Author: captainmorgan

After a cool start to Friday’s action, the weather, warm and clear on Thursday, turned cold, with rain falling to add an extra challenge to day two of the Kearsney Soccer Tournament as it headed into the playoffs.

At the start of the day, though, teams first had to complete their group assignments.

In Group A, Clifton College wrapped up their schedule with a convincing 4-0 win over Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge, which lifted the Durban school to the top of the table.

They posted a record of two wins and a draw with Maqhutshana A, but those goals that Clifton scored in their win over Trinityhouse saw them edge out Maqhutshana for top spot, based on goals scored. Both teams had a goal difference of plus-seven.

Two matches remained in Group B. Queensburgh High cruised to a 4-0 win over Grace College, while Kearsney College scored a tight 1-0 victory over Sutherland.

That left both Queensburgh and Kearsney with seven points, from two wins and a draw, but Queensburgh edged out Kearsney for first place on goals scored, having netted one more than Kearsney, who conceded none, with both achieving a plus-five goal difference after three games.

Ominously for their challengers, the defending champion, Pinetown Boys’ High hit their stride on Friday. They overwhelmed Curro Somerset West 7-0 in their last group outing to take over at the top, having scored nine goals and surrendered just one.

Urban Academy, from Gqeberha, matched Pinetown and finished with the same record while scoring six goals in their three matches and keeping their sheet clean.

From Group D, Siyajabula High and Durban High School (DHS) booked places in the Championship quarterfinals. Siyajabula overran Ashton Ballito 5-1, while DHS scored a 3-0 win over Curro Hazeldean.

Siyajabula finished with seven points from two wins and a draw – no team won all three group matches – while School picked up six points from two victories.

With Glenwood High, one of the better teams in KZN in recent seasons, missing out on reaching the Championship quarterfinals from Group C, the signs were there that the teams that advanced from that group were sides to keep an eye on. That proved to be the case.

In the first quarterfinal, Urban Academy lifted their record to 10 goals scored and zero conceded after they charged to a 4-0 win over Clifton. Pinetown Boys’ High, playing the third quarterfinal, repeated their spectacular performance of earlier in the day, thumping Maqhutshana A 7-0.

DHS advanced to the semis with a 3-1 win over Queensburgh, which left them, like Pinetown, in with a chance of winning the Kearsney Soccer Tournament for a second time. They won the inaugural edition in 2023, while Pinetown lifted the trophy in 2024.

The hosts, Kearsney, third in 2024, progressed to the semi-finals by ousting last year’s runner-up Siyajabula. The teams shared a goalless draw, but Kearsney went through 3-1 from the penalty spot.

The semi-finals, though, confirmed the earlier perception of Group C, with Pinetown Boys’ High and Urban Academy winning through to the title decider. Pinetown scored a clear-cut 4-0 win over DHS, while Urban Academy defeated Kearsney 2-0. That meant Pinetown had scored an astounding 18 goals without allowing one in three matches on the day.

However, when Pinetown Boys’ High and Urban Academy met on Thursday, they shared a 0-0 draw. On Saturday, a winner will emerge and will lift the Kearsney Soccer Tournament title.

Girls’ competition

Friday morning brought a showdown between free-scoring St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, the defending champion, and Durban Girls’ High, in Group A. This time, the game was as tight as could be, with St Mary’s scraping a 1-0 win. Both teams, though, were already assured of a place in the semi-finals.

In Group B, Danville Park Girls’ High ran roughshod over Sastri College, winning 7-0, while Curro Hazeldean drew 1-1 with Ashton Ballito. That left Curro top of the table, with Danville in second.

Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge met Sastri College in the Plate semi-finals and won comfortably, 3-0, to book their place in the Plate final. They’ll face Ashton in the title game after Ashton beat Crawford La Lucia 2-0.

Both Championship semi-finals went to penalty shootouts and when they were done it set up another showdown between St Mary’s DSG and Durban Girls’ High School for the title.

St Mary’s and Danville drew 1-1, with St Mary’s winning 3-2 from the spot, while Durban Girls’ High and Curro Hazeldean also drew 1-1, with Girls’ High taking it 2-1 in the penalty shootout.

RESULTS

BOYS

Group A

Clifton College 4-0 Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge

Group B

Kearsney College 1-0 Sutherland
Queensburgh High 4-0 Grace College

Group C

Pinetown Boys’ High 7-0 Curro Somerset West

Group D

Durban High School 3-0 Curro Hazeldean
Siyajabula High 5-1 Ashton Ballito

Championship quarterfinals

QF 1: Clifton College 0-4 Urban Academy
QF 2: DHS 3-1 Queensburgh High
QF 3: Pinetown Boys’ High 7-0 Maqhutshana A
QF 4: Kearsney College 0-0 Siyajabula (Kearsney won 3-1 on penalties)

Championship semi-finals

SF 1: Urban Academy 2-0 Kearsney College
SF2: Pinetown Boys’ High 4-0 DHS

Plate quarterfinals

QF A: Curro Hazeldean 3-3 Maqhutshana B (Curro Hazeldean won 3-1 on penalties)
QF B: Sutherland 1-1 Ashton Ballito (Sutherland won 3-1 on penalties)
QF C: Glenwood High 5-0 Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge
QF D: Curro Hazeldean 1-0 Grace College

Plate semi-finals

SF A: Curro Somerset West 1-1 Curro Hazeldean (Somerset West won 2-1 on penalties)
SF B: Glenwood High 3-0 Sutherland

GIRLS

Group A

St Mary’s DSG, Kloof 1-0 Durban Girls’ High
Crawford La Lucia 1-1 Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge

Group B

Ashton Ballito 1-1 Curro Hazeldean
Danville Park Girls’ High 7-0 Sastri College

Plate semi-finals

SF A: Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge 3-0 Sastri College
SF B: Ashton Ballito 2-0 Crawford La Lucia

Championship semi-finals

SF1: St Mary’s DSG, Kloof 1-1 Danville Park Girls’ High (St Mary’s won 3-2 on penalties)
SF 2: Durban Girls’ High 1-1 Curro Hazeldean (Durban Girls’ High won 2-1 on penalties)

Thursday, day one of the third Kearsney Soccer Tournament dawned mild and sunny, with the Botha’s Hill campus presenting an inviting canvas for the 36 teams spread across high school, girls’ high school, and primary school divisions.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Much was expected of Pinetown Boys’ High, the defending champion and recent winner of the Kloof High Football Tournament, at which they beat the Absa Wildeklawer winner, Virginia High, in a superb final. In a key clash, Pinetown beat Glenwood High 2-1, but they were held to a goalless draw by Gqeberha’s Urban Academy.

The Eastern Cape side made its mark in Group C, also bagging 3-0 victories over Glenwood and Curro Somerset West in their other outings, which leaves them top of the group standings heading into day two.

Maqhutshana A tops the table in Group A, also with two wins and a draw. They shared a 1-1 result with Clifton College but then overran Maqhutshana B 5-0 and scored a 2-0 win over Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge.

Clifton boosted their chances of progressing to the Cup quarterfinals by dispatching Maqhutshana B 5-2 in their second match, while Maqhutshana B also recorded a 3-0 win over Trinityhouse.

Group B, featuring the hosts, Kearsney College, is wide open heading into the last round of group matches on Friday morning.

Kearsney drew 0-0 with Queensburgh High but then outplayed Grace College 4-0.

Queensburgh, meanwhile, beat Sutherland 2-1, and Sutherland won by the same score against Grace.

Queensburgh will feel confident heading into their last group game against Grace College on Friday, but Kearsney faces what appears to be a stiffer challenge from Sutherland.

Siyajabula High laid down a marker in Group D when they scorched to a 4-1 win over Durban High School (DHS), the winner of the inaugural Kearsney Soccer Tournament in 2023, in their opener.

Curro Hazeldean, though, held Siyajabula to a 1-1 draw in their second outing. The Pretoria school also beat Ashton Ballito 2-0. DHS also comfortably dealt with Ashton, cruising to a 4-1 win.

Girls’ competition

In the girls’ competition, the defending champion, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), made an emphatic start to their title defence, overrunning Crawford College La Lucia 6-1 and Trinity House Rand Park Ridge 5-1.

At the same time, though, Durban Girls’ High also bagged two one-sided wins in Group A, overpowering Trinity House 6-2 and Crawford La Lucia 8-2. That leaves them one goal better off than St Mary’s on goal difference.

At 10:00, on Friday morning, St Mary’s DSG and Durban Girls’ High, will meet to decide who tops the standings.

Group B is up for grabs, but Curro Hazeldean has the edge after a 3-1 win over Sastri College and a tight 3-2 defeat of Danville Park Girls’ High.

Danville Park, though, beat Ashton College 1-0, so they remain in the mix, and Ashton, after a 4-0 victory over Sastri College could also finish in the top two and claim a place in the cross-pool semi-finals.

BOYS’ STANDINGS

Group A

Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge 0-3 Maqhutshana B
Clifton College 1-1 Maqhutshana A
Maqhutshana B 2-5 Clifton College
Maqhutshana A 5-0 Maqhutshana B
Trinityhouse Rand Park Ridge 0-2 Maqhutshana A 2

Group B

Sutherland 1-2 Queensburgh High
Kearsney College 4-0 Grace College
Queensburgh High 0-0 Kearsney College
Sutherland 2-1 Grace College

Group C

Curro Somerset West 0-3 Glenwood High
Pinetown Boys’ High 0-0 Urban Academy
Glenwood High 1-2 Pinetown Boys’ High
Urban Academy 3-0 Glenwood
Curro Somerset West 0-3 Urban Academy

Group D

Curro Hazeldean 2-0 Ashton Ballito
Durban High School 1-4 Siyajabula High
Ashton Ballito 1-4 Durban High School
Curro Hazeldean 1-1 Siyajabula High

GIRLS’ STANDINGS

Group A

St Mary’s DSG 6-1 Crawford La Lucia
Trinity House 1-5 St Mary’s DSG
Durban Girls’ High 6-2 Trinity House
Crawford La Lucia 2-8 Durban Girls’ High

Group B

Ashton College 0-1 Danville Park Girls’ High
Sastri College 0-4 Ashton College
Curro Hazeldean 3-1 Sastri College
Danville Park Girls’ High 2-3 Curro Hazeldean

The third annual Kearsney Soccer Tournament kicks off on Thursday and brings together 36 school teams and nearly 600 young footballers from across South Africa and Botswana for a thrilling three days of all-out action.

Hosted by Kearsney College, in Botha’s Hill, the tournament has rapidly become a highlight on schools’ football calendar.

This year, the competition features 16 boys’ high school teams, eight girls’ high school teams and 12 primary school teams.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools

Last year’s winners in the three divisions, Pinetown Boys’ High (senior boys), St Mary’s DSG (senior girls) and Merchiston Prep (junior boys), will be back to defend their titles.

Pinetown, after recently claiming the Kloof High Football Tournament title against an elite field, will, undoubtedly, be the team to beat.

Other participating boys’ high school teams from KwaZulu-Natal are Durban High School (DHS), Glenwood High, Clifton College, Ashton Ballito, Grace College, Maqhutshana Secondary, Siyajabula High, Queensburgh High, and the hosts, Kearsney College.

Gauteng’s interests are represented by Curro Hazeldean, Sutherland High, and Trinity House Randpark Ridge.

Urban Academy, from Gqeberha, and Curro Somerset West fly the flag for the Eastern and Western Cape respectively.

Joining St Mary’s DSG, Kloof, in the girls’ high school competition are KZN’s Durban Girls’ High, Danville Park Girls, Sastri College, Crawford La Lucia, and Ashton Ballito.

The field is completed by Curro Hazeldean, from Pretoria, and Trinity House Randpark Ridge, from Johannesburg.

Twelve primary school sides will join them, including Broadhurst Primary, from Gaberone, in Botswana.

The local teams are Highbury Prep, Hillcrest Primary, Winston Park, Atholl Heights, Westville Senior Primary, John Wesley, Ashton Ballito, Reddam Ballito, and Clifton Prep. Pelham Senior Primary and last year’s winners, Merchiston, will make the short trip from Pietermaritzburg.

“We are excited to welcome players, coaches and supporters to what promises to be another exciting and competitive tournament,” said Kearsney headmaster, Patrick Lees.

“The Kearsney Soccer Tournament provides a platform for young athletes to test their skills, foster school spirit and build lasting friendships through sport.”

In addition to fierce competition, the event aims to promote development in youth football, featuring both boys’ and girls’ teams and encouraging participation from primary and high school levels, he said.

The tournament is sponsored by Meondo Holdings, with Chemlog adding their support.

Kearsney’s Coffee Shop will be open throughout the tournament, which runs through to Saturday, 19 July, and spectators are encouraged to enjoy some thrilling games and tasty treats.

Fixtures and results will be on the Kearsney Events App, which is available on Google Play and iStore.

Two teams – Clifton College and St Andrew’s School – emerged unbeaten from the u18 Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF), which wrapped up on Wednesday at St Charles College, in Pietermaritzburg.

Both recorded emphatic wins, with Clifton beating St Benedict’s 54-26, while Saints ran out 54-5 winners over CBC Boksburg.

In their last game, Clifton produced the best first half of rugby played by any team in the event by a country mile. It was astonishing. The power, pace, and continuity were top notch, and they ran rings around Bennies to surge into an eye-opening 42-0 lead at halftime.

That statement about Clifton’s performance above might, also, be eye-opening to rugby followers, who would have seen a team that struggled this season, but I challenge them to watch the game on SuperSport Schools and then assess it. The Durban school has some fine talent in its younger ranks, it seems.

Bennies, though, deserve a huge amount of credit. They fell 0-54 behind but proceeded to score the last 26 points of the game. That character and fight was hugely impressive. It must be extremely rare that a team trails by such a big margin at the break but then comes back to win the second half comfortably.

Clifton College’s Director of Rugby Jose dos Santos, rightly, called it a game of two halves. “It was a brilliant first half, ” he told SuperSport Schools Plus, “but our fitness levels dropped in the second half.

“We gave the whole squad a rotation today, but they’ve got to bring the energy when they come onto the field. But seeing that first half was very exciting. Respect to the coaches, it has been good.”

Winning all three games – Clifton also beat Cornwall Hill College 33-14 and CBC Boksburg 54-13 – was a big confidence boost, Dos Santos added.

Finishing had been an issue for Clifton in the 2025 season, but they averaged 47 points a game at St Charles. Winning certainly breeds confidence and belief.

St Andrew’s School won 19-14 over St Benedict’s in their opener. They were most impressive in their second outing, handing St David’s Marist Inanda a 26-5 defeat, and they overran CBC Boksburg 54-5 in their last match on Wednesday.

It wasn’t their best performance, but the Bloemfontein boys had too much firepower for the boys from Boksburg.

Saints will admit that their game had dropped off in recent years, but they’ve identified where they need to improve and have at times called in specialist coaches to concentrate on areas of specific need, and that approach is clearly starting to pay off.

Director of Rugby Lieben Pietersen was pleased to come away with a clean record at the Independent Schools Rugby Festival. It was the first time that St Andrew’s School had managed that feat under his leadership, and they did it while looking as if they were truly enjoying their time on and off the field.

St Stithians College had a chance to go unbeaten, too, but they were blown apart by Hilton College, who scored a bruising 43-7 victory.

The local lads were minus a significant number of players who are on provincial duty for The Sharks, but the school’s trademark style was clearly visible. That’s down to a good, cohesive coaching.

When Hilton gets onto the front foot, they are a handful and difficult to contain, and St Stithians, winners over St Andrew’s College and the Brisbane Barbarians, was unable to deal with the relentless pounding of the Hilton pack, which laid a superb foundation for victory.

Somerset College impressed, too, with their strong structure and organisation. Like Hilton, it’s a case of slow poison wearing down the opposition. They scored a 28-7 win over Cornwall Hill College in their last outing.

St Alban’s College and St John’s College produced an exciting back-and-forth clash, which saw fortunes ebb and flow.

The Pretoria school turned the tide late in the game with a tackle rip behind the St John’s try line, which resulted in a seven-point play and they came away with a 38-25 win.

In a tightly contested clash, St Andrew’s College was pushed all the way by St David’s Marist Inanda. In the end, though, the Makhanda crew claimed a 21-15 victory.

The hosts, St Charles College, celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2025, weren’t in action on the final day. They had been forced into playing two teams after a late withdrawal from the festival, but those sides showed up well and were competitive.

“It was a good litmus test of the commitment of our boys and our families,” St Charles Director of Sport, Rowan Irons, told SuperSport Schools Plus. “Pretty much everyone, the players and the families, jumped in. It was great.

“The teams were very competitive, so I think Craig Dwyer and his coaching team did very well to balance the teams. A couple of matric boys were also involved, and they role-modelled some stuff to the youngsters. I was really pleased with how those two teams went.

St Charles Blue went down 5-36 to St John’s College in their opener, but then beat St Alban’s 33-8, and St Alban’s went on to beat St John’s. That’s why you play the games! They’re not won on paper.

St Charles Gold beat Somerset College 36-5 and then went down 24-47 to Brisbane Boys’ College, which proved to be the top team at the festival. The Queenslanders beat Hilton 29-24 in their opener.

Irons paid tribute to Director of Rugby Craig Dwyer, saying: “He’s got a magic touch when it comes to the composition of teams, and he tried lots of things between the two teams this past weekend.

“There were a lot of interesting positional changes, and there were boys coming through [from the younger age groups]. He’s got a plan that he’s working on, and I could see some of it coming out, so it’s exciting for next year.”

With St Charles bringing back the majority of their 1^st XV in 2026, Dwyer is very excited about the Pietermaritzburg School’s prospects.

Results

Clifton College 54-26 St Benedict’s College
St Andrew’s School 54-5 CBC Boksburg
Hilton College 43-7 St Stithians
Somerset College 28-7 Cornwall Hill College
St Alban’s 35-28 St John’s College
St Andrew’s College 21-15 St David’s Marist Inanda

St Stithians, Brisbane Boys’ College, Clifton College, and St Andrew’s School maintained their unbeaten records at the Independent Schools Rugby Festival, being hosted by St Charles College, in Pietermaritzburg, on Monday.

St Stithians, who delivered a fine performance on Saturday in a narrow three-point win over St Andrew’s College, won more emphatically in their second outing, beating the Brisbane Barbarians (Brisbane Boys’ College 2^nd XV) 33-14.

Credit to the Australian side, they’re well coached and play a well-structured game, but Saints had their number.

Clifton College followed up on an impressive 33-14 win over Cornwall Hill College with an even more comfortable victory, outplaying CBC Boksburg 54-13.

Throughout the 2025 season, Clifton struggled with their finishing, but they sure have found it at the Independent Schools Rugby Festival, playing some exciting running rugby, which has, no doubt, provided them with a huge boost of confidence.

CBC, for their part, lack size, and that has made it a challenge for the boys from Boksburg. They’re not short of spirit, but playing with back-foot ball is not easy.

Brisbane Boys’ College, winners over a strong Hilton College side on Saturday, faced an enthusiastic challenge from the St Charles Gold team, which had dispatched Somerset College by 31 points on Saturday.

The Queenslanders were up for it, and although Saints was able to breech their defences a number of times, Brisbane Boys’ College almost doubled up the home side, romping to a 47-24 win.

There was success for St Charles, though, as St Charles Blue overpowered St Alban’s 33-8. That success reflects well on the hosts’ depth. With the majority of their 1st XV players returning in 2026, they’re a dark horse to watch out for.

St Andrew’s School finished the day with the best defensive record thus far at the Independent Schools Rugby Festival. After a hard-fought 19-14 win over St Benedict’s in their opener, during which they conceded only one try, they gave up only one more in a convincing 26-5 victory over St David’s Marist Inanda.

St Andrew’s College, after their tight loss to St Stithians, hit their straps against Cornwall Hill College and raced to a 38-12 victory.

Somerset College, meanwhile, made a tick in the win column, coming out of a tight tussle against St Benedict’s with a 24-12 victory.

The biggest win of the day belonged to Hilton College who were surprisingly dominant against St John’s College, hammering the Johannesburg school 74-0.

The final day of the event, Wednesday, will feature six matches, with the Brisbane Boys’ College and St Charles teams not in action.

Clifton College will have an opportunity to finish with a clean record when they tackle St Benedict’s, while St Stithians will face a stiff challenge in their quest to go unbeaten. They meet Hilton College.

St Andrew’s School will feel confident they can go three for three. They finish with a clash against CBC Boksburg.

FIXTURES

Wednesday, 2 July

Colts Field

08:00 – St John’s vs St Alban’s
09:10 – St Andrew’s School vs CBC Boksburg
10:20 – Hilton vs St Stithians

Old Orchards Field

08:00 – St David’s vs St Andrew’s College
09:10 – Somerset College vs Cornwall Hill
10:20 – Clifton College vs St Benedict’s

A festive atmosphere filled St Charles College as the school, celebrating its 150^th anniversary, hosted not only 16 Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF) teams on Saturday, the opening day of the event, but 52 teams in total, with u11 and u13 Sevens festivals running alongside.

The event is for u18 players only. Some teams went with only Stayers teams, while others included grade 12 boys who met the age restriction.

One of the big questions to be answered on the opening day was how would Brisbane Boys’ College measure up to their South African opposition? The answer to that was very well, thank you.

Coached by Samoan international Dan Leo, assisted by former All Black hardman Brad Thorn, the Queenslanders impressed, demonstrating a physical edge that caught Hilton College cold in the early going of their clash on Old Orchards.

From there, it became a fascinating back-and-forth battle, but Brisbane Boys were able to keep their noses in front to claim a 29-24 win.

Their 2^nd XV was also in action against St Alban’s College, and they gave the Pretoria school, a tough going-over. Brisbane’s organisation and physicality again stood out, but they went down to a narrow 17-21 defeat.

The undoubted highlight, from an individual standpoint, on day one, was a 100-metre try scored by Clifton College loosehead prop Jonathan Mazibuko, which included him breaking tackles, side-stepping, and running away from defenders. Who doesn’t love seeing a prop turn on the jets?

Clifton’s Director of Rugby, Jose Dos Santos, grinned when asked about his fleet-footed front-ranker. “He’s in grade 11. Fantastic! He had aspirations this year to play wing. It was good seeing him score one,” he said.

The Durban school, despite having only five practices together with their ISRF lineup, turned in a strong showing and impressed with their good finishing, which included a double from right-wing James Joughin. Up against a good Cornwall Hill College side, Clifton scored a 33-14 win.

“It was nice to see them enjoy their rugby. And it was a good feeling to win,” Dos Santos commented.

Brisbane Boys’ College weren’t the sole tourists from overseas in action. St Andrew’s School, from Bloemfontein, included six Italian players in their squad – two flanks, an eighthman, two wings, and a fullback.

Lieben Pietersen, the St Andrew’s Director of Rugby, said an exchange had started last year between the school and an Italian club: “We brought over 15 guys over the course of two months. First six, then nine. We went over with four of our guys in March/April to a club, just to start building it up, so that we start getting more guys involved.

“This is the second year that we are doing this. We learn from them, and they learn from us. The way the Italians play is the way that Saints wants to play. They offload. They play a quick game.

Playing Bloemfontein schools and being an English school in among many Afrikaans schools, St Andrew’s is almost always the smaller side, Pietersen said, so swift ball movement is what is needed.

St Andrew’s took on St Benedict’s on Saturday and restricted the Bedfordview school to a single try in a hard-fought 19-14 win, with Bennies’ flyhalf Jarred Cheketri showing off a good boot, which brought him two penalties and a conversion.

Pietersen said communication for St Andrew’s, with their Italian players, was not a problem. “Rugby is a language that everybody speaks,” he explained. “Once they understand what we call certain calls, they know what to do. They know how to play situations and positions, and they have been with us for almost three weeks now.

“They have an English tutor. That’s also why they come over, to learn English with us, and we take them around Bloemfontein and South Africa. We’re going to take them to the Italian test before they fly back.”

St Stithians and St Andrew’s College produced an entertaining contest. Saints struck twice early to open up a double-digit lead before the Makhanda boys replied, showing off their trademark offloading and exciting running rugby.

The Johannesburg boys also showed enterprise, led by their flyhalf Tinodashe Mambure. Not only did he exhibit a very good boot, but he also split the defence for a sharp try in the first half.

St Andrew’s fought back strongly in the second half but couldn’t quite make up the deficit and St Stithians scraped a 25-22 victory.

St Charles College put out two teams, St Charles Blue and St Charles Gold, after the late withdrawal of one of the participating schools. They won one and lost one, with the score in both games being the same, 36-5.

St John’s College fed off the Blue team’s errors to run in some superb long range tries, while Somerset College found the going tougher against the Gold side.

St David’s Marist Inanda enjoyed a big 59-0 win over CBC Boksburg, which did no justice to the efforts of CBC, who spent plenty of time in the St David’s 22m area but were unable to unlock the Sandton school’s defence.

St David’s, then, punished them on the counterattack.

SCORES

St John’s College 36-5 St Charles Blue
St David’s Marist Inanda 59-0 CBC Boksburg
Clifton College 33-14 Cornwall Hill College
St Stithians 25-22 St Andrew’s College
St Andrew’s School 19-14 St Benedict’s College
Brisbane Boys’ College 1st XV 29-24 Hilton College
Brisbane Boys’ College 2nd XV 17-21 St Alban’s
St Charles Gold 36-5 Somerset College

St Charles College, celebrating its 150th anniversary, plays host to the 2025 Independent Schools Rugby Festival. The event, for Stayers’ teams, kicks off on Saturday.

Adding interest to occasion is the presence of Brisbane Boys’ College, which will field a 1st XV and 2nd XV. The 1st XV opens its challenge with an outing against Hilton College at 14:00.

It should be a revealing clash for both units. The Hilton 1st XV enjoyed a strong season in 2025, but their run-on side included many grade 12 boys. It will be interesting to see where a player like Guy Fender, for example, plays. In 2024, he was the u16A flyhalf, but this season played mostly on the right wing for the 1st XV.

Brisbane Boys’ College played a warm-up game on a muddy field in Brackenfell on 23 June against a Kallos Cowboys XV and came away with a 36-5 win, but it’s hard to read much into a match against a composite side.

A better indication of their potential came on 25 June when both the 1st XV and 2nd XV turned out against Hoërskool DF Malan, with the 2nd XV winning 33-5 and the 1st XV winning a hard-fought arm wrestle 12-5.

They have shown they are up for the challenge and spectators will be keen to see how the Australians measure up to independents schools’ sides.

In recent years, the Independent Schools Rugby Festival has been dominated by KZN teams, and those sides this year include, besides Hilton, Clifton College, and St Charles. Unfortunately, Kearsney College was a late withdrawal, which has led to the organisers dividing Saints into St Charles College Blue and St Charles College Gold. That’s a pity because St Charles returns the majority of its 1st XV and it would have been exciting to see them in action.

They play a crowd-pleasing offloading game with more than a touch of flair, and they also return all of their front row players, starters and reserves, which likely means they’ll be playing with good quality ball in 2026. Unfortunately, that’s when we’ll get a proper look at the side and not from Saturday.

The Gauteng contingent includes St David’s Marist Inanda, CBC Boksburg, St John’s College, Cornwall Hill College, St Stithians College, St Benedict’s College, and St Alban’s College.

Out of those teams, St Stithians, arguably, turned in the best season in 2025. Of course, the Stayers XVs could look very different, so the ISRF is a fantastic opportunity to catch a glimpse of the future.

Completing the lineup are St Andrew’s College, from Makhanda, Somerset College, from Somerset West, and St Andrew’s School, from Bloemfontein.

On Saturday, the clashes between St Stithians and St Andrew’s College, and Hilton and Brisbane Boys’ 1st XV look like the games to watch, but that could be way off the mark given that the teams are next year’s sides playing this year. The day should reveal more about what to expect when the Monday’s and Wednesday’s matches are played.

Saturday, 28 June

Colts Field

11:30 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs CBC Boksburg
12:45 – Clifton College vs Cornwall Hill
14:00 – St Andrew’s School vs St Benedict’s
15:15 – Brisbane Boys’ College 2nd XV vs St Alban’s

Old Orchards Field

11:30 – St Charles Blue vs St John’s
12:45 – St Stithians vs St Andrew’s College
14:00 – Hilton vs Brisbane Boys’ College 1st XV
15:15 – St Charles Gold vs Somerset College

Monday, 30 June

Colts Field

10:00 – St Benedict’s vs Somerset College
11:15 – St Alban’s vs St Charles Blue
12:30 – St Andrew’s College vs Cornwall Hill
13:45 – St John’s vs Hilton

Old Orchards Field

10:00 – St David’s vs St Andrew’s School
11:15 – St Stithians vs Brisbane Boys’ College 2nd XV
12:30 – Clifton College vs CBC Boksburg
13:45 – St Charles Gold vs Brisbane Boys’ College 1st XV

Wednesday, 2 July

Colts Field

08:00 – St John’s vs St Alban’s
09:10 – St Andrew’s School vs CBC Boksburg
10:20 – Hilton vs St Stithians

Old Orchards Field

08:00 – St David’s vs St Andrew’s College
09:10 – Somerset College vs Cornwall Hill
10:20 – Clifton College vs St Benedict’s

Skilful flyhalf Oli Johns proved to be the catalyst as St Andrew’s College took control of their match against Dale College, in Qonce, on Saturday, to score a 33-21 win after they trailed 7-8 at halftime.

With nothing between the sides after the first 35 minutes, Johns set up a brilliant try by flank Luca Nigrini and then sliced through the defence for a score of his own to take the visitors out to a 26-11 lead with 20 minutes remaining.

Although Dale hit back in the final stages of the game with unconverted tries by Azola Sodlaka and Mahle Mehlomane, St Andrew’s added a fourth second-half try by wing Qhawe Madikizela to secure a hard-earned victory against perennially tough opponents.

St Andrew’s was the aggressor from the start, camping in the Dale 22 and testing the home defence to the full.

Although the Dalians stood up well to this examination, eventually the gaps showed and in the 14^th minute St Andrew’s centre Aphindile Ngcuka went through a gap for a try which Johns converted.

Dale came back with a penalty by Soso Dyani and then they took the lead in the 26^th minute when an attacking move by St Andrew’s ended up at the opposite end of the field after fullback Inga Mafanga snaffled an intercept and sprinted away untouched for a try.

Johns, though, was quick to put St Andrew’s ahead early in the second half. Receiving the ball near his own 22, he beat a number of defenders and then sent the ball to the left where Nigrini took the final pass to scorch his way 60 metres downfield for a thrilling try.

A little more than 10 minutes later, Johns was again in the thick of things and this time his nimble footwork saw him thread his way through the Dale defence for another converted try.

While Dale showed courage to hit back late in the game, St Andrew’s had built up enough of a cushion to maintain their winning form this season.

At City Lords, in Makhanda, there was no shortage of passion or commitment as Kingswood College and Woodridge squared off in their final match of the season.

With many players playing their final game for Woodridge, they never gave up trying but were done in by Kingswood’s clinical execution of their moves.

The home team’s outside centre, Likhona Kepe, was the standout player of the day, showing that there is no substitute for sheer speed as he waltzed over for a remarkable total of six tries.

The home side was in control from the outset and led 36-3 at the break, with Woodridge’s only points coming from a penalty by flyhalf Tim Teulon.

The visitors continued to fight hard after the break. They never let their heads drop and signed off with the final try of the match, scored by Dimitri Alexandris.

In Graaff-Reinet, Union High produced one of their best performances of the season to defeat Graeme College 19-14 after leading 5-0 at the break.

Although the visitors hit back strongly after halftime to score two tries for a 14-5 lead, Union High kept their composure and crossed the line twice more to secure a memorable upset victory.

Scorers

St Andrew’s College 33 (7) – Tries: Aphindile Ngcuka, Luca Nigrini, Oli Johns, Qhawe Madikizela, Sivitho Mjali. Conversions: Johns (4). Dale College 21 (8) – Tries: Inga Mafanga, Azola Sodlaka, Mahle Mehlomane. Penalty: Soso Dyani (2).

Union High 19 (5) – scorers not available. Graeme College 14 (0) – Tries: Masi Maboza, Asakhe Ranuga. Conversions: Ethan Bokbaard (2).

The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands painted a pretty picture on Saturday afternoon as Hilton College completed a season’s sweep of their great rivals, Michaelhouse, scoring a 29-20 win in the bowl of Gilfillan Field after leading 16-10 at the break.

Hilton never trailed, but twice, when it appeared as if the home side was about to firmly seize control of the contest, Michaelhouse came firing back to make a good game of it.

In the end, though, Hilton won thanks to a sound foundation laid by their pack, a crisp service from scrumhalf Benoit Rey, and a superb all-round performance from their captain and flyhalf Liyema Nela, who read the game beautifully and made excellent choices throughout. His personal contribution was 19 points.

The home side got off to a strong start when Nela, who had his kicking boots on, landing a penalty from wide on the left after only two minutes. That was followed by the contest’s opening try, 11 minutes in, with big André Boshoff finishing next to the uprights after being put into a gap from a tap-and-go five metres out.

Seizing the initiative early on was crucial to his side’s success, Hilton coach Brad Macleod-Henderson told SuperSport Schools Plus afterwards: “It was a tough game as the Hilton/Michaelhouse always is. We got off to a good start and, luckily, those first 10 points were enough to get us over the line in the end,” he reckoned.

Ten minutes after Boshoff’s try, Michaelhouse made it onto the scoreboard, with Stefan Moolman slotting an easy penalty. But it wasn’t what they had wanted. ‘House had hammered away at Hilton’s try line, but the home team had an answer to every surge they made. Instead of a try, they settled for a penalty.

The impressive Nela, then, struck a dagger blow for the home side when he landed a drop goal from 25 metres out, which took his side 13-3 clear after 26 minutes. “I don’t want to hype myself up, but I think that drop kick put us on the front foot,” he said.

With the momentum on Hilton’s side, they threatened to overrun Michaelhouse when a Nela penalty extended their lead to 13 points after the visitors went offsides.

William Ridl and his men showed character, though, to work their way down the field again, where they kept hammering away at the Hilton try line, with the home side stubbornly rejecting ever crack that their rivals took. Eventually, though, Michaelhouse’s patience was rewarded when Rourke O’Sullivan crashed over in the left corner.

A pinpoint conversion from Moolman took the halftime score to 16-10. It was game on again.

Early in the second half, Nela kept the scoreboard pressure building with a third successful penalty from 32 metres out.

For a second time in the match, it looked as if Hilton might break open the contest and surge clear when they went over for another try, scored by number eight Zander Muller off an inviting inside pass from Nela. Muller was in under the uprights and Nela’s easy conversion kick put Hilton 26-10 ahead after 48 minutes.

Michaelhouse clawed their way back, however. A Moolman penalty a couple of minutes later reduced the deficit before a sizzling length of the field counterattack, started in the left-hand corner of the ‘House 22 by Lwandle Nzama, was finished out on the right and over Hilton’s try line by fullback Alex Jankowitz.

Moolman’s steady boot and successful conversion pulled the red and white hoops to within a converted try with 10 minutes to play. Once again, the visitors were back in with a shot of victory.

Hilton responded well by playing the next five minutes deep inside the visitors’ half.

Eventually, Michaelhouse worked their way into Hilton’s 22 as time expired. But, when a lineout throw-in didn’t go to hand Hilton’s Zander Muller gratefully claimed possession, made a run, set up a ruck, and flyhalf Nela kicked high and handsome over the sideline to secure victory.

“Hats off to Michaelhouse. They kept on coming. They never back down. All in all, I think it was a good day. The weather was beautiful, too. Luckily, we came out on the right side of the result,” a grinning Brad Macleod-Henderson said while being congratulated by happy Hilton supporters.

“Nela had a great game. His kicking for poles was fantastic, his kicking out of hand, too, and he showed what he could do with his feet. I’m sure in his last game for Hilton, he is very happy to get the win.”

“It was nice,” the Hilton College skipper smiled when discussing his perfect goal kicking record on the day. “I haven’t had the greatest time off the tee, but today, luckily, I brought it.”

Describing the feeling of victory in the derby, Macleod-Henderson said: “A little bit of relief and a lot of joy. Especially for the matrics, it means a lot. It almost gives them bragging rights for life.”

Hilton’s captain, Liyema Nela broke into a big smile when he spoke about being able to deliver a victory for the Hilton community. “It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s 600 of us. We even have a war cry, ‘There’s 600 of us and we’re back in the white’.

“It’s not only 15 people on the field. There are 600 on the field against 15. It’s a surreal feeling.”

Scorers

Hilton College 29 (16) – Tries: André Boshoff, Zander Muller. Conversions: Liyema Nela (2). Penalties: Liyema Nela (4). Drop goal: Liyema Nela; Michaelhouse 20 (10) – Tries: Rourke O’Sullivan, Alex Jankowitz. Conversions: Stefan Moolman (2), Penalties: Stefan Moolman (2)

Results

u19 – Hilton I 29 Michaelhouse I 20; Hilton II 24 Michaelhouse II 24; Hilton III 15 Michaelhouse III 33; Hilton IV 12 Michaelhouse IV 7. Hilton V 0 Michaelhouse V 32; Hilton VI 0 Michaelhouse VI 71; Hilton VII 0 Michaelhouse VII 20.

u16 – Hilton A 8 Michaelhouse A 28; Hilton B 17 Michaelhouse B 49; Hilton C 5 Michaelhouse C 22; Hilton D 10 Michaelhouse D 48.

u15 – Hilton A 28 Michaelhouse A 22; Hilton B 14 Michaelhouse B 21; Hilton C 0 Michaelhouse C 26; Hilton D 5 Michaelhouse D 14.

u14 – Hilton A 24 Michaelhouse A 5; Hilton B 14 Michaelhouse B 19; Hilton C 12 Michaelhouse C 45; Hilton D 36 Michaelhouse D 45.

The Hilton College 1st XV has enjoyed a better rugby season than their great rivals, Michaelhouse, and they’ll be favoured to win when the teams go at it on Gilfillian Field, at Hilton, on Saturday afternoon.

Better record, home ground advantage? So, most factors point towards a Hilton win. Except for the fact that this is a rivalry clash, and those are notoriously unpredictable, plus the rather strange fact that the home team last won in 2022.

Hilton kept that streak intact with a 25-20 win at Michaelhouse at the beginning of May. In June 2024, Hilton won 26-25 on Meadows. Earlier in the season, Michaelhouse triumphed 24-23 at Hilton.

When Michaelhouse scored an 18-15 win over Hilton on Gilfillan in June 2023, it ended a long winning streak for Hilton over the Balgowan boys, which had stood since 2016. It also brought Michaelhouse their 100th win in the rivalry. After winning earlier this season, Hilton now has 97 wins, and 10 matches have been drawn.

Given that they’re an experienced side and the undoubted quality in their ranks, Michaelhouse has the ability to again win away from home.

However, they’re coming off a tough 20-50 defeat to Westville Boys’ High, who did a lot of damage in a similar manner to the approach that Hilton will take, and which Brad Macleod-Henderson‘s charges have very successfully executed throughout the season.

They’re going to attack around the fringes, aiming to get players running onto the ball at pace, and they have the physical edge to do that. Once Hilton gets into a flow with that approach, they’re relentless.

Their Craven Week forwards, hooker Josh Grant and eighthman Zander Muller, will be key players in the execution of that plan, while lock Andrew Schnell, a Sharks’ Academy Week selection, is playing outstanding rugby, too, but it’s not about individuals, Hilton’s pack hunts well together.

Hilton also features a Craven Week pair at scrumhalf and flyhalf, with Zander Vorster and Liyema Nela manning those positions, except that Vorster will be on the bench on Saturday, with Benoit Rey starting in the number nine jersey.

There’s one other change to the Hilton team that went down 20-23 to Maritzburg College last weekend, with Jacques Olivier taking over from Stewart Falconer at flank.

Michaelhouse is unchanged from the team that went down to unbeaten Westville. They boast a Craven Week midfield of William Ridl and Rourke O’Sullivan.

At the back, both teams have fullbacks who have enjoyed some exciting moments in 2025, with James Peattie wearing 15 for Hilton and Alex Jankowitz his opposite number. When tactical kicking is wayward, they can make things happen.

Wayward kicking happens when teams are able to pressure kickers. That’s going to be a crucial aspect of the game. Both teams understand the importance of playing the game in the right areas of the field. Their coaching – led by Brad Macleod-Henderson, at Hilton, and James Fleming, at Michaelhouse – is top-notch.

Michaelhouse’s season began with a 10-17 loss to Helpmekaar in a game they led at halftime. That was followed by a 13-15 defeat at Northwood, with ‘House losing the lead right at the death. It didn’t help that a showdown with Durban High School (DHS), on Van Heerden’s Field, in Durban, followed. There are few tougher places to play, but Michaelhouse showed up well in a 20-28 loss.

Those tough defeats, though, had an impact and they’ve failed to get across the finishing line in tight games. Had those early games tilted their way, they would likely have built up the momentum that would have resulted in a very different season.

Hilton, in contrast, have curiously underperformed in some games, most evidently in a 7-20 loss to Grey High School. Still, their record is a sound nine wins and four defeats. Interestingly, apart from their loss to Grey High in Gqeberha, two of their three other losses have come on Gilfillan Field.

Perhaps, though, the biggest challenge that awaits both teams is handling magnitude of the occasion. A focus on the basics and playing what lies in front of the players will be key, never mind the wall of noise that will envelop the game from all sides.

Michaelhouse has only four wins, two draws, and nine losses this season, but a victory at Hilton in their last match of 2025 would give their record a far glossier sheen. They’ll be desperate to make that happen.

Teams

Hilton College: 15 James Peattie, 14 Guy Fender, 13 Khazimla Makali, 12 Tristan Uys, 11 John Grubb, 10 Liyema Nela, 9 Benoit Rey, 8 Zander Muller, 7 Emmanuel Dankwah, 6 Jacques Olivier, 5 Andrew Schnell, 4 André Boshoff, 3 Mholi Khuzwayo, 2 Josh Grant, 1 Khanya Jekwa.

Michaelhouse: 15 Alex Jankowitz, 14 Lwandle Nzama, 13 Rourke O’Sullivan, 12 William Ridl, 11 Jack Carmody, 10 Stefan Moolman, 9 Dan Aissing, 8 Dom Sesink-Clee, 7 Luke Mitchell, 6 Oliver Davis, 5 Daniel Carr, 4 Reese Hill, 3 Nicolas Salamousas, 2 Max Oliva, 1 Koketso Bopape.