The 2023 season of the Gauteng Development League saw three goalkeepers – Thandolwami Mthethwa, from Randburg AFC, and the Kaizer Chiefs‘ duo of Takalani Mazhamba and Mpho Moletsane – take centre stage.
Together, the trio combined for 18 clean sheets, and Mazhamba’s impressive form was rewarded with an under-17 national call-up for their tour of Morocco last year.
This season, after only five rounds of fixtures, a new set of exciting shot-stoppers has stepped into the spotlight.
The class of 2024 has kept at least one clean sheet in the opening rounds and includes Cedrigo Abogo (Kathorus Hyper Academy), Nhlakanipho Jele (RESA), Naphtali Mokoena (Kaizer Chiefs), Katleho Ramotlhabe (Highlands Park), Alex Chetty (TS Galaxy) and the Mamelodi Sundowns‘ pair of Lehlogonolo Mohlabine and Orabile Booysen.
However, 51 goals scored in 30 matches means that the forwards have also been in decent form early on in the season. The current log-leaders, Mamelodi Sundowns, have netted 12 times, while second-placed TS Galaxy have scored 11 goals.
On the list of top scorers, Sundowns’ rising star, Kamva Moni, leads the pack having struck three times this season, while Supersport United‘s Michael Alagiozoglou, Bohlale Ngwato and Manelisi Mazibuko have all netted twice this season.
Others on the top 10 list, who also have two goals to their names, are Chiefs’ Mpho Khethang, Kholofelo Masenamela (Randburg AFC), Nkululeko Salat (School of Excellence), Makhama Rantoa (TS Galaxy), Nkululeko Sekese (RESA), Keanan Schoefield (Joburg City), and Rosina Sedibane‘s Maholong Mosereng and Kgotso Sithole.
The competition for spots on the top performers’ list will intensify when the Gauteng Development League returns for match day 6 on Saturday, 6 April, with the action available on DStv Channel 216 and through the SuperSport Schools app on mobile devices.
Scrumhalf Marcwin Nero ran in two tries for DHS. Photo: Hannah Shirley.
Durban High School vs Pearson High School
Durban High School (DHS) made it three wins out of three at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) after another dominant display in their 38-7 victory over Pearson High School on Monday.
In fact, the seven points they conceded were the only points they surrendered during the entire event.
Just like in their previous outings on Stott Field, DHS was unrelenting, hunting with a pack mentality when not in possession, and running good lines when they had the ball to break through the Pearson defences.
Their ascendency was never in question, and they have made an early case that they will be the KZN team to beat this season.
Pearson looked promising with the ball in hand on occasion, but a mix of unforced errors and some terrier-like defending left them with scant reward.
Adriano Jackson scored his fourth try of the festival to put the Horseflies ahead, before Marcwin Nero finished off skilfully to double their tally.
Skipper Kian Rademeyer‘s converted try earned Pearson their seven points, but Nero struck again to put the locals into a 21-7 leading at the break.
In the second half, Allston Cedras, Jordan van Wyk and Hlumelo Madikane each went over to extend School‘s advantage.
Westville Boys’ High School vs Hoërskool Monument
In one of the biggest upsets of the festival, an inspired Westville Boys’ High surged to a hard-fought 25-22 win over Hoërskool Monument in the penultimate match of day three.
Monnas were on top in the possession and territory stakes in the first half but just couldn’t make it count in the face of hard-hitting Westville tackling. They were later made to rue that inability to turn pressure into points as coach Njabulo Zulu‘s outfit made the most of their opportunities, to race into a significant lead.
Westville defended superbly in the first 20 minutes, absorbing everything Monument threw at them after the boys in white set up camp deep inside their territory.
They were rewarded for their staunch resistance when Unathi Mlotshwa kicked a penalty to put the KZN side in front, but it would get even better a few moments later.
A Monument set play was intercepted by Jadrian Afrikaner, who ran in from his own half unopposed, before Jade-Will Koopman raced through for his team’s second try in quick succession as Westville took an unlikely 15-0 lead into half-time.
Jade-Will Koopman struck a hammer blow for Westville, with his try putting the Griffin 15-0 ahead.
Michael Satade extended the Westville advantage with a powerful break and score, before Kealan Milton and Keenan Myners dragged two back for the Witbulle.
Mlotshwa’s second penalty all but wrapped up the result, although Monument manufactured late tries for Milton and Vincent Robberts.
Kearsney College vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen‘s 36-11 win over Kearsney College in the final match of KERF 2024 ensured they finished their campaign with an impressive three from three record.
The hosts, who had already copped losses to Rondebosch Boys’ High and Hoërskool Framesby, were hoping to replicate last year’s 17-12 victory over the same opponents. Unfortunately for them, their challenge fell apart late in the second half.
EG Jansen were slow out of the blocks but found their feet as the match progressed to follow up their victories over Hoërskool Noord-Kaap and Glenwood with yet another to extend their unbeaten start to the season to eight matches.
Kearsney started strongly and Daniel Eagar nailed a three-pointer on his second attempt to break the deadlock, but Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar hit back with a try within a minute to put Egies ahead.
Kearsney enjoyed the territorial advantage and forced Jansies into conceding a number of penalties and another Eager three-pointer put the One-Stripe 6-5 ahead at half-time.
With a large crowd behind them, Kearsney was in the game well into the second half, but EG Jansen ran in three tries in the last eight minutes to score a convincing victory.
Shortly after the restart, Kearsney second rower Simo Mnqokoyi scored one of the tries of the festival: breaking, chipping, regathering and stepping his way to a magnificent finish in the corner, complete with a swan dive of which even Bryan Habana would have been proud.
Kearsney, though, soon conceded again with Matthew Bergman carving through the home side’s defences before setting up centre Jeandre Jacobs for EG Jansen’s second try. 8th-man Gerhard van Aswegen scored soon thereafter and suddenly all of Kearsney’s hard-won momentum had evaporated.
The visitors added to their tally through Keanu van Loggerenberg, Jacobs and Bergman, without conceding another point. Down by six early in the second half, they won by 25 points.
Scores and scorers
Durban High School 38 (21) – Tries: Marcwin Nero (2), Adriano Jackson, Allston Cedras, Jordan van Wyk, Hlumelo Madikane. Conversions: Aka Boqwana (3), Cedras. Pearson 7 (7) – Try: Kian Rademeyer. Conversion: Caleb Friskin.
Westville Boys’ High 25 (15) – Tries: Jadrian Afrikaner, Jade-Will Koopman, Michael Satade. Conversions: Unathi Mlotshwa (2). Penalties: Mlotshwa (2). Monument 22 (0) – Tries: Kealan Milton (2), Keenan Myners, Vincent Robberts. Conversion: Theuns du Plooy.
Dr EG Jansen 36 (5) – Tries: Jeandre Jacobs (2) Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar, Gerhard van Aswegen, Keanu van Loggerenberg, Matthew Bergman. Conversions: Matthew Bergman (3). Kearsney College 11 (6) – Try: Simo Mnqokoyi. Penalties: Daniel Eager (2)
Gideon Jordaan‘s personal tally of 20 points lifted Hoër Landbouskool Marlow to a 30-26 win over Hoërskool Noord-Kaap in the first game on Monday, the final day of the 2024 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF).
Neither side had yet tasted victory on Stott Field, which made it likely that the contest would be decided by a slim margin. As it turned out, mature decision-making and the accurate goal-kicking of flyhalf Jordaan made the difference for the boys from the Karoo, in a match played in the mist of a Botha’s Hill morning.
The misty conditions created a delightful atmosphere for an exciting opening game of day three.
Jonaden Links opened the scoring for Noord-Kaap after speeding in from close range, but Marlow pulled a penalty back through the boot of Jordaan.
The Kimberley side had started strongly and were awarded a penalty try after Marlow illegally brought down a driving maul just short of their try line.
Jordaan then knocked over another penalty, before crossing the whitewash himself, with his successful conversion and another penalty pushing Marlow out to a narrow 16-14 half-time lead.
Loosehead Hermanus Steyn‘s try just after the break gave Marlow a big psychological lift, and a further score to No 8 Jan Els put them in control of the clash.
However, an Abdul Fisher touchdown kept Noord-Kaap in the game, and they were then awarded a second penalty try, following a high hit by Els on Bjorn Olifinger. It was too little too late, however, as Marlow hung on for a morale-boosting win.
Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
Rondebosch Boys’ High sealed a third win at KERF with a hard-fought 22-13 victory over their fellow festival debutants, Hoërskool Rustenburg, in the second game of day three.
Despite resting several first-choice players, ‘Bosch was again a cut above on the day, after having already seen off the challenges of Westville Boys’ High and the hosts, Kearsney College.
Rustenburg, who had fallen to Worcester Gimnasium and Durban High School(DHS) in their first two matches, played some impressive rugby but didn’t have enough possession to create more than a handful of meaningful chances.
Rondebosch prop Matthew van der Merwe goes on the charge against Hoërskool Rustenburg. Photo: Hannah Shirley
Rusties’ mauling worked to good effect, though, and it was only some well-organised Rondebosch defence that kept them at bay in the opening exchanges. Their early pressure told when Lorenzo Snyers slotted a three-pointer to nudge the North-West side in front.
Rondebosch stormed back, with 8th-man Travis van den Berg and hooker Ismaeel Conrad going over for tries, while Snyers added another penalty for Rusties. Towering Tom Barnard then dotted down a third for ‘Bosch to stake them to a comfortable 17-6 half-time lead.
Despite dominating possession and territory for the duration of the second half, Rondebosch found it difficult to open the Rustenburg defence again, and a break-away try by flyhalf Jaden Meyer brought Rusties back to within four, against the run of play.
Justin Amos, however, had the final say of the game for the boys in navy, who return to Cape Town unbeaten.
Hoërskool Framesby vs Worcester Gimnasium
Logan Muller nailed a penalty on the final play of the game, for Hoërskool Framesby to pip Worcester Gimnasium 36-34 in a firecracker of a third match on day three.
The Gqeberha boys’ physicality was on full display from the first whistle, but the Bosvarke weathered an early storm to hit back hard and come within a whisker of claiming their third one-point win of the week.
As it happened, Muller’s three-pointer, with time up on the clock, won it for Framesby, who bounced back well from their day two loss to Hoërskool Monument.
Despite both teams being shown a plethora of cards, nothing could detract from one of the best games of the festival.
Framesby scored within seconds of kicking-off through their big tight-head Sean Vermaak and they very quickly doubled their lead through Jason Niemand. A Jayden Brewis try extended their advantage.
Down by 19 points in the first half, Worcester Gimnasium launched an all-out offensive, which had Framesby grasping at shadows, at times.
Worcester was living off scraps, before a breakaway try from Tyron Abrahams, against the run of play, pulled five back to keep the Western Cape outfit in the game.
Whatever head coach Jeff Fransman said at half-time worked wonders for Worcester, who came out of the break flying, immediately scoring twice through their fullback, Lorenzo Harmse, whose second, a sublime chip and chase effort, went down as one of the tries of the week.
They weren’t done, though, and a five-pointer to loosehead Amaan Adendorff took Worcester into the lead for the first time in the contest.
Framesby counter-punched through their trusty driving maul, with eighth man Johan van Zyl going over, only for his opposite number Ryan Jacobs to show off great feet before dotting down Worcester’s fifth.
Valentino Nomadluka and Eden Calitz traded further tries, with less than 10 minutes left, with Calitz’s effort coming off the back of yet another telling Framesby driving maul. But when Chris O’Neil received a second yellow for Worcester, the boys in red and blue picked up steam.
After earning a penalty within striking distance, and with time set to expire, up stepped Muller to secure a thrilling win for a delighted team and head coach Louis Gerber.
Nico Malan vs Glenwood High School
Nico Malan were good value for a 19-12 win over Glenwood High School in a convincing performance on day three. From the start, it was all Nico Malan, whose relentless pack kept the Green Machine on the back foot throughout the game.
The Humansdorp side was full of running and deservedly bagged their second win of the week.
Captain Juan Joubert’s neat service from scrumhalf kept his team in control of their clash with Glenwood.
There were seven points in it at the end, but that was not a true reflection of Nico Malan’s dominance. Had they finished a little better, they could have achieved a convincing margin of victory, but Glenwood defended manfully.
The Durban boys, however, struggled for possession as Nico Malan launched wave after wave of attack.
Jean Joubert gave the boys in blue a six-point lead with two penalties before Aya Blaauw powered over for a try after a prolonged period of pressure, which left the Eastern Cape boys in a comfortable 13-point lead at the break.
Nico Malan picked up where they left off in the second half, with Joubert adding another six points from the boot to enhance the lead and all but wrap up the result.
Glenwood kept battling, though, and Sthabiso Dube and Nkululeko Khumalo scored for the Green Machine, but it was, objectively viewed, a deserved second win of the festival for Nico Malan.
Nories, with a third win at the 27th St John’s Easter Rugby Festival, took their unbeaten run to five matches, following on from two victories at the NMI Toyota North-South Tournament.
The side from Krugersdorp easily dealt with Voortrekker, cruising to a comfortable 47-3 win. Their gasman on the left wing, Linsey Jansen, continued his great try-scoring form, running in two more against the team from Bethlehem.
(Big Bad) Brad Brown put the Trekkers under severe pressure, pounding them with his aggressive runs in broken play, which also brought him two tries, including the second from inside his own half.
Jeandré Uithaler was in good kicking form, converting five of his side’s tries, for a personal haul of 10 points.
Hilton College also completed an unbeaten run through the festival, making Hoërskool Nelspruit their last victim. The men from just outside Pietermaritzburg ran in four tries to claim an impressive 32-17 victory over their opponents from Mpumalanga.
It wasn’t a straightforward victory, however, with Nellies appearing to be in the mood to pull off another fantastic fightback. Hilton’s strong defence, however, thwarted their opponent’s efforts.
Brad McLeod-Henderson‘s charges dominated the contact points, tackling Nelspruit backwards on more than one occasion. They also had the upper hand in the set phases. This laid the platform for a well-coached backline to run rampant.
Outside centre Khazimla Mokali and fullback Xola Makongolo rounded off two of the best tries seen over the course of the three days of action.
Nellies were by no means disappointing. Right winger and try-scoring machine, Jordan Pretorius, was once again on the scoresheet, going over for his team’s second try, just six minutes after Nelspruit hooker, Regardt Vermaak, had crossed for five.
The cost of their recent heavy schedule became apparent in the last 10 minutes, however, as Nellies’ intensity slipped, and Hilton added two more tries.
Scorers
Noordheuwel 47 (26) – Tries: Lindsey Jansen (2), Brad Brown (2), Ighnatius Jantjes, Kean Steyn-Shawe, Jade Muller. Conversions: Jeandre Uithaler (5). Voortrekker 3 (3) – Penalty: Christian van der Sandt.
King Edward VII turned the tables on the visiting Bishops Diocesan College in the finale of the 20th Standard Bank KES Easter Festival, storming to a convincing 45-8 victory on Monday.
The Red Army came into the battle without their general, Vusi Moyo, who picked up a knock during their 7-22 loss to Paarl Boys’ High on Saturday. With strong backing from the home crowd, who came out to support in their masses, KES were fired up from the get-go.
After 12 minutes of a physical back and forth between the two sides, the hosts drew first blood through their lively winger, Haniel Monkoti. He went on to score a brilliant hat-trick of tries, playing a leading role in helping his team finish the weekend’s festivities on a high note.
Fullback, Indi Mboniswa, took over the kicking duties from Moyo and executed his assignment with great accuracy throughout the game.
After Monkoti’s opening score, KES doubled their lead five minutes later, when their big no. 8, Kebotile Maake, barrelled over three Bishops defenders to score.
The visitors responded with an excellent try, rounded off by burly flanker, Imma Magongwa, after quick thinking by their little scrummy, Max Marr. The young halfback was called to take on the role after an injury to their regular no. 9, Kashief Joseph, during the Bishops 175 Festival.
He did well to handle the pressure and give the Capetonians front-foot ball, but the KES defence was relentless, with players like Nathan van der Merwe putting in massive hits.
After the break, the boys in red launched an all-out attack, with their powerful SA Schools hooker, “The Rhino”, Esethu Mnebelele, breaking clean through after the kick-off and storming 60m before feeding Monkoti, who went over for his second five-pointer.
That seemed to knock the wind out of Bishops’ sails and, while lock Michael Bownes and replacement hooker, Dylan Piek, made further inroads on the scoreboard for KES, Bishops mustered only a single penalty by fullback Lucca Mynhardt in reply.
Mnebelele was phenomenal for KES, but Piek also played exceptionally well when he came on in his place, which demonstrated the Red Army’s depth this season. In fact, by the end of the match, KES had emptied their bench, which was a response to a taxing run of fixtures over the last couple of weeks, and all of their replacements met the challenge admirably.
Moyo made an appearance late in the game, and it wasn’t long before he showed off his play-making ability, which tore apart the Bishops’ defence and put Monkoti away for his hat-trick.
Fittingly, Moyo then rounded off the match with a try of his own, to put the visitors to bed at 45-8.
Following on a loss to Boishaai in their first match, it was a sweet victory for the home side.
The last time these two sides met was in 2015, at Jeppe’s 125th Festival, when Bishops recorded a 33-15 victory, thanks to tries by Andre Manuel, Tristan Leyds and Seb Prentice, with Cornel Smit adding the extras.
KES’s flyhalf that day was Tony de Zorzi, who captained the SA team at the following year’s u19 Cricket World Cup and went on to earn his first test cap for South Africa in 2023.
Luke Cannon firing for Jeppe Photo Credit: Theo Garrun
Jeppe High School for Boys showed their recent win over Grey College was much more than a flash in the pan with a runaway victory against Brandwag.
The visitors from Uitenhage struck twice through the boot of their captain and flyhalf, Lu-Crain Muggels, but the majority of the match was one-way traffic as Jeppe ran in nine tries to continue their excellent run of form.
Lock, Luke Cannon, went over for a double and his flyhalf Matthew Coetzee added seven conversions as Jeppe delivered a resounding win, with the entire squad combining well.
Parktown Boys’ High took an early lead when their fullback, Thepiso Tladi, dotted down, thanks to a great assist by Promise Kanda, but Dale College clawed their way back to triumph 30-15.
Selborne College bounced back after a loss to Pretoria Boys High on Saturday with a strong outing against Hoërskool Eldoraigne.
Inside centre, Siya Sakhela, was on fire and contributed two tries to the Eastern Cape outfit’s total. His scrumhalf, Page Fennel, wore his kicking boots and weighed in with 11 points off the tee.
Results and scorers
King Edward VII 45 (14) – Tries: Haniel Monkoti (3), Kebotile Maake, Michael Bownes, Dylan Piek, Vusi Moyo. Conversions: Indi Mboniswa (5). Diocesan College 8 (5) – Try: Imma Magongwa. Conversion: Lucca Mynhardt.
Cape Town Spurs are the champions of the Bayhill Premier Cup after convincingly defeating FN Rangers St Agnes 4-1 in the final at the Athlone Stadium on Monday.
Both teams flexed their attacking prowess throughout the tournament, but Spurs also showcased their exceptional defence by conceding only two goals. Rangers did almost as well, conceding only four before the final.
The silverware showdown was largely dominated by Cape Town Spurs, who took an early first-half lead after their captain Denzel du Plessis expertly deceived the goalkeeper from the penalty spot.
Just six minutes after falling behind, Rangers had an opportunity to equalise, when they, too, were awarded a penalty. Spurs’ goalkeeper Ethan Engel pulled off a remarkable save, however, to keep Rangers off the scoreboard.
The teams turned with Spurs 1-0 to the good after controlling the first half of the contest.
Then, in the latter part of the second half, the addition of Faiz Abrahams heaped pressure on Rangers as he challenged them with his attacking runs. Spurs quickly capitalised on their momentum, netting from a set-piece rebound through Jenairho Brock.
Comfortably in charge, Spurs came close to making it 3-0 with a long-range effort narrowly missing the mark. However, when Jeandre Gaffoor was given space and time on the edge of the box, it did indeed become 3-0.
Sergio Fransch struck a consolation goal for Rangers to make 1-3, but Spurs maintained a disciplined defensive structure, which made it difficult for Rangers to penetrate their defences.
Spurs also had the final say, with Faiz Abrahams making the final score 4-1 in the Cape Town derby.
The St John’s 8th-man and captain, who played hooker in his side’s 13-38 loss to Hoërskool Nelspruit on day two, broke through the Falcon College defences three times to contribute 15 points to the hosts’ 38-21 victory over the team from Esigodini, Zimbabwe.
It was clear from the get-go that St John’s were intent on securing their first victory of the festival. They had come close in their opener, playing to a 17-17 draw with Kingswood.
St John’s dominated the set pieces and made good use of the scrums and lineouts to set up a solid platform from which their dangerous backline could attack.
Flyhalf Joe MacRobert played the role of general exceptionally well, dictating play in a cool and calm manner. This allowed Watson to run freely among the backs and create mismatches.
Loosehead prop Joshua Shannon produced a third consecutive impressive display, hammering Falcon with his robust runs. His high work rate was also rewarded with a try.
Falcon’s fullback, Tafadzwa Tigere, had his kicking boots on, knocking over three penalties and slotting a conversion.
Kingswood College’s lock, Josh Mackenzie, crossed the whitewash twice in his side’s 35-10 victory over St David’s Marist Inanda. His twin, James Mackenzie, converted the second of his brother’s tries and also added the extras to lock Sipho Nonyalela’s five-pointer.
The Kingswood backline delivered a warning to their future opponents – don’t give them space to run, which inside the centre Munangi Kamwendo demonstrated by ripping through the St David’s midfield to run it in from his own 22-metre line, to open their scoring.
Scorers
St John’s College 38 (19) – Tries: Kyle Watson (3), Thomas Kruger, Joshua Shannon, Jacob Smith. Conversions: Bryson Walker (4). Falcon College 21 (13) – Tries: Tawanda Chisungo, Dominic McKenchie. Conversion: Tafadzwa Tigere. Penalties: Tigere (3).
Kingswood College 35 (14) – Tries: Josh Mackenzie (2), Munangi Kamwendo, Vizi Labase, Sipho Nonyalela. Conversions: Jared Botha (3), James Mackenzie (2). St David’s Marist 10 (3) – Try: Jack Brady. Conversion: Luca Gabion. Penalty: Diego Ferreira.
The final day of the King Edward VII Easter Festival ended on a high note, with a thrilling three-goal contest between Parktown Boys’ High and St Charles College on the Weinberg Astro.
Coach Matthew Coombe’s St Charles was making their debut at the annual event that has been running since 2002 and has been contested 20 times. The KwaZulu-Natal team came into the festival missing a couple of key players, including their captain, which impacted their campaign.
“But these things [festivals] are condensed, so we are learning a lot as well. We are probably better off than we would have been in previous years,” he shared on Saturday, after they had played Selborne College.
Though they showed moments of brilliance in their match against Selborne, it was a one-sided contest as the Amathole outfit maintained their unbeaten run through three festivals in three weeks.
When Saints faced Parktown two days later, they looked like a different outfit – less rusty and more attacking. Despite going 0-2 down to Kyle Reddy’s boys in the first half, St Charles took the fight to the Johannesburg side, pulled one goal back in the third chukka, and almost levelled the scores in the fourth chukka.
For their part, Parktown could have extended their lead, but they failed to convert a number of chances that they created. The action swung from one D to the other but, when it ended, it was 2-1 in favour of the local side.
The Parktown-St Charles match was one of seven matches played on Monday that were decided by one-goal margins.
Earlier in the day, the hosts, KES, bagged their second win of the festival, holding off Queen’s College 2-1. Like Sharmin Naidoo’s KES team, Michael Baiden’s Queen’s side also had a mixed campaign, where they lost, drew, and won some matches.
That match was followed by Kearsney’s 1-0 win over St John’s. Ashley Kemp’s charges began their KES Festival on a high note with back-to-back wins on Saturday, but had a difficult Easter Sunday, losing to the in-form Selborne and Grey College. They make the trip back to KZN with their heads held high after playing well in their last game.
Justin Collins’Northwood assembled at the KES festival like the Avengers. Their first XI had not played a match as a complete unit in 2024. Therefore, they did not take their 1-2 loss to Selborne in their first match to heart.
They recovered and performed at a level of which they could be proud, winning two, drawing one, and then finishing their campaign with a 3-2 victory over an attacking and hard-running Waterkloof team.
Rondebosch had endured a tough pre-season, with several of their players missing because they were busy helping ‘Bosch to very successful cricket and water polo seasons. “Which meant that a few of our players picked up a hockey stick just last week,” said coach Waseem Domingo.
After running into an on-fire Grey College in their second match, Domingo’s charges registered back-to-back draws before finding their feet against Jeppe, whom they defeated 1-0.
Kyle Emerson travelled to Johannesburg with a young Maritzburg College team, which featured four u16 players and a few grade 11s, after his outfit had endured mixed results at the Nomads Festival. His goal was to keep building on the blocks the side had laid at Nomads, which College hosted.
If Maritzburg College’s campaign is an indicator, Emerson’s charges have been learning lessons and the improvement is clear to see. They might have lost their final encounter 0-1 to Wayne Coetzee’s Grey College, but they had a good campaign, scoring three wins, a draw and a single loss.
Grey College and Selborne were the dominant outfits. KJ Friend’s boys cruised through the Easter Festival without dropping a match, while Coetzee’s charges lost only dropped points when they drew 1 – 1 with Parktown.
And while Eldoraigne is on the opposite end of those two outstanding teams and did not register a win at the KES festival, they made an impression on all present, competing well and earning respect for their performances.
The four days of hockey action at KES was probably best summed up by Wayne Coetzee’s words on Saturday afternoon: “Hockey has become an attractive sport for the spectators, and I think the games on show are a good showcase for schoolboy hockey.”
Results
Selborne 4-1 Eldoraigne, Queen’s 1-2 KES, Kearsney 1-0 St John’s, Northwood 3-2 Waterkloof, Rondebosch 1-0 Jeppe, Grey College 1-0 Maritzburg College, Parktown 2–1 St Charles.
Dr EG Jansen 36 (5) – Tries: Jeandre Jacobs (2) Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar, Gerhard van Aswegen, Keanu van Loggerenberg, Matthew Bergman. Conversions: Matthew Bergman (3). Kearsney College 11 (6) – Try: Simo Mnqokoyi. Penalties: Daniel Eager (2)
Westville Boys’ High 25 (15) – Tries: Jadrian Afrikaner, Jade-Will Koopman, Michael Satade. Conversions: Unathi Mlotshwa (2). Penalties: Mlotshwa (2). Monument 22 (0) – Tries: Kealan Milton (2), Keenan Myners, Vincent Robberts. Conversion: Theuns du Plooy.
Durban High School 38 (21) – Tries: Marcwin Nero (2), Adriano Jackson, Allston Cedras, Jordan van Wyk, Hlumelo Madikane. Conversions: Aka Boqwana (3), Cedras. Pearson 7 (7) – Try: Kian Rademeyer. Conversion: Caleb Friskin.
Nico Malan 19 (13) – Try: Aya Blaauw. Conversion: Jean Joubert. Penalties: Joubert (4). Glenwood 12 (0) – Tries: Sthabiso Dube, Nkululeko Khumalo. Conversion: Leo Weber.
Framesby 36 (19) – Tries: Sean Vermaak, Niemand, Jayden Brewis, Johan van Zyl, Eden Calitz. Conversions: Logan Muller (4). Penalty: Muller. Worcester Gimnasium 34 (5) – Tries: Lorenzo Harmse, Tyron Abrahams, Amaan Adendorff, Ryan Jacobs, Valentino Namodluka. Conversions: Tyron Abrahams, Harmse.
Rondebosch Boys’ High 22 (17) – Tries: Travis van den Berg, Ismaeel Conrad, Tom Barnard, Justin Amos. Conversion: Caleb Belelie. Hoërskool Rustenburg 13 (6) – Try: Jaden Meyer. Conversion: Meyer. Penalties: Meyer (2).
Paarl Boys’ High kept their unblemished record for the season intact with a victory over an energetic Pretoria Boys High outfit on the final day of the Standard Bank KES Easter Festival.
Fullback, Tebogo Nchabeleng, got the crowd on their feet early on as he nonchalantly struck over a drop goal to give the Pretoria boys a leg up within the first five minutes of Monday’s match.
The Paarl powerhouse responded swiftly, though, with their electric winger, Shane Lee Simonse, stretching over the line for the first try of the day.
Simonse doubled his team’s total, about 15 minutes later, as he stepped his way around the Pretoria Boys’ defence to go over for his second, which fullback, Francois van der Merwe converted, for a 12-3 lead at the break.
Despite trailing by nine, the challengers were causing problems for Boishaai, with Tumisho Motswi spearheading the Pretoria Boys’ High efforts.
Some changes in personnel after halftime saw Boishaai gain more dominance up front, but they could not immediately turn that advantage into points. Eventually, hooker Christiaan Grundling drove over after a period of sustained pressure on the Pretoria Boys High try line from a well-worked lineout move.
To their credit, though, the Pretoria boys kept battering at the Paarl defensive lines, and they were finally rewarded for their efforts when flanker Seth Venter, sniping around a ruck, scored their first and only try.
The final quarter of an hour saw both sides let a couple of chances slip through their fingers, and with only 11 points between them, it was anyone’s game.
When Grundling went over for his second five-pointer, he drove the final nail in the Pretoria Boys High coffin to secure a second win at the event for Paarl, who beat KES 22-7 on the opening day.
While Paarl will be happy with another win, they certainly have more to offer. Pretoria Boys High will take some positives out of their performance, especially their committed defence, which kept the Western Cape giants at bay for large periods in the game.
Boishaai’s fixture against Oakdale in Paarl next Saturday is an exciting opportunity to see them square up against an in-form, attacking side.
Their backline has been inventive and energetic so far this season, but the Oakdale boys have already tripped up a number of big sides this year, including Helpmekaar (41-22) and Garsfontein (23-17) at last week’s NMI North/South tournament, and Rondebosch Boys’ High (17-13) at the Wynberg Boys’ High Rugby Festival.
The second day’s action began with Ben Vorster taking on Queen’s College.
The little scrumhalf from Tzaneen, Pontsho Selowa, stood out for his side with a couple of brave tackles on defence, and for trying to inject some energy into their attack.
It was, however, his opposite number from the Eastern Cape, Ryan Denston, who ran the show on the day.
He spearheaded the Queen’s attack as they brushed off Ben Vorster, scoring 38 points without a reply.
His fullback, Mveli Mqulo, scored the first try after eight minutes of play and then rounded off the game neatly when he scored his second in the final five minutes.
Hudson Park speedster, Likho Gidi, scored a stunner against Northwood, turning on the jets for a 70m dash to score.
The KZN outfit outgunned Hudson Park, however, running in six tries for another convincing victory, this time by a 40-8 margin, after outscoring Ben Vorster 50-0 on day one.
Flyhalf, Siya Nkosi, led from the front, putting his side on the front foot against their opponents from the Eastern Cape.
Results and scorers, Day Two
Paarl Boys’ High 24 (12) – Tries: Shane Lee Simonse (2), Christiaan Grundling (2). Conversions: Francois van der Merwe (2). Pretoria Boys High 8 (3) – Try: Seth Venter. Drop goal: Tebogo Nchabeleng.
Northwood 40 (19) – Tries: Tusani Zondo, Reuben Vos, Werner van Nieuwenhuizen, Bongane Khumalo, Kwenzo Dlamini, Lian Terblanche. Conversions: Graeham de Swardt (5). Hudson Park 8 (8) – Try: Likho Gidi. Penalty: D’Angelo Snayers.
Queen’s College 38 (26) – Tries: Mveli Mqulo (2), Jameel Fleshman, Ryan Denston, Ahluma Mbinqo, Angalakha Magongoma. Conversions: Denston (4). Ben Vorster 0.
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