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Paarl Gim, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), and St Stithians claimed the top three places in Pool D to qualify for the next round of competition in the annual St Mary’s Hockey Festival in Johannesburg on Friday.

In the next round, they will be grouped together with, and compete against, the top three teams from Pool C in a new group, Pool F.

Paarl Gim was the first team to secure their participation in the next round. Coach Ian Naudé’s side prepared well for the event, playing in two pre-season tournaments, and that paid dividends as they won five and drew two of their seven Pool D matches.

“We have been playing good hockey so far,” Naudé said. “I think the only area we need to improve on is converting our chances in the last 25. But I am not worried about that because this is something that the girls can pick up as the festival progresses.”

More than anything, Naudé is impressed by the work ethic his charges bring to the turf in each contest. “They are really hard-working and have a tendency to step up when the going gets tough,” he said.

An example of how they can step up was visible in their contest against table-toppers St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) in a battle of the high-flying teams that ended in a 1-1 draw.

Carla Ann Mackay’s St Mary’s team headed into the festival determined to perform better than they did in 2023. “Last year, we finished 13^th and won the Plate section. Coming up to this tournament, we have been prepping very hard. We have big goals set for this year,” Mackay shared with Supersport Schools Plus on day one.

St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), led by Georgia Pollock, the daughter of South African cricketing legend Shaun Pollock, showed their intentions from their first match, in which they ran over St Cyprian’s 4-0. They played an attacking brand of hockey that limited the opposition’s contact with the ball and that ball possession has enabled them to dominate games.

The KZN side began day two with one foot in the top three after registering two wins and a draw on Thursday. They appeared unstoppable as they rammed home nine goals and conceded only one against Pearson, Collegiate, and the St Mary’s Festival XI. Their toughest opponent on day two was Paarl Gim, the other undefeated team from Pool D.

“We have been improving in all areas and have really done well in converting our chances to goals. All the girls have stepped up, but special mention must be made of Nicola Forbes and Sibabalwe Mfaweza, who have really had a stellar tournament thus far,” said Mackay.

St Stithians had mixed results on day one and it took Lance Louw’s charges a while to find their feet.

Their preparations were hamstrung by the unavailability of multi-code players with summer sports commitments. When they attended the DSG-hosted festival in KwaZulu-Natal, they did not have the services of Nonjabulo Biyam, Reabetswe Phume and Tori Tanner-Ellis, among others, and their results reflected that.

The St Mary’s Festival is the first time that Louw has had a full-strength squad at his disposal and Saints’ results have improved. They finished Pool D play with three wins, three draws, and a single loss. And while they did not score as many goals as Paarl Gim and St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), they conceded only two, which was a testament to their solid defence.

“We put a lot of emphasis on our defence and also our midfielders. Two of our defenders are matric girls and two of our midfielders are matric girls. But on the flip side of that, we have two u16 girls on the outside in both midfield and defence. So, we’re building for the future as well as playing in the present,” Louw explained.

In their new group, Pool F, Paarl Gim, DSG Kloof, and St Stithians will be joined by Oranje, Rhenish, and either Garsfontein or Waterkloof.

Pool D Results

Collegiate 0-0 St Cyprian’s, Pearson 0-3 St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), St Mary’s Festival XI 0-3 St Stithians, Our Lady of Fatima 1-2 Paarl Gim, Collegiate 1-3 St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), Pearson 0-1 Paarl Gim, St Cyprian’s 1-1 St Stithians, St Mary’s Festival XI 0-1 Our Lady of Fatima, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) 1-1 Paarl Gim, Collegiate 0-0 St Stithians, St Cyprian’s 1-0 Our Lady of Fatima, St Cyprian’s 0-0 Pearson, St Stithians 3-0 Our Lady of Fatima, Collegiate 0-0 Paarl Gim, St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) 3-0 St Mary’s Festival XI

The highly anticipated fixture between the current log leaders, Mamelodi Sundowns, and the defending champions, Highlands Park, headlines the sixth round of fixtures of the Gauteng Development League this weekend.

Year in and out, Sundowns are a dominant force. However, they have taken their standards to a whole new level in the opening rounds of fixtures this season, scoring an average of three goals per game during a four-match unbeaten streak to open their 2024 title challenge.

Forward Kamva Moni, with three goals thus far, has brought the X-factor to the “Ka bo Yellow” with his outstanding play in front of goal.

Meanwhile, “The Lions of the North“, Highlands Park, have had a tough start to their campaign. They won almost 80 percent of their league fixtures last season to be crowned the champions of the under-19 division, but the orange outfit has registered only a solitary victory thus far this season.

However, when it comes to facing Sundowns, the Balfour Park-based club almost always bring the right tempo and intensity to the fixture.

Last season, Highlands Park beat Sundowns 2-1 at home before Sundowns, the league runners-up, returned the favour, winning 1-0 in Tshwane.

In the 17-fixture-long 2022 season, Sundowns topped the table, with Highlands Park settling for the runners-up position. During that year, the sides drew 1-1 in their only meeting.

A year prior, Sundowns beat the Lions of the North 1-0 and finished third in the standings, with Highlands Park fourth on the log. There has been little to separate them in recent years.

The clubs meet once again at Clapham on Sunday in a fixture that will be broadcast live on DStv Channel 216 and via the SuperSport Schools app.

In other fixtures, the School of Excellence and Rosina Sedibane host the league’s newbies, East Rand Athletic Club and Sevens Academy, respectively on Saturday.

SuperSport United travels to the President Park Stadium for a showdown with Remember Elite Sports Academy (RESA) and TS Galaxy visits the Randburg Sports Complex to tackle Randburg AFC.

Tuks hosts Panorama FC, while NWU Vaal Academy will welcome Wits Junior to the George Thabethe Stadium on Saturday.

Joburg City goes to the Huntersfield Stadium to face Kathorus Hyper Academy, and Kaizer Chiefs faces Jomo Cosmos at the Naturena Village, also on Saturday.

Westville Boys’ High‘s 25-22 victory over Hoërskool Monument on the last day of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) caught the imagination and has made Saturday’s showdown with Durban High School (DHS) on Van Heerden’s Field even more enticing than it first appeared.

It was a stirring performance by the Griffin against a renowned rugby school, which sported a very large forward pack. But Westville put Monument in reverse in the set scrums on a good number of occasions. That was quite something.

Also, the manner in which they withstood 20 minutes of unrelenting pressure from Monnas at the start of the game, before striking twice for tries from turnovers, just before halftime, was impressive.

Big hits caused those turnovers, and they’ll need to be just as robust on defence against a DHS team that was the most dominant side at KERF.

In their first outing, the Horseflies, coached by former Griquas’ coach Peter Engeldow, took on Nico Malan, coached by Jaco Nepgen who, as a player, led the lineout for Griquas when Engeldow was in charge. The teams shared some plays, which the coaches laughed about afterwards.

Still, DHS exhibited a hard-working, hard-hitting defence, to keep the Humansdorp side off the scoreboard, winning 21-0.

In their second outing, they were too much for Hoërskool Rustenburg, dotting down three times in each half, and a fine kicking performance from Aka Boqwana helped School to a big 45-0 victory.

Pearson High School managed to breech the DHS try line on the last day of the festival, but that was the only time it happened, and DHS ran out 38-7 winners, nonetheless.

Early in the season, their defence was their calling card, but now their attack is hitting its stride and that makes captain Mahle Sithole and co a very difficult challenge.

Westville has shown with each successive match that they’re rounding into ever-improving form, and there is no doubt that they possess runners with the ability to rip any team to shreds.

There are unmissable similarities between the sides when one looks at their tough packs and speedy backlines. Apart from the flash, though, the team that controls the tactical battle and the territory will likely come away with the win.

DHS coach Peter Engeldow identified the balance in his charges’ kicking game and their chase lines as being among the aspects of their performances at Kearsney which had most pleased him, so they appear to be well organised.

Given their strong early season form, and the fact that they’re playing at home, they have to be regarded as the favourites, but Westville have shown that they have the ability to chop down the biggest of opponents.

Without predicting the winning school on Saturday, there’s every chance that a simple prediction will be correct: the winners on Saturday will be the spectators.

TEAMS

DHS: 15 Jordan van Wyk, 14 Hlumelo Madikane, 13 Duncan Basson, 12 Zenkosi Mthiyane, 11 Allston Cedras, 10 Aka Boqwana, 9 Marcwin Nero, 8 Khanyisa Stamper, 7 Bradley le Grange, 6 Daniel Ikotela, 5 Thando Luthuli, 4 Sibusiso Mahlangu, 3 Bongani Dlamini, 2 Mahle Sithole (c), 1 Unaye Mndau

Westville Boys’ High: 15 Jade-Will Koopman, 14 Evan Moolman, 13 Michael Satade, 12 Blake Allbon, 11 Jadrian Afrikaner, 10 Unathi Mlotshwa, 9 Ryan Pistor, 8 David Humphreys, 7 Seth Gwynn, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Rhys Mitchell, 4 Moustapher Gcina, 3 Bandile Mncwango, 2 Jeshua Ferreira, 1 Akhona Maseko

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for St Benedict’s College, during which they have succumbed to a few hefty defeats. They will look to try turn things around when they come face-to-face with St David’s Marist Inanda in Sandton on Saturday.

After a successful 2023, Bennies have struggled to find form and they’ve copped some big losses. Against Graeme College, at the recent St John’s Easter Rugby Festival, the boys from the Eastern Cape won by a margin of 38 points, 50-12.

This weekend, St Benedict’s will be without their skipper, Jason Cutler, who has fallen ill. In his stead, flyhalf Braeden Le Roux takes over the leadership reins.

He’ll look to ignite his side with the example he sets. He is strong on defence and quick off the mark on offence, and he is well backed up by his brother Declan, at scrumhalf.

St David’s were narrowly beaten by Graeme College at St John’s going down 10-12, but they were well beaten by Kingswood College, falling to a 10-35 defeat on day three.

Lock Jack Brady has performed well recently, while the battle of St David’s number nine Diego Ferreira with Delcan le Roux will be interesting. Ferreira will also handle place kicking duties for the home team.

Based on their results against Graeme, the boys in black and gold are the favourites to taste victory on Saturday.

Parktown Boys’ High School will be up against Northcliff High School, who have shown in the past that they can be a really competitive side on their day.

At the KES Easter Festival, Parktown went down 15-30 to Dale College and 6-12 to Hudson Park, showing good fight in both matches.

Their captain Reval Meth, who was a backline player in 2023, is now up front, at flank. He is quick to the ball and a tough competitor at the rucks.

Last year, Northcliff’s lack of depth was exposed by some of the bigger schools. However, they come in hard and have the ability to catch teams by surprise.

Northcliff beat Hartpury College II 23-10 at the Saints Easter Festival and went down 15-21 to Clifton College, with winger Luke Roos scoring tries in both matches.

Hooker Luke Hammond is tough and will face a good challenge from Parktown’s number two, Lethoko Mallane.

TEAMS

Parktown Boys High School: 15 Kgotso Tumahole, 14 Christian Cele, 13 Calestin Felkers, 12 Lisasa Mnukiso, 11 Kabelo Jwili, 10 Kelvin Kotey, 9 Thepiso Tladi, 8 Lethabo Sikhudo, 7 Chima Mfundo Nkosi, 6 Reval Meth, 5 Keith Ncube, 4 Disema Mofokeng, 3 Azola Peter, 2 Lethoko Mallane, 1 Manuel Motsi.

Northcliff High School: 15 Alerick Rachstein, 14 Bheki Ngwenya, 13 Matthew Pretorius, 12 Matthew Verrydt, 11 Luke Roos, 10 Matthew Hunt, 9 Kaden Iversen, 8 Frank Devenish, 7 Chad Matthews, 6 Vianney Nteumange, 5 Rhema Nwogwugwu, 4 Declan Diesel, 3 Mihlali-Yethu Nqabeni, 2 Luke Hammond, 1 Miguel Smith.

St Benedicts College: 15 Lex Pilling, 14 Anagona Marufu, 13 Tyler Pharo, 12 Braeden Le Roux, 11 Wade Ramsay, 10 Iviwe Mlilo, 9 Declan Le Roux, 8 Matthew Joubert, 7 Zac Raats, 6 Tebogo Phuikuile, 5 Luke Carr, 4 Nicholas Moravec, 3 Matthew Rourke, 2 Chad Urquhart, 1 Rudzani Tshivhase.

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

Fixtures

Northcliff High School vs Parktown Boys’ High School

u14A: 8:30 – Northcliff High School vs Parktown Boys’ High School
u15A: 8:00 – Northcliff High School vs Parktown Boys’ High School
u16A: 10:00 – Northcliff High School vs Parktown Boys’ High School
u19B: 9:00 – Northcliff High School vs Parktown Boys’ High School
u19A: 11:15 – Northcliff High School vs Parktown Boys’ High School

St David’s Marist vs St Benedict’s College:

u14A: 8:00 – St David’s Marist vs St Benedict’s College (Gier D)
u15A: 9:00 – St David’s Marist vs St Benedict’s College (Gier D)
u19B: 11:10 – St David’s Marist vs St Benedict’s College (La Valla A)
u19A: 12:20 – St David’s Marist vs St Benedict’s College (La Valla A)

After a highly successful Easter tour, Worcester Gimnasium is back home to face their local rivals Swartland on Saturday.

At the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, the boys from Worcester grabbed the spotlight, with their exciting running rugby bringing them nail-biting victories over Hoërskool Rustenburg and Marlow Landbou. They edged out both by a single point, before losing 34-36 to Framesby on a last-second kick in their final outing.

They play an entertaining brand of brave rugby and will seek to build on the momentum they built up in KZN when they take on Swartland in Malmesbury.

Swartland scored 48 unanswered points against their opponent’s neighbours, Worcester Secondary, at the pre-season HTS Drostdy Sports Day, but they will face a far tougher challenge this weekend.

Props, Wilfred Slingers and Armaan Adendorff, have been outstanding for the Gimmies so far this season, and they will aim to assert their dominance on Saturday.

For Swartland, much of their success has come through their wingers, Deven Bocks and Tyrese Barlow, so the visitors will have to be wary of the speedsters on the outside.

Meanwhile, Hoërskool Montagu travels to face Hoërskool Robertson in a fixture that has the potential to deliver fireworks.

Both teams won two of their three matches recently at the Oakdale Klein Karoo Saadproduksie Rugby Week in Riversdal.

The Robbies have already shown their intent to make their home field a fortress this year, and they held off Vredendal 15-12 in the headline match at their Robbie-Fest.

Winger Ruwan Stevens scored the winning try in that contest, after earlier five-pointers from Bernardo Diedericks and Jaydan van Niekerk.

Montagu was also in action at the Robbie-Fest, where they ran riot in a 52-12 victory over the Jakes Gerwel Technical School.

Flanker Chadwin Lottering dotted down twice and his flyhalf, Renaldo Koker, contributed 17 points with a try and six conversions.

TEAMS

Swartland vs Worcester Gimnasium at 12:30

Swartland: 15 Nicholai Miggel, 14 Deven Bocks, 13 Daniël Walters, 12 Gerard Jacobs, 11 Tyrese Barlow, 10 Carlo van der Merwe, 9 Kailen Kotzé, 8 JH Kleynhans, 7 Rheinhardt Adonis, 6 Arthur Bester-van Lill, 5 Martin Neethling, 4 Alexzander Wucherofenning, 3 Ruan Zandberg, 2 Kallie Boutsikaris, 1 Melchior Botha.

Worcester Gimnasium: 15 Lorenzo Harmse, 14 Vuyolwethu Bavuma, 13 Breyton Cupido, 12 Lukewin van Heerden, 11 Elrenzo Swarts, 10 Aiden Abrahams, 9 Luke Cupido, 8 Ryan Jacobs, 7 Waylan Pienaar, 6 Valentino Nomadluka, 5 Joshua Coetzee, 4 Chris O’Neil, 3 Wilfred Slingers, 2 Armand Croeser, 1 Armaan Adendorff.

Hoërskool Robertson vs Hoërskool Montagu at 12:20

Hoërskool Robertson: 15 Roberto Koert, 14 Winsor de Koker, 13 Bernardo Diedericks, 12 Jaydan van Niekerk, 11 Ruwan Stevens, 10 Tyron Matthys, 9 Kyle Cedras, 8 Ethan Fourie, 7 Groban van Wyk, 6 Ivor Thompson, 5 André Gelderblom, 4 Mychal Swart, 3 Petrus Coetzee, 2 Yannick du Plessis, 1 Stephen Kent.

Hoërskool Montagu: 15 Joshua Scheepers, 14 Adrian Opperman, 13 Morne-John Roos, 12 Linden de Silva, 11 Peter-Wayne Soldaat, 10 Ronaldo Koker, 9 Udo Windvogel, 8 Xolani Yanta, 7 Chad Lottering, 6 Nazeer Ahmed, 5 Jacobus van Zyl, 4 Curwin Matthys, 3 Gorchen Fluks, 2 Geraldo Andries, 1 Tian Crous.

Other fixtures: 12:15 – Hoërskool Punt vs Hoërskool Langenhoven; 13:20 – Piketberg vs Curro Langebaan.

St John’s College will make a very short trip down the road to take on King Edward VII (KES), in an old school Blues versus Reds clash on Saturday.

Both teams hosted their respective Easter festivals last weekend and they will be eager to square off in the latest exciting clash between the traditional rivals.

KES lost 7-22 to Paarl Boys’ High but then overran Bishops Diocesan College 45-8 in their festival games.

Against Bishops, winger Haniel Monkoti crossed for a hattrick, and he would love to carry that form into this weekend’s match.

The Blues have a strong side this year and they will turn to Dom Kamangu, Kyle Watson
and Malan du Plessis, who all enjoyed a stellar Easter Festival, to provide some impetus. Against KES, that trio will need to bring their A-games.

St John’s didn’t look comfortable against a physical Hoërskool Nelspruit, but they looked more assured as a unit when they beat Zimbabwe’s Falcon College 38-21.

Last year, KES, playing at St John’s, comfortably won 31-6 and they’ll be happy to have home ground advantage this year.

Also on Saturday, Jeppe High School for Boys hosts St Stithians College at Collard Field.

Jeppe will be brimming with confidence after their headline-grabbing 22-19 win against Grey College two weeks ago in an absolute humdinger of a game.

Their belief and excellence were on display at the KES Easter Festival, where they romped to a 59-6 win over Brandwag 59-6 and a 47-6 victory against Queen’s College.

Luke Cannon bagged a couple of tries, with the big flanker showing off good skills, while fullback Sanele Simelane enjoyed running circles around the boys from Queen’s College.

St Stithians hosted yet another successful Easter Festival, and they also walked away with two wins, beating St Andrew’s College 27-14 on day one and KwaZulu-Natal’s Clifton College 12-7 on the final day.

Coach Thoriso Shishau remains positive, stating: “Small steps, and we try to get better.”

His side overwhelmed St Benedict’s earlier in the season, winning 62-3, after going on a points’ scoring frenzy late in the second half.

Look out for fullback Sicelo Sakawuli. He is quick and has a good defensive game.

Both matches should draw big crowds, although the weather could put a spanner in the works. For those unwilling to venture out, there’s always live coverage on SuperSport Schools.

TEAMS

King Edward VII: 15 Indi-Gusha Mboniswa, 14 Jarell Mbuyi, 13 Olunje Mehlomakulu, 12 Tristan Maugeri, 11 Haniel Monkoti, 10 Simphiwe Moyo, 9 Regan McGurk, 8 Kebotile Maake, 7 Sam Bruwer, 6 James Kobrowisky, 5 Chinedu Amadi, 4 Michael Bownes, 3 Nathan Frank VD Merwe, 2 Esethu Mnebelele, 1 Connor White.

St Johns College: 15 Riley Elliot, 14 Bryson Walker, 13 Gerald Van Wyk, 12 Tumelo Bopape, 11 Jacob Smith, 10 Joe MacRobert, 9 Tom Kruger, 8 John-John Bierman, 7 ⁠Kakuhle Tunguta, 6 ⁠Grant Barnes, 5 ⁠Zain Newman, 4 ⁠Dom Kamangu, 3 ⁠Matthew Kaplan, 2 ⁠Kyle Watson, 1 Joshua Shannon.

Jeppe High School for Boys: 15 Sanele Simelane, 14 Lindelani Nkambule, 13 Kuthadzo Rasivhaga, 12 McMillen Mongwana, 11 Lesego Zungu, 10 Matthew Coetzee, 9 Talent Sithole, 8 Risima Khosa, 7 Nathan Classen, 6 Ndimphiwe Mjiji, 5 Luke Cannon, 4 Lagan Leisher, 3 Luca Trevisan, 2 Bonga Nxumlao, 1 Andre Poulton.

St Stithians College: 15 Sicelo Sakawuli, 14 Helo Ngwenya, 13 Gabriel Hore, 12 Tyler Maclennan, 11 Louis McAslin, 10 Chris Anderson, 9 Josh Meyer, 8 Jono Caveney, 7 Ryan Zvinavashe, 6 Ross Turner, 5 Francois Botes , 4 Luke Thorrold, 3 Jean Anthony Eblen, 2 Ethan Jacobs, 1 Braden Lighfoot.

Fixtures:

King Edward VII vs St Johns College: 

u14A: 8:00 am King Edward VII vs St Johns College (Reds Field)

u15A: 9:00 am King Edward VII vs St Johns College (Reds Field)

u16A: 10:00 am King Edward VII vs St Johns College (Reds Field)

u19B: 11:15 am King Edward VII vs St Johns College (Reds Field)

u19A: 12:30 pm King Edward VII vs St Johns College (Reds Field)

Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Stithians College

u14A: 8:00 am Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Stithians College (White Field)

u15A: 10:00 am Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Stithians College (White Field)

u16A: 11:00 am Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Stithians College (Collard Field)

u19B: 12:10 am Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Stithians College (Collard Field)

u19A: 13:35 pm Jeppe High School for Boys vs St Stithians College (Collard Field)

 

 

 

Hoërskool Hoopstad se veldtog om hul kampioenstatus in die Sandveld-liga te behou begin Saterdag wanneer hulle vir Wessel Maree Hoërskool in Odendaalsrus aandurf.

Hoopstad het reeds die seisoen suksesvol afgeskop deur die Lucien van Zyl Snr-wisseltroffee by die Namgola Parys-rugbyweek omhoog te lig.

Buitesenter, Hennie Barnard, is by daardie byeenkoms as die beste agterspeler aangewys en sal vanjaar iemand wees om dop te hou.

Wessel Maree het self ‘n skitterende voorseisoen beleef en kon vir sowel President Steyn as SPS Brandfort by hul onderskeie sportdae kasty. Hulle sal oorgehaal wees om verlede jaar se kampioen ook te laat struikel vroeg in die seisoen.

Met ‘n splinternuwe plattelandse seisoen om die draai, bied hierdie naweek ‘n opwindende eerste geleentheid om te sien hoe die spanne opweeg.

Die spanne:

Riebeeckstad t. Wilgerivier om 10:45:

Hoërskool Riebeeckstad: 15 Fezikele Sibuyi, 14 Karie Mofokeng, 13 Moshoaliba Kannanelo, 12 Eddie Lekota, 11 Lushaba Nhalanhla, 10 Lerato Mangonjane, 9 Bongani Majola, 8 Amos Moleleki, 7 Pule Dunjane, 6 Kamogelo Mpanyane, 5 Pule Sello, 4 Khayalethu Ntsakaza, 3 Toka Thaele, 2 Matli Khobi, 1 Austin Duka.

Hoërskool Wilgerivier: 15 Marnus Swart, 14 Thato Tsotetsi, 13 Tihompo Motsapi, 12 Onkarabile Mokoena, 11 Gerhardu Lourens, 10 Wian Muller, 9 HG Muller, 8 Rohan de Beer, 7 Paseka Motsoeneng, 6 JD van den Berg, 5 Drihan Engelbrecht, 4 PJ Nortje, 3 Eduardu Muller, 2 Louis de Villiers, 1 Tshwanelo Rametse.

Wessel Maree Hoërskool t. Hoërskool Hoopstad om 10:50

Wessel Maree: 15 Tsepo Fako, 14 Nhlanhla Fotoi, 13 Kamohelo Ntaje, 12 Kabelo Oliphant, 11 Junior Moroke, 10 Retabile Letanta, 9 Lesego Monyaki, 8 Jeff Khobi, 7 Mpumelelo Dumako, 6 Ntute Tsotsotso, 5 Awa Malebo, 4 Thabang Lenyane, 3 Andile Gumedi, 2 Kagiso Plaatjie, 1 Shorty van Wyk.

Hoërskool Hoopstad: 15 FP Graeme, 14 Christo van Rooyen, 13 Hennie Barnard, 12 Abrie van Zyl, 11 Busi Mfebe, 10 AJ Brink, 9 Marco Wolfaardt, 8 Adam Barnard, 7 AB Muller, 6 Michael Steyn, 5 Christiaan Liebenberg, 4 Theuns van Rhyn, 3 Kobus Liebenberg, 2 AP Meyer, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.

HTS Welkom t. Bultfontein om 11:00:

HTS Welkom: 15 Tshireletso Parora, 14 Nkosi Kutyunga, 13 Tumelo Seloana, 12 Amohelang Makhalanyane, 11 Kabelo Tapisi, 10 Teboho Hlalele, 9 Akhona Mgoboli, 8 Thabo Langa, 7 Junior Botipe, 6 Bokamoso Plank, 5 Raphael Tahadimane, 4 Mpho Mhlanga, 3 Paul Morokgweng, 2 Sthembiso Vutela, 1 Hlomi Rakometsi.

Hoërskool Bultfontein: 15 AC Greyling, 14 CJ Engelbrecht, 13 Nathen Booysen, 12 Gideon Labuschagne, 11 AC Janse van Rensburg, 10 Tumi Moahludi, 9 Jedri Janse van Rensburg, 8 Eddie Buys, 7 Eduan Janse van Rensburg, 6 Deon du Toit, 5 Flippie Tait, 4 Ian Erasmus, 3 Dylan Marias, 2 CJ Aucamp, 1 Rigardt Ardendorff.

Bothaville t. Henneman om 11:20:

Hoërskool Bothaville: 15 Vuyo Nzunga, 14 Hayden Fraser, 13 Josh Pietersen de Andrade, 12 TJ de Jager, 11 Adriaan van Huysteen, 10 Hanru Coetzee, 9 Francois Rossouw, 8 Frans Eloff, 7 Hanco van der Walt, 6 Cilliers van der Merwe, 5 Edrian Erasmus, 4 Richter Scholtz, 3 Chris Engelbrecht, 2 Paul Verwey, 1 Schalk Engelbrecht.

Hoërskool Henneman: 15 Siya Khaba, 14 Henry Fechter, 13 Ernst Serfontein, 12 Thabiso Leeu, 11 JC Delport, 10 Travis van Wyk, 9 Jordan Ferreira, 8 Franco Marx, 7 Sam Dlamini, 6 Tjaart Gravett, 5 Duan Scheepers, 4 Xander van Jaarsveld, 3 Brandon Baker, 2 Stavro Victor, 1 Armand Jordaan.

Pretoria Boys High School‘s first home match of the season, against their local rival, St Alban’s College, has been met with excitement around the unveiling of a new changeroom for the First XV.

The changeroom has been named after old boy, Ross Buckley, who represented the school’s first XV in 1992 and 1993 and who also ran out for Northern Transvaal.

He tragically passed away in 2020 but his memory will live on in the new changeroom.

Any sportsmen will tell you the significance of a changeroom in a team environment – it is the heart of the home ground, a nexus between generations.

Think about Lords Cricket Ground, when England won the 2019 Cricket World Cup, or Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu, after a big Champions League tie, or even closer to home, Loftus Versveld for the Blue Bulls, during the 2009 Super Rugby season.

This means players will no longer need to trek across from the cricket pavilion, which has doubled up as a First XI and First XV changeroom for a number of years.

Both Pretoria Boys High and St Alban’s College recorded one win and one loss in their respective Easter festival fixtures.

Boys High took part in the KES Easter Festival. They performed well in an 8-24 loss to Paarl Boys’ High and also recorded a good 26-21 win over Selborne College in their opener.

PBHS assistant coach Wian Geldenhuys said: “The boys cannot wait to play on Brooks Field for the first time this year, in front of our home crowd.”

Commenting on the Candies‘ performances at KES and the preceding NMI Toyota North-South Tournament, he added: “Hopefully, the lessons we have learned from the Noord-Suid Tournament and the KES Easter Festival will stand us in good stead for the season ahead and, more particularly, this weekend against St Alban’s College.”

Boys High’s lanky lock and captain Tshepiso Shikhibana, will be looking to lead from the front, and being afforded the privilege of being the first captain at the school to be able to address his side in the new changeroom will surely get the adrenaline pumping.

Seth Venter will be eager to mark his return to Brooks Field with a strong showing, after immigrating to the United States with his family last year. He’s back in South Africa to complete his matric year. The grass is not always greener on the other side but it sure is green in Pretoria at present.

For a forward, Venter has a big boot on him and can kick the ball a country mile, which was evident against Jeppe a few weeks back. So don’t be surprised to see the flanker lining up the odd place kick.

Stephen Adams misses out this weekend and will be out for the next six weeks after sustaining a knee injury in the fixture against Boishaai.

St Alban’s lost to St Charles by six points at the St Stithians Easter Festival, but coach Ofentse Moeng felt that the team could have won that match, which was much closer than it appeared.

“We let ourselves down in the game during the set-pieces, more specifically around the lineouts, where we could have beaten St Charles. There were also a couple of unforced errors,” he reckoned.

Moeng was impressed by Patrick Weir and Daniel Bouwer, whose work-rates he described as “immense”.

From the visitors’ side, outside centre JJ Steenkamp will be one to keep a close eye-on. He has made a speedy recovery from a concussion.

A good rivalry between the schools exists, with St Alban’s aiming to get one over the hosts on their home field. Last year, when they locked horns, the Candies walked away with a victory.

Both teams employ an attacking style of play, but kicking will be an important element with wet weather forecast for Saturday. This will likely necessitate a conservative, forward-based approach.

St Alban’s have an overseas tour to Spain and Portugal on the horizon, and they will need to remain focussed as they take on a hungry Boys High team, who performed admirably at KES.

TEAMS

Pretoria Boys’ High:  15 Tebogo Nchabeleng, 14 Ompfuna Tsanwan, 13 Motheo Dimpe, 12 Rickus Wessels, 11 Ntsako Nhlovu, 10 Tumisho Motswi, 9 Cole Williams, 8 Katlego Shebu, 7 Seth Venter, 6  Panyaiotis Ellinas, 5 Tshepiso Shikhibana, 4 Matthew Parrott, 3 Ofentse Moeng, 2 Thapelo Mphela, 1 Jeffery Singo.

St Alban’s College: 15 Matthew Nelson, 14 Ofentse Sema, 13 JJ Steenkamp, 12 Tumelo Mohale, 11 Ngaa Chikarango, 10 Everett Gosling, 9 Joshua Verster, 8 Daniel Bouwer, 7 Thabiso Mbembele 6 Patrick Weir, 5 Keegan Dick, 4 Jandré Botha, 3 Neo Gama, 2 Craig Milne 1 Andreas Philippou.

Fixtures

u14A: 8:55 – Pretoria Boys High School vs St Alban’s College (Dorey Far Field)
u15A: 10:00 – Pretoria Boys High School vs St Alban’s College (Oehley Far Field)
u16A: 11:00 – Pretoria Boys High School vs St Alban’s College (Oehley Near Field)
u19B: 12:00 – Pretoria Boys High School vs Sutherland u19A (Brooks Field)
u19A: 13:20 – Pretoria Boys High School vs St Alban’s College (Brooks Field)

Hoër Landbouskool Oakdale besoek Brugstraat Saterdag om sake uit te spook met die Hoër Jongenskool Paarl.

Verlede jaar het die boere op Riversdal met 20-17 geseëvier, maar hulle kon vir Boishaai laas in 2018, vir die eerste keer sedert 2002, op Brugstraat pootjie.

Beleef die aksie regstreeks op SuperSport Schools – Registreer nou – Skakel na die toernooi

Hannes Gous het die Oakdale-span in 2018 op die veld gelei en danksy bydraes deur sleutelspelers soos Trevino Gordons, Clyde Lewis en Pieter Maritz kon hulle die tuisspan met 47-29 gaffel.

Vanjaar lyk die span van Paarl egter weer soos een van die voorstes in die land, en het hulle reeds hul stempel afgedruk teen ‘n paar van die spanne wat verlede seisoen vir hulle opdraande gegee het.

Boishaai het die seisoen afgeskop met ‘n reuse oorwinning van 73-7 oor Hoërskool Durbanville, nadat die Durbies in 2023 ‘n skoksege oor hulle behaal het.

Daarna het hulle by die NMI Noord/Suid-toernooi met Jeppe High School afgereken (45-19), en dit op die vooraand van Jeppe se opspraakwekkende sege oor Grey-kollege.

Boishaai het ook hope karakter aan die dag gelê teen Garsfontein, om in die doodsnikke die knoop deur te hak met 38-36.

Verlede naweek het hulle ook hul onoorwonne rekord by die King Edward School se Paastoernooi behou, deur die gasheerspan en ‘n begeesterde Pretoria Boys’ High met onderskeidelik 22-7 en 24-8 te klop.

Die tuisspan lyk dus slaggereed om die bordjies te verhang teen Oakdale, maar die manne van Riversdal is self besig om ‘n indrukwekkende seisoen aanmekaar te sit.

Oakdale het reeds vir Ligbron Akademie, Rondebosch Boys’ High, Hoërskool Garsfontein en Helpmekaar Kollege die loef afgesteek, en sal uitsien na nog ‘n kans om met Boishaai in hul eie agterplaas te ploeg.

Oakdale se loskopstut, Kai Pratt, het verlede jaar as deel van die SWD-span by die Grant Khomo-week aandag getrek, en is besig om op daardie momentum voort te bou.

Die Boishaai-voorry, met Christiaan Grundling op haker, sal egter nie terugstaan vir die besoekers nie. Dit gaan ‘n enorme stryd tussen die groot manne in die skrums afgee.

Rubin Dames, die tuisspan se bul van ‘n flank is nog elke naweek ‘n uitblinker vir die span van Paarl, en sy losskakel, Viaan Mentoor, kon ook nog nie ‘n voet verkeerd sit nie.

Kurt Coetzee van Oakdale is ook ‘n opwindende speler om dop te hou en het verlede jaar by die Internasionale Skolefees in Thailand gewys waartoe hy in staat is.

Die spanne:

Paarl Boishaai t. Oakdale om 13:30:

Hoër Jongenskool Paarl: 15 Francois van der Merwe, 14 Aiden Jacobs, 13 Tristan Joubert, 12 Tristan Fransman, 11 Ashwin Swarts, 10 Viaan Mentoor, 9 Keagan Smith, 8 Douw Wessels, 7 Rubin Dames, 6 Anroux du Plessis, 5 Jayden Joubert, 4 Dian Smal, 3 Juan van der Merwe, 2 Christiaan Grundling, 1 Bernard du Toit.

Hoër Landbouskool Oakdale: 15 Reinhart Viljoen, 14 Christian Vorster, 13 Lee-Winn Pretorius, 12 Kurt Coetzee, 11 Duraan Janse van Rensburg, 10 CT Vosloo, 9 Jandrian Goosen, 8 Erick Steyn, 7 Jannes Snyman, 6 Zack Wessels, 5 Roy Viljoen, 4 Ruan Swart, 3 Tiaan Turck, 2 Gustav van der Merwe, 1 Kai Pratt.

Hoërskool Diamantveld het, van 2008 tot 2015, hul jaarlikse bepaling teen Hoërskool Upington gedomineer, maar met die hervatting van die twee spanne se wedywering verlede jaar was dit Uppies wat koning gekraai het.

Saterdag pak die twee mekaar weer, dié keer in Kimberley, en die Diamonds sal die bordjies so gou as moontlik wil verhang om weer hul plek as die toonaangewende span in die Noord-Kaap te herwin.

Beleef die aksie regstreeks op SuperSport Schools – Registreer nou – Skakel na die wedstryd

Die span van Upington se ster op senter, Ruwin Isaks, het 23 punte met die stewel bygedra in verlede jaar se sege, maar slegs drie van daardie seisoen se staatmakers het oorgebly. Roelof Slabbert, wat verlede jaar op haker gesak het, begin in die no. 8-trui; Louwan Harper skuif van vleuel na skrumskakel; en Ruan Janse van Rensburg is weer op slot in aksie.

Die Uppies sal staatmaak op die ervaring van bogenoemde trio wanneer hulle Saterdag probeer om verlede jaar se sukses te herhaal in Kimberley.

Die Diamonds lyk boonop na ‘n totaal ander span vanjaar.

Daar is ‘n kerngroep van spelers, soos die medekapteine, FJ de Vries en Simon Liversage, wat ook verlede jaar reeds die ligbloutrui gedra het, en tot dusver lyk Diamantveld slaggereed om ‘n nuwe hoofstuk te skryf.

Die Diamonds het reeds twee indrukwekkende seges in die Wesgrow-reeks behaal, en kon gedurende die vakansie hul deelname aan die St Stithians-fees afsluit met ‘n klinkende sege van 53-11 oor Hoërskool Secunda, nadat hulle op die eerste dag teen Helpmekaar Kollege vasgeval het.

Voor die seisoen het Diamantveld met 10-33 teen Affies verloor, terwyl Upington by dieselfde geleentheid met 10-38 die knie gebuig het teen die Pretorianers se tweedespan. Die tuisspan sal dus voel dat hulle hierdie kragmeting behoort te wen.

Upington het egter verlede jaar gewys dat hulle nie hulself steur aan vorige uitslae nie, en reg is om op ‘n gegewe dag enige span die stryd aan te sê.

Die spanne:

Diamantveld t. Upington om 12:00:

Hoërskool Diamantveld: 15 Kyle Taute, 14 Carel Viljoen, 13 Clinton Brits, 12 Simon Liversage, 11 Jonathan Harding, 10 Marno Greeff, 9 Ethan Marnus, 8 Enrique Boshoff, 7 Jayden de Klerk, 6 Paul Cronje, 5 Zuan Rautenbach, 4 Daniël Kühn, 3 Heinrich Nel, 2 De Wet du Plooy, 1 FJ de Vries.

Hoërskool Upington: 15 Hercules Hudson, 14 Dali Gubula, 13 LJ Izaaks, 12 Tony van Kradenburg, 11 Laymian Snyders, 10 Cayden Daniels, 9 Louwan Harper, 8 Roelof Slabbert, 7 Petri Fourie, 6 Walter Warkus, 5 Ruan Janse van Rensburg, 4 Jaden Williams, 3 Nathan Manyora, 2 Jade Coetzee, 1 Monqoba Hinana.