{"id":69371,"date":"2025-04-10T11:01:05","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T09:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=69371"},"modified":"2025-04-10T11:01:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T09:01:05","slug":"an-exciting-eclectic-mix-at-the-kearsney-easter-rugby-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=69371","title":{"rendered":"An exciting eclectic mix at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"In
In 2024, Dr EG Jansen beat Kearsney College at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival. They meet again at the 2025 event. Photo: Brad Morgan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just one week remains until the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival<\/strong> (KERF)<\/strong> lights up Stott Field<\/strong> and Roberts Field<\/strong> in Botha’s Hill.<\/p>\n

The 2025 edition of the event features 12 high school 1st XVs, 12 primary school teams, and, for the first time, four high school girls’ u16 sides.<\/p>\n

Since the lineup was revealed on 18 February, we’ve had an opportunity to see most of the 1st XVs in action. Of the four KwaZulu-Natal representatives, three – Durban High School (DHS)<\/strong>, Westville Boys’ High<\/strong>, and Glenwood<\/strong> – are unbeaten, albeit that the season is in its infancy and some serious challenges await them this coming weekend, Kearsney College<\/strong> has won three of their four matches.<\/p>\n

DHS, the best team in KZN in 2024, is staking a strong claim to be number one again. They’re a well-coached and well-drilled side, very physical and relentless, and they’ve won five matches already.<\/p>\n

Most recently, they were in action at the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival<\/strong>, where they impressed in emphatic wins over Kingswood College<\/strong> (41-20) and Selborne College<\/strong> (35-5). They’ve also beaten Michaelhouse<\/strong> (28-20), Maritzburg College<\/strong> (29-10), and Bethlehem Voortrekker<\/strong> (63-8).<\/p>\n

Yet, it feels like there is still more to come from School<\/strong><\/em>. No doubt, that’s how coaches Peter Engeldow<\/strong> and Ronnie Uys<\/strong> see it. With an Absa Wildeklawer<\/strong> schedule<\/strong><\/a> that features games against Stellenberg<\/strong> and Paarl Gimnasium<\/strong>, with Gim having already staked a strong claim to being number one in South Africa, DHS will want to find their best form as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

They open their challenge against Ho\u00ebrskool Rustenburg<\/strong>, a school they crushed 45-0 at KERF in 2024, which was one of those games that alerted people to the fact that DHS might have a special team. They went on to prove that case, winning 13 and losing only two by a combined seven points.<\/p>\n

Rusties<\/strong> <\/em>look like a tougher out this year. They were well beaten by Ho\u00ebrskool Noordheuwel<\/strong> (14-40) earlier this season, but Nories<\/strong> <\/em>showed they’re a serious side when they pushed Grey College<\/strong> (22-24) and Paul Roos<\/strong> (19-26) to the brink at the NMI Toyota North\/South Tournament<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Rustenburg has won three matches besides that, edging out Ho\u00ebrskool Trio<\/strong> 17-14 in their season-opener on 1 March, followed by a narrow 27-25 win over Ho\u00ebrskool Witteberg<\/strong>, and a convincing 60-24 victory over Ho\u00ebrskool Diamantveld<\/strong> at the North\/South, where they also shared a 15-15 draw with Nico Malan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It’s a credit to DHS that they’ve been handed three tough fixtures. They also face Ho\u00ebrskool Monument<\/strong> on Saturday, 19 April, and Ho\u00ebrskool Durbanville<\/strong> on Monday, 21 April. Those teams met at the North\/South, with Durbies<\/strong><\/em> scoring a hard-fought 27-21 win over Monnas<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Durbanville, first-timers at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, also faced another of the KERF teams, Dr EG Jansen<\/strong>, in Stellenbosch and won that one 34-16. They boast a beefy pack and some gas in the backline. They’ll be tough.<\/p>\n

They face an interesting challenge in their opener against Dale College<\/strong>, who are renowned for their running rugby. Durbies will also have an early morning call on Saturday, opening the day’s menu with an outing against Rustenburg.<\/p>\n

\"DHS
DHS excelled in a 45-0 win over Ho\u00ebrskool Rustenburg at KERF in 2024. They do battle on the first day of the 2025 festival. Photo: Brad Morgan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The hosts, Kearsney, face Dr EG Jansen in their opener at 13:00 on Thursday. Last year, after trailing 5-11 when they met the One-Stripe<\/strong><\/em> at KERF, EG Jansen shifted gears and ran away to a 36-11 victory.<\/p>\n

They’re not the powerhouse that they were in 2024, but they’re still a decent outfit. Both teams have suffered one big loss each this season – Kearsney to Hilton College<\/strong>, and Jansies to Boland Landbou<\/strong> – but they’ve also shown enough to suggest that their meeting could be an entertaining head-to-head.<\/p>\n

Kearsney also faces Dale College and Zimbabwe’s Peterhouse<\/strong>. Both matches should see the ball doing plenty of work, being put through the hands, as Dale and Peterhouse favour a running game.<\/p>\n

Kearsney, too, has shown a real appetite for that approach early in the season, and it brought them wins over Pretoria Boys High<\/strong> (28-26) and Hudson Park <\/strong>(41-31) at the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival.<\/p>\n

Glenwood<\/strong> will be a team to keep an eye on. Yes, 2024 was not a big success, but they head into the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival with an experienced team and one year on that could lead to a reversal of their fortunes. They’ve played only two matches thus far in 2025, comfortably beating St Charles<\/strong> 38-0 before sneaking a 7-5 win over HTS Middelburg<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

They’ll confront Monument in their opener, which should reveal a lot about both sides. Then, they take on Milnerton<\/strong>, another newcomer from the Western Cape, who edged out Durbanville 20-15 at the Western Province Rugby Schools Day<\/strong> in mid-March. They close with a game against Dale College on Monday.<\/p>\n

One of the KERF regulars, Ho\u00ebrskool Framesby<\/strong>, has been handed a daunting opener against Westville Boys’ High<\/strong>, who have looked very good early on this season. They’re\u00a0coached by Zander Erasmus<\/strong>, who has moved up to the 1st XV after coaching many of the players he now leads at u16 level.<\/p>\n

They play an enterprising game. They’re strong up front but mobile, and they possess some very dangerous backline players, led by fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya<\/strong>, who is dynamite on the counterattack.<\/p>\n

\"Westville
Westville fullback Zekhethelo Siyiya crossed for two superb tries in his side’s 14-point win over Hilton College on 25 May 2024. Photo: Brad Morgan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Framesby will also be challenged by Peterhouse’s running game before facing a more traditional challenge from Dr EG Jansen. Westville, who upset Monument 25-22 in their last game of last year’s festival, take on EG Jansen on Saturday and finish with Rustenburg, on Monday.<\/p>\n

Westville has played three and won three thus far, including a 24-15 win at Hilton College<\/strong>, a 45-12 shellacking of Selborne, and a 28-13 defeat of Dale.<\/p>\n

Milnerton, one of 2024’s most exciting teams anywhere in the country, tackles Peterhouse in the festival’s opening game and it should be pleasing to the eye. After their Glenwood game on Saturday, they meet Monnas on Monday. They’ve been handed three very different challenges, but their rugby should be all the better for it.<\/p>\n

Each day, on Stott Field, a prime-time spot, at 12:00, has been reserved for girls’ u16 matches. In a late change to the field of four teams, Grosvenor Girls’ High<\/strong> has replaced Richards Bay High School<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Thursday’s Stott Field spotlight will fall on Mowat Park High <\/b>and Adams College<\/b>. On Saturday, it will be the turn of Adams College and George Campbell to play the prime-time game, and, on Monday, Adams College and Grosvenor will meet.<\/p>\n

The event also features 12 primary school teams, who will be in action on Roberts Field. Apart from the KZN primary schools, it will include two development sides and, also, the Harare Lions<\/strong>, from Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL FIXTURES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, 17 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

08:00 – Milnerton High School vs Peterhouse
\n09:20 – Ho\u00ebrskool Durbanville vs Dale College
\n10:40 – Durban High School vs Ho\u00ebrskool Rustenburg
\n13:00 – Kearsney College vs Ho\u00ebrskool Dr EG Jansen
\n14:20 – Ho\u00ebrskool Monument vs Glenwood High School
\n15:40 – Westville Boys’ High vs Ho\u00ebrskool Framesby<\/p>\n

Saturday, 19 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

08:00 – Ho\u00ebrskool Durbanville vs Ho\u00ebrskool Rustenburg
\n09:20 – Ho\u00ebrskool Framesby vs Peterhouse
\n10:40 – Milnerton High School vs Glenwood High School
\n13:00 – Westville Boys’ High vs Ho\u00ebrskool Dr EG Jansen
\n14:20 – Kearsney College vs Dale College
\n15:40 – Ho\u00ebrskool Monument vs Durban High School<\/p>\n

Monday, 21 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

08:00 – Ho\u00ebrskool Monument vs Milnerton High School
\n09:20 – Glenwood High School vs Dale College
\n10:40 – Ho\u00ebrskool Framesby vs Ho\u00ebrskool Dr EG Jansen
\n12:50 – Closing Ceremony
\n13:00 – Durban High School vs Ho\u00ebrskool Durbanville
\n14:20 – Westville Boys’ High vs Ho\u00ebrskool Rustenburg
\n15:40 – Kearsney College vs Peterhouse<\/p>\n

GIRLS’ U16 FIXTURES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, 17 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:00 – Mowat Park High vs Adams College
\n12:00 – George Campbell vs Grosvenor Girls’ High School<\/p>\n

Saturday, 19 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:00 – Adams College vs George Campbell
\n12:00 – Mowat Park High vs Grosvenor Girls’ High School<\/p>\n

Monday, 21 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

11:00 – Mowat Park High vs George Campbell
\n12:00 – Adams College vs Grosvenor Girls’ High School<\/p>\n

PRIMARY SCHOOL FIXTURES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday, 17 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

08:00 – Highbury Prep vs Kloof Senior Primary
\n09:00 – Penzance Primary vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
\n10:00 – Winston Park Primary vs Westville Senior Primary
\n11:00 – Hillcrest Primary vs Chelsea Prep
\n13:00 – Umhlali Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team
\n14:00 – Glenwood Prep vs Harare Lions<\/p>\n

Saturday, 19 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

08:00 – Kloof Senior Primary vs Winston Park Primary
\n09:00 – Chelsea Prep vs Harare Lions
\n10:00 – Westville Senior Primary vs Hillcrest Primary
\n11:00 – Glenwood Prep vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
\n13:00 – Highbury Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team
\n14:00 – Penzance Primary vs Umhlali Prep<\/p>\n

Monday, 21 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

08:00 – Hillcrest Primary vs Winston Park Primary
\n09:00 – Kloof Senior Primary vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
\n10:00 – Glenwood Prep vs Westville Senior Prep
\n12:00 – Highburg Prep vs Umhlali Prep
\n13:00 – Penzance Primary vs Harare Lions
\n14:00 – Chelsea Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just one week remains until the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) lights up Stott Field and Roberts Field in Botha’s Hill. The 2025 edition of the event features 12 high school 1st XVs, 12 primary school teams, and, for the first time, four high school girls’ u16 sides. Since the lineup was revealed on 18 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":69381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69371","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\/69371","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=69371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/69381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}