Author: captainmorgan

The Sportsmans Warehouse Premier Interschools 2024 season kicks off this weekend, 6 April, with another chapter in the epic traditional KZN rivalry between Glenwood High School and Maritzburg College, taking place in Durban on Dixon’s Field.

The first match between the schools was played in 1921 at Glenwood, with Glenwood, then known as Durban Technical High School, recording a 4-0 win.

College, however, dominated the earlier exchanges and lead the series against the Green Machine, thanks to their long-term dominance during the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Since the late 90s, however, Glenwood has been playing catch-up, and they have won eight of the last 10 meetings between the schools.

Premier Interschools has also announced an exciting new partnership with We Buy Cars as their associate sponsor for the 2024 series.

“This collaboration promises to strengthen the foundation for future rugby and netball stars, setting the stage for exhilarating matches and unforgettable moments ahead.

“We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with the growth of school sports at the forefront,” said Robbie Blair, Premier Interschools Chief Operations Officer.

This mouth-watering derby promises to be one for the history books.

Catch all the action LIVE on the SuperSport Schools channel (DSTV 216) from 14:00.

Last 10 results

10 March 2018 – Glenwood 7-0 Maritzburg College
24 March 2018 – Glenwood 37-12 Maritzburg College
16 June 2018 – Glenwood 41-0 Maritzburg College
6 April 2019 – Glenwood 15-7 Maritzburg College
3 August 2019 – Glenwood 36-25 Maritzburg College
4 September 2021 – Glenwood 12-20 Maritzburg College
14 May 2022 – Glenwood 23-22 Maritzburg College
13 August 2022 – Glenwood 28-22 Maritzburg College
6 May 2023 – Glenwood 15-42 Maritzburg College
12 August 2023 – Glenwood 27-24 Maritzburg College

Maritzburg College 2024

9 March – Maritzburg College 14-16 Kearsney College
16 March – Maritzburg College 83-10 Clifton College
28 March – Maritzburg College 17-32 Boland Landbou
30 March – Maritzburg College 26-24 SACS
1 April – Maritzburg College 24-7 Golden Lions XV

Glenwood 2024

9 March – Glenwood 21-26 Welkom Gimnasium
23 March – Glenwood 11-9 Wesvalia
28 March – Glenwood 14-6 Marlow
30 March – Glenwood 8-20 EG Jansen
1 April – Glenwood 12-19 Nico Malan

The teams:

Glenwood: 15 Leo Khumalo, 14 Leo Weber, 13 Lizwe Mtetwa, 12 Sisiphiwo Dwayi, 11 Mvelo Ndwalane, 10 Kungawo Ncamazane, 9 Lian Lochner, 8 Jordan Hargreaves, 7 Yannick Mwamba, 6 Mkhululi Mhlongo, 5 Tylo Madaat, 4 Tyler Conygnham, 3 Uzukhanye Xaba, 2 Martin van Wyngaardt, 1 Lonwabo Nkalitshana.

Maritzburg College: 15 Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein, 14 Langelihle Makhathini, 13 Swelihle Mbatha, 12 Nkululeko Sithole, 11 Amahle Hadebe, 10 James Slevin, 9 Rayke Maartens, 8 Imivuyo Kemka, 7 Naz Isaacs, 6 Struan Oosthuizen, 5 Jake Jansen, 4 Wasi Vyambwera, 3 Aiden Botha, 2 Siyabonga Nyathi, 1 Phiwayinkhosi Kubheka.

Scorers: 

Rondebosch Boys’ High 31 (17) – Tries: Ewan Lawrie, Randall Davids, Travis van den Berg, Caleb Belelie. Conversions: David Simon (4). Penalty: David Simon. Westville Boys’ High 10 (10) – Try: Unathi Mlotshwa. Conversion: Unathi Mlotshwa. Penalty: Unathi Mlotshwa.

Framesby 18 (8) – Tries: Cole Hilpert, Johan van Zyl. Conversion: Logan Muller. Penalties: Muller (2). Kearsney College 17 (7) – Tries: Valentino Lenge (2). Conversions: Daniel Eagar (2). Penalty: Eagar.

Durban High School 21 (0) – Tries: Mahle Sithole, Aka Boqwana, Adriano Jackson. Conversions: Boqwana (3). Nico Malan 0.

Glenwood 14 (3) – Try: Kungawo Ncamazana. Penalties: Leo Weber (3). Marlow Landbou 6 (0) – Penalties: Gideon Jordaan (2).

EG Jansen 59 (38) – Tries: Ettienne Smit (2), Duwan Potgieter, Keanu van Loggerenberg, Gerhard van Aswegen, Jayden du Preez, Steven Williams, Craig Lightfoot, Zandré Naude. Conversions: Delport (3), Matthew Bergman (2). Noord-Kaap 7 (0) – Try: Tyron China. Conversions: Themba Koopman.

Worcester Gimnasium 26 (19) – Tries: Tyron Abrahams, Conzay Roelf, Wilfred Slingers, Waylan Pienaar. Conversions: Aiden Abrahams (3). Hoërskool Rustenburg 25 (20) – Tries: Zulu Khumalo, Henco Raath, Lorenzo Snyers. Conversion: Jaden Meyer (2). Penalties: Meyer (2).

 

Kearsney College‘s picturesque Stott Field is ready and raring to host the 15^th edition of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF), with 14 high school teams set to do battle while, in a first for the event, 10 local u13 teams will also be in action on an adjoining field.

The event, which has been sponsored by Standard Bank since 2012, previously featured u13 matches to open the action daily. Now, their full participation follows a very successful formula Kearsney has used for their Kearsney Soccer Tournament and Kearsney Hockey 5s.

Follow the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival action live on SuperSport Schools

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There are three newcomers this year: Cape Town’s Rondebosch Boys’ High, Pearson High School, from Gqeberha, and Hoërskool Rustenburg, from the North-West.

All three enjoyed outstanding 2023 seasons. Rondebosch produced the best record in competition against their three southern suburbs rivals – beating SACS and Wynberg twice, while winning one and losing one against Bishops.

Recently, on 16 March, they went 13-17 down against Oakdale. To put that result into context, Oakdale recently beat Garsfontein 23-17 and Helpmekaar 41-22 at the NMI Toyota North-South Tournament.

Pearson’s signature result of 2023 was a 25-22 victory over Selborne College and this season they’re unbeaten in three outings which, most recently, included a 19-11 win over Queen’s College.

Rustenburg lost only twice in 15 matches last year and upset Glenwood High School 26-24. That same Glenwood team had won all three of their games at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival.

Coach Derek Heiberg‘s charges suffered an upset loss to Welkom Gimnasium in their first game of 2024, although, in mitigation, they entered the contest without a number of their first-choice players due to injuries.

On 21 March, they were unimpressive in an 11-9 win over Wesvalia, so the Green Machine will want to set the record straight at Kearsney.

Westville Boys’ High, another of last year’s unbeaten teams at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, went down 17-25 to Michaelhouse in their first match of the season.

It was a scrappy first outing, but they showed that they could be a very dangerous team in the last quarter of the contest, when they started to find their way.

Monument was the other side to put together a perfect festival record in 2023, recording comfortable wins over Framesby (28-7), Noord-Kaap (50-5), and Dale College (41-5).

They’re a beefy outfit, with seven members of their squad weighing in at 100+ kilograms, including lock Jacques Botha, who stands 2.06m tall (6’8″) and weighs 128 kilos, and prop Wikus Meyer, who is 1.95m tall (6’4″) and tips the scales at 127 kilos. They’re not the heaviest! Prop Juandré Marais stands 1.89m (6’2″) and weighs 136 kilograms.

The hosts, who beat Dr EG Jansen 17-12 last year, to end Jansies’ unbeaten start to the season, went down 20-23 to Dale College and 24-26 to England’s Hartpury College in their other outings, and will be keen to put together a better record this time around.

At last year’s festival, Dr EG Jansen’s opener was a thrilling contest against Hartpury College, with the Boksburg boys fighting back from 14-28 down to force a 28-28 draw. Apart from the loss to Kearsney, they also went down 10-22 to Westville.

Like last season, they head into the festival undefeated, and have already played five matches. They’ve been dominant thus far, with their 36-26 win over Welkom Gimnasium the closest game they’ve played thus far.

With former Springbok and Sharks’ captain Keegan Daniel now heading up Kearsney’s rugby programme, the early signs have been positive, with the One-Stripe beating Witteberg 17-5, Hentie Cilliers 41-14 and, in a massive upset, Maritzburg College 16-14.

Their only loss came in their most recent game, when Durban High School (DHS) blanked them 23-0. It was a result that didn’t do justice to how tightly contested the match was.

DHS, meanwhile, will be keen to go three for three after winning two out of three in 2023. Last year, they headed into the festival straight from doing duty in the North-South Tournament and were shocked by Worcester Gimnasium in their opener, going down 31-36.

This season, DHS opted not to participate in the North-South Tournament to reduce the demands on their players. That will have its positives, but it also means that they go into the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival having played a lot less rugby than they had before the 2023 KERF.

One thing that be expected from DHS, however, is an entertaining running game, which is built upon the efforts of a solid, mobile, and hard-working pack.

Worcester Gimnasium, who won a lot of hearts with their running rugby when they debuted at KERF last season, head into the festival with a record of played four, won four.

They’ve exhibited a strong defence in their four victories, surrendering only 32 points in total. Their offence, though, has not yet fully sparked, scoring 88 points in their wins, so they’ll be keen to improve that aspect of their play.

Hoër Landbouskool Marlow has been in good early season form, although their most recent result was a 14-29 loss to Kingswood College. Their other results include a 32-14 win over Hoërskool Upington and a 16-5 victory over Hoërskool Duineveld. That same Duineveld team went down 32-33 to the highly rated Noordheuwel on Tuesday.

Noord-Kaap brings a clean record to the festival, although they haven’t played the toughest of opposition yet, recording wins over Sentraal (28-22), Landbouskool Jacobsdal (29-20) and HTS Louis Botha (59-14). One thing that can be expected from the Kimberley school is a willingness to run the ball.

Framesby have been regular visitors to the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, and their record in 2023 included a convincing 35-7 win over Noord-Kaap. However, they were beaten 31-10 by DHS and 28-7 by Monument in their other matches.

The boys from the Eastern Cape have begun 2024 well, with victories over Brackenfell (31-12) and Stirling (43-0).

Their fellow Eastern Cape school, Nico Malan, of Humansdorp, should be well prepared for KERF, with three matches in the bag. They won against Bergsig (15-7) and Dale College (32-29), but they were edged out by St Andrew’s College (24-21).

Online tickets for the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival can be purchased through Quicket at R45pp to avoid queues, or at the gate for R40pp. Children under six years of age get in for free.

There is ample on-site parking, numerous food outlets, a refreshment tent, and a fun KidZone for the little ones.

Fixtures

Day 1: Thursday, 28 March

09:00 – Worcester Gim v Rustenburg; 10:20 – Noord-Kaap v Dr EG Jansen; 11:40 – Glenwood v Marlow; 13:00 – DHS v Nico Malan; 14:20 – Framesby v Kearsney; 15:40 – Westville v Rondebosch

Day 2: Saturday, 30 March

07:40 – Noord-Kaap v Nico Malan; 09:00 – Westville v Pearson; 10:20 – Worcester Gim v Marlow; 11:40 – Rustenburg v DHS; 13:00 – Framesby v Monument; 14:20 – Glenwood v Dr EG Jansen; 15:40 – Kearsney v Rondebosch

Day 3: Monday, 1 April

07:30 – Marlow v Noord-Kaap; 08:50 – Rondebosch v Rustenburg; 10:10 – Framesby v Worcester Gim; 11:30 – Glenwood v Nico Malan; 12:40 – Closing Ceremony; 13:00 – DHS v Pearson; 14:20 – Monument v Westville; 15:40 – Kearsney v Dr EG Jansen

The Founders Hockey Festival came to fitting climax on Monday, with two marquee clashes – SACS vs St Stithians and Kearsney College vs Paul Roos – producing some exciting and outstanding hockey.

In the penultimate game, SACS, up against the Aitken Trophy champions, took a while to impose themselves on the Johannesburg side, who played with composure and held their own, as the teams went into the half-time break goalless.

That all changed in the third chukka in a major way, however. SACS took the lead when Litha Kraai struck from a quick hit taken just outside the circle, and within a minute it was 2-0 after the Capetonians turned over possession and raced back into the circle, where Kraai doubled their advantage.

That became the story of the chukka, with SACS working hard, closing down and squeezing the ball carriers in pairs, turning over possession, swiftly getting into the circle, and finishing expertly. They struck five times in those 12 minutes and the contest was decided. Saints were stunned.

Another goal in the last chukka made it an impressive 6-0 victory.

SACS’ 1st XI coach Sam Holmes declared himself “unbelievably chuffed” after the game.

He said it was a fantastic experience for SACS, last year’s number one team in South Africa, to be part of a north vs south clash, and to face teams from the Eastern Cape, KZN and Gauteng at the Founders Festival.

“It’s nice to experience different styles of hockey, and then to work out a plan mid-game for a 17- or 18-year-old and rectify errors. And that sort of stuff is fantastic to see, and I’m glad they managed to do that in the second half.

Holmes said there had been no special message at half-time. “To be honest, we’ve had a very simple plan for four months… At first team level, it’s as simple as bringing the right energy and executing, and we were able to do that in the second half.”

He added: “When you execute at that level, with players like Litha Kraai, once they get the ball rolling, it’s tickets for anyone.”

With that eye-catching win, SACS made it crystal clear that they’re not going to surrender their number one ranking without a fight.

One of the teams that has designs on that ranking is Paul Roos Gimnasium who, like SACS, had won all four of their matches heading into the final day. They hadn’t scored quite as many goals as the Cape Town school, but they hadn’t conceded any either.

Their game against Kearsney College wasn’t as pretty as the SACS’ performance, but both sides hustled and harried and put in lung-busting shifts in an effort to secure victory. Kearsney also entered the game unbeaten at Founders, having won three and drawn one on the first two days.

Paul Roos took a 1-0 lead into half-time when, unsurprisingly, Reuben Sendzel struck from a penalty corner.

Both teams battled to break through the other’s midfield, but it looked as if that single goal would be enough for the Stellenbosch side. However, with time almost up, Kearsney forced a penalty corner and with that came an opportunity to salvage a draw.

Captain Matt de Oliveira stepped up and made it count, rocketing the ball past the ‘keeper’s left and into the back of the net. It was 1-1 and with that the final whistle sounded.

It felt like a fair result. The home team, always a handful on the Mason Astro, had kept fighting right to the end and their never-say-die spirit had been rewarded.

Reflecting on their rivalry with Paul Roos, SACS’ coach Sam Holmes said: It’s going to be neck-and-neck with Paul Roos the whole year.

“We played a warm-up game [against them], which actually felt like a World Cup final. High energy, very physical.

“It’s fantastic to have such a strong school so close to us, because that’s what gets these guys out of bed for early morning training, knowing there’s another side chasing them.”

Holmes previously coached the current SACS’ 1st team at u16 level and has moved up with them, with Pierre le Roux, whose son, Josh, is in the 1st side, moving down to take charge of the u16A side.

“I’m super-grateful for the opportunities, and for all the unbelievable coaches we have at SACS,” Holmes said. “To be given this position is truly a tremendous privilege.”

In the final day’s other matches, Rondebosch Boys’ High signed off with a 2-1 win over Affies, Parktown Boys’ High put it all together to blast Dale College 7-0, and Queen’s College claimed a 3-0 victory over Northwood‘s Brown Socks.

RESULTS

Rondebosch Boys’ High 2-1 Affies
Parktown Boys’ High 7-0 Dale College
Queen’s College 3-0 Northwood School
SACS 6-0 St Stithians College
Kearsney College 1-1 Paul Roos Gimnasium

Sunday’s action at the Founder’s Hockey Festival included a mouthwatering showdown between Paul Roos and St Stithians, two of 2023’s best teams, and they showed that they remain elite in a fascinating battle.

In the early going, Saints took the game to Paul Roos, who took a while to settle down. The Stellenbosch side, however, was defensively sound.

Once St Stithians approached the final third of the field, they were stymied time after time. They did string some nice moves together at the back and in the midfield, but PRG worked effectively as a unit to keep Saints in check.

In the second chukka, the Johannesburg school thought they had taken the lead from a penalty corner. A shot hit the backboard, but it had been too high and dangerous on its way there and the goal was disallowed.

Paul Roos then pulled off a sucker punch, striking shortly after that with a field goal.

After a slowish start, they had settled in well and while Saints enjoyed sufficient possession, not much of it happened up front.

After half-time, SA u21 star Reuben Sendzel, a serious threat at penalty corner time, beat the goalkeeper low and to his right from the set piece to double the PRG advantage.

Saints kept battling hard, but it became clear that it was going to be Paul Roos’s day.

Later, though, Saints took out their frustrations on the Northwood 2nd XI, winning 6-0.

The Northwood 1st side is touring Argentina and, given the second team’s competitiveness – they drew with Rondebosch and Dale on Saturday – coach Justin Collins and his team are surely going to make some noise when they return to South Africa.

Meanwhile, Paul Roos kept their pristine defensive record intact later in the day when they recorded a 4-0 win over Affies. The Pretoria school had beaten Dale College 3-1 in their first match on Sunday.

PRG’s big rivals, SACS, outplayed the Northwood 2nd XI 8-0 in the morning, and the SACS’ train kept chugging along in the afternoon, when they handed Queen’s College a 5-0 defeat. Litha Kraai dazzled with some rocket-propelled reverse stick goals.

In the first match of the day, Queen’s had fallen 0-2 behind Parktown Boys’ High within the first four minutes of their game. After that, they gave a much better account of themselves and ended up going 1-2 down.

Kearsney College, who won both of their day one matches, played to a 1-1 draw with Rondebosch at midday. They would be disappointed about the manner in which they conceded.

While leading 1-0, they attempted to play too much hockey at the back in an effort to exit, allowed themselves to be closed down, and were turned over. ‘Bosch latched onto the loose ball and stuck home the opportunity to level the scores. In the end, 1-1 was probably a fair result in a scrappy contest.

The hosts found their goal-scoring mojo, however, when they rolled to a 4-0 win over Parktown.

After two days of action, they have posted three wins and a draw, but their toughest assignment awaits them on Monday, when they take on Paul Roos in the event’s last match. It will be preceded by a marquee match-up between SACS and St Stithians.

RESULTS

Parktown 2-1 Queen’s
SACS 8-0 Northwood
Paul Roos 2-0 St Stithians
Affies 3-1 Dale
Kearsney 1-1 Rondebosch
SACS 5-0 Queen’s
St Stithians 6-0 Northwood
Rondebosch 3-1 Dale
Paul Roos 4-0 Affies
Kearsney 4-0 Parktown

FIXTURES

Monday, 25 March

07:30 – Affies vs Rondebosch; 08:35 – Dale vs Parktown; 09:40 – Northwood vs Queen’s; 10:45 – SACS vs St Stithians; 11:50 – Kearsney vs Paul Roos

Day one of the Founders Hockey Festival, played on The Mason Astro at Kearsney College, saw some of the favourites running up big scores, which was testament to their good approach play in the final third of the field, sure finishing, and well-oiled penalty corner routines.

SACS, the number one team in the country in 2023, was in action in the opening game against Affies and quickly demonstrated that they remain a class act. They rolled to a 5-1 victory, looking assured on the ball, organised across the park, and always in control.

Later, they overwhelmed Parktown Boys’ High 7-1. It was a tough opening day for Parktown, who were beaten 5-0 in their first game, against Paul Roos.

The Johannesburg school played some decent hockey between the two 23m lines and, in fact, probably shaded the number of penalty corners awarded in their match against the Stellenbosch side. The problem was that they never got a shot off, attempting PC variations every time, which suggested a lack of confidence in their routine.

Paul Roos, meanwhile, had Reuben Sendzel on the drag flick and he showed how to finish from the set piece.

Northwood, who recently returned from a tour of Argentina, had a bit of an underwhelming day. They drew 0-0 with Rondebosch in their opener, with ‘Bosch enjoying the better of the contest, and then played to a 1-1 draw with Dale College.

To put Northwood’s draw with Dale into perspective, Kearsney College, the hosts, strode to a 5-0 win over the team from Qonce in the second match of the day. Captain Matt de Oliveira and his team found Affies a tougher nut to crack in the early afternoon, but recorded a second successive win, triumphing 2-1.

Under the leadership of their new Director of Hockey, Keegan Pearce, Kearsney played a well-structured game. They appear confident and have some outstanding players in their ranks.

They’ll feel they’re in with a good shot at adding another two wins on Sunday, when they take on Rondebosch and Parktown. Their biggest test, though, will come on Monday, when they tackle Paul Roos in the final game of the festival, just before midday.

‘Bosch showed up well against Northwood, but they went 1-2 down against St Stithians in the early evening.

Queen’s College tackled the Aitken Trophy champs in their opener. Saints controlled the tempo of that contest and also delivered some good finishes to put away the boys from Komani by a 5-0 margin.

It didn’t get any easier for Queen’s next time out, with a challenging outing against Paul Roos. The Stellenbosch boys, now under former DHS Director of Hockey, Michael Baker, who returned to KZN for the first time since his move to the Western Cape, netted six times without reply, to take their tally for the opening day to 11 without conceding.

Results

Affies 1-5 SACS
Kearsney 5-0 Dale
Northwood 0-0 Rondebosch
Parktown 0-5 Paul Roos
Queen’s 0-5 St Stithians
Kearsney 2-1 Affies
Northwood 1-1 Dale
Parktown 1-7 SACS
Queen’s 0-6 Paul Roos
St Stithians 2-1 Rondebosch

Stacked! That one word describes the line-up for the 2024 Founders Hockey Festival, which takes place at Kearsney College from Saturday, 23 March, to Monday, 25 March.

All eyes will be on SACS, the clearcut number one team in South Africa last year. While they have lost players from their all-conquering side, they remain loaded.

Last year’s team produced the best goalkeeper, the best defender and the best attacker award winners at the SASHOC Hockey Week, with six players being selected for the SA u18A team and one for the SA u18 B team, while four SACS boys were included in the SA u16A ranks and one in the SA u16B team.

In 38 matches, which included a tour of The Netherlands, SACS won 34 times, drew three games and lost just once, scoring 227 goals while conceding only 35.

That sole loss came to Paul Roos, a 2-3 setback at the Hibbert Shield, but they also beat PRG 3-1 and 8-1 during the season.

Speaking of the Stellenbosch school, they will also be in action at the Founders Festival, led by Reuben Sendzel, who ran out for the SA u21 team in 2023. He also captained the SA u17 team to a silver medal at the Dato Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia in October, scoring a hattrick in the final against India, who won the game 4-3.

Paul Roos has a new Director of Hockey, Michael Baker, who did an outstanding job at Durban High School (DHS), helping DHS to become a top five-ranked school in the country at u14, u16 and 1^st team level. He also helped the Horseflies dominate KZN Coastal selections.

Hockey in the Western Cape is in very good health, and the challenges will be tough, but Baker has a habit of getting the best out of the boys who play under him, so it will be interesting to see if Paul Roos, also ranked in the top five last season, is able to make even further progress.

Leading the Gauteng challenge will be St Stithians College, who won the Aitken Trophy for the first time since the 1980s last year. They played to a 2-2 draw with Jeppe in the final, and then secured victory in a shootout by a 4-2 margin.

Having Gauteng’s best and the Western Cape’s best at the same festival is quite something, and Northwood School will be staking their claim to being KZN’s best this year.

They enjoyed a very strong 2023 season, which ended on a high note after they beat Grey College 2-0 in the final of the Guschkie Top Schools under-18 Tournament in Bloemfontein in mid-August.

They’ll be ready for action having opened their season with a tour of Argentina.

Expect a hard-running effort from the Knights, who function well as a defensive unit that applies a tight press and then counterattacks with pace.

The hosts, Kearsney College, led by SA Schools’ midfielder Matt De Oliveira, will be tough to beat on Mason’s Astro. Only once in the past two seasons have they lost there, although that happened in their most recent outing when they went down 0-1 to a DHS side that has all but three players returning from their 2023 team.

It will be interesting to see Rondebosch in action. They were convincingly outplayed by SACS last season, but ‘Bosch has a proud hockey tradition and will be keen to make amends for 2023’s misfortunes.

Affies is a dark horse candidate to make some noise, while Parktown, Queen’s College and Dale College, who complete the lineup, would love to spring a surprise or two.

Fixtures

Saturday, 23 March

07:30 – Affies vs SACS; 08:35 – Kearsney vs Dale; 09:40 – Northwood vs Rondebosch; 10:45 – Parktown vs Paul Roos; 11:50 – Queens vs St Stithians; 12:55 – Kearsney vs Affies; 14:00 – Northwood vs Dale; 15:05 – Parktown vs SACS; 16:10 – Queen’s vs Paul Roos; 17:15 – St Stithians vs Rondebosch

Sunday, 24 March

07:30 – Queen’s vs Parktown; 08:35 – Northwood vs SACS; 09:40 – St Stithians vs Paul Roos; 10:45 – Affies vs Dale; 11:50 – Kearsney vs Rondebosch; 12:55 – Queen’s vs SACS; 14:00 – Northwood vs St Stithians; 15:05 – Affies vs Paul Roos; 16:10 – Dale vs Rondebosch; 17:15 – Kearsney vs Parktown

Monday, 25 March

07:30 – Affies vs Rondebosch; 08:35 – Dale vs Parktown; 09:40 – Northwood vs Queen’s; 10:45 – SACS vs St Stithians; 11:50 – Kearsney vs Paul Roos

Matches will be played in four 12-minute chukkas, with breaks of two minutes, three minutes and two minutes.

St Andrew’s School unveiled a first of its kind in South Africa artificial hockey field on Tuesday evening. The FIH-certified dry hockey surface, manufactured by Polytan and installed by Trompie, is the same one that will be used at the Olympic Games in Paris later this year.

Ashley Appleby, Polytan’s International Sales Manager, commented: “Polytan is a close partner of the FIH and as such have been working on a dry hockey solution for the past few years. Today is the culmination of all the hard work as we celebrate the official opening of St Andrew’s School’s new certified FIH dry innovation hockey turf system.

“Poligras Paris GT Zero is also the world’s first carbon zero hockey pitch and is manufactured using sustainable bio-based raw materials.”

St Andrew’s Director of Hockey Trevor Raubenheimer said his players have been practicing on the surface for a month now. “It’s plays perfectly. I don’t have anything bad to say about it,” he said.

The pitch does not require water and is self-sustainable, and that played a big role in the decision to go with the Polytan surface, Raubenheimer added.

“You can water it, if you want. At the Olympics, they will water it in the morning and the night. That’s optional.

“Hockey is a winter sport. In winter, we have dew, so it won’t be necessary. When it’s rained in the morning, or even the previous evening, and we have trained the next day, it plays just like a water-based surface. I really can’t tell the difference.” In an area of low winter rainfall, like the Free State, that’s a big positive.

The Polytan surface has an important playing advantage over a water-based surface, Raubenheimer explained: “With a water-based surface, if it isn’t watered regularly, it is inconsistent. With this, it is very consistent, all over the pitch. I’m very happy with it.”

The only place where water is regularly used is where the ball is injected for penalty corners, with a five-litre bottle being left for the injector. “It does make it a little bit smoother [for the injector],” he said. “In terms of speed, it is the same.”

With a crowd of about 500 people in attendance, St Andrew’s played Queen’s College to give the pitch its official opening. They made a winning start, recording a 2-1 win over their opposition from Komani.

Saints will next be in action at the Bishops 175th Hockey Festival, while Queen’s visit Kearsney College to participate in the Founders Hockey Festival.

The Durban High School (DHS) 1st XV faced a tricky opening rugby fixture on Saturday, at Kearsney College, who had already notched three wins in three starts, including a 16-14 upset of a highly favoured Maritzburg College the previous weekend.

Problem? Not for coach Peter Engeldow‘s outfit. Not only did they win, but they held the One-Stripe scoreless, emerging from a hard-fought contest with a 23-0 victory.

It’s not as if Kearsney didn’t threaten. They did. But staunch and determined DHS defence kept them at bay.

Khanyisa Stamper, at 8th-man, set the standard for the Horseflies, delivering a man of the match-type performance. He was sound on defence and a strong ball-carrier on the offence. His fellow loose-forward, Daniel Ikotela, was also a defensive standout.

Kearsney had stood up well to Maritzburg College’s powerful pack the previous weekend, but DHS proved that they, too, are talented up front and handled the Kearsney pack well. They also performed smoothly in the lineouts, which not many teams have managed in their first outings.

Flyhalf Aka Boqwana has big shoes to fill, following the departure of the outstanding Deano Boesak, who has signed a contract with Western Province. On Saturday, given sharp service from Marcwin Nero, he did a fine job, twice crossing for tries while also controlling the game with his tactical kicking.

Outside of Boqwana, hard-running Zingce Simka and Adriano Jackson caused the Kearsney defence problems.

It was an encouraging start to the season for DHS, who will have high hopes for 2024 after a very good 2023. However, knock-ons and penalties are areas that will require improvement going forward.

In Pietermaritzburg, Clifton College had the misfortune of running into a talented Maritzburg College team that was deeply disappointed by its first outing of 2024, and ready to take out that disappointment on Clifton on Goldstone’s.

College was simply too slick and too fast for their opposition, and no one was more slippery or fast than their SA Schools’ fullback, Luyanda Kunene, who sliced through the Clifton defence for five tries.

His fellow SA Schools’ star, College captain Rambo Kubheka crossed the whitewash twice and was matched by Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein as College tallied 12 tries. It didn’t help Clifton that James Slevin kicked well. He struck 10 conversions and added a penalty.

To their credit, Clifton kept going at it and twice forced their way over for tries from close range. Their second was also the last of the contest, which spoke volumes about their spirited resistance.

Just up the road, at Hilton College, a shock was in store for the hosts. They took on a Northwood team that was full of running and looked dangerous when they got the ball down their backline, and it brought them an exciting 10-7 victory.

The opening try, in the 12th minute, was a beauty, which began with a lineout just outside of Northwood’s 22m. They secured the throw and then, under heavy pressure from Hilton, got the ball out wide with a long skip pass. A clever dummy and a slipped tackle saw the Knights racing down the right-hand side of the field.

An offload to the inside and another dummy opened up a route to the tryline and they were over after covering more than three-quarters of the length of the field. It was a sensational score.

Then, a deep foray into Hilton’s territory brought Northwood to within five metres of the tryline. Hilton, though, turned over possession and launched a kick down the field. After catching the ball on the halfway line, the Knights countered with a swift attack to the left. Hilton was outflanked and the visitors were in for a second try.

Their 10-point lead lasted only three minutes, however. Skip passes had helped them get on the outside of the Hilton defence on a number of occasions. This time, it got them into trouble as a long pass was intercepted by Khazimla Makali.

He sprinted down the field but was hauled in from behind. Still, he got a final pass off and Rukudzo Madinga provided the finish. Liyema Nela added the extras and only three points separated the sides.

Northwood, though, had proven a tough nut to crack and they didn’t allow Hilton another point to record a cherished victory on Gilfillan Field.

Scores

Durban High School 23 (11) – Tries: Aka Boqwana (x2), Allston Cedras. Penalties: Allston Cedras (x2). Conversions: Allston Cedras. Kearsney College 0 (0).

Maritzburg College 83 (36) – Luyanda Kunene (x5), Phiwayinkosi Kubheka (x2), Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein (x2), Imivuyo Kemka, Siyabonga Nyathi, Swelihle Mbatha. Penalty: James Slevin. Conversions: James Slevin (x10). Clifton College 10 (5)

Northwood School 10 (5). Hilton College 7 (0) – Try: Rukudzo Madinga. Conversion: Liyema Nela.

Michaelhouse, coming off a narrow 7-10 defeat to Helpmekaar, made the trip to Westville Boys’ High on Saturday, knowing they would be up against a dangerous opponent on Bowden’s, in front of a jam-packed crowd that created a cauldron-like atmosphere.

In a reversal of the flow of the hockey match between the two 1^st teams, it was the Griffin who were controlled in the first half, but then came on strongly in the last quarter.

They had trailed 5-18 at one stage but managed to pull to within a point at 17-18, However, the risks they took to get that close came back to bite them when Michaelhouse forced a turnover and went over in the left-hand corner. A fine conversion in difficult windy conditions by Luke Davidson took it beyond a one-score game and that’s how it remained as ‘House scored a 25-17 victory.

Their defence was the catalyst for two of their three tries, with hard hits and turnovers being turned into points.

In the first half, the visitors looked comfortably in charge before Westville fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya sliced through the Michaelhouse defence when a backline move that appeared to have broken down wasn’t closed down quickly enough. It was one of the few occasions that the boys in red and white gave Westville too much room within which to operate.

Westville was dangerous on attack, Michaelhouse coach James Fleming said. Their fullback, Zekethelo Siyaya, was “lethal”, but he was far from the only dangerman, Fleming added.

For the most part, though, Michaelhouse controlled the game, with flyhalf Davidson playing the conditions well and dictating field position with his boot.

Good tactical kicking by Michaelhouse flyhalf Luke Davidson was a key factor in his side’s victory.Davidson’s control forced Westville to play from deep, and it kept them turning around, which was not how they wanted to play the game. Their coach Njabulo “Jabz” Zulu admitted he was disappointed with his charges’ first outing.

“Very disappointing. We really came in with a plan, and our plan was to try and outwork them. They were a much bigger team, and I thought we had an athletic team.” The problems they experienced were many of those seen early in the season: from teams playing their first games loose passes and dropped balls, but the negative penalty count was truly costly.

“We let them off the hook with silly penalties. That hurt us a lot,” Zulu said.

After their opening loss to Helpmekaar, Fleming said his charges needed to sort out some aspects of their scrum and lineout work. That they had done that clearly showed in their performance on Bowden’s.

Westville, who were without their first-choice locks, gained very little clean ball from the lineouts, where one of Michaelhouse’s unsung heroes, Riley Gehren, caused havoc by contesting every throw-in. He also delivered a big-time defensive performance, making one solid tackle after another.

In the backline, Tom Baguley was equally effective in stopping Westville. Fleming likened him to the former Wales and British Lion bowling ball at centre, Scott Gibbs.

“He was outstanding defensively and took it up when we needed it,” Fleming said.

Alongside Baguley, Rourke O’Sullivan, making his bow in the 1^st XV, enjoyed a strong debut.

The tight scrums were probably shaded by Michaelhouse, with tighthead prop, Thomas Peach, adding some heft to the pack.

The loose was a battle throughout. “They were really competitive over the ball. They’re very good at going at the ball, so I was chuffed that we managed to win those balls. A week ago, we would have lost a lot of them,” Fleming reckoned.

For three-quarters of the contest, the visitors looked on course for a comfortable win, but when Westville started to iron out some of their errors, they forced Michaelhouse onto the back foot and an intercept try by Blake Allbon threw the cat among the pigeons.

Another five-pointer by Jeshua Ferreira meant there was only one point in it, but captain Carlyle Hawkins and his crew quickly found a reply to give themselves some breathing room.

Michaelhouse’s ability to keep tacking on points throughout the contest was critical to his team’s success, said Fleming: “Luke Davidson kept the scoreboard ticking, and that’s a big lesson that schoolboys need to learn, like Jonny Wilkinson, three, six, nine, 12. It kept our scoring going, which was very important, so well done to Luke Davidson for that.

Westville coach Jabz Zulu lamented the fact that his team missed some kickable penalties: “We were behind by a point, and we had a kick in front of the poles. We didn’t miss difficult kicks and that was costly.

“We played for maybe 20 percent of the time. We could have been in with a shot.

“That’s also why I am disappointed, because I want to make people proud. I feel like, for a large part of that, we didn’t make people proud.”

There is quality in the Westville lineup. That much is clear. And much like Michaelhouse will feel they let themselves down through unforced errors in their first match, so too will Westville feel they were some way off their best in their opener.

They’ll aim to take a leaf out of the Balgowan boys’ book when they run out against Clifton College in the coming week and show that they’ve effectively addressed some of the areas of play that weren’t up to scratch. If they get it right, Michaelhouse’s James Fleming noted, they have some very dangerous runners.

Scores

Michaelhouse 25 (13): Tries Stefan Moolman, Carlyle Hawkins, Rourke Murray. Penalties: Luke Davidson (x2). Conversions: Luke Davidson (x2). Westville 17 (5) – Tries: Zekhethelo Siyaya, Blake Allbon, Jeshua Ferreira. Conversions: Jadewill Koopman

u16A: Westville 19 Michaelhouse 14

u15A: Michaelhouse 19 Westville 17

u14A: Michaelhouse 17 Westville 10