{"id":46526,"date":"2024-05-24T11:29:54","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T09:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=46526"},"modified":"2024-05-24T11:29:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T09:29:54","slug":"a-super-slate-of-saturday-kzn-showdowns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=46526","title":{"rendered":"A super slate of Saturday KZN showdowns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"On Saturday, Westville Boys\u2019 High<\/strong> hosts Hilton College<\/strong> on Bowden\u2019s Field<\/strong>. They didn\u2019t meet in 2023, so this weekend\u2019s clash marks their first game since 2022, when Hilton were comfortable winners.<\/p>\n

Picking a favourite for Saturday\u2019s showdown is a fool\u2019s game. Hilton has slightly the better record in 2024, but Westville has current form on their side.<\/p>\n

Last weekend, the Griffin<\/strong> drew 36-36 with King Edward VII<\/strong> <\/a>in one of the games of the season. In it, they showed off just how dangerous they can be when they move the ball about the park, matching KES blow-for-blow as the two in-form outfits also matched one another with six tries apiece.<\/p>\n

While it was a high-scoring contest, one should not underestimate the defensive physicality of the Griffin<\/strong>. Nor should one underestimate Hilton\u2019s typically aggressive defence. On a couple of occasions this season, they\u2019ve leaked more than they usually would, but when the game opens up, Brad Mcleod-Henderson<\/strong>\u2019s charges have shown they, too, can play that way.<\/p>\n

The recently announced Sharks\u2019 Craven Week team includes three players from Westville \u2013 Chris Cloete<\/strong>, Zekhethelo Siyaya<\/strong> and Jadrian Afrikaner<\/strong> – and only one from Hilton \u2013 Hanu Pieterse<\/strong> – which is an unusually low return for the boys from the KZN midlands, but they\u2019re not about individuals. They\u2019re about a well-drilled team playing to a tried and tested gameplan, which more often than not delivers wins.<\/p>\n

Westville plays with more flair, with playmakers like fullback Siyaya, Jade-Will Koopman<\/strong>, on the right wing, and centre Michael Satade<\/strong>, capable of opening up the stiffest of defences. Flair, though, doesn\u2019t always win out.<\/p>\n

Up front, Westville\u2019s formidable form in the tight phases will test the Hilton pack. They\u2019re led by their 8th<\/sup>-man, captain, and Sharks’ rep, Hanu Pieterse, who has been superb since making the move from lock to the back of the scrum this season.<\/p>\n

Westville\u2019s skipper, Chris Cloete, is a difference-maker, with his work at ruck time, and his proficiency in turning over possession, a key weapon that helps makes Westville so dangerous on the counterattack.<\/p>\n

Having praised Westville\u2019s flair, Hilton\u2019s ability to create tries should not be overlooked. They\u2019ve run in some spectacular scores in 2024, most notably in an unusually high scoring game against Kearsney, which Hilton won 55-37. They have pace, they have skills, and that\u2019s why Saturday\u2019s match in Westville should be can\u2019t-miss watching.<\/p>\n

And Hilton is coming off a one-point loss to Michaelhouse<\/strong>, which should certainly rev them up to record another win. That defeat, though, came after six wins on the trot, so expect a good response from the boys in the white kit.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of changes to the Hilton lineup, mostly enforced. Ivan Jjuuko<\/strong> shifts from centre to fullback, where he played last season, Rukudzo Madinga<\/strong> takes over on the right wing from Seb Gaboreau<\/strong>, and Daniel Sweeney<\/strong> returns to centre, which allows Xander Vorster<\/strong> to take up his place at scrumhalf again. Stewart Falconer<\/strong> is out, which means Meyer Malherbe<\/strong> steps up at flank, and Ross Brown<\/strong> starts in the number six jersey, with Dylan Neill<\/strong> out.<\/p>\n

Westville, for once, this season has a healthy squad, which means that Jade-Will Koopman, who stood out at flyhalf against KES, moves out to the right wing, with Unathi Mlotshwa<\/strong> returning to the no.10 jersey. \u00a0Otherwise, the Griffin has a settled starting 15.<\/p>\n

In Durban, Glenwood<\/strong> and Kearsney<\/strong> meet on Dixon\u2019s at 15:00. Both teams will be eyeing the match as an opportunity to reverse some rather lengthy slides.<\/p>\n

\"Glenwood
Glenwood is led by their sole Craven Week representative, Martin van Wyngaardt junior.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both have shown glimpses of their potential, but it\u2019s consistency that has been the challenge for them this season. Both, too, have played their best rugby when the result is pretty much decided.<\/p>\n

Last weekend, Glenwood fell 0-31 behind Northwood<\/strong> before storming back to go down 24-31.<\/p>\n

Kearsney, in their last two matches, against Westville and Northwood, closed with a bang, running in three tries in quick succession at the end of each of those games, but it was what went before that cost the team.<\/p>\n

Their last meeting, in 2023, was on Stott Field<\/strong>, where Glenwood scraped a hard-fought 18-13 win. Dixon\u2019s will favour the hosts on Saturday, but they\u2019re a young line-up and it might not be as much of an advantage as it typically is.<\/p>\n

The main point, though, as alluded to earlier, is it is an opportunity for one of the sides to arrest a losing record and start a new winning one. For Kearsney to get that right, they\u2019ll need to beat Glenwood for the first time since 2015 and win for the first time on Dixon\u2019s since 2012.<\/p>\n

Old Orchards<\/strong> will play host to an interesting derby, with St Charles College<\/strong> welcoming St Stithians College<\/strong> for a first time and a 12:00 kick-off. It feels like it will be a good matchup. The hometown Saints, though, will fancy their chances.<\/p>\n

They boast some real quality in their 1st<\/sup> XV, which is best exemplified by their scrumhalf Matthew Fick<\/strong>, who has cracked the nod for the Sharks\u2019 Craven Week team for a second year in succession. He is a complete player and the puppet-master of their game.<\/p>\n

\"Scrumhalf
Scrumhalf Matthew Fick is a consistently outstanding performer for St Charles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Someone who regularly catches the eye is their fullback, Salmaan Mohammed<\/strong>. He\u2019s a dangerous man on the counterattack as Clifton<\/strong> found out when the Pietermaritzburg school was last in action, with Mohammed scoring a thrilling try with a brilliant solo effort from halfway.<\/p>\n

St Charles won that match 36-12, while earlier in the season, at the Saints Sports Festival<\/strong>, St Stithians beat Clifton 12-7. Based on that result, it\u2019s advantage St Charles, but that\u2019s not how the game of rugby works.<\/p>\n

Last weekend, St Alban\u2019s<\/strong> beat Clifton 39-10. A week earlier, St Alban’s beat Northcliff<\/strong> by two. Clifton beat Northcliff 21-15. The only way to decide matters is on the field.<\/p>\n

St Charles, at their best, plays a free-flowing running game that puts the ball in the hands of numbers one to 15. With Director of Rugby Craig Dwyer<\/strong> leaning on over a decade of coaching<\/a> in New Zealand to direct his approach, it\u2019s an attractive on-field product.<\/p>\n

St Stithians, after a promising start to the season, which included a convincing victory over St Andrew\u2019s College<\/strong>, has struggled somewhat since, but they played St David’s Marist Inanda<\/strong> tough in their most recent match, going down 27-28.<\/p>\n

TEAMS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hilton College<\/strong><\/p>\n

15 Ivan Jjuuko, 14 Rukudzo Madinga, 13 Khazimla Makali, 12 Daniel Sweeney, 11 Ricky Adonis, 10 Xola Bakana, 9 Xander Vorster, 8 Emmanuel Dankwah, 7 Mayer Malherbe, 6 Dylan Neill, 5 Kieran Hunter, 4 Trent Chubb, 3 Ben le Roux, 2 Josh Grant, 1 Oliver Proudfoot<\/p>\n

Westville Boys’ High School<\/strong><\/p>\n

15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Jade-Will Koopman, 13 Michael Satade, 12 Blake Allbon, 11 Jadrian Afrikaner, 10 Unathi Mlotshwa, 9 Ryan Pistor, 8 David Humphreys, 7 Brandon Eke, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Wandile Simelane, 4 Oliver Gcina, Bandile Mncwango, 2 Jeshua Ferreira, 1 Akhona Maseko<\/p>\n

St Charles College<\/strong><\/p>\n

15 Salmaan Mohammed, 14 Athenkosi Qumo, 13 Rashied Isaacs, 12 Okhule Peti, 11 Matthew Ludick, 10 Ukhanyo Ntsangani, 9 Matthew Fick, 8 Stefan Veldsman, 7 Marlow Mbewe, 6 Lazola Makaula, 5 Reece Curtain, 4 Raphael Ajibade, 3 Christian Allardice, 2 Dean Chiwese, 1 Lutho Mrwata<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Saturday, Westville Boys\u2019 High hosts Hilton College on Bowden\u2019s Field. They didn\u2019t meet in 2023, so this weekend\u2019s clash marks their first game since 2022, when Hilton were comfortable winners. Picking a favourite for Saturday\u2019s showdown is a fool\u2019s game. Hilton has slightly the better record in 2024, but Westville has current form on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":46528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46526\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}