2024 Top Schools title, but they were, nonetheless, the far and away the class of the field as they powered their way to a seventh Top Schools title.

Clarendon’s toughest challenge came from the hosts, but they beat Epworth 15-7 in their group clash before repeating that result in the cross-pool playoff.

Epworth finished second in Section 2 behind the East London school, but then handily dealt with the Section 1 winner, Midstream College, beating the 2024 runner-up 16-6 to move up one position from their third place finish of last year.

Midstream dominated Section 1, recording convincing wins over Eunice, Paarl Gimnasium, and Rustenburg Girls’ High, with Bloemfontein’s Eunice going on to finish in fourth place.

In the boys’ competition, the 2024 champion, Hoërskool Zwartkop, missed out on qualification for the Top Schools tournament, with Die Hoërskool Menlopark, succeeding them as the champion of Northern Gauteng. Menlo did a good job, but they had to settle for fifth place overall.

It was, instead, Selborne College, one of the traditional powers, who went all the way, comfortably winning all of their matches. There was little doubt that the East London school was the team to beat.

With their seventh title, Selborne is second only to Pretoria Boys High‘s nine titles in the history of the Top Schools event.

While Selborne winning the tournament was not unexpected, the runner-up was a surprise, with Maritzburg College achieving the school’s best-ever finish at the Top Schools Tournament.

After finishing in a comfortable second place to Selborne in Section 1, College won against Grey High and St Andrew’s School, two of the other traditional powers, in the cross-pool playoffs to end in the silver medal position.

Grey High, the winner of Section 2, took third place, with St Andrew’s School in fourth.

RESULTS

GIRLS

Section 1

Midstream 17-4 Eunice
Midstream 18-3 Paarl Gimnasium
Midstream 20-1 Rustenburg Girls’ High

Eunice 4-17 Midstream
Eunice 18-5 Paarl Gimnasium
Eunice 14-7 Rustenburg Girls’ High

Paarl Gimnasium 3-18 Midstream
Paarl Gimnasium 5-18 Eunice
Paarl Gimnasium 6-14 Rustenburg Girls’ High

Rustenburg Girls’ High 1-20 Midstream
Rustenburg Girls’ High 7-14 Eunice
Rustenburg Girls’ High 14-6 Paarl Gimnasium

Section 2

Clarendon 15-7 Epworth
Clarendon 20-1 St Mary’s Waverley
Clarendon 20-0 Collegiate

Epworth 7-15 Clarendon
Epworth 20-0 St Mary’s Waverley
Epworth 20-0 Collegiate

St Mary’s Waverley 1-20 Clarendon
St Mary’s Waverley 0-20 Epworth
St Mary’s Waverley 19-6 Collegiate

Collegiate 0-20 Clarendon
Collegiate 0-20 Epworth
Collegiate 6-19 St Mary’s Waverley

Cross-Pool (1-4)

Clarendon (1st)
Clarendon 17-5 Midstream
Clarendon 20-1 Eunice
Clarendon 15-7 Epworth

Epworth (2nd)
Epworth 16-6 Midstream
Epworth 7-15 Clarendon
Epworth 16-6 Eunice

Midstream College (3rd)
Midstream 5-17 Clarendon
Midstream 17-4 Eunice
Midstream 6-16 Epworth

Eunice High (4th)
Eunice 4-17 Midstream
Eunice 1-20 Clarendon
Eunice 6-16 Epworth

Cross-Pool (5-8)

St Mary’s (5th)
St Mary’s Waverley 16-11 Rustenburg Girls’ High
St Mary’s Waverley 19-5 Paarl Gimnasium
St Mary’s Waverley 19-6 Collegiate

Rustenburg Girls’ High (6th)
Rustenburg Girls’ High 11-16 St Mary’s Waverley
Rustenburg Girls’ High 14-6 Paarl Gimnasium
Rustenburg Girls’ High 18-7 Collegiate

Collegiate Girls’ High (7th)
Collegiate 7-18 Rustenburg Girls’ High
Collegiate 6-19 St Mary’s Waverley
Collegiate 14-9 Paarl Gimnasium

Paarl Gimnasium (8th)
Paarl Gimnasium 6-14 Rustenburg Girls’ High
Paarl Gimnasium 5-19 St Mary’s Waverley
Paarl Gimnasium 9-14 Collegiate

BOYS

Section 1

Selborne 18-6 Maritzburg College
Selborne 18-3 Rondebosch
Selborne 20-0 Strand

Maritzburg College 6-18 Selborne
Maritzburg College 19-4 Rondebosch
Maritzburg College 20-0 Strand

Rondebosch 3-18 Selborne
Rondebosch 4-19 Maritzburg College
Rondebosch 16-6 Strand

Strand 0-20 Selborne
Strand 0-20 Maritzburg College
Strand 6-16 Rondebosch

Section 2

Grey High 17-6 St Andrew’s School
Grey High 20-2 Menlopark
Grey High 20-0 St John’s

St Andrew’s School 6-17 Grey High
St Andrew’s School 15-6 Menlopark
St Andrew’s School 20-3 St John’s

Menlopark 2-20 Grey High
Menlopark 6-15 St Andrew’s School
Menlopark 19-3 St John’s

Cross-Pool (1-4)

Selborne College (1st)
Selborne 15-8 Grey High
Selborne 18-6 Maritzburg College
Selborne 20-1 St Andrew’s School

Maritzburg College (2nd)
Maritzburg College 6-18 Selborne
Maritzburg College 17-8 Grey High
Maritzburg College 14-7 St Andrew’s School

Grey High School (3rd)
Grey High 8-15 Selborne
Grey High 8-17 Maritzburg College
Grey High 17-6 St Andrew’s School

St Andrew’s School (4th)
St Andrew’s School 1-20 Selborne
St Andrew’s School 6-17 Grey High
St Andrew’s School 7-14 Maritzburg College

Cross Pool (5-8)

Die Hoërskool Menlopark (5th)

Menlopark 17-4 Rondebosch
Menlopark 18-5 Strand
Menlopark 19-3 St John’s

Rondebosch Boys’ High (6th)
Rondebosch 4-17 Menlopark
Rondebosch 16-6 Strand
Rondebosch 15-10 St John’s

St John’s College (7th)
St John’s 3-19 Menlopark
St John’s 10-15 Rondebosch
St John’s 16-6 Strand

Hoërskool Strand (8th)
Strand 6-16 Rondebosch
Strand 5-18 Menlopark
Strand 6-16 St John’s

The Durban High School (DHS) 1st XV completed an outstanding season with an emphatic 52-19 victory over King Edward VII (KES) on Van Heerden’s Field, in Durban, on Saturday.

That win took DHS to a superb record of 15 wins and only two defeats in 2025, and it also kept intact School‘s three-year unbeaten run on their main rugby field.

Three of the players who ran out on Saturday – captain Daniel Ikotela, Zenkosi Mthiyane, and Zingce Simka – represented the 1st XV for three years, and they never tasted defeat on the ground, not even in Sevens’ competition.

DHS was stung early on, though, when KES crossed for the first try of the contest after only five minutes, scored by captain Sam Bruwer, and converted by fullback Indibabale Mboniswa, but DHS immediately surged onto the attack.

Credit to KES, they did a good job of contesting the rucks, which enabled them to slow down the DHS attacks. However, when the visitors forced a knock-on only five metres from their try line, DHS, with a monstrous shove, claimed back possession by winning a penalty.

Throughout the contest, the visitors had no answers for the Horseflies‘ power in the set piece, which delighted DHS forward’s coach Ronnie Uys, especially since two of his starting front rankers, hooker Okuhle Mbanjwa and tighthead prop Omphiwe Kola, will be back next year.

That turnover eventually resulted in DHS breeching the KES defence for the first time in the 15th minute when Ama Mataboge burst through a gap to dive over beneath the uprights. Flyhalf Jordan van Wyk made the first of six successful kicks to even matters.

With that first try on the board, coach Peter Engledow‘s team took charge and Mataboge, running a hard and direct line, hit a short pass at speed to crash over for DHS’s second after 19 minutes.

KES kept contesting the loose ball well, but they were undone when fullback Cilermo Carolus sold an extravagant dummy and hit a gap to fly over for a try from 30 metres out. Richard Gyamfi, then, outstripped the visitors’ defence for DHS’s fourth, which took the Blue Typhoon 28-7 clear at halftime.

The momentum was firmly with the home side, but KES fought back well after the break. However, School’s relentlessness told, as it had in the first half, and they finished strongly as KES began to wilt under the unceasing pressure.

Lock Zion Smith broke free for a try, and centre Zenkosi Mthiyane outstripped the KES defence for another five-pointer, which was finished off with an extravagant dive behind the uprights.

Peneleo Shakwane and Jaydon Roberts added further tries as DHS sent on almost their entire bench to give their grade 12 players a run in their final game in the blue and gold jersey.

In a losing effort, scrumhalf Regan McGurk impressed for KES.

Always alert to opportunities from free kicks and penalties, he caused DHS problems with his quick decision-making and sniping, which brought him a try and was the reason for fullback Indibabale Mboniswa’s try in the second half. His service was tidy, too.

After the game, DHS coach Peter Engledow told SuperSport Schools Plus: “This has been an incredible group. It has been a privilege coaching them. I was humbled by today. To put a 50 on KES and finish the season like we have is great.”

DHS was at their best late in the season, winning 24-10 at Jeppe and 36-5 at Northwood before their big win at home on Saturday.

Referencing his side’s last three matches, Engeldow explained: “We used a nice theme, based on the last World Cup, and we said we’re going to go into a quarterfinal, semi-final and final. We wanted to try and win the final, especially for the matric boys.”

Reflecting on the season, he said: “For me, personally, the forwards have always done reasonably well and excelled at times, taken us through games, but the backs didn’t ever click for me this season in the manner I know they could, but they did last weekend [against Northwood] and it was very special on Friday night under the lights. The boys did very well.”

They were every bit as effective at Jeppe, running in four tries, three of them from long-range. They added some more on Saturday in Durban.

One of the reasons for the success of DHS was the strong captaincy of flank Daniel Ikotela. Engledow related forwards’ coach Ronnie Uys’s words to the skipper, telling him: “Daniel, I don’t think I’ve seen a person with so much passion taking a team into action”.

Engledow added: “He leads by example and he’s so proud. He has become an incredible young man. I had a conversation with him this week and told him how proud I am of him. His future is bright. Lucky [will be] the university that signs him.”

Under Engledow’s leadership, DHS has enjoyed an outstanding run, and that’s not about to end any time soon. School is blessed with a deep, hard-working coaching staff.

“The rugby programme has gone very well,” Engledow said. “We’ve got a Headmaster and a Director of Sport, who are very supportive, and they help push the programme. And then, it’s a massive thank you to all the coaches, who align and come together and work for each other, and support each other. The system’s good. We get a lot of support.

“At the end of the day, I want to do things the right way. I want to get results, but I also want it to be a learning experience, something that is not just win at all costs. It’s important. If it gets that way, I will step away. I don’t want to win at all costs. I think schoolboy rugby is there to teach kids a lesson.”

Glenwood High versus Maritzburg College

Meanwhile, at nearby Glenwood High, Maritzburg College completed a hard-fought season’s sweep of the Green Machine, triumphing 14-10 after a draining arm wrestle. They had previously won 37-25 on Goldstone’s when the teams met in April.

As they have done often this season, Glenwood started well and they were on the board in the fifth minute on Dixon’s Field, scoring after manufacturing a well-worked overlap on the left flank.

Maritzburg College levelled by driving over next to the uprights, with the industrious David Colenbrander dotting down and Dom du Toit nudging over the conversion kick to make it 7-7 after 15 minutes.

Glenwood, though, led at the break, after Juan Viljoen knocked over a 25th minute penalty.

The only points of the second half – the winning points – were scored three minutes in, again from close range, with Alande Ngubane providing another finish close to the posts. Du Toit, one of the most accurate kickers in the country, didn’t miss to make it 14-10.

Scorers:

Durban High School 52 (28) – Tries: Ama Mataboge (2), Cilermo Carolus, Richard Gyamfi, Zion Smith, Zenkosi Mthiyane, Peneleo Shakwane, Jaydon Roberts. Conversions: Jordan van Wyk (6); King Edward VII 19 (7) – Tries: Sam Bruwer, Regan McGurk, Indibabale Mboniswa, Conversions: Indibabale Mboniswa (2).

Glenwood High 10 (10) – Try: N/A. Penalty: Juan Viljoen; Maritzburg College 14 (7) – Tries: David Colenbrander, Alande Ngubane. Conversions: Dom du Toit (2).

Results

u19 – DHS I 52 KES I 19; DHS II 33 KES II 21; DHS III 18 KES III 7; DHS IV 17 KES IV 5; DHS V 7 KES V 12; DHS VI 20 KES VI 24.

u16 – DHS A 27 KES A 10; DHS B 15 KES B 0; DHS C 7 KES C 7; DHS D 9 KES D 36; DHS E 0 KES E 50.

u15 – DHS A 19 KES A 12; DHS B 14 KES B 7; DHS C 14 KES C 23; DHS D 7 KES D 36; DHS E 7 KES E 50.

u14 – DHS A 17 KES A 5; DHS B 19 KES B 13; DHS C 0 KES C 28l DHS D 19 KES D 33; DHS E 0 KES E 50.

Glenwood vs Maritzburg College

u19 – Glenwood I 10 Maritzburg College I 14; Glenwood II 17 Maritzburg College II 7; Glenwood III 12 Maritzburg College III 21: Glenwood IV 0 Maritzburg College IV 22; Glenwood V 7 Maritzburg College V 26.

u16 – Glenwood A 28 Maritzburg College A 38; Glenwood B 0 Maritzburg College B 24; Glenwood C 0 Maritzburg College C 40; Glenwood D 27 Maritzburg College D 21.

u15 – Glenwood A 14 Maritzburg A 21; Glenwood B 24 Maritzburg B 31; Glenwood C 6 Maritzburg College C 50; Glenwood D 12 Maritzburg College 55.

u14 – Glenwood A 14 Maritzburg College A 43; Glenwood B 14 Maritzburg College B 56; Glenwood C 0 Maritzburg College C 38; Glenwood D 7 Maritzburg College D 19.

Dale College gave their many supporters something to celebrate as their home venue of “The Graveyard” lived up to its reputation with a thrilling 19-15 win over their East London opponents, Selborne College, in Qonce, on Saturday.

Earlier this season, when the rivals met in the coastal city, Selborne eked out a 15-13 win, but there was a sense that the Dalians could produce something special on their Pink Day.

Besides the important community issue of raising awareness about those suffering from cancer, Dale showed that they remain a competitive outfit, despite a patchy record this season.

They enjoyed a decent lead when their skipper and No 8 Kamva Sithole went on a devastating run two minutes into the second half for their third try, which gave them a handy 19-5 cushion.

It was inevitable, though, that the committed Selbornians would fight their way back into contention because they are one of the last sides who would give up on a cause.

They found a way back into the game when they began to add width to their attacks, twice bringing powerful wing Iviwe Kabale into play, and he surged over for two tries to reduce the gap to 19-15 with 14 minutes left.

Selborne poured on the pressure in search of the winning score, but twice Dale was able to steal the ball from a ruck, and earn penalties, which brought them some relief. And yet they had to continue to work hard to keep their East London rivals at bay.

With the clock showing time up, Selborne received a penalty and kicked for touch to set up a lineout five metres from the Dale line. Unfortunately for them, a mistake on the throw-in saw a free kick go to Dale and with the time showing 73 minutes played, following a break for an injury, it was game over and jubilation for the home supporters.

Dale was quickly on the attack in the match, and they started on a high note when centre Phikolomzi Mtyatela powered his way over the line to make it 5-0.

Selborne responded in the 20^th minute when prop Robert John-Osunkwo took possession of the ball from a maul and forced his way over to level matters.

Then came a crucial score on the stroke of halftime with a brilliant attack by Dale giving them the lead at the break. Big lock Kungawo Jaca made good ground inside the Selborne 22 and when he was held up, scrumhalf Wethumtha Malawana was on hand to pouch the offload and race through untouched. Soso Diyani added the conversion to take the score to 12-5.

The second half was evenly contested, with both sides showing their determination to conjure up the winning score.

Kabale was the star performer for Selborne but, eventually, it was the Dale grit and spirit to take something from the season that won them the day.

In East London, Stirling High was pushed all the way by Cambridge before emerging as 24-19 victors, while Hudson Park was too strong for Ooskus Gymnasium in their clash on Friday, romping to a 69-0 win.

Scorers:

Dale 19 College (12) – Tries: Phikolomzi Mtyatela, Wethumtha Malawana, Kamva Sithole. Conversions: Soso Dyani (2). Selborne College 15 (5) – Tries: Robert John-Osunkwo, Iviwe Kabale (2).

King Edward VII completes their rugby schedule with one of the tougher challenges in South African schoolboy rugby:  beating Durban High School (DHS) in Durban.

Van Heerden’s Field is a fortress, and the DHS 1st XV is unbeaten at home this season. The 2024 DHS 1st XV never lost on Van Heerden’s from the time they were u14s to when they played for the 1st XV. The 2023 side also delivered a clean record at home.

That 2023 side was a delightful attacking unit while last year’s DHS 1st XV was a defensive monster, conceding just less than nine points a game. The strengths of the 2025 team are less overt, but they’ve built up a superb record of 14 wins and losses to only Paarl Gimnasium and Westville Boys’ High. They’re well balanced and relentless.

Here’s an interesting fact. While KES has regularly faced DHS’s great rivals, Maritzburg College, Saturday’s showdown will be the first meeting of the schools since the Grey High Rugby Festival in 2014. KES claimed a narrow 20-17 win on that occasion.

Their form in 2025 has been less convincing than that of the Horseflies, however. They have, though, played far better rugby in the latter stages of the season than they did early on, recording wins over Pretoria Boys High, Helpmekaar, and Noordheuwel. Those are impressive scalps, but, again, it’s the fact that they’re going to have to do it on Van Heerden’s Field that is so daunting.

Last weekend, on Collard Field, KES gave a good account of themselves but went down 21-39 to Jeppe. The previous weekend, on the same ground, DHS beat Jeppe 24-10. With those matches being so recent, it’s clear that School will be favoured to win at home. But games are not won on paper.

Still, it’s DHS’s cohesion and scything counterattacking that are going to pose the biggest threat to the Red Army. Those are the qualities that took DHS to victory over Jeppe, with three of their four tries coming from long range. Their sharp counterattacks also fired DHS to a convincing 36-5 win over Northwood last Friday, where School’s ability to get the ball wide quickly on the counter delivered rich dividends.

With former Westville coach Jabz Zulu making the move to KES at the end of 2024, KES will be well versed on the challenge they face. Zulu, who serves as an assistant coach Marco Engelbrecht, was also involved with Sharks’ Schools provincial rugby and will know many of the DHS players well.

The issue, of course, is that footage of players and teams in action is available. In most instances, one knows what is coming. The question is whether or not anything can be done to stop that. Jeppe knew that DHS would attack the try line from close range through inside centre Zingce Simka. Three players met him, but Simka scored.

On a positive note for KES, they won’t have to face the powerhouse midfielder. He’s out of the game.

The key for KES will be how successfully they contest the tackles and rucks.

The good news for the visitors is that their captain, flank Sam Bruwer, and 8th-man Chinedu Amadi, both represented the Golden Lions at the FNB Craven Week. Unfortunately, though, they’ll have to do without Amadi, who will be on duty in the International Series, representing SA u18 against France on Friday at Hoërskool Durbanville.

Their loose trio is going to have to make an impact to slow down DHS, so that will put a lot on the shoulders of 8th-man Joshua Eykelhof, who joins Bruwer and Nkos’enhle Mafu in the loose trio. If they don’t slow down DHS’s ball, they’ll face wave after ruthless wave of attacks, and it’ll be a long day for the Johannesburg school.

The Horseflies will be without their exciting centre, Nathan Aneke, who’ll run out for SA u18A against Ireland.

Teams:

DHS vs KES at 13:30 on Saturday on Van Heerden’s Field in Durban

DHS: 15 Cilermo Carolus, 14 Amo Mataboge, 13 Zenkosi Mthiyane, 12 Peleneo Shakwane, 11 Richard Gyamfi, 10 Jordan van Wyk, 9 Marcwin Nero, 8 Bradley la Grange, 7 Jose Lottering, 6 Daniel Ikotela, 5 Zion Smith, 4 Vimbiso Kasvosve, 3 Omphiwe Kola, 2 Okuhle Mbanjwa, 1 Elvino Witbooi.

KES: 15 ⁠Indibabale Mboniswa, 14 Jarell Mbuyi, 13 Sky Segal, 12 Junior Shivuri, 11 Caid Maverick, 10 Andrew Jackson, 9 Regan McGurk, 8 Joshua Eykelhof, 7 Sam Bruwer, 6 Nkos’enhle Mafu, 5 Ashton Vreugdenburg, 4 Michael Bownes, 3 Kenneth Prins, 2 Tristan Randall, 1 Siya Nkomo.

Round two of the home and away annual rugby matches between the Maritzburg College and Glenwood High 1st XVs takes place in Durban on Saturday, on Dixon’s Field.

While College did the double over Glenwood last year for the first time since 2005, they’ll recall their 2023 visit to Durban when the Green Machine, who had gone down 15-42 on Goldstone’s earlier in the season, scored late to snatch a 27-24 win. They’re a tough out at home.

Earlier this season, in Pietermaritzburg, College won 37-25, pulling away in the second half after the teams were level at 13-13 at the break.

That has been something of a storyline for Glenwood in 2025. They’ve tended to come out strongly and play some outstanding rugby in the first half. Maintaining that intensity and consistency until the end of the game has been a challenge.

They’ve shown, no doubt, that they can hang with most teams, but for how long? They trailed unbeaten Westville Boys’ High 20-21 at halftime at Westville and led 25-21 six minutes into the second stanza before going down 25-42. At home against Northwood, it was tight until the end, with the Knights leading 18-16 before striking twice in the last minute to win 30-16.

College heads into the clash with the bitter taste of a 27-31 defeat to Pretoria Boys High in their mouths in their last home match of the season. Glenwood will feel better about their last outing – a 53-10 win over Parktown – which will have buoyed their confidence.

For both teams, it has been an up-and-down season, and their record are quite similar. Glenwood has won six, lost seven, and drawn one, while College has won seven and lost eight.

College was at their best in a narrow 20-21 defeat against Westville and a 23-20 win at Hilton College, while Glenwood’s top performances came in a 38-0 season-opening win over St Charles and, at least for a good part of it, a 37-34 win over Milnerton High, in a match they led 29-0 after a blistering start.

They were very good at Northwood on 26 July, where they played most of the rugby and built up an 11-0 lead, only to go down 11-19.

Before their 27-31 loss to Boys High, a match that they led 27-12, College appeared to have turned the corner. Before that they went down 27-45 to Affies in Pretoria, but that loss was preceded by the win over Hilton, a 31-18 victory at Michaelhouse, and a 35-20 defeat of Kearsney. The game before that was the one-point loss to Westville.

In this world of short memories and what have you done for me lately achievements, both Maritzburg College and Glenwood will be keen to add a victory at the end of the season to even their wins with their losses, and to add some gloss to their records.

Perhaps the biggest question that needs to be answered lies with the leadership of both teams. Glenwood skipper Lizwe Mtetwa will partner DHS centre Nathan Aneke for SA u18A against Ireland on Friday, while College captain Wavi Wyambwera will turn out for SA u18 against France.

Both players lead by example and both sides will need other players to step up and lead the way.

Teams:

Glenwood High vs Maritzburg College at 14:40 on Saturday on Dixon’s Field in Durban.

Maritzburg College: 15 Sandiswa Hadebe, 14 Ntsika Mkize, 13 Amahle Hadebe, 12 Jordan Thackwray, 11 Matthew Harris, 10 Liyema Tsoko, 9 Dom du Toit, 8 Mian Pretorius, 7 Elethu Mabanga, 6 David Colenbrander, 5 Connor Mountfort, 4 Phila Mkoyana, 3 Alande Ngubane, 2 Theo Boshoff, 1 Linamandla Mabanga.

Glenwood: N/A

While some schools played late season rugby matches on the weekend, others accelerated into the football season. Some, still, had hockey fixtures to play, and, in KwaZulu-Natal, the Sevens Rugby season kicked off at the St Charles Sevens, in Pietermaritzburg.

Competition took place in the u17 and u15 age groups, with Westville Boys’ High A claiming the title from Pool A in the u17 competition, and Westville B matching that by lifting the Pool B crown.

At u15 age group level, it was Hilton College who edged out St Charles in Pool A, while the Pool B honours went the way of Westville. That made it three out of four for the Griffin.

Pool A of the u17 competition featured the hosts, St Charles College A, Westville A, Michaelhouse A, and Hilton College A.

Westville quickly seized the initiative with successive victories in the first two rounds, while Saints and Michaelhouse won once each, and Hilton suffered two tight losses.

Hilton cruised past St Charles in round three, and Michaelhouse upset Westville, but Westville had already done enough to set up a rematch with ‘House for the title, leaving St Charles and Hilton to meet again for third place.

Hilton repeated their win over Saints, claiming third place by a 36-14 margin. Michaelhouse, though, was unable to repeat their earlier success against Westville, who romped to a 24-5 victory.

In the u17 B competition. Westville B and Michaelhouse B made strong starts, brushing aside St Charles B and Howick High respectively. Both won in the second round again, which meant the final was already decided before they met in their last pool game.

In round three, Westville edged out Michaelhouse 14-12, while Howick scored a 29-14 win over St Charles.

The tables were turned in the third-place playoff, with Saints easing to a 27-5 win over Howick, but Westville got the better of Michaelhouse once more, winning the u17 B final 29-19.

St Charles shook up the u15A competition, beating Westville by five points in the first round before trouncing Michaelhouse 36-0 in their second outing. Hilton, meanwhile, beat the same opposition, scoring a 33-5 win over ‘House and a 26-12 win over Westville.

The third round of games was tightly contested, with Hilton holding on for a 28-22 win over Saints, and Westville sneaking by Michaelhouse 17-15.

In the u15A final, Hilton won another close game against St Charles, taking it 19-14. Michaelhouse placed third, winning 26-12 against Westville.

Westville, though, claimed the u15B title. They opened their campaign with a tough 15-5 win over St Charles, cruised to a 36-5 victory over Howick, and beat Michaelhouse 33-12 in their three pool games.

St Charles, after their loss to Westville, downed Michaelhouse 10-5 and won 12-7 against Howick to reach the title game.

It was yet another closely contested match for Saints in the final, but Westville won it 19-17 to take the Pool B honours.

Michaelhouse placed third after a 32-5 win over Howick High.

RESULTS

U17 Pool A

Round 1: Westville 22-7 St Charles, Michaelhouse 13-5 Hilton
Round 2: St Charles 28-15 Michaelhouse, Westville 22-19 Hilton
Round 3: Hilton 37-7 St Charles, Michaelhouse 21-15 Westville

3rd Place Playoff: Hilton 36-14 St Charles

Final: Westville 24-5 Michaelhouse

U17 Pool B

Round 1: Westville 36-5 St Charles, Michaelhouse 54-0 Howick
Round 2: Michaelhouse 48-0 St Charles, Westville 67-0 Howick
Round 3: Westville 14-12 Michaelhouse, Howick 29-14 St Charles

3rd Place Playoff: St Charles 27- 5 Howick

Final: Westville 29- 19 Michaelhouse

U15 Pool A

Round 1: St Charles 17- 12 Westville, Hilton 33-5 Michaelhouse
Round 2: St Charles 36-0 Michaelhouse, Hilton 26-12 Westville
Round 3: Hilton 28-22 St Charles, Westville 17-15 Michaelhouse

3rd Place Playoff: Michaelhouse 26-12 Westville

Final: Hilton 19- 14 St Charles

U15 Pool B

Round 1: Westville 15-5 St Charles, Michaelhouse 5 – 0 Howick
Round 2: St Charles 10-5 Michaelhouse, Westville 36-5 Howick
Round 3: Westville 33-12 Michaelhouse, St Charles 12-7 Howick

3rd Place Playoff: Michaelhouse 32-5 Howick

Final: Westville 19-17 St Charles