Author: wwords

Durban High School vs Pearson High School

Durban High School (DHS) made it three wins out of three at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) after another dominant display in their 38-7 victory over Pearson High School on Monday.

In fact, the seven points they conceded were the only points they surrendered during the entire event.

Just like in their previous outings on Stott Field, DHS was unrelenting, hunting with a pack mentality when not in possession, and running good lines when they had the ball to break through the Pearson defences.

Their ascendency was never in question, and they have made an early case that they will be the KZN team to beat this season.

Pearson looked promising with the ball in hand on occasion, but a mix of unforced errors and some terrier-like defending left them with scant reward.

Adriano Jackson scored his fourth try of the festival to put the Horseflies ahead, before Marcwin Nero finished off skilfully to double their tally.

Skipper Kian Rademeyer‘s converted try earned Pearson their seven points, but Nero struck again to put the locals into a 21-7 leading at the break.

In the second half, Allston Cedras, Jordan van Wyk and Hlumelo Madikane each went over to extend School‘s advantage.

Westville Boys’ High School vs Hoërskool Monument

In one of the biggest upsets of the festival, an inspired Westville Boys’ High surged to a hard-fought 25-22 win over Hoërskool Monument in the penultimate match of day three.

Monnas were on top in the possession and territory stakes in the first half but just couldn’t make it count in the face of hard-hitting Westville tackling. They were later made to rue that inability to turn pressure into points as coach Njabulo Zulu‘s outfit made the most of their opportunities, to race into a significant lead.

Westville defended superbly in the first 20 minutes, absorbing everything Monument threw at them after the boys in white set up camp deep inside their territory.

They were rewarded for their staunch resistance when Unathi Mlotshwa kicked a penalty to put the KZN side in front, but it would get even better a few moments later.

A Monument set play was intercepted by Jadrian Afrikaner, who ran in from his own half unopposed, before Jade-Will Koopman raced through for his team’s second try in quick succession as Westville took an unlikely 15-0 lead into half-time.

Michael Satade extended the Westville advantage with a powerful break and score, before Kealan Milton and Keenan Myners dragged two back for the Witbulle.

Mlotshwa’s second penalty all but wrapped up the result, although Monument manufactured late tries for Milton and Vincent Robberts.

Kearsney College vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen

Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen‘s 36-11 win over Kearsney College in the final match of KERF 2024 ensured they finished their campaign with an impressive three from three record.

The hosts, who had already copped losses to Rondebosch Boys’ High and Hoërskool Framesby, were hoping to replicate last year’s 17-12 victory over the same opponents. Unfortunately for them, their challenge fell apart late in the second half.

EG Jansen were slow out of the blocks but found their feet as the match progressed to follow up their victories over Hoërskool Noord-Kaap and Glenwood with yet another to extend their unbeaten start to the season to eight matches.

Kearsney started strongly and Daniel Eagar nailed a three-pointer on his second attempt to break the deadlock, but Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar hit back with a try within a minute to put Egies ahead.

Kearsney enjoyed the territorial advantage and forced Jansies into conceding a number of penalties and another Eager three-pointer put the One-Stripe 6-5 ahead at half-time.

Shortly after the restart, Kearsney second rower Simo Mnqokoyi scored one of the tries of the festival: breaking, chipping, regathering and stepping his way to a magnificent finish in the corner, complete with a swan dive of which even Bryan Habana would have been proud.

Kearsney, though, soon conceded again with Matthew Bergman carving through the home side’s defences before setting up centre Jeandre Jacobs for EG Jansen’s second try. 8th-man Gerhard van Aswegen scored soon thereafter and suddenly all of Kearsney’s hard-won momentum had evaporated.

The visitors added to their tally through Keanu van Loggerenberg, Jacobs and Bergman, without conceding another point. Down by six early in the second half, they won by 25 points.

Scores and scorers

Durban High School 38 (21) – Tries: Marcwin Nero (2), Adriano Jackson, Allston Cedras, Jordan van Wyk, Hlumelo Madikane. Conversions: Aka Boqwana (3), Cedras. Pearson 7 (7) – Try: Kian Rademeyer. Conversion: Caleb Friskin.

Westville Boys’ High 25 (15) – Tries: Jadrian Afrikaner, Jade-Will Koopman, Michael Satade. Conversions: Unathi Mlotshwa (2). Penalties: Mlotshwa (2). Monument 22 (0) – Tries: Kealan Milton (2), Keenan Myners, Vincent Robberts. Conversion: Theuns du Plooy.

Dr EG Jansen 36 (5) – Tries: Jeandre Jacobs (2) Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar, Gerhard van Aswegen, Keanu van Loggerenberg, Matthew Bergman. Conversions: Matthew Bergman (3). Kearsney College 11 (6) – Try: Simo Mnqokoyi. Penalties: Daniel Eager (2)

Hoër Landbouskool Marlow vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap

Gideon Jordaan‘s personal tally of 20 points lifted Hoër Landbouskool Marlow to a 30-26 win over Hoërskool Noord-Kaap in the first game on Monday, the final day of the 2024 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF).

Neither side had yet tasted victory on Stott Field, which made it likely that the contest would be decided by a slim margin. As it turned out, mature decision-making and the accurate goal-kicking of flyhalf Jordaan made the difference for the boys from the Karoo, in a match played in the mist of a Botha’s Hill morning.

Jonaden Links opened the scoring for Noord-Kaap after speeding in from close range, but Marlow pulled a penalty back through the boot of Jordaan.

The Kimberley side had started strongly and were awarded a penalty try after Marlow illegally brought down a driving maul just short of their try line.

Jordaan then knocked over another penalty, before crossing the whitewash himself, with his successful conversion and another penalty pushing Marlow out to a narrow 16-14 half-time lead.

Loosehead Hermanus Steyn‘s try just after the break gave Marlow a big psychological lift, and a further score to No 8 Jan Els put them in control of the clash.

However, an Abdul Fisher touchdown kept Noord-Kaap in the game, and they were then awarded a second penalty try, following a high hit by Els on Bjorn Olifinger. It was too little too late, however, as Marlow hung on for a morale-boosting win.

Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Rustenburg

Rondebosch Boys’ High sealed a third win at KERF with a hard-fought 22-13 victory over their fellow festival debutants, Hoërskool Rustenburg, in the second game of day three.

Despite resting several first-choice players, ‘Bosch was again a cut above on the day, after having already seen off the challenges of Westville Boys’ High and the hosts, Kearsney College.

Rustenburg, who had fallen to Worcester Gimnasium and Durban High School (DHS) in their first two matches, played some impressive rugby but didn’t have enough possession to create more than a handful of meaningful chances.

Rusties’ mauling worked to good effect, though, and it was only some well-organised Rondebosch defence that kept them at bay in the opening exchanges. Their early pressure told when Lorenzo Snyers slotted a three-pointer to nudge the North-West side in front.

Rondebosch stormed back, with 8^th-man Travis van den Berg and hooker Ismaeel Conrad going over for tries, while Snyers added another penalty for Rusties. Towering Tom Barnard then dotted down a third for ‘Bosch to stake them to a comfortable 17-6 half-time lead.

Despite dominating possession and territory for the duration of the second half, Rondebosch found it difficult to open the Rustenburg defence again, and a break-away try by flyhalf Jaden Meyer brought Rusties back to within four, against the run of play.

Justin Amos, however, had the final say of the game for the boys in navy, who return to Cape Town unbeaten.

Hoërskool Framesby vs Worcester Gimnasium

Logan Muller nailed a penalty on the final play of the game, for Hoërskool Framesby to pip Worcester Gimnasium 36-34 in a firecracker of a third match on day three.

The Gqeberha boys’ physicality was on full display from the first whistle, but the Bosvarke weathered an early storm to hit back hard and come within a whisker of claiming their third one-point win of the week.

As it happened, Muller’s three-pointer, with time up on the clock, won it for Framesby, who bounced back well from their day two loss to Hoërskool Monument.

Despite both teams being shown a plethora of cards, nothing could detract from one of the best games of the festival.

Framesby scored within seconds of kicking-off through their big tight-head Sean Vermaak and they very quickly doubled their lead through Jason Niemand. A Jayden Brewis try extended their advantage.

Worcester was living off scraps, before a breakaway try from Tyron Abrahams, against the run of play, pulled five back to keep the Western Cape outfit in the game.

Whatever head coach Jeff Fransman said at half-time worked wonders for Worcester, who came out of the break flying, immediately scoring twice through their fullback, Lorenzo Harmse, whose second, a sublime chip and chase effort, went down as one of the tries of the week.

They weren’t done, though, and a five-pointer to loosehead Amaan Adendorff took Worcester into the lead for the first time in the contest.

Framesby counter-punched through their trusty driving maul, with eighth man Johan van Zyl going over, only for his opposite number Ryan Jacobs to show off great feet before dotting down Worcester’s fifth.

Valentino Nomadluka and Eden Calitz traded further tries, with less than 10 minutes left, with Calitz’s effort coming off the back of yet another telling Framesby driving maul. But when Chris O’Neil received a second yellow for Worcester, the boys in red and blue picked up steam.

After earning a penalty within striking distance, and with time set to expire, up stepped Muller to secure a thrilling win for a delighted team and head coach Louis Gerber.

Nico Malan vs Glenwood High School

Nico Malan were good value for a 19-12 win over Glenwood High School in a convincing performance on day three. From the start, it was all Nico Malan, whose relentless pack kept the Green Machine on the back foot throughout the game.

The Humansdorp side was full of running and deservedly bagged their second win of the week.

There were seven points in it at the end, but that was not a true reflection of Nico Malan’s dominance. Had they finished a little better, they could have achieved a convincing margin of victory, but Glenwood defended manfully.

The Durban boys, however, struggled for possession as Nico Malan launched wave after wave of attack.

Jean Joubert gave the boys in blue a six-point lead with two penalties before Aya Blaauw powered over for a try after a prolonged period of pressure, which left the Eastern Cape boys in a comfortable 13-point lead at the break.

Nico Malan picked up where they left off in the second half, with Joubert adding another six points from the boot to enhance the lead and all but wrap up the result.

Glenwood kept battling, though, and Sthabiso Dube and Nkululeko Khumalo scored for the Green Machine, but it was, objectively viewed, a deserved second win of the festival for Nico Malan.

Scores and scorers

Marlow Landbou 30 (16) – Tries: Gideon Jordaan, Hermanus Steyn, Jan Els. Conversions: Jordaan (3). Penalties: Jordaan (3). Noord-Kaap 26 (14) – Tries: Penalty Try (2), Jonaden Links, Abdul Fischer. Conversion: Fischer.

Rondebosch Boys’ High 22 (17) – Tries: Travis van den Berg, Ismaeel Conrad, Tom Barnard, Justin Amos. Conversion: Caleb Belelie. Hoërskool Rustenburg 13 (6) – Try: Jaden Meyer. Conversion: Meyer. Penalties: Meyer (2).

Framesby 36 (19) – Tries: Sean Vermaak, Niemand, Jayden Brewis, Johan van Zyl, Eden Calitz. Conversions: Logan Muller (4). Penalty: Muller. Worcester Gimnasium 34 (5) – Tries: Lorenzo Harmse, Tyron Abrahams, Amaan Adendorff, Ryan Jacobs, Valentino Namodluka. Conversions: Tyron Abrahams, Harmse.

Nico Malan 19 (13) – Try: Aya Blaauw. Conversion: Jean Joubert. Penalties: Joubert (4). Glenwood 12 (0) – Tries: Sthabiso Dube, Nkululeko Khumalo. Conversion: Leo Weber.

Durban High School vs Hoërskool Rustenburg

After initially starting slowly, Durban High School (DHS) hit their straps against Hoërskool Rustenburg on Saturday at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank, running in six tries in a 45-0 rout in game four.

A few unforced errors notwithstanding, DHS produced another confident and composed performance, buoyed by an impressive defensive display and ferocious physicality in contact.

They have yet to ship a single point at the festival and will be favoured to see off Pearson High School on the final day of play, on Monday.

Rusties, who were beaten 26-25 by Worcester Gimnasium on day one, succumbed again, despite some strong moments on defence. They face a tough task on the final day, going up against Rondebosch Boys’ High in their last outing.

DHS got onto the board through an early penalty from Aka Boqwana before a powerful driving maul saw captain Mahle Sithole grab his second try of the weekend. Eighthman Khanyisa Stamper added the Horseflies’ second after a strong run from a well-worked quick tap, which made it 17-0 at half-time.

DHS never really looked like conceding, and scored further tries through Adriano Jackson (two), Zenkosi Mthiyane and José Lottering, with a flawless goal kicking performance by Boqwana adding further gloss to the scoreline.

Hoërskool Monument vs Hoërskool Framesby

The highly regarded Hoërskool Monument had to dig deep to produce a come-from-behind 22-17 victory over Hoërskool Framesby in game five on Saturday.

For the first 45 minutes, Framesby had rattled Monnas, taking the game directly at their massive forward pack and closing down the spaces to leave the Krugersdorp boys looking strangely out of sorts.

Good tactical kicking by no. 10 Justin Viljoen and fast ball movement out wide to their flying wingers helped get Monument on the front foot and they eventually delivered a hard-fought and deserved win.

Flyhalf Logan Muller missed with an early penalty attempt for the boys in red and blue, but they were soon on the scoreboard when Johan van Zyl scored the game’s opening try 10 minutes in. Up until that point, they had been all over Monnas without much reward, but when Damion Witbooi touched down from an interception, the scoreboard provided a more accurate reflection of the game.

After their slow start, Monument slowly started to make some headway and created several opportunities with the ball in hand. Their efforts were eventually rewarded when Geoffrey French dotted down.

The boys from Krugersdorp struggled to get out of their own half in the first 30, with unforced errors and accurate game management from Framesby keeping them pinned deep inside their territory.

Coach Louis Gerber‘s side picked up where they had left off early in the second-half, with Muller slotting a penalty to extend their lead to 17-7, but, after playing second fiddle for virtually the entire contest, Monument began to pick up steam.

From practically nowhere, two tries from the electric Ernesto Oersen and one from RJ Barnard put Monnas in front. Sound tactical kicking kept them in the right parts of the field, and they never looked back.

Glenwood High School vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen

Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen eased to a 20-8 win over Glenwood High School in the penultimate game of day two with the manner of their victory, following a one-sided whipping of Noord-Kaap on day one, suggesting they are one of the elite sides of the festival and, possibly, in the country this season.

EG Jansen’s slick backline play and offensive organisation underpinned their performance, with Matthew Bergman controlling the tempo sublimely from first-receiver and his combination with centres Steven Williams and Jeandré Jacobs causing Glenwood all sorts of problems.

The Green Machine started brightly enough, asking a lot of questions with ball in hand, but it wasn’t long before the Boksburg boys found their rhythm through their powerful mauling and ball carrying.

Some accurate passing amongst the backs provided TK Ngobese with enough room to score Egies‘ opener, but a Leo Weber penalty reduced the gap almost immediately.

After setting up shop deep inside Glenwood territory, Danré Pike scored off the back of a rolling maul, before Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar touched down for the last say of the first half.

Glenwood found themselves under even more pressure after the break and struggled to create meaningful opportunities after being starved of the ball and any meaningful field position.

There were few gaps to be found in the opposition’s well organised defence and the Green Machine resorted to kicking, which soon saw Jansies launching further attacks against the Durban school.

Riekus van der Merwe scored EG Jansen’s fourth of the afternoon, but Glenwood showed good fight to score their only try in the last movement of the game, with Caleb Reeding going over in the left-hand corner.

Kearsney College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High School

Kearsney College took the game to Rondebosch Boys’ High early on, but the Cape Town boys withstood the early onslaught to turn the tide and run out 22-8 winners in the final game of day two.

The One-Stripe showed great ardour from the kick-off, throwing themselves at the navy jerseys with zeal, but they were unable to maintain that kind of intensity for the full 60 minutes, especially as ‘Bosch’s defences were so resolute.

Flyhalf David Simon was again at the heart of everything Rondebosch did well, with his decision-making and tactical nous continually putting his side on the front foot. In the end, Bosch’s superior
tactical awareness and organisation proved to be the difference.

Daniel Eagar opened the scoring, landing a penalty, to put the hosts in front, but, given the pressure they had exerted on Rondebosch in the early going, it was scant reward for their efforts.

Rondebosch slowly began to boss proceedings and claimed their first try through second-rower Carl Geddie.

The visitors went down a man after fullback Dylan Miller saw yellow for a dangerous hit on Eagar
inside Rondebosch’s 22, but Kearsney botched the ensuing five-metre lineout and headed into halftime 3-7 down.

Coach Neil van Heerden‘s Kearsney side went up a level after Randall John Davids added to Bosch’s try tally, and Eagar found himself in the thick of things once more, after scything through to bag the home side’s only try of the day.

Simon added three more points for the visitors soon thereafter, before an Ismaeel Conrad try closed out the win.

Scorers

Durban High School 45 (17) – Tries: Adriano Jackson (2), Mahle Sithole, Khanyisa Stamper, Zenkosi Mthiyane, José Lottering. Conversions: Aka Boqwana (6). Penalty: Aka Boqwana. Hoërskool Rustenburg – 0.

Hoërskool Monument 22 (7) – Tries: Ernesto Oersen (2), Geoffrey French, RJ Barnard. Conversion:  Justin Viljoen. Hoërskool Framesby 17 (14) – Tries: Johan van Zyl, Damion Witbooi. Conversions: Logan Muller (2). Penalty: Logan Muller.

Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen 20 (15) – Tries: TK Ngobese, Danré Pike, Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar, Riekus van der Merwe. Glenwood High School 8 (3) – Try: Caleb Reeding. Penalty: Leo Weber.

Rondebosch Boys’ High School 22 (7) – Tries: Carl Geddie, Randall John Davids, Ismaeel Conrad. Conversions: David Simon (2). Penalty: David Simon. Kearsney College 8 (3) – Try: Daniel Eager. Penalty: Daniel Eager.

 

Hoërskool Noord-Kaap vs Nico Malan High School

Nico Malan High School beat Hoërskool Noord-Kaap 31-22 in Saturday’s opening game of day two at the 2024 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival.

With both sides having copped losses on Thursday, there was plenty riding on the outcome of Saturday’s showdown. In another exciting opener, a tidy Nico Malan display boosted them to victory in a highly entertaining match-up.

The team from Humansdorp’s physicality in the tackle repelled Noord-Kaap throughout the contest, while their efficiency at maul time laid a platform for their strike play.

Although the boys in green and white held their own well at scrum time and in general contact, their inability to deal with Nico Malan’s rolling maul was a major hindrance.

Still, they started strongly and dominated the possession and territory stakes early on, and they were eventually rewarded for a prolonged period of pressure inside the Bloutrui red zone when Elrin Morkel crossed the whitewash on the left wing.

It wasn’t long before a Ruan du Preez penalty reduced the deficit for Nico Malan and lock Edrich Klue then scored under the sticks to make it 10-5 to the Eastern Cape side at half-time.

A lovely break and grubber from Keano Mettler set up his midfield partner Jayden Potgieter for Noord-Kaap’s second, before Nico Malan loosehead Francois Smit trotted in from close quarters.

Jonaden Links finished off another electrifying score for Noord-Kaap, and a successful conversion brought the teams’ level. But a series of penalties conceded by Noord-Kaap inside their own 22 resulted in a yellow card for flyhalf Abdul Fisher.

Tequine Koopman dotted down soon thereafter, which seemed to have settled the contest. However, Ambijorn Vraagom snatched the ensuing kick-off out of the sky and raced through to make it a two-point ball game with less than five minutes remaining.

Nico Malan responded well and had the last say, with Gelden van Niekerk going over for the eighth and final try of an entertaining clash.

Westville Boys’ High vs Pearson High School

Pearson, playing their first match at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, went down 11-18 to Westville Boys’ High in the second match on day two.

Westville, who were beaten 31-10 by Rondebosch Boys’ High in rainy and misty conditions on Thursday, were desperate to deliver a bounce-back performance against the side from Summerstrand, Gqeberha.

In the end, Unathi Mlotshwa‘s goal kicking was vital for coach Njabulo “Jabz” Zulu‘s troops, whose solid showing on defence set the tone for their win.

For Pearson, who face a mighty day three challenge in the form of Durban High School (DHS), creating more chances with the ball in hand will be a priority going forward after a rather subdued showing against the Griffin.

Westville’s Mlotshwa broke the deadlock with a penalty 10 minutes into the encounter, before a
fine break and finish from barnstorming midfielder Michael Satade extended their lead. In a match where genuine attacking opportunities were few and far between, Satade’s score was a major moment.

Caleb Friskin nailed a penalty for Pearson’s first points as both outfits struggled to gain a clear foothold in the game.

Friskin and Mlotshwa were on target with further penalties before a rare flurry of chances resulted in Denilo Jordaan (Pearson) and Jadrian Afrikaner (Westville) dotting down for their respective teams.

It was tight, but Westville hung on for a seven-point win.

Worcester Gimnasium vs Hoër Landbouskool Marlow

Worcester Gimnasium, 26-25 winners over Hoërskool Rustenburg on Thursday, held off Hoër Landbouskool Marlow 38-37 on Saturday.

The lead changed hands a number of times during the game, with a whopping 10 tries being scored.

It was all Marlow in the opening exchanges, and they hit the front courtesy of Gideon Jordaan‘s
boot, before his namesake Zeiss Jordaan touched down to make it 8-0.

After hardly firing a shot all game, the Bosvarke scored twice in the blink of an eye. Firstly, they
worked a superb first phase attack deep inside Marlow’s territory, which was finished off by Daren Murphy. Then, Vuyolwethu Bavuma zigzagged his way through the opposition’s defence to suddenly thrust the Western Cape boys into the lead.

Those tries, against the run of play, sparked Worcester to life, and they began to grow in
confidence as the half wore on.

When some handy work by JJ van der Mescht put Theuns Botha away for Marlow’s second, it was the Cradock boys who led 17-12 at the break.

Two more Gideon Jordaan penalties were sandwiched in between Bavuma’s second touchdown, but another Worcester try to Valentino Nomadluka nudged his side into the lead.

The boys in blue kept the momentum flowing, and the pressure told again when Elrenzo Swartz
crossed over after Teagen Wiessener saw yellow for cynical play on Marlow’s tryline.

When Waylan Pienaar dotted down it looked as though Worcester would run away with it, but
Marlow closed with tries through Wilco Nel and Albrey Rudman at the death, to come within a whisker of the win.

Scorers

Nico Malan 31 (10) – Tries: Edrich Klue, Francois Smit, Tequine Koopman, Gelden van Niekerk. Conversions: Jean Joubert (3), Ruan de Preez. Penalty: Ruan de Preez. Noord-Kaap 22 (5) – Tries: Elrin Morkel, Jayden Potgieter, Jonaden Links, Ambijorn Vraagom. Conversion: Themba Koopman.

Westville Boys’ High School 18 (10) – Tries: Michael Satade, Jadrian Afrikaner. Conversion: Unathi Mlotshwa. Penalties: Unathi Mlotshwa (2). Pearson High School 11 (3) – Try: Denilo Jordaan. Penalties: Caleb Friskin (2).

Worcester Gimnasium 38 (12) – Tries: Vuyolwethu Bavuma (2), Valentino Nomadluka, Elrenzo Swartz, Waylan Pienaar, Daren Murphy. Conversions: Aiden Abrahams (4). Hoër Landbouskool Marlow 37 (17) – Zeiss Jordaan, Theuns Botha, Wilco Nel, Albrey Rudman. Conversions: Gideon Jordaan (4). Penalties: Gideon Jordaan (3)

 

Some classy free-flowing rugby played in the wet elevated Rondebosch Boys’ High School to a convincing 31-10 win over Westville Boys’ High in the final game of day one of the Kearsney College Easter Festival.

Playing in constant drizzle and misty conditions on Stott Field, Rondebosch displayed superior tactical awareness and execution to claim a comfortable victory in what might otherwise have been a very tight game. Westville had their moments but were simply unable to match the sharp skills of their opponents on the day.

An Unathi Mlotshwa penalty got WBHS off the mark, but it wasn’t long before the Western Cape side hit back, with a sparkling line-break and offload by Alutha Wesi putting Ewan Lawrie away and under the sticks.

Randall John Davids scored another for the festival debutants, who seemed to be able to break the Westville defensive line at will, before David Simon, who shone at flyhalf, slotted a penalty to extend the lead.

Zekhethelo Siyaya showed off his great finishing ability to dot the ball down in-goal and haul Westville back to within seven at the break, but the writing was on the wall.

As conditions continued to deteriorate in the second half, Rondebosch assumed full control of the contest and never really looked like missing out on the win.

Converted tries by Travis van den Berg and Caleb Belelie were the only scores after the break, as Rondebosch eased home.

Hoërskool Framesby condemned Kearsney College to an 18-17 defeat in the fifth game on Thursday.

In another classic KERF arm wrestle, the Eastern Cape school outlasted the tournament hosts to get their festival campaign up and running in the best possible fashion.

For Kearsney, the result dashed their hopes of finishing unbeaten and they’ll need some massive improvements going forward to compete with Rondebosch and EG Jansen on the next two matchdays.

They started brightly enough, with a break down the right touchline ending in a score for Valentino Lenge, but the Gqeberha-based side hit back quickly through Cole Hilpert.

The driving maul was again the cornerstone of the Framesby approach, and through it they manufactured a penalty attempt for Logan Muller, which he duly slotted, to nudge his side ahead.

As defensively organised as Kearsney were in consistently thwarting waves of Framesby attacks, they found themselves helpless when an efficient quick-tap maul from the boys in red and blue got them their second try through No 8 Johan van Zyl.

Kearsney, however, came storming back, and when Lenge grabbed his second to reduce the deficit to 14-15 with just 15 minutes remaining, the intensity of both outfits went up a notch.

Daniel Eagar then put Kearsney two points clear, but Muller knocked over another penalty and Framesby held on for the win.

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. Conversions: Daniel Eagar (2). Penalty: Eagar.

 

Durban High School’s three converted tries were enough to see off a determined Hoërskool Nico Malan outfit 21-0 in game four of the opening day.

The much-vaunted KZN side lived up to their billing, bouncing back well from their defeat to Rondebosch last week, to deliver a skillful and physical display here. With matches against Hoërskool Rustenburg and Pearson High School still to come, Peter Engledow’s charges will be eyeing a 100% record.

Nico Malan was industrious on offence, showing a real willingness to swing the ball around, but just couldn’t live with the size and strength of their opposite numbers for the full 60 minutes.

DHS skipper Muhle Sithole rumbled his way over from the back of a driving maul to open the scoring, before Adriano Jackson added his side’s second, with a well-worked finish in the left-hand corner.

To their credit, the Bloutrui refused to fade, throwing several counter-punches DHS’ way. Their defensive bravery also stopped the DHS attack on numerous occasions but ultimately they didn’t have enough in the arsenal to unlock the DHS defensive system.

A late try by flyhalf Aka Boqwana was the last play of the game, as the Durbanites cantered home in the end.

Glenwood High School took their chances when they mattered most to see off Hoër Landbouskool Marlow 14-6 in a low-scoring affair in the third game of Day 1.

Having won all three of their festival games last year, the Green Machine, playing in red, were eyeing the perfect start to this year’s event. As it happened, they got what they were looking for by making good on the few chances that came their way.

In what was a proper game of attrition, it was Marlow who looked sharper out the gate, putting Glenwood under real pressure early on. They couldn’t capitalise on that ascendency however, with two attempted Gideon Jordaan penalties going wide of the mark to let the KZN side off the hook.

The Cradock boys were made to rue those missed opportunities a few moments later when Leo Weber nailed a three-pointer of his own to give Glenwood the lead.

Despite their slender advantage, Derek Heiberg’s side slowly began to assume control of the tempo, with the 3-0 half-time scoreline not an accurate reflection of their dominance.

Marlow was better in the second half, but another Weber penalty extended the Glenwood lead before the Eastern Cape side were rewarded for their staying power when Jordaan came right with his third attempt at goal.

Unfortunately for them, a rare lapse in defensive concentration allowed Glenwood flyhalf Kungawo Ncamazana through to score in the defining play of the game.

Jordaan and Weber traded penalties thereafter, but Glenwood hung on for the win.

Scorers:

Durban High School 21 (14) – 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).

 

Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen was far too strong for Hoërskool Noord-Kaap, easing their way to a comfortable 59-7 victory in the second game on Thursday at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival in Botha’s Hill.

In all, the Boksburg boys ran in nine tries to comprehensively outplay their opponents.

Their powerful ball-carrying and solid set-pieces were too much for the Kimberley side to handle, but more challenging tests await Jansies, with Glenwood and Kearsney the other sides on their schedule.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, Noord-Kaap demonstrated some potential, particularly in their offensive one-on-one battles. Unfortunately, an inability to match the intensity of EG Jansen meant it was always going to be a tough day at the office for the side from Kimberley.

They were put on the back foot immediately after the kick-off when their 8th-man Shaw Lourens received a yellow card. From there, it didn’t take long for Egies to open their account through an Ettienne Smit double, which was followed by a try from tighthead Duwan Potgieter.

Further five-pointers, through Keanu van Loggerenberg, Gerhard van Aswegen, and Jayden du Preez, put EG Jansen well clear at 38-0 at half-time.

The scoring slowed down in the second half, although the boys in black and yellow did manage further tries through Steven Williams, Craig Lightfoot, and Zandré Naudé.

For Noord-Kaap, a Tyron China score under the sticks ensured they didn’t leave the game scoreless.

A last gasp converted try saw Worcester Gimnasium claim a dramatic 26-25 victory over Hoërskool Rustenburg in a tightly contested festival opener.

The sides were neck-and-neck for the majority of the contest, but it looked for all money as if Rustenburg had sealed the win after a superb breakaway try from Lorenzo Snyers with a little over two minutes remaining.

However, a valiant fightback by Worcester resulted in a Tyron Abrahams try in the corner, which was converted brilliantly by his namesake, Aiden Abrahams, for the victory.

Some wholehearted defending in the opening exchanges kept Rustenburg at bay, but their sustained pressure finally told when Jaden Meyer slotted an early penalty to put the KERF debutants ahead.

They extended their advantage through a Zulu Khumalo try after a failed Worcester attempt to play from deep, as the boys in green and orange raced into a 10-0 lead.

Those early setbacks seemed to spark the Western Cape lads into life, and two quickfire tries against the run of play, through Conzay Roelf and Wilfred Slingers, reduced the deficit, before Meyer added another three-pointer.

The schools then traded tries through Waylan Pienaar and Henco Raath as Rusties took a slender 20-19 lead into the break.

The game slowed down somewhat in the second half, with both sides guilty of committing unforced errors. In contrast to the first half, it was Worcester that enjoyed the lion’s share of territory and possession in their hunt for the lead.

Then came that electrifying try from Snyers, which looked as if it was the final nail in the Capetonians’ coffin; but Worcester showed enormous tenacity to snatch a dramatic victory at the death.

Scorers

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).