Author: captainmorgan

South African Schools and SA u18 fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya stole the spotlight with a star turn as the Sharks‘ Craven Week side scored a hard-fought 32-29 victory over the Blue Bulls on Monday at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, in Durban.

Only two days earlier, Siyaya had helped Westville Boys’ High complete an unbeaten season with a comprehensive 50-20 victory at Michaelhouse, and he and some of his Westville teammates were to the fore as the home team held off the visitors for a three-point win.

It was the Blue Bulls who made it onto the scoreboard first, however, scoring in typical Blue Bulls’ fashion from a powerful rolling maul, set up by a lineout.

From about 10 metres out, they drove the ball up to the Sharks’ try line. Hooker Bauke Swart followed the churning legs in front of him well and was left with the simple task of falling over the line for a try.

Ruben Groenewald was wide of the mark with his conversion attempt, sending his kick just right of the posts. Five minutes had elapsed.

From the kick-off, a good kick chase from the Sharks pressured the Bulls into holding onto the ball on the ground inside their 22. Awarded a penalty, the home side opted for a kick to touch.

Just as the Bulls had done, the boys in black and white set a rolling maul in motion. It wasn’t as smooth as that of the visitors and went to ground, but lock Lian Terblanche picked up and with a mighty effort forced his way over for a five-pointer.

Jade-Will Koopman‘s conversion attempt struck the right upright and stayed out.

It didn’t take long for the Bulls to respond, and they struck again in the tenth minute. Flyhalf Groenewald launched a beautifully judged high kick towards the right touchline. It caught a couple of Sharks’ defenders in two minds but not right-wing Thabiso Simelane, who leapt high, snatched the ball out of the sky and had a clear run to behind the posts.

Groenewald tacked on two more points with the easy conversion and the Bulls were 12-5 to the good.

The Westville connection was on display when the Sharks hit back. Near the Blue Bulls’ 10-metre line, scrumhalf Liam Simpkins fed Zekhethelo Siyaya, ranging up on the blindside. He flung a long pass out to Jadrian Afrikaner on the left wing.

When he was met by the last defender, Afrikaner, with an almost telepathic understanding and exquisite touch, jabbed a grubber inside off his left foot. Siyaya, who was up in support, ran onto the ball, which sat up invitingly, and he gratefully accepted the invitation to race over for a superb try.

Jade-Will Koopman made the play worth seven points with a successful conversion kick, which levelled the scores at 12-12.

When the Bulls conceded a penalty on the halfway line in the 20th minute, the Sharks opted for a kick at posts. At that range, though, it was Siyaya and not Koopman who took the kick. He was bang on and the home team hit the front for the first time.

Shortly after that, it was the fullback, again, who led the charge as the Sharks added another try. He fielded a chip over the top in the right-hand corner of the hosts’ 22, spun away from the pursuing forwards and raced up the right touchline with Jade-Will Koopman on his shoulder.

When met by a defender, Siyaya, instead of passing to Koopman, chipped over the top and regathered to eliminate one player. That left him with only one more to beat. This time, he released Koopman from just outside the Blue Bulls’ half. The right-wing pinned his ears back and was over in the corner.

The conversion kick was wide, but the Sharks had opened up a 20-12 lead in the 24th minute.

From the kick-off, the Sharks were almost immediately back in business. A break by eighthman Jamie Wimble put Afrikaner away. He cut back inside, speeding into the visitors’ territory where the ball was smoothly moved through the hands, with Wimble again involved. The Bulls were in trouble, but a forward pass brought a flowing move to an end, and the men from Pretoria had time to catch their breath.

Siyaya, then, showed that he was fallible with a poor drop-out in the 32nd minute. The Bulls bashed it up for a couple of phases before letting the ball go down the backline, where the Sharks were caught somewhat disorganised.

A long looping pass from flyhalf Groenewald opened up space on the left flank for the Blue Bulls. They were almost over in the corner, but Junaid Steward was up in support on the inside, and he took the last pass to canter over and dot down beneath the uprights.

Groenewald landed the conversion and the Sharks led by a single point, 20-19. It appeared as if that would be the halftime score, but the hosts had other plans.

From inside their half, Siyaya started an attack and played a supporting runner into a gap. When the ball was passed to the right again, the Sharks had a two-on-one. William Ridl should probably have passed to Jade-Will Koopman, but he cut inside and was brought down. Still, he kept the ball alive.

Scrumhalf Simpkins changed direction and found Siyaya running onto the ball. He chipped it over the top. As two Blue Bulls’ defenders closed in, the fullback snatched the ball out of the air. Almost immediately, he dropped it onto his left foot and kicked ahead, taking the defenders out of the play. Hitting the gas, Siyaya chased down his kick, dived on the ball, and added another spectacular try to a long list of spectacular tries behind his name.

The conversion kick was from in front of the posts and Jade-Will Koopman slotted it to make it 27-19 at the break.

It was unlikely that the second half would produce the fireworks that the first half had provided, and, with the coaches ringing the changes, the magic man, Siyaya, was given a rest. It was, nonetheless, an enthralling battle.

It took the Blue Bulls eight minutes to strike, and they did so in familiar fashion: penalty, kick to touch, five-metre lineout, sound execution, and hooker Okhule Hini was driven over for a try. Groenewald, usually a reliable kicker, was wide of the mark again, and it was 27-24 in favour of coach Dusty Noble‘s charges.

In the 58th minute, the Bulls had another chance to execute the same tried and tested method, except this time their throw-in missed the jumper, and the Sharks snagged the ball and cleared.

Then, the home team pulled off a searing counterattack to add another try. It began with William Ridl catching a clearing kick on the right touchline, near halfway. He gave the ball inside to Jade-Will Koopman, who nudged the ball over the defensive line, into space. His touch was excellent, and the Sharks reclaimed possession.

Then, flyhalf Liyema Nela drew a tackler before finding Koopman on his outside as he was tackled to the ground. Koopman, in a distinctive red cap, dived over in the corner. After scoring, he took the conversion kick from the touchline. It was wide, but the Sharks had moved 32-24 clear.

Seven minutes remained, but it took until the final minute for the Blue Bulls to have the last say.

From a quick tap, just five metres out, they attacked to the left. “Proppie” van den Berg ploughed into the Sharks’ defence, and the ball came back quickly.

Again, it went left, but scrumhalf Zirk Meyer then reversed direction. He sniped but was driven back by two tacklers. Four times in succession, the Blue Bulls tried the pick and go. On the fifth occasion, they hit paydirt.

Eighthman Stefan McDonald was over, and flyhalf Ruben Groenewald had a conversion kick to reduce the deficit to one point. Time was up, though. His kicked was off target and the Sharks claimed a three-point win.

There was plenty of enterprise on display and no shortage of flair, but after going behind early on, fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya made his mark on the contest to lead the home team to victory.

Scorers

Sharks 32 (27) – Tries: Zekhethelo Siyaya (2), Jade-Will Koopman (2), Lian Terblanche. Conversions: Jade-Will Koopman (2). Penalty: Zekhethelo Siyaya; Blue Bulls 29 (17) – Tries: Bauke Swart, Thabiso Simelane, Junaid Steward, Okuhle Hini, Drewyn Baron Conversions: Ruben Groenewald (2).

Results

Sharks u18A 32-29 Blue Bulls u18A
Sharks u18 25-37 Blue Bulls CD
Sharks u17A 53-34 Blue Bulls u17A
Sharks u17 26-21 Blue Bulls u17
Sharks u16A 20-26 Blue Bulls u16A
Sharks u16B 31-12 Blue Bulls u16B
Sharks u15A 47-12 Blue Bulls u15A
Sharks u15B 5-36 Blue Bulls u15B

St Charles College, celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2025, welcomed St David’s Marist Inanda, 84 years of age, to Old Orchards, in Pietermaritzburg, on Saturday for a King Price Derby Series showdown.

Although they’re a young unit, St Charles has played some fine rugby this season and has put together some especially impressive performances at home. They produced another one against the visitors from upcountry.

Craig Dwyer‘s charges performed strongly, both on attack and defence, to power their way to a convincing 34-6 victory, with three players crossing for two tries each.

St David’s, though, had an opportunity to take an early lead, but a penalty attempt by left-footed Luca Cabion was wide to the right from about 46 metres out.

Instead, it was St Charles who struck first from a lineout on the visitors’ 22. A clean take from the big eighthman Raphael Ajibade set up good ball and Saints attacked the flyhalf channel.

Running onto the ball at pace, the home team dented the St David’s defence. Then, Ajibade, who has signed a contract with The Bulls, took a pass on the fifth phase of play. He broke two tackles and then powered over the top of a third tackler to dot down for a fifth minute try.

Fullback André Bosman turned it into a seven-point advantage by slotting the conversion kick.

Another lineout laid the foundation for a second St Charles try in the 14th minute. From just five metres out, the home team perfectly pulled off a training ground move. Ajibade first drew the attention of the opposing lineout by moving to the front. Then, his fellow second-rower, Josh Harris, pulled the defenders with him as he headed deep.

The throw-in, instead, went low and short from hooker Dresden Coetzee to Ajibade, at the front of the lineout. He popped it inside to scrumhalf Agape Nyawo and he was over for a try, which was a carbon copy of Cyril Cherayi‘s score for Maritzburg College in their 23-20 win at Hilton, at the top of Town Hill.

A lot of rugby was played between the 22-metre areas for the remainder of the half, but the scoreboard remained the same.

Early in the second half, though, St David’s, at last, made it onto the board with a penalty from Cabion. It didn’t take long for St Charles to respond, and their reply was worth seven points.

From a ruck inside the St David’s 22, Ajibade crumpled the visitors’ defence without quite making it through, but scrumhalf Nyawo was up on his outside to take a pop pass and crash over for five points.

Bosman’s conversion attempt hooked to the left, leaving St Charles with a 17-3 lead.

Cabion reduced the deficit to 11 points with a second penalty in the 45th minute. Unfortunately for St David’s, they conceded straight from the restart.

A high kick-off was knocked on and Saints claimed possession. Nyawo fed the burly tighthead Braydon Joese and he made ground, almost wriggling through the defensive line. Nyawo and Mathew Ludick, then, flummoxed the visitors’ defence, with Ludick running a tight line onto a pop pass, which put him beyond the ruck. A quick step off his right foot and the wing was over beneath the uprights for a try.

Bosman kicked the easy conversion, and St Charles was 24-6 clear.

St David’s was able to exert pressure on the home side, spending some time deep in the St Charles’ 22, but credit to the boys in white, they stood tall and repelled their black-clad visitors’ attacking efforts.

Nearing the hour-mark, when the Sandton school tried to run a ball out of their 22, they turned over possession after a strong hit from St Charles jarred the ball loose, and they were made to pay. The impressive Nyawo was covering the defensive line and snatched up the ball before quickly releasing it to Ludick, on his outside.

The wing had plenty to do, but he produced some magic to cross for his second try. He froze the defence by first going inside, then outside. Then, with a show of the ball, he caused further hesitation in the St David’s ranks. Taking advantage of that, he hit the gas and rounded the defence wide on the left for a superb solo effort.

Try as they might, St David’s could get no change out of the stubborn St Charles defence, and it was the home side that had the final say in the contest with a highlight reel score from the powerful and speedy Raphael Ajibade.

He picked up off the back of a scrum on the St David’s 10-metre line and charged away to the blindside. A tackler, trying to catch him from behind, slipped off of his pumping legs, while a second man was fended off. Then, with impressive athleticism, the big number eight hurdled the last man and, appropriately for such a splendid run, ended it with a swan dive.

Bosman was unable to add the extras, but St Charles ran out deserved 34-6 winners after a fine performance.

Scores

St Charles 34 (12) – Tries: Raphael Ajibade (2), Mathew Ludick (2), Agape Nyawo (2). Conversions: Andre Bosman (2); St David’s Marist Inanda 6 (0) – Penalties: Luca Cabion (2).

Results

u19 – St Charles I 34 St David’s 6; St Charles II 36 St David’s II 27; St Charles III 29 St David’s III 7; St Charles IV 42 St David’s IV 29; St Charles V 29 Development II 48.

u16 – St Charles A 30 St David’s A 25; St Charles B 7 St David’s B 13; St Charles C 31 St David’s C 34.

u15 – St Charles A 31 St David’s A 22; St Charles B 0 St David’s B 56.

u14 – St Charles A 53 St David’s A 0; St Charles B 36 St David’s B 35; St Charles C 12 St David’s C 27.

Westville Boys’ High visited Michaelhouse on Saturday with plenty at stake. There was the not insignificant matter of an unbeaten season on the line, and there was, also, Westville’s less than impressive historical record in Balgowan to overcome.

They overcame both hurdles in style, scoring the last 26 points on Meadows without reply to run away to an emphatic 50-20 victory.

Coach Zander Erasmus‘s boys rose to meet the challenge. They didn’t shrink in the spotlight, even when ‘House made it close by pulling to within four points early in the second half, trailing only 20-24. That’s when Westville hit the accelerator and Michaelhouse couldn’t hang with them.

The visitors showed just how dangerous they could be in the fourth minute by opening the scoring with a length of the field try, begun, not surprisingly, by fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya. He surprised Michaelhouse, though, when, after shaping up to kick, he sliced through a gap and beat three players before being brought down on the halfway line.

He had plenty of support on hand, though, with eighthman Sange Nkonki on his shoulder to take a short pop pass and keep the movement flowing. Centre Sean McGough fed wing Ntobeko Sithole, who used flyhalf Jade-Will Koopman on his outside to draw the defence before stepping off his right foot and sprinting clear to go over under the posts.

Koopman made the easy conversion, and the visitors had the early lead.

The visitors were full of confidence and were determined to win the game by seizing control of the contest, rather than managing it. Again, they ran the ball out of their 22, charging up the left flank and into Michaelhouse territory. When the home side conceded a penalty, instead of turning to the reliable boot of Koopman, Westville kicked to the corner.

With pinpoint precision, they converted the opportunity into five points. Lwandile Mlaba caught the throw-in cleanly and Brandon Eke, flying around the blindside received the ball from the lock in space to dive over for five points.

From up against the touchline, Koopman made it 14-0 by slotting the tough conversion kick.

In the 21st minute, disaster struck Michaelhouse. A long kick into the hosts’ 22 resulted in a 50/22. Michaelhouse fullback Alex Jankowitz thought it was his side’s throw-in, but Sean McGough quickly took it, and with nary a man nearby to defend, he collected the ball and was over or an easy five-pointer.

It was a gut punch to the solar plexus for ‘House and Jade-Will Koopman added to the pain by tacking on two points with another successful conversion. Westville led 21-0 after 22 minutes.

Three minutes later, Michaelhouse, at last, were on the scoreboard, courtesy of a Westville mistake.

An overthrow at a lineout inside the visitors’ 22 was picked up by the big tighthead Nicolas Salamousas, who dines out on drives at the try line from close range. He bounced off one would-be tackler and dragged another over as he crashed to the ground to give the red and white their first points of the contest.

Stefan Moolman drew further cheers from the crowd with an accurate conversion kick.

The number 10 was again on target in the 31st minute, sending a long-range penalty between the poles to lift Michaelhouse into double figures, trailing 10-21.

Coach James Fleming‘s charges had built up some rhythm and captain William Ridl set up a magnificent try just before the break, ripping through a strung-out Westville defensive line on the ‘House 10-metre line.

He charged through, chipped on the visitors’ 10-metre, and gathered his kick just inside the 22. He was dragged down only five metres short of the whitewash, but Ridl flipped the ball to Dan Aissing on his outside, and the scrumhalf went over in the tackle of Zekhethelo Siyaya.

Aissing, though, blotted his copybook by engaging in a bit of push and shove after scoring. That would cost Michaelhouse.

Moolman stuck over the conversion, but Siyaya then had a penalty on the centre spot because of Aissing’s ill-advised post-try activities. The fullback easily cleared the crossbar to add three points to the Westville total as the halftime whistle sounded. It was 24-17 to the Griffin.

Three minutes into the second stanza, Moolman landed a challenging kick from 40 metres, wide on the left, to make it 24-20, but that was as good as it got for Michaelhouse.

Soon after, from a quick tap, only five metres out, Westville surged at the line, drawing in the Michaelhouse pack. Then, captain Liam Simpkins picked out Siyaya ranging up on his left, and Siyaya slung a long pass out to McGough in a gap, and he was over for his second try.

Koopman, as usual, added the extras.

Westville bolstered their lead in the 45th minute, attacking off a good throw-in to the back of a lineout inside the ‘House 22. The maul was stopped, but Westville then reversed direction, attacking to the blindside. Michaelhouse appeared to have it covered, but Koopman stabbed a kick over the top and into the corner. Like a flash, centre Jadrian Afrikaner was onto it and forced the ball down for another five points.

For once, Koopman didn’t make the kick. Westville, though, had extended their lead to 16 points.

They had the bit between their teeth, and they kept hammering away at ‘House. Patiently, they bashed away at the try line through their forwards. With good timing, and Michaelhouse drawn in, Simpkins fed Koopman and then it was a case of outflanking the home team.

Avumile Lisa dived over on the right and Koopman converted to more than double Michaelhouse’s total.

The winners were not quite done yet, either. In the second last minute, they stole a Michaelhouse lineout and scrumhalf Simpkins sent the hosts’ defenders the wrong way with a sumptuous dummy before cutting back and racing down the right touchline. With a defender in front of him, he kicked ahead.

The ball was fielded by Laird Hamilton-Brown, who brought it up out of the 22. Michaelhouse retained possession, but when they tried to attack, Afrikaner read the play perfectly to pull off a simple intercept and score.

Koopman knocked over the conversion to bring up the half-century and Westville, once again, made it clear, they were KwaZulu-Natal’s number one in 2025.

Scorers

Michaelhouse 20 (17) – Tries: Nicolas Salamousas, Dan Aissing. Conversions: Stefan Moolman (2),
Penalties: Stefan Moolman (2); Westville Boys’ High 50 (21) – Tries: Sen McGough (2), Jadrian Afrikaner (2), Ntobeko Sithole, Brandon Eke, Avumile Lisa. Conversions: Jade-Will Koopman (6). Penalty: Zekhethelo Siyaya.

Results

u19 – Michaelhouse I 20 Westville I 50; Michaelhouse II 37 Westville II 28; Michaelhouse III 54 Westville III 7; Michaelhouse IV 47 Westville IV 7; Michaelhouse V 46 Westville V 0; Michaelhouse VI 50 Westville VI 0

u16 – Michaelhouse A 19 Westville A 21; Michaelhouse B 29 Westville B 19; Michaelhouse C 19 Westville C 21; Michaelhouse D 28 Westville D 0.

u15 – Michaelhouse A 8 Westville A 24; Michaelhouse B 19 Westville B 26; Michaelhouse C 17 Westville C 21; Michaelhouse D 24 Westville D 33.

u14 – Michaelhouse A 24 Westville A 19; Michaelhouse B 0 Westville B 26; Michaelhouse C 13 Westville C 47; Michaelhouse D 7 Westville D 57.

Hilton College, coming off a 35-22 win at Northwood, would have fancied their chances against Maritzburg College, on Saturday, playing at home, on Gilfillan Field.

College, though, had been in good form recently, and had won at Michaelhouse in their last outing, incidentally by the same five-point margin by which Hilton had won when they visited their great rivals on 3 May.

The Red, Black, and White, no doubt, remembered, however, their school’s last visit to Hilton in 2023 when a highly regarded team that had given Grey College a big fright was well beaten on Gilfillan, going down 14-29.

Taking the season’s results into account, Hilton College was favoured, but when the final whistle sounded it was College who celebrated a hard-won 23-20 victory.

Coach Nico Breedt‘s boys took the game to Hilton in the manner that Hilton likes to impose their game on others, hitting the ball up hard and effectively around the fringes of the rucks.

In the 10th minute, they claimed the lead, thanks to an outstanding few phases of play. Firstly, flyhalf Liyema Tsoko put College on the attack with an astutely judged 50/22. Then, from a clean lineout take, flank Cyril Cherayi burst off the back of a maul, running infield and drawing the defence.

With Hilton’s defenders heading one way, centre Olwethu Kosani sliced back against a grain, pulling off a picture-perfect scissor move with Cherayi, which put him into a wide gap, and he raced through to dive over beneath the uprights.

The conversion was no problem for Dom du Toit and the visitors led 7-0.

With rugged defence, College kept Hilton at bay, but the home side inched upfield, battering away at the visitors’ try line with their forwards until lock Andrew Schnell slipped a tackle and was over for five points. It had taken them 23 minutes to get onto the scoreboard.

Right on halftime, Hilton snatched the lead. After mauling patiently in the College 22, the ball was released to flyhalf Liyema Nela. The Hilton captain caused hesitation in the visitors’ defensive line with a show-and-go, splitting two defenders, before scoring with a soaring dive beneath the posts.

He had left himself with an easy conversion, and it was 12-7 to the boys in black and white at the break.

Early in the second half, Nela extended the Hilton lead to eight points with a long-range penalty.

College replied with a penalty of their own when Du Toit landed a kick from a similar distance, and it was 15-10 to the hosts.

The lead changed hands in the 54th minute from a sharply executed training ground move, which would have delighted the College coaching staff.

Hooker Theo Boshoff threw low and to the front of the lineout to loosehead prop Linamandla Mabanga, who received the ball before twisting around and passing inside to Cyril Cherayi, who was steaming onto it. Hilton’s lineout had splintered into two pods, and the flank was over for a try.

Du Toit added the extras from out wide, and College held a two-point advantage.

The scrumhalf was at it again soon after that. With Hilton pinged for going offsides, Du Toit slotted another penalty to extend Maritzburg College’s lead to five with an easy kick.

With six minutes remaining, when Hilton won a penalty inside the College 22, they opted for a kick to touch and a lineout.

After a clean take from Andrew Schnell, the home side drove hard at the try line, with a number of backline players joining in the push. They were stopped, but the ball came out to the blindside and John Grubb squeezed over in the left-hand corner for a score-levelling try.

With time ticking down, Hilton had a put-in, just inside their half. The Red, Black, and White, though, conjured up a massive scrum, shoving the home team off the ball and winning a penalty, much to the delight of the College pack.

It came down to Du Toit’s deadly boot. From 37 metres out, he was immaculate once more, edging the Pietermaritzburg school into a 23-20 lead. That brought his crucial contribution to 13 points.

A little over a minute was left to play. Off of a rolling maul, Hilton won themselves a penalty. By now, only one play remained in the game. They had a decision to make: a kick to touch and try to win it with a rolling maul from a lineout, or a kick at poles and settle for a draw. They opted for the latter. The kick was entrusted to left-wing John Grubb.

Unfortunately for Hilton, his effort from 38 metres, out on the left, was wide of the uprights. The final whistle sounded and Maritzburg College had claimed a morale-boosting 23-20 victory.

Next weekend, it’s the Hilton/Michaelhouse, at Hilton. With Westville Boys’ High having convincingly dealt with ‘House, winning 50-20, nothing would be a better salve for the sides than a win over their great rivals.

Scorers

Hilton College 20 (12) – Tries: Andrew Schnell, Liyema Nela, John Grubb. Conversion: Liyema Nela.
Penalty: Liyema Nela; Maritzburg College 23 (7) – Tries: Olwethu Kosani, Cyril Cherayi. Conversions: Dom du Toit (2). Penalties: Dom du Toit (3).

Results

u19 – Hilton I 20 Maritzburg College I 23; Hilton II 24 Maritzburg College II 7; Hilton III 3 Maritzburg College III 17; Hilton IV 0 Maritzburg College IV 27; Hilton V 0 Maritzburg College V 19; Curro Hillcrest I 11 Maritzburg College VI 11; Hilton VI 0 Maritzburg College VI 31; Hilton VII 12 Maritzburg College VIII 35.

u16 – Hilton A 20 Maritzburg College A 47; Hilton B 13 Maritzburg College B 36; Hilton C 5 Maritzburg College C 50; St David’s Marist Inanda C 15 Maritzburg College E 14; St Charles C 29 Maritzburg College F 34.

u15 – Hilton A 12 Maritzburg College A 18; Hilton B 12 Maritzburg College B 24; Hilton C 7 Maritzburg College C 39; Curro Hillcrest A 17 Maritzburg College D 38; Hilton D 0 Maritzburg College E 50; St David’s Marist Inanda D 7 Maritzburg College F 26.

u14 – Hilton A 10 Maritzburg College A 32; Hilton B 19 Maritzburg College B 33, Linpark A 24 Maritzburg College C 24; Hilton C 0 Maritzburg College D 44; St David’s D 8 Maritzburg College E 50.

When the final whistle sounded on Stott Field on Saturday, St Stithians College might have been left wondering how they had lost. Kearsney College, though, celebrated a last-gasp 26-25 King Price Derby Series victory on their Founders Day.

“It was not a great performance, but a fantastic result,” Kearsney coach Grant Bashford told SuperSport Schools Plus afterwards.

“If I’m honest with you. that’s probably our worst performance of the season. To get out of jail and win like that shows character.

“It’s a young group. We’ve known it’s going to be like this this year, but a win like that does so much for next year. Also, for the four matrics that are in the team, that’s a nice way to send them off.”

After opening the scoring with a scintillating counterattacking try from deep in their half, which was finished behind the poles by Bukho Hlwatika, the One-Stripe ended up playing catch-up for much of the contest.

Unfortunately for Kearsney, they lost their influential fullback and kicker, Lwazi Mbebe, to an injury shortly after taking the lead. That put pressure on the shoulders of vice-captain Doan Nel, who took over the kicking duties.

In the eighth minute, St Stithians struck back from a blindside move. Loosehead prop Ethan Coetzee was stopped just short of the try line, but he pulled off a fantastic pass inside to the big lock, Luke Thorrold, who spun and twisted his way over for five points.

Kearsney was struggling to string passes together, with Saints contesting every ball in the loose, which upset the home side’s rhythm. They looked out of sorts.

A couple of minutes before the break, Thorrold, a big man with a great engine, grabbed his second try, forcing his way over from close range after the St Stithians’ forwards had laid siege to the Kearsney line. It looked like a simple conversion kick, but it missed the target, leaving the visitors 15-7 to the good.

Right on halftime, Doan Nel had an opportunity to reduce the deficit to five points, but his kick was wide right.

Reflecting on his halftime talk, Kearsney coach Grant Bashford said: “I told them we had somehow played our worst half of the season. It felt like we had defended the whole time. We overplayed in the first 20 minutes, playing too much in our half and not turning them.

“The second half wasn’t that much better, to be honest with you. We showed bits and pieces. We had quite a few line breaks that we didn’t finish, but we hung in there.

“If we finished one or two of those line breaks, I think the result could have been a lot different. But we didn’t play well, and we won, which shows character.”

In the fifth minute of the second half, the One-Stripe had the old boys up on their feet cheering when they scored an electrifying try. It began with a scum on halfway, wide on the left.

With the ball heading down the backline, Hlwatika was played into a half-gap and, as he was scragged, he released a chicken-wing pass to left-wing Lwandle Mkhize, who had looped around. He feinted in, then out, before hitting the gas and speeding clear of the covering tacklers to finish the move with a dive in the right-hand corner.

Nel made the challenging kick count and St Stithians led by only one point. They were next to score, though.

With flyhalf Wilson briefly off the field, inside centre Reece Hubner sent a penalty between the posts to increase the gap to four points.

Kearsney, then, thought they were away for a try after the impressive Keanu Williamson sliced through the St Stithians’ defence, but his pass to flyhalf Jayden Jonsson was adjudged to be forward.

Instead, Saints struck again. An innocuous-looking chip from flyhalf Wilson, who was back on the field, sat up invitingly for outside centre Sicelo Sakawuli, who snatched it out of the air and spun away from Buhlo Hlwatika. The Kearsney wing recovered to drag down Sakawuli just inside the 22, but Wilson was on the centre’s shoulder to take a short pass and accelerate away for a try just to the left of the poles.

He also added the extras to make it 25-14 to the visitors.

With five minutes remaining, Kearsney gave themselves a glimmer of hope. Eighthman Nhlanhla Ndlovu was almost over from a five-metre lineout, but captain Simanye Mlakalaka provided the finish.

This time, though, Doan Nel was unable to convert from a position similar to where Mkhize had scored at the start of the half. There were six points in it.

With the scoreboard showing time up, Kearsney launched one last desperate attack. Just shy of the Saints’ 22, left-wing Mkhize was brought down. But, as he fell near the touchline, he flipped the ball up, out of the back of his hand.

Nel, on his inside, grabbed the pass. As he was tackled, he popped the ball nside to Williamson, who was met five metres out. He kept his legs pumping, extended his body as he was brought to ground, and forced the ball down over the try line in a tackle.

The pressure shifted to Doan Nel. He was faced with a challenging conversion.

When he struck the ball, it appeared to be to the left of the uprights, but then it faded left to right and bisected the posts. Nel raised his arms and Kearsney’s supporters charged onto the field in celebration.

Not so fast! Although time was up on the scoreboard, the referee said there was a little more to go. St Stithians won the ball back from the kick off, but when flyhalf Wilson tried a kick out wide to the left, the home side fielded the ball, and Jayden Jonsson put the finishing touches on an improbable victory by hoofing it into touch.

It truly was a great escape. It also brought to an end a run of four Kearsney losses against top opposition – Maritzburg College, Westville Boys’ High, Durban High School (DHS), and Michaelhouse – in matches in which the scores had probably not done Kearsney justice.

“College, at Goldstone’s, on their Old Boys’ Day was massive. There were probably 15 000 people there,” Bashford said.

“We were at Westville on their Old Boys’ Day. In both of those games, despite the final score, we were in them for long time, so this will hopefully galvanise us and give us a little more confidence going into next year.”

Looking back on the season, he concluded: “We haven’t had the power, so we have had to play a bit like Japan, but it’s exciting to play like that, as well.”

Scores

Kearsney College 26 (7) – Tries: Bukho Hlwatika, Lwandle Mkhize, Simanye Mlakalaka, Keanu Williamson. Conversions: Doan Nel (2), Lwazi Mbebe; St Stithians College 25 (15) – Tries: Luke Thorrold (2), Oliver Wilson. Conversions: Oliver Wilson (2). Penalties: Oliver Wilson, Reece Hubner.

Results

u19 – Kearsney I 26 St Stithians I 25; Kearsney II 31 St Stithians II 0; Kearsney III 75 St Stithians III 0; Kearsney IV 60 St Stithians IV 5; Kearsney V 57 St Stithians II 0.

u16 – Kearsney A 67 St Stithians A 12; Kearsney B 31 St Stithians B 14; Kearsney C 56 St Stithians C 12.

u15 – Kearsney A 40 St Stithians A 10; Kearsney B 26 St Stithians B 7; Kearsney C 35 St Stithians C 5.

u14 – Kearsney A 57 St Stithians A 3; Kearsney B 27 St Stithians B 5; Kearsney C 21 St Stithians C 19

Kearsney College welcomes St Stithians College to Botha’s Hill on Saturday, for a King Price Derby Series clash on their Founders Day.

The make-up of the sides suggests fantastic fare is on the menu.

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They’ve faced a number of common opponents, among them Michaelhouse.

Saints took down Michaelhouse in Johannesburg, winning 27-21 at home, while ‘House handed Kearsney a 50-17 loss. However, that was Michaelhouse at their worst against Saints and at their best against the One-Stripe.

A more accurate measure would be the teams’ results against Pretoria Boys High. The Candies claimed a narrow 29-27 win over St Stithians in Pretoria, while Kearsney beat Boys High 28-26 at the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival. That feels like a truer reflection of the sides.

Kearsney will be desperate to deliver a win in front of their old boys. They’ve played some fantastic rugby in 2025. However, they’re on a run of four losses against some tough opposition – Westville Boys’ High, Maritzburg College, Durban High School, and Michaelhouse – and there would be no better occasion than Founders’ Day to arrest that slide.

St Stithians has put together a good season. An early season 13-13 draw with Queen’s College looks better and better as the Komani boys continue to rack up wins.

Their previously mentioned win over Michaelhouse is another of their standout results. Most recently, they beat St Charles College 38-20 at home, and St Charles, on their Old Boys’ Weekend, pushed Maritzburg College hard, going down 16-26, which is a useful reflection on the quality of Saints. College ran out 35-20 winners over Kearsney on College’s Reunion Weekend.

Both Kearsney and Saints are at their best when the game loosens up a little. They’re capable of searing counterattacks that combine pace and imagination. If that’s what unfolds on Saturday, spectators will be in for a treat.

St Charles College vs St David’s Marist Inanda

In Pietermaritzburg, in another King Price Derby Series match, St Charles College welcomes St David’s Marist Inanda to Old Orchards.

The home team’s coach, Craig Dwyer, has caught the eye with an interesting change, moving André Bosman from flyhalf to fullback, and Phiwe-Junior Dlamini from the number 15 jersey to number 10.

Bosman owns a cultured boot, while Dlamini is more of a running threat, so that would seem to suggest that the home team school is intent on letting the ball do the work by leaning on their quick offloading game more than ever.

While it hasn’t been a vintage season for St David’s, they’ve convincingly won their last two matches, beating Clifton College 39-7 and St Benedict’s College 47-5.

St Charles faced Clifton a week after the Durban school took on St David’s and scored a 52-10 victory. In May, they beat Clifton 47-14.

St David’s best win of the season is, arguably, their 30-24 defeat of St Alban’s College.

St Charles, meanwhile, has shown up strongly in three defeats against top-quality opposition.

They went down 14-19 to a St Andrew’s College team that has suffered only one loss in 2025, and 16-26 to Maritzburg College in a fiercely contested clash on Old Boys’ Weekend, when St Charles celebrated its 150th anniversary. They also pushed Wynberg Boys’ High hard, going down 10-19 to the Cape Town school early in the season.

If the home team gets quality ball from their pack, St David’s will have to ensure their defensive structures are sound. St Charles plays with flair and likes to attack down the flanks, getting the ball wide with swift ball movement.

If Craig Dwyer’s charges get that right, the Johannesburg school will be in for a tough outing.

Teams

Kearsney College: 15 Lwazi Mbebe, 14 Bukho Hlwatika, 13 Doan Nel, 12 Keanu Williamson, 11 Lwandle Mkhize, 10 Jayden Jonsson, 9 Fynn Verbaan, 8 Nhlanhla Ndlovu, 7 Oliver Ludwig, 6 Simanye Mlakalaka, 5 Thomas Francke, 4 Joseph Roylance, 3 Azania Thela, 2 Micah van Wyk, 1 Luke Fauré.

St Stithians College: 15 Omphile Maphira, 14 Calvin Wagner, 13 Sicelo Sakawuli, 12 Reece Hubner, 11 Cade Elsey, 10 Oliver Wilson, 9 Rory Bezuidenhout, 8 Jonathan Caveney, 7 Ross Turner, 6 Siphosamandosi Cele, 5 Kulani Tlakula, 4 Luke Thorrold. 3 Jean Anthony Eblen, 2 Oliver Groves, 1 Ethan Coetzee.

St Charles College: 15 Andre Bosman, 14 Likuthi Mbalana, 13 Carl Chekera, 12 Athenkosi Qumo, 11 Mathew Ludick, 10 Phiwe-Junior Dlamini, 9 Thandokuhle Nyawo, 8 Eben Crafford, 7 Thomas Borgen, 6 Joshua Milne, 5 Joshua Harris, 4 Raphael Ajibade, 3 Braydon Joese, 2 Dresden Coetzee, 1 Raiden Reid

St David’s Marist Inanda: 15 Kaden Waldbaum, 14 Tristan Lambe, 13 David Latilla-Campbell, 12 Dominic Taylor, 11 Nathan Hwindingwi, 10 Luca Cabion, 9 Valentino Yiallouris, 8 Mathew Scott, 7 Ronin Hallowes, 6 James Askew, 5 Julian Steven-Jennings, 4 Chris Theorides, 3 Marco Bitter, 2 Ben Archer, 1 Dev Vallabhjee.

Westville Boys’ High will put their unbeaten season on the line when they visit Michaelhouse on Saturday. Last year, it was ‘House who won away from home, claiming a 25-17 win on Bowden’s Field in a March match-up.

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It has been a good while since Westville came out on the right side of the result against Michaelhouse. One has to go back to 2021, when Covid-19 was around, and Westville scored a tight 17-10 victory in May of that year.

Trying to track down when Westville last won in Balgowan is a difficult task. Suffice to say it has been a very long time. The 2025 team has an opportunity to make history, not only by maintaining their unbeaten record, but also by winning on Meadows.

Interestingly, Michaelhouse has produced two unbeaten teams in the school’s history. Their 2015 side, led by Bader Pretorius, was undefeated, but they didn’t play Westville that season. Now the shoe is on the other foot, Michaelhouse has a chance to stop the visitor’s winning run.

While Michaelhouse has endured a disappointing season, with only four wins, two draws, and eight losses, they’re not a team that anyone is going to underestimate. They’ve underperformed in 2025, but they have quality in their ranks, and no team has simply had their way with ‘House.

Given an opportunity to take down unbeaten Westville a week before they face Hilton College in the second Hilton/Michaelhouse of the season, coach James Fleming and his players will not be short of motivation. A win would be a significant boost.

Westville, with eight Craven Week players in their ranks, will be favoured to win, but keeping hold of that sparkling record does come with pressure.

Obviously, much will depend on the quality of ball that the packs provide, but the match-up in the midfield will be something to watch. Michaelhouse has the Craven Week pair of captain William Ridl and Rourke O’Sullivan. Westville also has a Craven Week pair of centres in Sean McGough and Jadrian Afrikaner.

It’s no secret that Westville has an outstanding attacking weapon at fullback, where Zekhethelo Siyaya is a massive threat, but his tactical kicking should not be disregarded. He has a massive boot and can hurt opposing teams both with his counterattacking runs and his kicking.

Last week, Michaelhouse’s fullback Alex Jankowitz excelled on the counter against Maritzburg College, so the warnings that apply to kicking on Siyaya should be the same for Westville.

The sides are settled, but Westville has had to omit their outstanding lock Moustapher Gcina due to concerns about a concussion. His place is taken by Ompiwe Dladla. At eighthman, Sange Nkonki continues to man the position in place of Craven Week number eight, Lwandile Simelane.

Hilton College vs Maritzburg College

Hilton College hosts Maritzburg College on Saturday on Gilfillan Field. It’s a venue that has proved challenging for College in recent years, and they’ll head into the clash as the underdogs.

Hilton has been firing in recent weeks and last weekend they scored a very impressive 35-22 win over Northwood in Durban. The Knights are a tough, physical team, but Liyema Nela and company defused the home side’s challenge on Northwood’s Old Boys’ Day and never trailed.

College will be focused on contesting the rucks especially because the Hilton side is at its best when driving around the fringes, knocking players back and sucking in defenders before setting their dangerous backs free. Once they have built up momentum, it’s a hugely difficult task to reverse it.

Maritzburg College showed, though, playing at Hilton, that they can play that game well when they harried and hassled Westville Boys’ High all game long at the Sharks Schools’ Rugby Day before going down 20-21.

Westville won 23-15 against Hilton on Gilfillan at the start of the season, but Brad Macleod-Henderson‘s charges are on a roll now and they’ll head into the clash high in confidence.

Interestingly, College will start with their Craven Week loosehead Indiphile Mlotshwa on the bench. Is this an indication of the visitors aiming for a Bomb Squad-like tactical switch later in the match?

They will be without flank David Colenbrander, who has been a strong performer for the Red, Black, and White. That’s led to Rory Stanton moving from the second row to flank, with Phila Mkonyana tabbed to partner Mian Pretorius at lock.

Hilton also shows a change at flank, where Stewart Falconer takes over from Jacques Oliver.

Both backlines are unchanged.

Teams

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.

Westville Boys’ High: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Ntobeko Sithole, 13 Jadrian Afrikaner, 12 Sean McGough, 11 Avumile Lisa, 10 Jade-Will Koopman, 9 Liam Simpkins, 8 Sange Nkonki, 7 Lwandle Makhanya, 6 Brandon Eke, 5 Lwandile Mlaba, 4 Ompiwe Dladla, 3 Bandile Mncwango, 2 Ross Calvert, 1 Sbu Hlongwa

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

Maritzburg College: 15 Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein, 14 Caleb Scheepers, 13 Olwethu Kosani, 12 Jordan Thackwray, 11 Adam Cahill, 10 Liyema Tsoko, 9 Dom du Toit, 8 Wasi Wyambwera, 7 Cyril Cherayi, 6 Rory Stanton, 5 Phila Mkonyana, 4 Mian Pretorius, 3 Alande Ngubane, 2 Theo Boshoff, 1 Linamandla Mabanga.

The Westville Boys’ High 1st XV delighted their alumni and other supporters who had come together on Old Boys’ Day to celebrate the school’s 70th anniversary with a King Price Derby Series 33-15 win over their local rivals, Kearsney College.

With the victory on Saturday, Westville remains unbeaten in 2025.

The school has made a number of very good sporting decisions in recent years, including appointing Pam Hayward the Director of Sport. Under her guidance, Westville has enjoyed unprecedented success across all sports.

Then, a decision to appoint Dusty Noble as the Director of Rugby has resulted in outstanding returns. He has delivered and then some.

And the appointment of Zander Erasmus, as coach of the 1st XV, has been a masterstroke. He had previously coached many of the players now under his charge with great success at u16 level.

A measure of Westville’s outstanding rugby season can also be found in the fact that for their past two derbies, against Glenwood and Kearsney, the Griffin have won every match. That’s unprecedented in the school’s history.

Success breeds success and the Old Boys lapped it up on Saturday by turning out in their numbers.

“I’ve never seen so many Old Boys at the school,” Erasmus enthused. “You look at the stream and you see that tunnel, where the players walk from the change room. It was insane how many Old Boys pitched up and how, afterwards, everyone stayed on the field and took photos with the players.

“It was really special. I have never felt the school buzzing like that, and the build-up that we had during the week, it was amazing. Goosebumps!”

The home team got off to a flyer, with fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya, who had missed the previous match against Glenwood, orchestrating a try for outside centre Jadrian Afrikaner. However, after that, they found the going tougher.

Kearsney replied with a penalty and the home side was, then, stymied. “We constantly found ourselves giving the ball away,” Erasmus lamented.

“I think the boys got trapped in the excitement of the crowd and of Old Boys’ Day, after scoring early. They lost a bit of sight of the plan and what we wanted to do. In the second half, we calmed ourselves and said play in the right areas. Turn them around, put them under pressure, be patient, and the tries will come.”

The Westville coach recognised Kearsney’s contribution to the occasion and to the home team’s stuttering first half showing.

“Kearsney was very good in terms of matching our energy. They came hard at us. They’ve got a couple of good ball carriers. Their number 12 (Keanu Williamson) played very well, setting it up in the midfield.”

Afrikaner went over for a second try in the 16th minute, the product of a good kick-chase and fantastic hands, with the forwards linking up well with the backs before the speedy centre rounded Kearsney down the left-hand touchline.

The visitors hit back in the 24th minute through their inside centre, Williamson, who sliced through the Westville defence to go over unopposed, behind the poles. Fullback Lwazi Mbebe added the conversion, and the home team led only 12-10.

When Westville won a penalty just inside the Kearsney half, with two minutes to go in the opening stanza, captain Liam Simpkins made a good decision to take a quick tap, which meant the One-Stripe didn’t have time to organise their defensive line. Lock Lwandile Mlaba made most of the running before feeding fullback Siyaya, who dived over in the right-hand corner for a five-pointer.

It was 19-10 at the break.

Commenting afterwards, Westville coach Zander Erasmus said: “I thought, in general, our performance was divided into two halves. We managed to turn it around in the second half, in terms of territory and then converting from there.”

Early in the second half, Jadrian Afrikaner made it a hattrick of tries after running onto a flat pass at pace and crashing over against the right upright. Not surprisingly, he was later named the King Price Man of the Match.

The conversion was no problem for the steady boot of Jade-Will Koopman, which extended Westville’s lead to 26-10.

Mbebe and Williamson were prominent when Kearsney launched a counterattack in the 44th minute, and when the ball went wide to the right, to wing Lwandle Mkhize, he sprinted clear and was over with a spectacular dive into the corner. The visitors thought they had scored, but the speedster was ruled out of bounds.

Instead, Westville scored next after a long looping pass out to Avumile Lisa from flyhalf Koopman was gratefully accepted by the jet-shoed wing, who flew down the touchline to make the dive for five in the left-hand corner. Koopman bisected the posts to extend the hosts’ advantage to 33-10.

Kearsney had brought a lot to the contest, and they enjoyed the final say when Lwandle Mkhize crossed for a try in the left-hand corner with two minutes remaining.

Coach Erasmus credited Kearsney for causing his side trouble at the lineouts, which have been the source of much of the Griffin’s go-forward ball this season. The Westville pack, though, had the edge in the set scrums.

Erasmus also praised the contribution of Sange Nkonki, who turned out at eighthman in place of Craven Week number eight, Lwandile Simelane. “He did a great job over the ball. He’s a specialist fetcher. We got a couple of rewards there. The number seven, Lwandile Makhanya, played very well in the loose,” he added.

Sometimes, the performances of Westville’s captain Liam Simpkins aren’t recognised as they should be, simply because he is so efficient and tidy. He’s taken for granted, but not by Erasmus.

“Liam Simpkins played exceptionally well. His tempo was good. He had a couple of good cover defence tackles.

“I want to highlight his leadership. The way he keeps the players calm. The way he can raise the tempo or slow it down when we need to manage time. The way he speaks to his players,” the coach said, ticking off the qualities that his skipper brings to a winning team.

One of the highlights of the match, Erasmus said, was the match-up between the two fullbacks.

“Siyaya was good. He had that first try assist. He scored a nice try in the corner, as well. He made a try-saving tackle in the corner, too. The match-up was a good one, because Lwazi Mbebe is the Academy Week number 15. He’s got a lot of skill. He’s also a very elusive player.”

Erasmus also pointed out something else about Westville SA School’s fullback, which not many would have realised: “I think people see the Instagram highlights of him playing and scoring tries, but I am yet to see him miss a tackle this year.

“In terms of tactical kicking, I think, in South Africa, he’s right up there with the best. He can kick off of both feet.”

Erasmus’s words of praise weren’t restricted to his charges. It took two to tango, he explained: “Kearsney was good in coming out and being up for the challenge. If you give them a sniff, they will always stay in the fight. They’ve got good players and a good coaching staff.

I thought they were quite clever with the way in which they changed up their quick-tap play. They attacked into the vacuum of the lineout, which no one has really done, but they have found a way to exploit that.

“They kicked a lot, which a lot of teams don’t do. They cross-kicked and put us under a bit of pressure there. They’ve got a never-say-die attitude, and they keep on going. When you give them opportunities, they’ll punish you.

We knew we were up for a tough challenge. Credit has to go to the Kearsney coaches and players for showing up and making it a massive spectacle on Old Boys’ Day.”

SCORES

Westville Boys’ High 33 (17) – Tries: Jadrian Afrikaner (3), Zekhethelo Siyaya, Avumile Lisa. Conversions: Jade-Will Koopman (4). Kearsney College 15 (10) – Tries: Keanu Williamson, Lwandile Mkhize. Conversion: Lwazi Mbebe. Penalty: Lwazi Mbebe (2)

u19 – Westville I 33 Kearsney I 17; Westville II 29 Kearsney II 10; Westville III 15 Kearsney III 14; Westville IV 20 Kearsney IV 12; Westville V 38 Kearsney V 10; Westville VI 19 Kearsney VI 0.

u16 – Westville A 28 Kearsney A 8; Westville B 28 Kearsney 0; Westville C 28 Kearsney C 0; Westville D 34 Kearsney D 14.

u15 – Westville A 29 Kearsney A 17; Westville B 52 Kearsney B 12; Westville C 51 Kearsney C 5

u14 – Westville A 35 Kearsney A 31; Westville B 26 Kearsney 10; Westville C 52 Kearsney C 3

Scoring 35 points against Northwood is no mean feat. One of the defining features of the Knights is their tough defence. But Hilton College put 35 points past them on Saturday, on Northwood’s Old Boys’ Day.

The visitors claimed a 35-22 victory in a King Price Derby Series match in the cauldron-like atmosphere of Reece-Edwards Field in an impressive display.

Props to Hilton, the victory came on the back of an 18-26 loss to Durban High School (DHS) on Van Heerden’s Field last weekend. Back-to-back, away from home, those were two immensely challenging fixtures.

Hilton’s ability to create momentum through the cohesive combination of forwards and backs was the key to their success. When that well-oiled machine gets going, it is tough to stop, even for a team as physical as the Knights.

Captain Liyema Nela put Hilton on the board first, landing an early penalty. Then, from a lineout deep inside the Northwood 22, Hilton, surprisingly, found space near the touchline to make ground towards the try line. The ball was moved left and then back to the right again.

A fantastic loop-around, with Tristan Uys feeding Nela, and the flyhalf popping a pass to James Peattie put the fullback in the clear and he celebrated with an extravagant dive, right arm extended like Superman, as he bagged the first try of the match behind the uprights within the opening 10 minutes.

The conversion kick was simple and Nela extended his side’s lead to 10-0.

Northwood, with their four Sharks’ Craven Week players, bossed some of the set scrums, and they won themselves a penalty from the set piece in the 25th minute. Scrumhalf Jed Mun-Gavin took it, quick as a flash, and flung a long pass out to Abenathi Ntsele on the left wing. With nifty footwork, he avoided an attempted tackle and dived over in the corner.

With five minutes left in the half, Hilton’s dominant rolling maul won them a penalty and Nela struck again to give his team a 13-5 lead. Hilton was not yet done, however.

Northwood had a throw-in, five metres from their line, but were unable to retain possession. Hilton soon won themselves a penalty, which Kyle-Reese Clements quickly took.

After being stopped wide on the right, Hilton brought the ball to the left and Zander Muller was almost over beneath the posts. Their powerful scrumhalf, Zander Vorster, took charge, though, picking up from the resulting ruck and driving over for five. With Nela’s easy conversion kick, coach Brad Macleod-Henderson saw his boys take a convincing 20-5 lead into the break.

Early in the second half, Northwood gave Hilton a taste of their own medicine, making many metres off a lineout win by Lian Terblanche with a powerful rolling maul. They were halted agonisingly close to the try line, but when the ball went out to the backline, fleet-footed Bongane Khumalo slipped through a gap that he manufactured for a desperately needed try for the home side.

The Knights undid some of their good work a couple of minutes later when they were blown up for not releasing a ball on the ground, and Nela punished them, slotting a penalty from 40 metres out to make it 23-10 to the visitors.

Again, it was the tricky Khumalo who unlocked Hilton’s usually staunch defence, breaking through from his side’s 10-metre line. He drew the last defender and released Ntsele to score his second try in the corner, much to the delight of the huge home support.

The Knights had the bit between their teeth, and they surged back onto the attack, pressuring Hilton from a lineout. When Nela and company illegally stopped the home side’s charge at the line, the referee ran to the poles and awarded a penalty try. At 23-22 in favour of Hilton, it was game on.

The visitors responded well. Turning to their very effective driving game off of rucks and mauls, they battered the Northwood defence, inside the host’s 22. Tighthead Mholi Khuzwayo was stopped only centimetres from the whitewash. Then, for the umpteenth time this season, scrumhalf Vorster powered his way over for five points.

With Nela adding the extras, Hilton, importantly, moved eight points clear at 30-22 – more than one score.

Hilton’s relentless mauling and driving, then, brought them the final points of the game and this time Khuzwayo, the tighthead, made it over the line. The kick was missed, but visitors had scored a stirring 35-22 victory.

It was a statement win featuring physicality and flair, with both the backline and forwards bringing it and delivering against a tough opponent.

Scorers:

Northwood 22 (5) – Tries: Abenathi Ntsele (2), Bongane Khumalo, Penalty Try. Hilton College 35 (20) – Tries: Zander Vorster (2), James Peattie, Mholi Khuzwayo. Conversions: Liyema Nela (3). Penalties: Liyema Nela (3).

Michaelhouse returned to playing their home matches on Meadows on Saturday, and while their open age group teams fared well against Maritzburg College, the Red, Black, and White’s 1st XV captured a tight 31-25 victory on ‘House’s home field.

On a beautiful, mild winter’s day in the Midlands, the table was ideally laid for a rugby feast, and the teams obliged.

The opening points went the way of the visitors, who scored just before the 10-minute mark from what appeared to be a somewhat innocuous grubber in behind Michaelhouse’s blindside defence by Liyema Tsoko. Centre Jordan Thackwray had read his flyhalf’s idea perfectly, though, and he outstripped the ‘House cover defence to run onto a ball that sat up invitingly and then crash over for a try.

Dom du Toit, whose goal kicking has been even more reliable than that of his brother, 2023’s outstanding  flyhalf, Luc du Toit, nailed the conversion attempt from out wide to make it 7-0.

Three minutes later, a Michaelhouse attack faltered when a pass failed to go to hand and College number eight, Wasi Vyambwera snapped up the ball just inside the home team’s half. With an eye-opening turn of pace, he accelerated and headed towards the try line. At the last moment, though, midway into the 22, Jack Carmody pulled off an ankle-tap to save a try.

Maritzburg College hit it up through four phases without success, but the boys in red and white had strayed offsides and Du Toit was left to knock over an easy penalty from in front of the uprights to make it 10-0 after 15 minutes.

A couple of minutes later, College was back on the hunt in Michaelhouse’s 22. From a lineout, they drove the home team backwards about 10 metres. Then, after letting the ball out to the backline, centre Olwethu Kosani shrugged off two would-be tacklers as he cut back against the grain. He found a little space and ran over the top of the last defender on the try line to score College’s third.

With Du Toit, as usual, on target with his kick, coach Nico Breedt‘s boys led 17-0 after 19 minutes.

Michaelhouse gradually clawed their way into the game, but they had to wait until two minutes from halftime to break their duck. When they did, they did it with outstanding execution from a lineout only five metres out. It began with a clean take by lock Daniel Carr, followed by Oliver Davis powering over from a well-directed rolling maul.

At halftime, it was Maritzburg College 17-5 Michaelhouse.

Early in the second half, ‘House set up shop in the College 22, inching their way towards the try line through the pick-and-go. When the visitors conceded a penalty, Dom Sesink-Clee took a quick tap. He was stopped short of the line, but he managed to free his hands and popped the ball out. It fell to ground but bounced up kindly for Alex Jankowitz, who gathered, spun around and burst over the line for a five-pointer.

It took almost 15 minutes before the scoreboard moved again. This time, though, it was Maritzburg College who scored. With the Red, Black, and White bashing away at their try line, Michaelhouse delivered some fearsome big hits, but College kept taking it to them. Eventually, Olwethu Kosani made the breakthrough, receiving the ball on an angle before diving low through a couple of tacklers to dot down for a second time.

Du Toit turned it into a seven-point play with a successful conversion to move the visitors 14 points clear at 24-10.

Alex Jankowitz, who gave College fits with his dangerous counterattacking play, then set up a superb try in the 52nd minute. After receiving a pass from Stefan Moolman inside the ‘House half, he evaded a tackle before drawing two more players to stop him. As he went to ground, though, the fullback flipped a pass to Dan Carr and the lock drew the last defender before putting Sesink-Clee in the clear. He had 22 metres to cover and he ate them up, diving over in the left-hand corner for five points.

Unfortunately for James Fleming‘s charges, though, for a third time they took only five points from a try-scoring move, with a third conversion missing the mark.

At last, though, in the 66th minute, Michaelhouse saw a kick pass through the uprights when Stefan Moolman landed a penalty to move the home side to within a converted try of the lead.

With time almost up, however, Maritzburg College struck hammer blow to ‘House’s hopes of a come-from-behind victory when a blindside move freed up Caleb Scheepers to go over wide on the right for a try.

Dom du Toit’s deadly boot lifted the Pietermaritzburg school into a 31-17 lead.

A little time remained, though, and Michaelhouse immediately worked their way down into the College 22.

From a lineout, only five metres out, the burly tighthead Nicolas Salamousas broke away off the back of a maul to blast his way over for a try. Moolman tacked on two more points, but time was up and Maritzburg College claimed a battling 31-24 victory.

SCORES

Michaelhouse 25 (5) – Tries: Oliver Davis, Alex Jankowitz, Dom Sesink-Clee, Nicolas Salamousas. Conversion: Stefan Moolman. Penalty: Stefan Moolman; Maritzburg College 31 (17) – Tries: Olwethu Kosani (2), Jordan Thackwray, Caleb Scheepers. Conversions: Dom du Toit (4). Penalty: Dom du Toit.

u19 – Michaelhouse I 25 Maritzburg College I 31; Michaelhouse II 36 Maritzburg College II 17; Michaelhouse III 20 Maritzburg College III 17; Michaelhouse IV 28 Maritzburg College IV 26; Michaelhouse V 31 Maritzburg College V 21; Michaelhouse VI 8 Maritzburg College VI 0; Michaelhouse VII 62 Maritzburg College VIII 5; Michaelhouse VIII 21 Maritzburg College IX 13; Michaelhouse IX 27 Maritzburg College X 14

u16 – Michaelhouse A 8 Maritzburg College A 28; Michaelhouse B 24 Maritzburg College B 7; Michaelhouse C 12 Maritzburg College C 24; Michaelhouse D 42 Maritzburg College E 19; Michaelhouse E 17 Maritzburg College F 24.

u15 – Michaelhouse A 5 Maritzburg College A 15; Michaelhouse B 0 Maritzburg College B 3; Michaelhouse C 15 Maritzburg College C 21; Michaelhouse D 0 Maritzburg College E 7; Michaelhouse E 12 Maritzburg College F 19.

u14 – Michaelhouse A 7 Maritzburg College A 29; Michaelhouse B 15 Maritzburg College B 19; Michaelhouse C 3 Maritzburg College C 53; Michaelhouse D 7 Maritzburg College D 40; Michaelhouse E 5 Maritzburg College F 36.