They completed their assignments with wins over Falcon College and Reddam House Constantia on Saturday. Victor Louw led the way for PBHS in a convincing 7-0 win over Zimbabwe’s Falcon with a brace, while Liam Brooker, Chad Donkin, Caylum du Preez,Bongai Vuyeqaba, and Rorisang Boshomane also netted.
Boys High kept another clean sheet and won comfortably against Reddam House, too, with goals from Paidin Grey, Louw, Du Preez, and Vuyeqaba giving them a clear-cut 4-0 victory.
Like PBHS, Clifton enjoyed a successful three days, also winning four and sharing a draw with the Pretoria school. Coach Calvin Price’s charges beat Falcon on day one, then defeated St Stithians before drawing with PBHS on Thursday. On Saturday, they saw off Reddam House and Affies.
Ryde Brisset and Daniel Holliday found the back of the net in Clifton’s 2-1 victory over Reddam and Holliday, one of his side’s leading marksmen, was on target again with a brace in a thrilling 5-4 win over Affies, with Brisset and Tye Milne, both members of KZN Coastal’s Indoor IPT-winning team, scoring the other two goals.
Menlopark racked up back-to-back wins on Saturday, beating Ashton 4-0 and the St Stithians Festival XI 3-0. St David’s Marist Inanda also signed off in style with an emphatic 5-0 thrashing of Falcon before squeezing a 3-2 win out of their showdown with Affies.
Mila Badenhorst, Nicole Smuts, and Lenique Vogel found the back of the net in Waterkloof’s 3-1 win over Epworth, before goals from Alba Lambinon, Badenhorst, and Vogel took them to a 3-0 triumph over Ashton.
DSG Makhanda breezed through the festival unbeaten with four wins and a draw. They beat Bethlehem Voortrekker on day one, charged past Waterkloof and St Stithians on day two, and then overran Ashton 6-1 before drawing 3-3 with Menlopark in their final outing on Saturday.
Coach Brad Brook‘s Menlopark lived up to their billing as one of the top teams of 2026 with four wins and a single draw in five matches.
Their record included a commanding 8-0 triumph over Beaulieu College on the first day, wins over Ashton and Epworth on day two, and a 4-0 victory over Bethlehem Voortrekker before a thrilling 3-3 draw with DSG Makhanda.
RESULTS
Boys
Clifton 2-1 Reddam
PBHS 7-0 Falcon
Hilton 2-0 St Benedict’s
Clifton 5-4 Affies
Menlopark 4-0 Ashton
PBHS 4-0 Reddam Constantia
St David’s Marist Inanda 3-2 Affies
Menlopark 3-0 St Stithians Festival XI
Hilton 2-1 St Stithians
St David’s Marist Inanda 5-0 Falcon
Girls
Waterkloof 3-1 Epworth
DSG Makhanda 6-1 Ashton
St Stithians 0-0 Springfield
Menlopark 4-0 Bethlehem Voortrekker
Epworth 4-1 Beaulieu
Waterkloof 3-0 Ashton,
DSG Makhanda 3-3 Menlopark
Beaulieu 5-1 Falcon
St Stithians 4-0 Bethlehem Voortrekker
Falcon 1-0 St Stithians Festival XI
College went down 1-4 against KES on Thursday, while Parktown was beaten 4-0 by Westville Boys’ High.
The 18 teams were back in action on Saturday after a day off on Easter Friday. That time away from the AstroTurf served some well, and others not so well.
Grey kicked things off bright and early against Glenwood High School in the day’s opening match. The Bloemfontein boys, led by coach Braam van Wyk, were full of energy and controlled the tempo of the contest from start to finish.
They moved the ball with conviction and scored some cracking goals on their way to a handsome 5-1 victory in which Bokang Lehenyelo, Marko Bosch, Keagan Wessels, Christopher Klopper, and Jean Griessel found the back of the net.
Parktown, meanwhile, took on Selborne College and handed the East London side a surprisingly big 5-0 defeat, with a double from Ndyebo Pongwana, and further goals scored by Elethu Bam, Kaylin Chinappa, and Abiye Bamson.
It was a much better showing from coach Kyle Reddy‘s charges. They’ve shown promising signs this season, but had not finished well until their showdown with Selborne.
Last week, they had a tough time at the Founders Festival in Komani. Thus, the win against coach KJ Friend‘s charges was warmly welcomed by Parktown’s supporters.
The KwaZulu-Natal teams made a bright start to their respective campaigns on day one, and they continued in the same vein on Saturday.
Photo: TeamPhotoSA
Maritzburg College overpowered Queen’s College, winning 3-0, while Northwood, one of the form teams in the early part of the season, didn’t disappoint, beating Helpmekaar College 5-0.
Jordan Hatcher, Ryan Mbamba, Luc Boyall, Sisi Sebeko, and Cameron White netted as the Knights also kept a clean sheet.
It was a rewarding outing for Mbamba and White, who were called up from the u16 side because of injuries to 1st XI regulars.
Westville Boys’ High was also on the money, holding on for a 3-2 win over St John’s College, while St Charles brushed aside Dale College 3-0.
Pearson High was a big winner, too. After beating Helpmekaar 4-1 on Thursday, coach Dalan Phillips orchestrated a near-perfect performance as the Gqeberha school thumped Eldoraigne 7-1.
Tao Kudyachete and Petri Reynolds both netted twice while Zacharee McLean, Callum Peltenberg, and Joe Cowper-Johnson struck once each to seal the win.
Kearsney College recorded its first win of the festival, comfortably beating Waterkloof 4-1, while the hosts played to a 1-1 draw with St Andrew’s College (SAC).
Sunday’s action commences with a matchup between SAC and St John’s at 07:30. The day’s highlight should be the showdown between KES and Northwood at 16:50.
RESULTS
Saturday, 4 April
Grey College 5-1 Glenwood High
St Charles 3-0 Dale College
Pearson High 7-0 Eldoraigne
KES 1-1 St Andrew’s College
Maritzburg College 3-0 Queen’s College
St John’s College 2-3 Westville Boys’ High
Northwood 5-0 Helpmekaar College
Selborne College 0-5 Parktown Boys’ High
Waterkloof 1-4 Kearsney College
FIXTURES
Sunday, 5 April
07:30 – St Andrew’s College vs St John’s College
08:50 – Helpmekaar vs Queen’s College
10:10 – Eldoraigne vs St Charles
11:30 – Glenwood High vs Pearson
12:50 – Westville Boys’ High vs Grey College
14:10 – Dale College vs Waterkloof
15:30 – Kearsney vs Selborne College
16:50 – KES vs Northwood
18:10 – Maritzburg College vs Parktown Boys’ High
Pretoria Boys’ High 35 (20) – Tries: Aya Mabuza (3), Mashego Mabuto, Bokang Ramoshaba. Conversions: Reinier Kruger (2). Penalties: Kruger (2). SACS 34 (20) – Tries: Jordan Forbes, Zac Dell, Josh Gorgens, Qiraan Hermans. Conversions: Jake Dave (4). Penalties: Dave (2).
Maritzburg College 35 (18) – Tries: Sean Jansen (2), Caleb Scheepers, AN Other. Conversions: Dominic du Toit (3). Penalties: Du Toit (3). Jeppe High School for Boys 12 (12) – Tries: Ndimphiwe Mjiji (2). Conversion: Nazalama Mbhalati.
Rondebosch Boys’ High 57 (19) – Tries: Joshua Kirby (4), Caleb Bell (2), Tyler Heyns, Ben Gray, Andrea Mynhardt. Conversions: Eathon Williams (6). Selborne College 17 (10) – Tries: Travis Enslin, AN Other, Mozesh van der Byl. Conversion: Riley Hansel.
Grey High School 40 (12) – Tries: Micah Wessels, Blake Parker, Ciaran Killian, Jondré van Jaarsveld, Noah Mbizi, Ryan Swarbrick. Conversions: Nathan Trytsman (5). Parktown Boys’ High 18 (6) – Tries: Reverence Ihenaco, Kabelo Dlamini. Conversion: Yakhela Ntshona. Penalties: Ntshona (2).
Kearsney College 33 (26) – Tries: Nhlanhla Ndlovu (2), Luke Grobbelaar, Lwazi Mbebe, Daniel Miskey. Conversions: Daniel Miskey (4). Transvalia 13 (3) – Try: Anro van Biljon, Matthew van Niekerk. Penalty: Jaydee Maree
Framesby 15 (8) –Tries: Jaco George, Handré Schnetler. Conversion: Miles Feltham. Penalty: Feltham. Glenwood High School 14 (0) –Tries: Lebohang Skosana, Andile Mbokazi. Conversions: Vincenzo Loutz (2)
Zwartkop 41 (14) –Tries: Luan Wepener, Stiaan Botha, Waylin Papier, David van Jaarsveld, Dian du Plooy, Penalty Try. Conversions: Ruvan Burger (2), Tilon Baron. Penalty: Baron. EG Jansen 32 (20) –Tries; Rayzandu van Wyngaard, Dian Botha, Jordan van der Westhuizen, Jaco Engelbrecht, Werner Breydenbach. Conversions: Renaldo October (2). Penalty: October.
Durban High School 38 (12) –Tries: Cilermo Carolus (2), Sterling Padi, Hlomela Mbani, Daniel Kazambo, Richard Kriel. Conversions: TanwilOnkers (4). Hoërskool Rustenburg7 (0) –Tries: Wicus Arnold. Conversion: Ricardo Enos.
Hartpury College 47 (5) – Tries: Christian Gordon-Astbury (2), Alex Orehawa, Rakhat Clarkson, Luca Stickings, Felix Baker, Jardel Furness. Conversions: Cynyr MacRae (6). Garsfontein Invitational XV 18 (6) – Tries: Teagan Eckard, Tristan Wepener. Conversion: Katlego Lebelo. Penalties: Katlego Lebelo (2).
Northcliff 40 (17) – Tries: Ethan Leonette (2), Luke Bloomberg, Troy Kaminsky, Jonothan Haw, Jacques Fourie, Jordan Venter. Conversions: Jonothan Haw (3). Penalties: Haw (2). Hoërskool Windhoek 35 (15) – Tries: Carlos Florian, MC-Rein van Wyk, Xavier Bampton, William Beukes. Conversions: MC-Rein van Wyk (3). Penalties: Van Wyk (3).
St John’s College (Harare) 22 (5) – Tries: Sean Takaindisa (2), Lee Chigumba, Sebastian Sarpo. Conversion: Sarpo. Clifton College 18 (13) – Tries: Izah Roux, Luke Pottow. Conversion: Jack Snaith. Penalties: Izah Roux (2).
St Charles College 24 (17) – Tries: Joshua Barkhuizen (2), Dresden Coetzee, PJ Dlamini. Conversions: Guillaume Botha (2). Kempton Park 17 (7) – Tries: Ethan Botha, Matthew Vermaak, Aubrey Hoskin. Conversion: Aubrey Hoskin.
Hartpury College II 55 (24) – Tries: Louie Thomas-Wade (2), Callum Letties (2), Harvey McNamara (2), Toby Johnson, Louie Stephens-Foster, Beau Wareham. Conversions: James Siberry (5). Mzwandile Mali XV 33 (12) – Tries: Bongolethu Mxoli (2), T.S. Dyster, Matthew Goliath, Onwabe Tanana. Conversions: Sibabalwe Gwinsta (4).
Cristian Toweel, flyhalf of Diocesan College, soars over the line for his side’s first try in a 24-7 victory over St John’s College Thursday evening in Johannesburg. Photo: Frans Lombard/Actionpix.
Despite a strong defensive display, the hosts of the St John’s Easter Festival, St John’s College, were unable to contain Diocesan College in the main match of an exhilarating opening day. The side from the Western Cape came to life after the interval, beating the Blues 24–7.
At half-time, the sides were locked at seven points apiece, but it was Caleb Clark who broke the deadlock. A constant threat ball in hand, the lively back proceeded to slice through a committed Blues defence.
His reward was a five-pointer and the first of three unanswered second-half tries. Ben Durandt followed, showing a clean pair of heels to score in the corner, before prop Jack Hibling delivered the final blow with a well-earned try.
Centre Alec Psillos scored the only points for the home side, converting his own try. He and midfield partner Alec Loveland were among the standout performers during a resilient first-half defensive effort.
The curtain-raiser followed a similar pattern, with a performance that can only be described as utterly dominant. The side from the Midlands ran in 65 points to dismantle the Rhinos of Hoërskool Nelspruit 65–14, the biggest margin of the day.
The side from KwaZulu-Natal dictated proceedings from the kick-off and controlled the lion’s share of possession, which was reflected on the scoreboard. Hilton College blindside flanker Ross Steyn set the tone upfront, excelling in broken play and becoming a constant thorn with powerful pick-and-drives and close-range carries. His efforts were rewarded with two tries. Out wide, both wingers exploited space superbly, each crossing for a five-pointer.
Kingswood College were slow out of the blocks against St David’s Marist, but once they found rhythm, they surged clear with six tries to claim a 40–5 victory. The standout was the second try, with Kungawo Badli running more than half the length of the field to score. The well-known Mackenzie twins, Josh and James, also made their presence felt, with James Mackenzie finishing off a clever line to catch the defence off guard.
Fullback Lucritia Magau starred for Graeme College, scoring a first-half hat-trick as the side from the Eastern Cape overwhelmed St Benedict’s College 57–5. Magau was not the only standout. Scrumhalf Luke Doyle and Erin Nelson each added two tries, with Nelson also landing five conversions and Doyle converting another to round off a commanding team performance.
Scorers:
Diocesan College 24 (7) – Tries: Cristian Toweel, Caleb Clark, Ben Durandt, Jack Hibling. Conversions: Eljaron Geduld (2), Clark. St John’s College 7 (7) – Try: Alec Psillos. Conversion: Psillos.
Hilton College 65 (32) – Tries: Ross Steyn (2), James Peattie, Liyema Gazi, Tom Gurupira, Aiden du Plooy, Lwango Ntantala, Rob Jervis, John Grubb. Conversions: Grubb (3), JD van Wyk (3). Penalties: Grubb (1). Hoërskool Nelspruit 14 (14) – Tries: Kamo Monkwe, Vian Louw. Conversions: Ewan Van Der Merwe (2).
Kingswood College 40 (12) – Tries: Junior Ndlazi, Kungawo Badli, James Mackenzie, Sithenkosi Qabaka, Ross Thompson, Ryan O’Sullivan. Conversions: Christopher Zimmerman (5). St David’s Marist 5 (0) – Try: Ronin Hallowes.
Graeme College 57 (33) – Tries: Lucritia Magau (3), Luke Doyle (2), Erin Nelson (2), Andrew Muir, Hunta van Zyl. Conversions: Nelson (5), Doyle. St Benedict’s College 5 (0) – Try: Siya Kubeka.
Although they were beaten by Durban High School, scrumhalf Ruvan Burger and his Hoërskool Zwartkop teammates drew appreciative applause from the crowd at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival for a wholehearted, fiery effort. Photo: Gabby Swanepoel.
Westville Boys’ High ran riot in the second half, scoring 67 unanswered points to thump Hoërskool Framesby 83-0 on Thursday, the opening day of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF), while the hosts, Kearsney College, dazzled with some splendid tries of their own in a 43-14 win over Hoërskool Rustenburg.
Durban High School (DHS) wrapped up proceedings with a 31-14 win over Hoërskool Zwartkop after scoring a converted try late in the game. The Pretoria school delivered a proud performance, however, and contributed immensely to a physical, hard-nosed battle.
Glenwood High vs Helpmekaar Kollege
The action on Stott Field opened with Glenwood High taking on Helpmekaar Kollege. In a scrappy clash, both teams were guilty of sloppy handling in the slippery early morning conditions, but Helpies struck early through centre Ethan Lourens, and further tries from no. 8 Ruan Bester and left-wing Zuan Krige staked the Johannesburg school to a 19-0 lead at the break.
The second half was an untidy scrap, with both teams scoring a try – Shaye Lourens for Helpmekaar and Cade Isaacs for Glenwood – to leave Helpies with a workmanlike 24-5 win.
Both sides would have left the field knowing that they also left points on the field because of their iffy handling.
Hoërskool Transvalia vs Peterhouse
In the day’s second match, Hoërskool Transvalia fell behind to a stunning counterattack from Peterhouse, which was led by left-wing Munashe Masamha and finished by Russell Musekiwa. However, the Vanderbijlpark school stuck to their structures and slowly ground out a 26-5 victory after leading 12-5 at the break.
Peterhouse gave a good account of themselves, but ‘Valia‘s committed defence shut the Zimbabweans’ attacking efforts down, and they scored four tries and added three conversions for an unspectacular but solid win.
Westville Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Framesby
Westville Boys’ High raised the tempo in the day’s third match. They led Framesby only 17-0 at halftime after scoring their third try just two minutes before the interval. After the break, they were ruthless, running in nine tries in an unrelenting assault to blow the Gqberha school off the pitch.
Curtis Fenton dived over for a try just before halftime to put Westville Boys’ High up 17-0 at the break. Photo: Gabby Swanepoel.
Jadrian Afrikaner and Avumile Lisa both bagged hat-tricks, and Lisa Sijadu added a brace as a shell-shocked Framesby – 14-29 losers to Hoërskool Nelspruit before beating Dr EG Jansen 37-31 at the NMI Toyota Noord/Suid Rugby Tournament – were run off their feet. Westville was irresistible.
Their pack laid a dominant platform, bossing Framesby in the set scrums, and their lineout delivered clean, high-quality ball, which their fleet-footed backs put to devastating use.
Flyhalf Jade-Will Koopman missed some conversions, but he ensured a smooth-flowing backline had its way with the Eastern Cape side.
Kearsney College vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
The home side, Kearsney College, too, demonstrated a sharp cutting edge in a convincing 43-14 victory over Hoërskool Rustenburg, who played some good rugby, but were caught cold on more than a couple of occasions when Kearsney turned defence deep in their 22 into sensational tries at the other end of the field.
Their industrious right-wing, Luke Grobbelaar, instigated two length-of-the-field tries just before halftime, starting the move that brought them the first one and scoring the second after an interception.
Captain Nhlanhla Ndlovu excelled, with his outstanding positional play putting the no. 8 in position to instigate attacks and finish them.
Twice, Lwandle Mkhize was on hand to provide the final touch. In the first instance, Ndlovu laid the try on a platter for the wing. In the second, Mkhize started and finished the sweeping attack down the left flank, with a couple of nasty side-steps giving him the space to evade the cover defence.
Dr EG Jansen vs Milnerton High
Dr EG Jansen took an early lead against Milnerton High and built up a 15-5 advantage until Millies struck twice in quick succession just before the break, through Yenga Moangeli and Kyle Jansen van Rensburg, with Chadlin Sellidon converting the latter with the first successful kick of the contest to give the Capetonians a 17-15 halftime lead.
When they kept it tight, though, Jansies enjoyed the advantage, and they exerted that control to create a try for Dian Botha, which the centre converted, to retake the lead. They never again ceded it, with a further try from Liam Hector sealing the deal with four minutes to play.
It was the tightest game of the day, with Dr EG Jansen winning it 27-20 and outscoring Milnerton five tries to three.
Durban High School vsHoërskool Zwartkop
The last match, between DHS and Hoërskool Zwartkop, was a fitting finale. DHS, firmly established as a powerhouse of KZN rugby, and with successive clean records at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, faced an upstart, a team that had won 21 out of 22 matches in 2025, yet one about which many in the crowd at KERF knew little.
By the end of the contest, they had learnt a lot about Zwarries. No doubt, they were impressed.
A converted try right before the final whistle, scored by Jose Lottering and converted by Tanwil Onkers, gave DHS a 31-14 victory, but that result was perhaps a touch rough on Zwartkop. They fronted up to a very physical DHS side with a cohesive, enviable spirit and gave the Horseflies an almighty battle.
In fact, they were the first onto the scoreboard after repulsing a DHS five-metre lineout, which had presented School with the first opportunity to score. Instead, Zwarries ground their way down the field, won a lineout in the 22 and did what DHS was unable to do when Zwarries’ outstanding hooker, Regan Blignaut, drove over the try line next to the uprights. Tilon Baron‘s easy conversion put the Gauteng side 7-0 up.
Richard Gyamfi dotted down twice for DHS in their showdown with Zwartkop. Photo: Gabby Swanepoel.
DHS responded by showing that they, too, could turn a lineout close to the try line into five points, with wing Richard Gyamfi dotting down. He soon added a second, finishing a sharp DHS counterattack down the left flank, which was initiated by a break from their burly inside centre, Byron Klaasen.
With admirable spirit, Zwarries responded by forcing their way into the DHS 22, but a loose pass resulted in an interception. After the ball was kicked through, the local side forced Zwartkop to ground the ball over their try line, and they turned that into a try for SA Schools’ centre, Nathan Aneke.
It was a sucker punch, and it gave DHS a 17-7 lead at the break.
School, with typically rabid defence, kept Zwartkop out after a period of sustained pressure early in the second half. Then, they added a try from 8th-man Daniel Kazambo, converted by Olkers, before Zwartkop struck back, with prop Matthew Smith powering his way over and Baron’s conversion making it 24-14 in favour of DHS.
That late try by Lottering made the final margin 17 points.
Afterwards, tears were in the eyes of some of the Zwartkop players, but there was much to admire about their efforts. Those were tears of disappointment, mixed with pride, after a massively committed effort which had forced DHS to dig deep to claim victory. The spirit they reflected was endearing.
DHS proved with the win that they have reloaded and they remain one of KwaZulu-Natal’s best outfits – well-drilled, fit, powerful in the set pieces, and dangerous, whether attacking with their pack or their backline.
Zwartkop proved that they’re a high-quality, all-for-one, one-for-all unit – skilful, yet abrasive, and up for any challenge. That attitude and skill contributed greatly to a fascinating clash, which DHS won, but which also ended with Zwarries walking off Stott Field as winners in their own right, too.
Bo Mokoena of Westville Boys’ High helped the Griffins to a convincing win over Parktown Boys’ High on day one of the KES Easter Festival. Photo: TeamPhotoSA
While the hosts, King Edward VII (KES), kicked off their KES Easter Festival campaign with a 4-1 victory against Grey College, it was the KwaZulu-Natal sides that grabbed the spotlight on day one.
Northwood School, Westville Boys’ High, Maritzburg College, and Glenwood High were in top form and impressed on Thursday.
Northwood arrived in Johannesburg still buzzing after beating South African College High School(SACS) 4-2 at the Founders Festival a few days ago. Luc Boyall scored a hat-trick, and Ben Henwood-Fox also netted as coach Justin Collins‘ side scored a victory that stole the show in Komani.
Northwood took on Selborne College in their first encounter at KES and, after a slow start, ran away with the clash.
The Knights were ruthless inside the D, scoring five goals – by Jordan Hatcher, Boyall, Hamza Amla, Keegan Reeves, and Mnqobi Mhlongo – and punished Selborne, who were coming off the Nomads Hockey Festival in Pretoria on Monday.
Westville was another side that impressed, blanking Parktown Boys’ High 4-0.
They also started fairly slowly, but when the contest opened up in the second chukka, they ran away with it. It was a convincing win for Westville, who’ve upped their game since the Coastal Cup a week ago.
Maritzburg College and Glenwood High scored the most goals on the day, with College thumping Dale College 6-0 and Glenwood running rampant in a 7-0 hammering of Eldoraigne.
They return to action on Saturday against Queen’s College and Grey College, respectively.
Queen’s College opened their campaign at the KES Easter Festival with a win over Hoërskool Waterkloof. Photo: TeamPhotoSA
Speaking of Queens, the boys from Komani, led by coach Michael Baiden, will be pleased with their start to the festival.
They defeated Pretoria’s Hoërskool Waterkloof 2-1, thanks to strikes by Leighton Prince and Cayden Adonis.
KES, as mentioned above, put four past Grey College. The hosts made a dream start and opened the scoring through Blaine Candy in the first chukka, but Grey soon levelled from a short corner.
Coach Siya Sityana‘s Red Sticks soon gained the ascendancy and sealed an impressive win with another Candy goal and a brace from Andrew Arouca.
St John’s College played to a goalless draw with St Charles, while Pearson High ended the day with a handy 4-1 win over Helpmekaar College.
St Andrew’s College got the ball rolling with a tight 1-0 win over Kearsey College.
Day two’s action kicks off bright and early at 07:30 when Glenwood High meets Grey College.
RESULTS
Thursday, 2 April
St Andrew’s College 1-0 Kearsney College
Northwood 5-0 Selborne College
Westville Boys’ High 4-0 Parktown Boys’ High
Maritzburg College 6-0 Dale College
Glenwood High School 7-0 Eldoraigne
Queen’s College 2-1 Waterkloof
KES 4-1 Grey College
St John’s 0-0 St Charles College
Pearson High 4-1 Helpmekaar College
Fixtures
Saturday, 4 April
07:30 – Glenwood High vs Grey College
08:50 – Dale College vs St Charles
10:10 – Eldoraigne vs Pearson High
11:30 – King Edward VII vs St Andrew’s College
12:50 – Queen’s College vs Maritzburg College
14:10 – St John’s College vs Westville Boys’ High
15:30 – Northwood vs Helpmekaar College
16:50 – Selborne College vs Parktown Boys’ High
18:10 – Waterkloof vs Kearsney College
On Thursday, the opening day of the Saints Easter Rugby Festival hosted by St Stithians College, Northcliff High defended valiantly to keep St Charles College scoreless at half-time with the score at 10-0.
In the second half, they continued to play with a level of physicality which sometimes overwhelmed the Pietermaritzburg locals; thus ending the match with an 18-7 victory.
St Charles put their points on the board midway through the second half. After taking a quick tap after being awarded a penalty in the Northcliff 22-metre area, they then played a couple of phases.
Having come off the bench, the fresh and fiery hooker Braydon Joese, picked up from the base of the ruck and drove his way over the line with two defenders clinging to him.
Only a few phases later, the most impressive try of the match occurred. The Randburg side regathered the ball from kickoff and played a few phases down the blindside, making a handful of metres on each carry.
An offload on the opposition’s five-metre line found its way to blindside flanker Ethan Leonette. Upon receiving the ball, he dived through the air to secure five points.
Flyhalf Reynard Burger set the tone just six minutes into Hoërskool Kempton Park’s 27-15 triumph over Hoërskool Pietersburg.
Standing just left of the posts and about 10 metres from the try-line when he received the ball, he then sold a dummy to his opposite man, followed by an electric zig-zag through two defenders in a space about the size of your average elevator. After falling over for five, he then added his own extras.
His peers, left wing Luca du Plooy and fullback Ethan Botha also scored their tries with some fancy footwork for two similar tries. Both scored in the first 11 minutes of the second half, and about five minutes apart.
Both received the ball out wide on the left and ran out wide before beating the last defender one-on-one to score. The only major differences between their tries were that Botha’s run was for about 45 metres and he beat the defender by cutting in, while Du Plooy ran about 35 metres and beat his man by cutting out.
Pietersburg fought hard with tries from locks Jan-Hendrik Bonneschans and Brent Vorster, however, it simply wasn’t their day against an on-song Kempies team.
Scorers:
Northcliff High 18 (10) – Tries: Dayne Van Wyk, Ethan Leonette. Conversion: Jack Woolard. Penalties: Jack Woolard, Jonothan Haw. St Charles College 7 (0) – Tries: Braydon Joese. Conversions: Njabulo Nala.
Clifton College gave their travelling party of supporters plenty of reasons to cheer with splendid performances on Thursday at the St Stithians Hockey Festival. Photo: Supplied.
DSG Makhanda and Die Hoërskool Menlopark dominated the girls’ section, while Pretoria Boys High (PBHS) and KwaZulu-Natal’s Hilton College and Clifton College delivered outstanding performances in the boys’ section of the St Stithians Hockey Festival on Thursday.
Hilton bookended the boys’ section schedule with victories over St David’s Marist Inanda and Reddam House Constantia.
Sechaba Gude, Tadi Hove, and Ethan Maltby found the back of the net in their 3-0 win over St David’s Marist Inanda in the first match of the day.
Coach Damian Kimfley’s charges then took that form into the day’s final game. Hove and Maltby were on the scoresheet again, while Oyena Zulu added another in a 3-1 victory over Reddam House.
Their provincial counterparts, Clifton, registered a win and a draw. Daniel Rea fired them to a 1-0 win over the hosts, St Stithians, in the morning, and Tye Milne scored in a 1-1 draw with PBHS later in the day, with Bongai Vuyeqaba replying for Boys High.
Earlier, Victor Louw struck four times for PBHS in an emphatic 9-1 victory over Ashton International College, Ballito. Paidin Gray, Caylum du Preez, Chad Donkin,Liam van Eyssen, and Hans Arndt added a goal each.
That was the joint-largest victory margin on Thursday, equalled by Falcon College in an 11-2 thrashing of the St Stithians Festival XI.
Menlopark has been a force to be reckoned with at the Saints Festival. Photo: Supplied.
Menlopark, who routed Beaulieu College 8-0 to record the widest margin of victory on day one of the girls’ festival, continued their dominance.
Coach Brad Brook’s charges kept clean sheets in victories over Ashton and Epworth School, winning those games 3-0 and 4-0, respectively.
DSG Makhanda, who cruised to a 7-0 win over Springfield on day one, was put to the test by Waterkloof and passed it with flying colours.
Coach Geowynne Gamiet‘s charges fought their way to a 3-2 win against the ladies from Pretoria, with Emma Watson, Ava van der Walt, and Lucy Holderness providing the goals.
Holderness was on target again, this time with a hat-trick, to help her side secure a comfortable 4-0 win over St Stithians. Julia MacKenzie added the other goal as DSG Makhanda remained unbeaten at the festival.
Bethlehem Voortrekker and Beaulieu College had mixed results, with both recording a win and a loss.
Voortrekker began their day with a 2-0 win over Falcon before succumbing to a 0-4 defeat against Hoërskool Waterkloof. Beaulieu, beaten 1-0 by Springfield in the morning, bounced back with a 3-0 win over the St Stithians Festival XI.
In a break from the schools’ matches, the St Stithians’ old boys and girls demonstrated their smooth hockey skills, even though most of them no longer train as often as they did during their time at the institution. The St Stithians Alumni Men‘s team scored five unanswered goals against the St Stithians 1st XI, and the St Stithians Alumni Women’s team defeated the St Stithians Girls’ College Festival XI 3-0.
The teams will rest on Good Friday. On Saturday morning, the action resumes at 07:00, with Clifton College tackling Reddam House Constantia. The first girls’ match starts at 07:15, with a showdown between Waterkloof and Epworth.
RESULTS
Boys
Hilton 3-0 St David’s Marist Inanda
Clifton 1-0 St Stithians
Menlopark 2-1 Falcon
Pretoria Boys High 9-1 Ashton Ballito
Affies 3-0 St Stithians Festival XI
St David’s Marist Inanda 5-1 Reddam Constantia
St Benedict’s 4-2 Menlopark
Falcon 11-2 St Stithians Festival XI
Clifton 1-1 Pretoria Boys High
Stithians Alumni XI 5-0 St Stithians
Hilton 3-1 Reddam House Constantia.
Girls
Springfield 1-0 Beaulieu
St Stithians 1-0 Epworth
Menlopark 3-0 Ashton Ballito
Bethlehem Voortrekker 2-0 Falcon
Beaulieu 3-0 St Stithians Festival XI
DSG Makhanda 3-2 Waterkloof
Menlopark 4-0 Epworth
St Stithians Alumni XI 3-0 St Stithians Festival XI
Springfield 1-0 Falcon
DSG Makhanda 4-0 St Stithians
Waterkloof 4-0 Bethlehem Voortrekker
On Thursday, the opening day of the Saints Easter Rugby Festival hosted by St Stithians College, Northcliff High defended valiantly to keep St Charles College scoreless at half-time with the score at 10-0.
