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Kearsney College, beaten by 15 points on Meadows earlier in the season, returned the favour when Michaelhouse visited Stott Field on Saturday, delighting their alumni on Old Boys’ Weekend, with a gutsy 19-15 victory.

Kearsney coach Neil van Heerden commented afterwards: “During the week, we said that Old Boys’ Weekend always gives Kearsney a superpower, something extra, and I think we saw that today.

“Michaelhouse is a fantastic team, with stacks of talent, but they couldn’t get their game going today. Credit to the Kearsney boys.”

The One-Stripe, from the moment they charged onto the field, certainly appeared to be raring to engage in a physical battle, and it was their tireless work rate, the manner in which they contested every ball, that was the key to their win, which was a third on the trot.

“If you’re going to beat a team like ‘House, a phenomenal team, you’ve got to make them uncomfortable and you’ve got to get them out of their system, whether it is in the ruck or the lineout or the scrum,” Van Heerden said.

And speaking of the scrums, he lauded the performance of the Kearsney captain, tighthead Anele Cele: “I think Anele, after not making Craven Week, had a point to prove, and he showed that he can scrum against the best,” Van Heerden reckoned.

As so often happens in games, though, winning was also about which side made better use of its opportunities. Three times Michaelhouse mauled their way right up to the Kearsney try line and three times they were halted, and the scrum went to hosts. Kearsney, early in the second half, struck from a similar position near the ‘House whitewash to take the lead, which they held until the end of the game.

Not even an ankle injury to one of their stars of the 2024 season, flank Connor McIntyre, which forced him from the field in the first half, halted the One-Stripe’s momentum.

“Credit must go to Heinrich Fourie, who has been part of the first team and lost his way a little bit and played for the 2nd XV in the last two or three games. He came on [for Connor McIntyre] and made a good impact,” Van Heerden said. “He stood tall, and that’s also indicative of the type of team that this is. Even with setbacks, they haven’t taken a step back.”

It was Michaelhouse, however, who opened the scoring in the sixth minute and the efficient and clinical manner in which they did so suggested that it might be a long day for the home side.

It began with a counterattack from fullback Aya Mkokheli, from inside the Michaelhouse half. Once he was stopped, the ball was shipped to the right, through three phases, before it was brought back to the left, where ‘House had a two-man overlap.

Kearsney scrambled well, and Mkokheli, having joined the backline, sold a dummy and cut infield. He was tackled, but as he went down Riley Gehren was ranging up on his inside. He took a pop pass and the path to the try line was open. Luke Davidson converted the try and Carlyle Hawkins and his men led 7-0.

Kearsney responded well and surged up into the Michaelhouse half after Cameron Veenstra sliced through the visitors’ defensive line with a well-judged angled run. They soon came close to scoring, but a chip and chase from right wing Valentino Lenge was slightly too strong and he narrowly failed to dot down.

In the 18th minute, with Michaelhouse on the attack, the visitors quickly created an overlap from a lineout just outside the Kearsney 22. Seeing that, flyhalf Davidson went for a skip pass, but Lenge read it perfectly, racing up out of the line to snare an interception and turn on the jets to scorch his way to a try. If he hadn’t pulled it off, three ‘House players were outside of him, and they could well have been in for a second try.

Cameron Veenstra knocked over the conversion kick to level the scores at 7-7, which was where it remained at halftime.

Three minutes into the second half, a pinpoint touch-finder put Kearsney on Michaelhouse’s five-metre line, with a throw-in. The take was clean.

As the ball was brought down, Doan Nel began speeding towards the maul, at an angle and from a distance. The ball was taken off the back of the maul and released flat to Nel, who took a small step off his left foot, and he was across the line for a try. Another Veenstra conversion put Kearsney 14-7 ahead.

Good team that they are, Michaelhouse took it in their stride and worked their way down into Kearsney’s 22, moving the ball from side to side to test out the host’s defences out wide. First, they went left, then right, then left again, and it paid off. ‘House’s Craven Week prop Aphiwe Shelembe rounded the defence to crash over about 12 metres to the left of the uprights.

It was a simple conversion, but Kearsney’s defenders raced off the line to snatch the ball off the kicking tee when they thought Michaelhouse kicker Luke Davidson had moved. The referee agreed with them, and the visitors still trailed by two points.

From the kick-off, the One-Stripe turned over possession and Kuda Kachambwa charged away from the ruck, into the Michaelhouse 22. Kearsney drove it up once more, heading towards the uprights, before the ball was sent back to flyhalf Roydan Madatt.

The Michaelhouse defence had been drawn in and the no.10 knocked a cross kick out wide to the right. It wasn’t perfect, but it was not too far off.

The fact that it was a touch heavy led to a spectacular one-handed grab from fullback Daniel Eager, who leapt high, stretched out his right arm and hauled in the ball, preventing it from going over the touchline. Then he was over in the corner with a dive worthy of the spectacular play.

Michaelhouse had almost 15 minutes to pull it back. Again, they ground their way down into Kearsney’s 22.

When ‘House won a penalty, right in front of the uprights, they opted for a kick at goal, with 10 minutes still on the clock. Davidson knocked it over and only four points separated the sides.

Michaelhouse kept taking the game to Kearsney, but Cele and company defended tigerishly, once more turning a Michaelhouse maul towards their try line into a Kearsney scrum.

With Carlyle Hawkins and his cohorts on the attack and time up, Kearsney was awarded a penalty at scrum time. A kick to touch sealed a memorable win for the school and its Old Boys.

Kearsney College 19 (7) – Tries: Valentino Lenge, Doan Nel, Daniel Eager; Conversions: Cameron Veenstra (2). Michaelhouse 15 (7) – Tries: Riley Gehren, Aphiwe Shelembe. Conversion: Luke Davidson. Penalty: Luke Davidson.

Other Results

u19 – Kearsney II 15 Michaelhouse II 28; Kearsney III 24 Michaelhouse III 43; Kearsney IV 7 Michaelhouse IV 17; Kearsney V 6 Michaelhouse V 12; Kearsney VI 15 Michaelhouse VI 22; Kearsney VII 5 Michaelhouse VII 36; Kearsney VIII 17 Michaelhouse VIII 32

u16 – Kearsney A 13 Michaelhouse A 23; Kearsney B 14 Michaelhouse B 83; Kearsney C 0 Michaelhouse C 48; Kearsney D 0 Michaelhouse D 57

u15 – Kearsney A 21 Michaelhouse A 17; Kearsney B 40 Michaelhouse B 29; Kearsney C 19 Michaelhouse C 17; Kearsney D 14 Michaelhouse D 34

u14 – Kearsney A 29 Michaelhouse A 14; Kearsney B 7 Michaelhouse B 35; Kearsney C 26 Michaelhouse C 12

St Stithians made the most of their Old Boys’ Day, stunning their rivals, St Alban’s College, with a 26-16 win on Saturday.

After a superb start, Saints made sure they made it count with a superb team effort.

Rewatch all the action on SuperSport Schools

Cullen Bradford opened the day with the first points after receiving a ball out wide, with a huge space in front of him, and the speedy fullback sprinted towards the corner pocket to score.

Saints’ flyhalf Chris Anderson, then, executed a classic dummy pass, deceiving the opposition before bursting through a gap to score a second try for the home side, which he followed up with an easy conversion from right in front of the poles.

Bradford was in the mix again, as the number 15, with an electrifying counterattack from inside the home team’s half, tore through the defence with blistering pace to score beneath the uprights

St Alban’s bounced back in the second half, but the damage had been done in the first half. Flanker Thabiso Mbembele and substitute Everett Gosling each scored for the Hoops, but it was not enough to help the visitors get over the line.

Over the last two weeks, St Alban’s has been struck by numerous injuries, which have forced six players, all in matric, to the sidelines. Coach Ofentse Moeng, bravely, viewed the setbacks optimistically, describing them as “a good opportunity to blood a few younger players for next year.”

On Burger Field, St John’s started their match off slowly as St Benedict’s put up a fight in the first half of the match, conceding only 14 points. The visitors defended well, led by some big hits from their captain Jason Cutler.

Fullback Oliver Tait and Joshua Shannon scored for the home team, with the latter powering over the try line and grounding the ball with authority for a much-needed crash-ball try. Bryson Walker had no problems adding the extras with the boot,

In the second half, however, the floodgates opened as St John’s piled on the pressure and scored 40 points in what became a one-sided affair.

Six different players crossed for tries, with Tait collecting a second five-pointer, while scrumhalf Tom Kruger scored two of his own tries and narrowly missed out on a hattrick.

St Benedict’s will be disappointed with the end result as their 2024 season continues to limp along. Next weekend, they host St David’s Marist Inanda on their Old Boys’ Weekend, hoping for a different outcome.

Perhaps a reshuffle in positions or a change in tactics might be an option for Bennies, given how their season has gone so far. Maybe a slight gamble could pay off.

St David’s, meanwhile, will head into next weekend’s fixture with plenty of confidence after they outplayed the visiting Cornwall Hill College 41-9.

The first half of the game progressed slowly, and the visitors led at half-time by three points, thanks to their flyhalf Matthew Fox, who successfully slotted three penalty kicks.

The second half was a different story altogether, with the home team finding their rhythm and amassing 35 more points as they effectively turned opportunities into tries.

With strength and determination, the host’s no. 8 Jack Brady bulldozed through tackles on his way to scoring two tries, and their tenacious scrumhalf Diego Ferreira was, again, in fine form with the boot, converting all of his kicks.

Point Scorers

St Stithians College 26 (26) – Tries: Cullen Bradford (2), Chris Anderson, Nthabeleng Mafole, Conversions: Chris Anderson (4). St Alban’s College 16 (6) – Tries: Thabiso Mbembele, Everett Gosling. Penalties: Joshua Verster (2).

St John’s College 54 (14) – Tries: Oliver Tait (2), Joshua Shannon, Menzi Bongwe, Tom Kruger (2), Thomas Ivers, Malan du Plessis. Conversions: Bryson Walker (7). St Benedict’s College 0 (0)

St David’s Marist Inanda 41 (6) – Tries: Teegen Rossini, Jack Brady (2), Kuzivakwashe Majuru, James Askew. Conversions: Ferreira (5). Penalties: Ferreira (2). Cornwall Hill College 9 (9) – Penalties: Matthew Fox (3).

Vyf van die 15 spanne wat Saterdag aan die Wes-Kaapse Topskole-byeenkoms deelgeneem het, het deurgedring na die gesogte DStv Schools Netball Challenge.

Hoërskool La Rochelle, Hoërskool Paarl Gimnasium en Hoër Meisieskool Paarl is die drie Batho-spanne wat deurgedring het, terwyl Bardale Secondary School en Manzomthombo Secondary School die twee Ubuntu-spanne is wat op 12 en 13 Julie by Hoërskool Florida in aksie sal wees.

Paarl Gimnasium, wat die halfeindronde in 2023 gehaal het voordat hulle teen Meisieskool Oranje vasgeval het, is beslis ‘n span om dop te hou. Hoër Meisies Paarl het verlede jaar ook tot die halfeindronde deurgedring, waar hulle teen Affies die knie gebuig het.

La Rochelle se kwalifisering is noemenswaardig, aangesien hulle nie verlede jaar onder die provinsie se topspanne was nie.

Manzomthombo is ‘n gedugte mededinger, en een van verlede jaar se topspanne in die Wes-Kaap. Bardale het nie verlede jaar deelgeneem nie, maar het hul krag by die afgelope naweek se uitspeelwedstryde tentoongestel.

Uitslae:

Poel A: La Rochelle 24, Durbanville 22; La Rochelle 52, Desmond 9; Durbanville 34, Bardale 20; Durbanville 64, Desmond Tutu 10; La Rochelle 32, Punt 13; La Rochelle 40, Bardale 9; Durbanville 39, Punt 16; Bardale 26, Desmond 13; Punt 31, Desmond 19; Bardale 18, Punt 16.

Poel B: Stellenberg 24, Bredasdorp 23; Paarl Girls 29, Stellenberg 14; Bredasdorp 37, Vredendal 28; Paarl Girls 28, Vredendal 23; Paarl Girls 48, Hillcrest 5; Paarl GH 36, Bredasdorp 15; Stellenberg 40, Hillcrest 3; Bredasdorp 44, Hillcrest 12; Vredendal 34, Hillcrest 11.

Poel C: Paarl Gim 36, Manzomthombo 7; Jan van Riebeeck 37, Weston 11; Manzomthombo 20, Weston 15; Jan van Riebeeck 21, Outeniqua 21; Paarl Gim 23, Outeniqua 18; Jan van Riebeeck 34, Manzomthombo 14; Outeniqua 44, Weston 7; Paarl Gim 36, Jan van Riebeeck 24; Outeniqua 25, Manzomthombo 8, Paarl Gim 57, Weston 5.

Semi-finaal (Batho)

La Rochelle 25, Stellenberg 22

Paarl Gim 26, Durbanville 19

Paarl GH 25, Outeniqua 16

Semi-finaal (Ubuntu):

Manzomthombo 16 Desmond Tutu 15

Bardale 22, Weston 11

Finaal (Batho):

La Rochelle 27, Paarl GH 19

Paarl Gim 27, Paarl GH 21

Finaal (Ubuntu):

Bardale 15, Manzomthombo 10

 

 

 

 

In their final match of term two, on Friday night, Selborne College put on a masterclass to dismantle Stirling High School 6-2, and head into the break unbeaten in the Border region.

Selborne entered the clash after a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Makhanda’s St Andrew’s College last weekend at the same venue.

Stirling, on the other hand, had been edged out 3-2 by their rivals, Hudson Park. They approached Friday night’s match with confidence but were also well aware of how dangerous coach KJ Friend‘s side can be when firing on all cylinders.

Since returning from a rather disappointing Hibbert Shield campaign, where they finished in ninth spot, and just before that lost 2-5 to Grey College, Selborne, in their in-season derby matches, have been a cut above the rest of the Border region.

Before the Stirling match, they thumped Dale College 10-1 at their reunion and defeated Cambridge High 6-0, before being held to the aforementioned draw by St Andrew’s.

The side, captained by Tre’ Gilbert, was focussed on ending the term on a positive note and they did exactly that at the expense of coach Brett Stirk‘s side.

Thomas Caswell and Gilbert struck twice each for Selborne, while Jaques van der Merwe and Daniel Sirgel, who have also frequently been among the goal scorers, scored one each.

Stirling responded with goals from Chad Clark-Evans, and Hisharm Pillay. Pillay will showcase his skills with Border at SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein later this month.

In Gqeberha, Pearson High School was made to work hard for a 1-0 win over Woodridge College. The game was initially scheduled for the first weekend of June, but, due to very heavy rain, it was postponed.

Graeme College, after going down 0-2 to Dale College last weekend, bounced back with a win over Port Alfred by the same scoreline.

St Andrew’s College and Kingswood College picked up crucial wins ahead of the highly anticipated K-Day next week.

College travelled to Queen’s College, where goals by Connor McNamara and Andrew Holmes secured a hard-fought 2-1 win for coach Dean Ferreira’s team.

Meanwhile, Kingswood visited Qonce for a showdown with Dale. Chris Painting gave the Makhanda boys the lead before the contest was called off in the final chukka due to what was cited as “bad light”.

Next week’s action in the Eastern Cape will see Kingswood and St Andrew’s College in the spotlight, battling it out for K-Day bragging rights.

You can catch all that action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

RESULTS

St Andrew’s College 2-1 Queen’s College
Selborne College 6-2 Stirling High School
Kingswood College 1-0 Dale College
Pearson High School 1-0 Woodridge College
Graeme College 2-0 Port Alfred High School

The sports festival organised by the Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools (PMSS) is underway at Curro Meridian Cosmo City, and runs from Friday, 7 June, to Saturday, 8 June.

The u11 boys and girls, and u13 boys and u13 girls completed their competitions on Friday. The u15 boys’ and girls’ finals were scheduled for Saturday.

Curro Meridian Cosmo City is one of the first to adopt the Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools’ programme, with the renowned coach and the PMSS team present to witness the development of grassroots football skills.

On Friday, boys and girls, between the ages of 8 and 13, gathered to showcase their football abilities. Throughout the day, they enthusiastically cheered each other on, with some mesmerizing with their distinct skills on the playing grounds.

Nooitgedacht defeated Cosmo City 2-0 in the u11 girls’ final, while Sweet Valley laid claim to the u11 boys’ title with a 2-1 win over Cosmo City.

In the u13 boys’ final, Nooitgedacht beat Meridian Cosmo 1-0, while the girls’ honours went to Cosmo City Junior, who stormed to a 4-1 win over Nooitgedacht.

Coach Pitso Mosimane shared his thoughts about the partnership between PMSS and Curro Meridian Cosmo City: “The Pitso Mosimane Sports Soccer Schools is associated with the Pitso Mosimane Foundation, and our focus is on collaborating with schools,” he said.

He explained that the reason behind this approach is because not all children engage in football through clubs, but all children who play football are enrolled in school.

Schools have facilities and are a safe environment for children, he said. “Our objective is to work with every individual within the school system, aiming to nurture football skills from an early age, starting as early as seven-years-old”, he stated.

Why is it so important to start at the grassroots level?

“The challenge we have in South African football [is] we start the program in the middle. This is exactly like the academics in the school, so, let’s say you start school at grade 4 or 5, if you start at that level you will struggle, because you have no foundation. Hence, you need the development fundamentals. You need to start at the foundation.

“How many teams in South Africa, senior teams, don’t have a youth team? So, where are you getting the players from? It means you get them from somewhere else, but don’t be surprised when you get those players, and they have different habits.”

“Empowering the children”

Mosimane said young people are the future of the country and he made reference to the late Nelson Mandela, who always believed in the youth as the rock on which the future is built, and who promoted education as the key to liberation.

“You can never separate the two, football and academics. As a player you have your football talent and an academic background.”

He emphasised that having both not only places one in a better position in society post-retirement as a professional footballer, but they also provide one with a backup plan should a career as a player not work out.

He said Percy Tau was an excellent example. Tau, whom he coached at Mamelodi Sundowns, is a CAF Champions League winner, and he also holds a BCom degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA).

He currently plays for the Egyptian giants, Al Ahly, and has won numerous titles in South Africa, Egypt, and Europe, where he played for Club Brugge in Belgium.

Mosimane said that if players could follow that kind of example and receive guidance at a younger age, they stand a better chance to be become greater men and women tomorrow.

“That is why we work with schools. The clubs which these children play for also benefit. We also empower coaches. We have CAF and SAFA coaches contributing to the growth and the goal we have set for ourselves to develop young kids.

The Future for the PMSS

“We are growing. There are about 12 schools now, 30 coaches, and my dream is to do this in the townships, as well,” Mosimane said.

“That’s where the talent is. I come from the township. We need to nurture the talent in our townships and continue to offer life skills – how to be a team member – and discipline, while we ensure that we keep our young children as student athletes.”

The PMSS also plays an important role in addressing a significant and overlooked aspect of women’s development in South Africa. Despite the evident talent at the national level, women’s football in the country has yet to realise its full potential.

While the SASOL League, Hollywoodbets Super League, and the Gauteng Women’s Development League feed into the national teams, such as Banyana Banyana (SA national women’s team) and Bantwana (SA u17), they lack a solid foundation. This is where the PMMS steps in, starting as early as the u7 age group, to promote and showcase women’s football.

RESULTS

3rd and 4th Playoffs

u11 Girls: Meridian Cosmo 2-0 Sweet Valley
u11 Boys: Meridian Cosmo 0-1 Nooitgedacht
u13 Girls: Sweet Valley 0-2 Cosmo City Junior
u13 Boys: Sweet Valley 0 (0)- 0 (2) Meridian Cosmo

Finals

u11 Girls: Nooitgedacht 2-0 Cosmo City Junior
u11 Boys: Cosmo City Junior 1-2 Sweet Valley
u13 Girls: Meridian Cosmo 0-1 Nooitgedacht
u13 Boys: Nooitgedacht 1-4 Cosmo City Junior

Kearsney College shared an intense and thrilling goalless draw with Michaelhouse in Botha’s Hill on Saturday.

Schoolboy hockey rarely offers teams a chance at redemption via home and away fixtures. The Kearsney-Michaelhouse tie was one of the few exceptions.

When the two sides met earlier this year, Kearsney created and converted their opportunities in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead. Michaelhouse, who were playing in front of their home crowd, then seized control of the game and pulled two goals back, but the equaliser evaded them, and they went down 2-3.

When they met for the second time, this time on Mason’s Astro, Michaelhouse was a different outfit. When they first met, ‘House was a team in transition, adapting to their new coach. Since then, they have evolved into a highly competitive team.

“I am so proud of these guys. They have shown character throughout,” Nick Bérichon, the Michaelhouse coach, said after the match.

“We have been through some tough and dark times this season. We started off in a manner we did not enjoy. However, the resilience and character that they have shown has been absolutely immense and I couldn’t be prouder of these guys.”

Not only were they a better team, but they were also better prepared. They knew that Kearsney was going to be highly organised, and they prepared well. One of the best examples of that was how effectively Michaelhouse isolated Kearsney’s outlets.

Like their opponents, Kearsney was also team that has evolved during the course of the term. While almost all of the players who were a part of their victory in the first leg were playing, there were also a few new faces.

Ashley Kemp, who has had one eye on the present and another trained on the future all season long, gave opportunities to youngsters around whom next year’s team will be built.

“There has been a lot of ground gained. But you can’t gain ground and not take a few steps backwards. I definitely think we have handled those situations well. I think the hockey we are playing is enjoyable hockey, both for the players and spectators,” Kemp explained.

Both teams showed why they had performed strongly in the latter part of the season by giving as much to their opponents as their opponents gave to them.

While both teams created moments to break the deadlock, but they were met by a resolute defence that thwarted the attacks.

“We would have a good attack and they would counter. It was 50/50 a lot of the time. I don’t think any team got into the rhythm of the game,” Kemp said.

While there was no winner, nor goals, both sides were rewarded for industrious defensive efforts with clean sheets.

Maris Stella School enjoyed a good run on Friday’s first day of the Independent Schools’ Sports Festival (ISSF) at St Stithians College.

The ISSF is a two-day annual festival, which brings together the top Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal girls’ schools to test their hockey skills against each other, with the host alternately annually between the two provinces.

This year’s even marks the third time that St Stithians has hosted it, having previously filled in the role in 2001 and 2016.

Maris Stella under the mentorship of their coaches Eloise Walters and Ethan Biggar, delivered three wins on the opening day.

The Durban side secured a 1-0 victory over St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls in their opener, following a back-and-forth clash. In their second outing, they outduelled Rosebank’s St Teresa’s School, winning 1-0 again, thanks to Alluluto Sikhosana, who scored the winning goals in both matches.

Walters’ girls stepped up their performance in the third game, brushing aside Brescia House 3-1. Again, Sikhosana was among the goals, striking twice, while Juliette Fenton added a third as the coastal crew took a comfortable win.

Walters described her team as ecstatic after their three victories: “We, as Maris Stella, are happy to be a part of this wonderful festival. The girls work hard and grow as a team in every match that they play. We are excited for the future of Maris Stella hockey,” said enthused.

Twenty-four matches were played on the opening day across four fields. The results included St Anne’s Diocesan College defeating St Andrew’s 1-0, and Epworth repeating that scoreline in a win over

St Teresa’s dominated against St John’s, winning 4-0, after racing into a 3-0 lead after only 10 minutes.

RESULTS

St Mary’s DSG (Pretoria) 0-4 Wykeham Collegiate
Wykeham Collegiate 5-0 Brescia House
Wykeham Collegiate 1-1 Kingsmead
St Mary’s DSG (Pretoria) 0-3 Our Lady of Fatima
St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) 4-0 Roedean School
St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) 1-1 St Stithians
St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) 2-0 Brescia House
St Stithians 0-0 Durban Girls’ College
St Mary’s Waverley 2-0 Durban Girls’ College
St Mary’s Waverley 1-0 St John’s
Durban Girls’ College 2-0  Roedean
St Andrew’s 0-1 St John’s
St Andrew’s 0-1 St Mary’s DSG (Kloof)
St John’s 4-0 St Teresa’s
St Teresa’s 0-3 Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima 3-0 St Mary’s PTA
St Anne’s 1-0 St Andrew’s
St Anne’s 0-0 St Mary’s Waverley
Epworth 1-0 St Mary’s DSG (Pretoria)
Epworth 0-0 St Dominic’s
Maris Stella 1-0 St Dominic’s
Maris Stella 1-0 St Teresa’s
Maris Stella 3-1 Brescia House

St Stithians College hosts their annual Old Boys’ Day on Saturday, with a 1st XV showdown against St Alban’s College kicking off at 12:30 on the prestigious Baytop Field.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools

The Hoops will be raring to go after overrunning St Benedict’s College 47-7 last weekend at home.

St Stithians boast an experienced front row, with both of their props, Keabetswe Mapukana and Braeden Lightfoot, veterans from last year’s meeting of the school’s first teams. As always, the battle up front will be a crucial component of the match.

Saints did not play last weekend due to a cancellation with Northcliff High School, and they head into the contest off the back of three hard-fought losses against St Charles College (20-28), St David’s Marist Inanda (27-28) and Parktown Boys’ High (15-23).

St Alban’s will be without lock Tim Garnett, who sustained a serious injury last weekend in their match against St Benedict’s College and will turn to Jandré Botha to make an impact in Garnett’s absence.

Last weekend, St John’s College was left feeling blue after a 24-36 defeat at Pretoria Boys High School. Despite losing, St John’s played some good rugby during the match, especially in the first half, and they led up until the break. They delivered some big hits before halftime but were less effective in the second stanza.

They have an opportunity to return to winning ways when they take on St Benedict’s College at 12:15 on Burger Field, and the home side will be heavy favourites to win.

Lock Dom Kamangu steps into the captain’s role with the side’s regular captain and 8th-man, Kyle Watson, missing due to an injury which he suffered against Boys High. It’s a big loss for the Blues, but Kamangu will relish the opportunity to skipper the side in his teammate’s absence.

St Benedict’s continues a long season, desperate to notch up a win. St Alban’s, last weekend, was able to punch holes in their defensive setup, but it has been Bennies’ dearth of points on the offensive end of matters which has held back the side.

In their last five matches, they have totalled only 32 points, barely above six per game. The last time they made it into double figures, it was in a losing cause against Graeme College at the St John’s Easter Rugby Festival, with the Eastern Cape side running away to a 50-12 victory. That is also, in fact, the only time they’ve reached double figures in 2024. It has been a very tough season.

Still, Bennies will be keen to finish off the second term on a high. That could mean a victory or scoring the most points they have this season. They’ll need to find some attacking continuity, and if anyone is likely to give them that it is their inside centre Braeden Le Roux.

Last year, when the schools met, St John’s won 34-22. Bryson Walker, who plays at right-wing on Saturday, enjoyed a fine outing on that occasion, kicking well to help the Blues to victory. He’ll handle the kicking duties once again.

St David’s Marist Inanda takes on Cornwall Hill College. It should be a close match.

In their most recent outing, St David’s fell to a resurgent Parktown Boys’ High, going down 19-24, while Cornwall Hill beat St Andrew’s School 8-3 in Bloemfontein. The Pretoria school could find their challenge undermined, however, by the absence of a number of their players, who are out of action due to injury and illness.

Saint David’s scrumhalf Diego Ferreira bears watching as a player likely to impact the outcome. He is quick on his feet and usually an accurate goal kicker.

FIXTURES AND TEAMS

St John’s vs St Benedict’s

u14A: 8:00 – St Johns College vs St Benedict’s (D Field)
u15A: 9:00 – St Johns College vs St Benedict’s (C Field)
u16A: 10:00 – St Johns College vs St Benedict’s (Burger Field)
u19B: 11:05 – St John’s College vs St Benedict’s (Burger Field)
u19A: 12:15 – St Johns College vs St Benedict’s (Burger Field)

Stithians vs St Alban’s 

u14A: 08:00 – Stithians vs St Alban’s (Jameson 1 Field)
u15A: 09:00 – Stithians vs St Alban’s (Dlamini Field)
u16A: 10:00 – Stithians vs St Alban’s (Baytop Field)
u16A: 11:15 -Stithians vs St Alban’s (Baytop Field)
u19A: 12:30 – Stithians vs St Alban’s (Baytop Field)

St David’s Marist Inanda vs Cornwall Hill 

u15A: 09:20 – St David’s vs Cornwall Hill (Gier C Field)
u14A: 10:20 – St David’s vs Cornwall Hill (Gier D Field)
u16A: 10:20 – St David’s vs Cornwall Hill (La Valla B Field)
u19B: 10:20 – St David’s vs Alberton (u19A) (La Valla A Field)
u19A: 12:30 – St David’s vs Cornwall Hill (La Valla A Field)

St Stithians College: 15 Cullen Bradford, 14 Hlelo Ngwenya, 13 Nthabeleng Mafole, 12 Gabriel Hore, 11 Tyler Maclennan, 10 Chris Anderson, 9 Aphelele Ngcuka, 8 Tashinga Chingonzo, 7 Thato Madziwanyika, 6 Ross Turner, 5 Francois Botes, 4 Luke Thorrold, 3 Keabetswe Mapukana, 2 Braedon Hollingworth, 1 Branden Lightfoot.

St Alban’s College: 15 Matthew Nelson, 14 Malesela Sema, 13 Tumelo Mohale, 12 Enzo Olivier, 11 Sihle Msiza, 10 JJ Steenkamp, 9 Joshua Verster, 8 Patrick Weir, 7 Thabiso Mbembele 6 Ben Stevenson, 5 Keegan Dick, 4 Jandre Botha, 3 Neo Gama, 2 Craig Milne 1 Andreas Philippou.

St John’s College: 15 Oliver Tait, 14 Bryson Walker, 13 Malan du Plessis, 12 Thomas Ivers, 11 Jacob Smith, 10 Gerald van Wyk, 9 Tom Kruger, 8 ⁠Rohan Sheldon, 7 Menzi Bongwe, 6 Matt Liss, 5 Zain Newman, 4 Dom Kamangu , 3 Matthew Kaplan, 2 Kakuhle Tunguta, 1 Joshua Shannon.

St Benedict’s College: 15 Matthew Hovelmeier, 14 Tshegofatso Mojapelo, 13 Freddie Durrant, 12 Braeden le Roux, 11 Wade Ramsay, 10 Declan le Roux, 9 Iviwe Mlilo, 8 Jason Cutler, 7 Matthew Joubert, 6 Tebogo Phukuile, 5 Luke Carr, 4 Nicholas Moravec, 3 Matthew Rourke, 2 Thato Ntshangase, 1 Victor Goncalves.

St David’s Marist Inanda: 15 Teegen Rossini, 14 Tristan Lambe, 13 Theo Fonternel, 12 Elliot Skei, 11 Kuzivakwashe Majuru, 10 Luca Cabion, 9 Diego Ferreira, 8Jack Brady, 7 James Askew, 6 Tahin Patel, 5 Mark Hudson, 4 William Allemann, 3 Marco Bitter, 2 Connor Mc Williams, 1 D’Andre Mushonga.

Cornwall Hill College: 15 Matthew Fox, 14 Arno Mosupye, 13 Nathan du Plooy, 12 Onkabetse Leketi, 11 Daniel van Ravensteyn, 10 Tshepo Molete, 9 Eric van Ravensteyn, 8 Dade Kunneke, 7 Tristan Austin, 6 Max Land, 5 Julian Hattingh, 4 Alex Botes, 3 Omar Sabah, 2 Evangelos Papadopolous, 1 Tana Nhando.

On Saturday, Michaelhouse runs out onto Stott Field to face Kearsney College, with the challenge from the home side appearing to be a lot stiffer than it looked not too long ago.

Catch the action on DStv Channel 216

After a good start to the season, the One-Stripe found themselves on the wrong end of the result eight times in succession. Admittedly, every one of those games was against strong opposition. But both winning and losing can become habits.

Thankfully, for Kearsney, they’ve recently reversed that losing trend. Part of the reason has to do with the fact that have an outstanding leader in Anele Cele, and the fact that the team has not once lost the typical Kearsney fighting spirit despite the deflating nature of defeats.

They returned to winning ways two weeks ago with a particularly meaningful victory over Glenwood, which was their first against the Green Machine since 2013, and they did it in Durban, too. It was an impressive performance, which underlined the fact that scoring points has not been an issue for Kearsney. In fact, in the five games preceding it, their lowest haul had been 19 points, against Michaelhouse.

It was close on Dixon’s, with Kearsney winning 25-22, but it was a game they attacked positively, playing without fear of failure, and they were rewarded.

The following week, against Clifton at the Riverside Sports Club, Anele Cele and company showed what an injection of confidence can do as they ran up a 28-0 halftime lead, on their way to a convincing 48-0 victory.

Kearsney’s impressive performances in the set pieces were what set the One-Stripe up for victory over Clifton, but Michaelhouse is going to be a tougher challenge. Earlier this season, on Meadows, ‘House claimed a 34-19 victory over Kearsney.

Last weekend, in the cauldron of Van Heerden’s Field, on Durban High School’s (DHS) Founders Day, they gave the Horseflies, the best team in KZN so far this season, a very tough game before going down 10-23.

There’s a change to the Michaelhouse line-up for Saturday, though, that catches the eye. They welcome back their captain and Craven Week no. 8, Carlyle Hawkins, who like his opposite number is also the Head of School. He’s a force on both offence and defence, an all-rounder who consistently delivers excellence as a player and as the captain of the side.

His return gives ‘House its regular loose trio of Hawkins, Robert Combrinck and Riley Gehren, and they function superbly as a unit. That’s a real boost for the visitors. Alex Arde, who ran out at flank at DHS, in Hawkins’ absence, takes up position in the second row, alongside Dom Sesink Clee.

There’s also a change in the front row, with Koketso Bopape starting at tighthead.

Maybe the most interesting change takes place at fullback, where Aya Mkokheli, who has spent the season out on the wing, pulls on the no. 15 jersey. He’s a speed merchant with considerable counterattacking prowess, which has brought him some impressive tries this season. Will he be able to provide Michaelhouse with even more punch from the back?

The margins, one imagines, are going to be tighter in this second meeting of the sides in 2024, especially with Kearsney entering the contest with a couple of wins in the bag and playing at home. Michaelhouse, though, is a well-balanced outfit, and they’re never out of a game.

It’s a tough one to call, although the edge, based on the season’s record, belongs to the visitors. However, playing on Stott Field levels the playing field. In 2023, Michaelhouse, who lost only once all season, won by just three in Botha’s Hill, edging the game 23-20.

Kearsney College vs Michaelhouse on Stott Field at 15:00

Kearsney: 15 Daniel Eager, 14 Valentino Lenge, 13 Cameron Veenstra, 12 Doan Nel, 11 Bukho Hlwatika, 10 Roydan Madatt, 9 Murray Weyer, 8 Qhamani Mlalandle, 7 Connor McIntyre, 6 Callum Steer, 5 Ryan Sim, 4 Joseph Roylance, 3 Anele Cele, 2 Blake Kruger, 1 Kuda Kachambwa

Michaelhouse: 15 Aya Mkokheli, 14 Lwandle Nzama, 13 Rourke O’Sullivan, 12 Tom Baguley, 11 Connor McAlpine, 10 Luke Davidson (vc), 9 Jack Hughes, 8 Carlyle Hawkins (c), 7 Robert Combrinck, 6 Riley Gehren, 5 Dom Sesink Clee, 4 Alex Arde, 3 Koketso Bopape, 2 Oliver Davis, 1 Aphiwe Shelembe

Hierdie naweek vind die opwindende Wes-Kaapse Topskole-netbalbyeenkoms plaas, waar 15 spanne sal meeding om ‘n plek in die gesogte DStv Schools Netball Challenge.

Dié naweek se wedstryde word aangebied by Hoërskool De Kuilen, met Hoërskool La Rochelle wat verrigtinge om 09:00 teen Hoërskool Durbanville afskop.

Paarl Gimnasium is een van gunstelinge om deur te dring na die DStv Challenge, nadat hulle verlede jaar se eindstryd gehaal het, waar hulle teen Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool verloor het, asook Durbanville, die WP Liga-wenners, wat ‘n indrukwekkende seisoen beleef het.

Uit die 15 spanne dring drie Botho- en twee Ubuntu-spanne deur na die kompetisie op 12 en 13 Julie by Hoërskool Florida.

Al die aksie sal regstreeks op die SuperSport Schools uitgesaai word. Moet dit nie misloop nie!

Poel A: Bardale, Desmund Tutu, Durbanville, La Rochelle, Punt

Poel B: Bredasdorp, Hillcrest, HMS Paarl, Stellenberg, Vredendal

Poel C: Jan v Riebeeck, Manzomthombo, Outeniqua, Paarl Gim, Weston