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Selborne College‘s batsmen made a huge statement on the opening day of the Westvaal North/South Cricket Tournament, chasing down a mammoth 233 to edge out 2019 champions, Centurion, by one wicket.

In a spectacle of power hitting, both of Selborne’s openers notched impressive, quickfire half-centuries.

Jacques van der Merwe led the charge with a blistering 59 from only 25 deliveries, while Ben van der Merwe was every bit as brutally effective, smashing 54 from just 21 balls.

Hayden McKay, in at six, added a hasty 58 from 25, which was just enough to see the team from East London to victory.

For the equally impressive Centurion side, it was Rehan Lues who provided the fireworks. His innings of 71 from just 24 deliveries included three fours and eight sixes at an astonishing strike rate of 296. He was well supported by Divan van Tonder (59, 43b) and Charl Prinsloo (57, 37b), who also put the Selborne bowlers to the sword.

On a difficult day for the bowlers, Wouter Kielblock stood strong for Centurion, bagging a solid return of 2/37 amidst the chaos, while Blade Crane paced the Selborne attack with figures of 2/31.

St Stithians also claimed their first victory of the tournament, topping Rondebosch in a mouth-watering clash of two teams who have strong claims to being number one in the country at present.

The recent SA20 signing from Johannesburg, Lhuan-dre Pretorius showcased his immense talent and power-hitting abilities at the top of the order for Saints. He appeared to be in a class of his own, sprinting to 78 from only 49 balls against a strong bowling attack, while sending the ball to all parts of the ground.

Although his clean ball-striking caught the eye, it was his ability to manoeuvre the ball into space with some deft touches which truly impressed.

Bosch’s Raeeq Daniels kept Saint Stithians in check, delivering a fine spell of 3/13. However, the pick of the bowlers on the day was Anesu Zvinoera from Saints. His 4/30 in four was a crucial factor in the Johannesburg school’s narrow nine-run victory.

Waterkloof sneaked past Grey College after chasing down the Bloemfontein boys’ 145 for 4. That total was more competitive than it appeared as the Pretoria High School Old Boys’ pitch played a little slower than anticipated.

Opener Samu Lephoto was the cornerstone of the Grey batting effort, carrying his bat and accumulating 68 from 59 balls. Towards the end, Ruben Maree added some oomph to the Grey College innings with a valuable 47 from just 32 balls, which included four sixes.

Waterkloof, in reply, were trouble on 96/5, with Darion Rabie causing all sorts of problems for the Pretoria school’s batsmen.

However, a hard-hitting counterpunch of 41 from only 22 balls from Alexander Volschenk turned the tide back in the Klofies’ favour. His knock, together with an important 25 from the young buck, Rico van der Walt, saw Klofies claw their way across the line for a nail-biting two-wicket win.

Summarised Scorecards:

Centurion 232/5 (Rehan Lues 71, Divan van Tonder 59, Charl Prinsloo 57, Pieter Naude 23; Blade Crane 2/31); Selborne College 233/9 (Jacques van der Merwe 59, Hayden McKay 58, Ben van der Merwe 54; Wouter Kielblock 2/32, Zandre Boezardt 2/40, Rehan Lues 2/39). Selborne College won by one wicket.

St Stithians College 178/5 (Lhuan-dré Pretorius 78, Richard Seletswane 55; Raeeq Daniels 3/13); Rondebosch Boys’ High 169/10 (Josh Neill 36, Jordan Neill 24, Raeeq Daniels 27, Noah Heath 24; Anesu Zvinoera 4/30, Tahsen Orslo 2/19, Kwena Maphaka 2/27, Lhuan-dré Pretorius 2/38). St Stithians College won by nine runs.

Grey College 145/4 (Samu Lephoto 68, Ruben Maree 47; Jacques van Niekerk 2/31); Waterkloof 149/8 (Alexander Volschenk 41, Rico van der Merwe 25, Marcus Bakker 20; Darion Rabie 3/28, Sicelo Matayi 2/36). Waterkloof won by two wickets.

 

Not every product of the South African school cricketing system goes on to wear the green and gold. The ICC 2023 World Cup opener was a reminder of this as New Zealand’s classy opener Devon Conway set the tournament alight with a fantastic 150 not out against the reigning champions England, in a crushing nine-wicket victory.

It is not uncommon to see South African-born cricketers representing other countries on the international stage. Over the years, players such as Maritzburg College’s Kevin Pietersen, King Edward VII’s Keaton Jennings, Stithians College’s Michael Lumb and, rolling back the clock some decades, Queen’s College’s Tony Greig, have all turned out for other national teams.

Cricket is a sport that transcends borders and unites nations and, at the ICC 2023 Cricket World Cup, several nations have South African-born players showcasing their talents. 

They include:

Devon Conway (New Zealand) – St John’s College

Conway was prolific for St John’s College during his time at the prestigious Johannesburg private school, where he broke numerous school records. New Zealand’s import grew up playing cricket in the Gauteng junior structures and featured alongside current Proteas’ captain Temba Bavuma in the 2008 Coca Cola Khaya Majola Week.

The left-hander started off playing provincial cricket for the Lions before making the move south to New Zealand to try and break into the international set-up there by scoring valuable runs for Wellington, which paved his way onto the international scene. 

Dawid Malan (England) – Paarl Boys High School

The English batsman is an interesting case because he was born in Roehampton, England. However, Malan attended school in South Africa, where he played for Paarl Boys’ High. He represented Boland while growing up in the picturesque surrounds of Paarl and learned his trade in the local structures.

In 2017, after pursuing a career in county cricket since the mid-2000s, Malan made his international debut for England. He boasts a formidable T20I record, with some exceptional performances taking him to the top of the batting rankings in the format for some time.

Roelof van der Merwe (Netherlands) – Hoërskool Waterkloof

The left-arm spinner is not a newcomer to the international stage, having represented The Netherlands at several ICC events. The “Bulldog”, as he is known, because of his fighting spirit, is the only player on this list who has also represented South Africa at the highest level, although his last match for the Proteas took place 15 years ago in 2008.

A product of Hoërskool Waterkloof, he played in the Northerns’ league before being selected for the Titans. Later, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he has made use of a Dutch passport to play for Somerset as a Kolpak player.

Colin Ackermann (Netherlands) – Grey High School

Grey High School has produced an enviably long list of high-quality cricketers, and Ackermann, in his time at the school, dominated the run-charts. He toured England with Grey High and was the leading run-scorer in the CSA Under-19 three-day competition in 2009.

He then made the move abroad, joining Leicestershire on a Kolpak contract. In 2019, he made his debut for The Netherlands in the T20 World Cup qualifiers. 

Sybrand Abraham Engelbrecht (Netherlands) – Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool

Not a household name for many South Africans, Affies’ Engelbrecht represented South Africa at the ICC u19 World Cup in 2008, where he grabbed the attention of many cricket fans with his acrobatic abilities in the field. 

However, after failing to secure a regular place in the South African domestic set-up, he moved to the Netherlands to play club cricket. Recently, he qualified to play as an international for his adopted country and made his debut against New Zealand in Hyderabad on 9 October.

Ryan Klein (Netherlands) – Rondebosch Boys High School

Klein is a product of Rondebosch Boys High School in the Western Cape. He made his first-class debut in late 2019, representing Western Province against Northerns. Then, in January 2022, he turned out for the Dutch against Afghanistan in his international debut.

The Netherlands has a strong South African flavour, with Klein and the aforementioned players being joined by coaches’ Ryan Cook (King Edward VII) and Heino Kuhn (Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool) in their set-up.

Other South African-born players include Australia’s Marnus Labuschange and New Zealand’s power-hitting Glenn Phillips. Notably, both players left the country before they attended high school in South Africa, due to the emigration of their parents.

While it might be disappointing for South African fans to see talented players donning the colours of other nations, it’s a testament to the plentiful talent in the country, and to the determination of these cricketers, that they are making their mark on the international stage.

This weekend, Bloemfontein will be the battleground upon which the nation’s most formidable schools’ sevens teams will vie for supremacy in the prestigious High School Sevens Series Champions Tournament.

Catch every moment of the action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

In Pool A, the mighty hosts, Grey College, booked their place in the Champions Tournament after standing tall at their own tournament.

Their Alzeadon Felix has been a sevens’ revelation and will definitely be one to watch in the revered local team.

Big Ethan Adams is another player from Grey with a lot of excitement surrounding him at the moment, he will also be a player to keep an eye on this weekend.

They’re up against Brandwag, who will look to make their mark after qualifying from the 2022 series as the u15 champions of the Brandwag tournament, played in Benoni last year.

Marais Viljoen earned their spot as the champions of the Heidelberg Volkskool tournament, and Sarel Cilliers is the sole representative from KZN after taking the honours at the Pionier tournament in Vryheid.

In Pool B, Noordheuwel‘s exceptional performance at the Monument tournament in mid-September secured their passage to Bloemfontein. They sealed the deal with a 28-19 victory over Helpmekaar in the final, following an impressive semifinal triumph over the hosts (39-14), and victories in the pool stages over Marais Viljoen (35-26), St Stithians (52-7), and Dinamika (33-12).

Nories have been riding high this year, and added a further trophy to their collection at the end of September when they were crowned the Noordvaal Sevens Champions, after outplaying a formidable Garsfontein squad, also at Monument, to clinch the title.

Keep a close watch on standout performers like Jade Muller, Jeandre Uithaler, and Meyer Opperman, who were instrumental in propelling Noordheuwel to the summit of the sevens’ rankings in both the Lions and Noordvaal regions. Their sights will be firmly set on national success this weekend.

Boland Landbou secured their spot in Bloemfontein through the performance of their u15 squad during last year’s series.

Unfortunately, Paarl Gimnasium, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Queen’s College, Monument, and Hudson Park are unable to attend.

Helpmekaar suffered a number of injuries, leading to the late withdrawal of their under-17 side. An Invitational squad from Bloemfontein have stepped in to take their place.

This weekend’s tournament promises to deliver a fitting climax to the 2023 sevens’ season, with some of the best talent in the country set to showcase some spectacular running rugby.

The hosts will, no doubt, go into the event as the favourites. With their formidable rugby pedigree, it’s hard to look past them as potential champions. Their record in 2023 is, however, not unblemished.

They’ve been beaten twice this year, and both losses came at the hands of Paul Roos Gimnasium, with silverware on the line on each occasion.

The first was in a nail-biting showdown in the final of the NWU Prestige Schools Sevens Festival in Potchefstroom. The second was a more emphatic victory for the Stellenbosch school in the final of the Marius Schoeman Sevens Festival in Paarl.

A potential trilogy clash between these titans of South African schoolboy rugby would have, undoubtedly, been a spectacle. Paul Roos has, at least for the other schools in action in Bloemfontein, proved that this Grey side is not invincible.

That being said, the recent success of Free State at the 2023 Interprovincial Sevens Tournament certainly shows how daunting the challenge that awaits the opposition will be.

That Free State squad, primarily composed of talents from Grey College, produced their best rugby in a riveting final in which they narrowly bested the Sharks in a 15-14 thriller.

Liam Santos and Phillip McLaren will bear watching. They were phenomenal for the Free State team and are sure to be highly influential this weekend for the home side.

The battle-hardened hosts are ready to defend their turf, upon which they very seldom lose. But sevens is different to the 15-man game. The challenges and requirements differ. Anything is possible, and the challengers will be eager to upset Grey College and the status quo.

The groups:

u17

Pool A: Grey College, Brandwag, Marais Viljoen, Sarel Cilliers.

Pool B: Boland Landbou, Kempton Park, Noordheuwel, Bloemfontein Invitational.

u15

Pool A: Boland Landbou, Heidelberg Volkskool, Zwartkop, Pionier.

Pool B: Grey College, Graeme College, Helpmekaar, Kempton Park.

The fixtures:

u17

Friday: 14:00 – Grey College vs Brandwag; 14:20 – Marais Viljoen vs Sarel Cilliers; 14:40 – Boland Landbou vs Kempton Park; 15:00 – Noordheuwel vs Bloemfontein Invitational; 15:20 – Grey College vs Sarel Cilliers; 15:40 – Marais Viljoen vs Brandwag; 16:00 – Boland Landbou vs Bloemfontein Invitational; 16:20 – Noordheuwel vs Kempton Park.

Saturday: 08:50 – Grey College vs Marais Viljoen; 09:30 – Kempton Park vs Bloemfontein Invitational; 10:10 – Brandwag vs Sarel Cilliers; 10:50 – Boland Landbou vs Noordheuwel.

u15

Friday: 14:00 – Boland Landbou vs Heidelberg Volkskool; 14:20 – Zwartkop vs Pionier; 14:40 – Grey College vs Graeme College; 15:00 – Helpmekaar vs Kempton Park; 15:20 – Boland Landbou vs Pionier; 15:40 – Zwartkop vs Heidelbelberg Volkskool; 16:00 – Grey College vs Kempton Park; 16:20 – Helpmekaar vs Noordheuwel.

Saturday: 08:30 – Boland Landbou vs Zwartkop; 09:10 – Graeme College vs Kempton Park; 09:50 – Heidelberg Volkskool vs Pionier; 10:30 – Grey College vs Helpmekaar.

 

The Clifton Aquatic Centre hosts the KZN Top 10 Water Polo tournament from Friday, with the hosts the favourites to annex the title in their own pool.

The outcome, though, is far from a foregone conclusion with many of the country’s top teams in action.

During the holidays, Hilton College, Kearsney College and Westville Boys’ High showed they could compete with the best during the Clifton Water Polo Tournament.

Clifton finished third, defeating Hilton 9-5 in the playoff for third and fourth, and then repeated their victory over Hilton to place third at the Hussar Grill SACS Water Polo Tournament, this time by a 4-2 margin.

SACS won their home tournament, suffering only one defeat, but that loss was to Clifton, who won 4-2 in pool play. In the semi-finals, Clifton had SACS in big trouble, leading 3-1 in their showdown, but a slow start to the second half cost the Durban school the game, eventually going down 4-5.

They are a formidable side, however, and played some exceptionally good water polo during the two events. They’re a team without weaknesses and will be difficult to stop, especially at home.

In Cape Town, Bishops finished second in their pool behind the champions, SACS, after posting seven wins and a draw in nine games in Pool B, but Hilton outplayed them 3-1 to reach the semi-finals. That’s an indication of the potential of the school from the Midlands.

Westville, meanwhile, were super-competitive, but exceptionally unlucky at the Clifton Water Polo Tournament.

They went down 9-10 to SACS, ranked number one in the country, and also lost by a single goal, 6-7, to Saint John’s College, the defending champions, and the winners of eight out of nine of their pool games in Cape Town. Against Paul Roos, the runners-up in both tournaments, Westville lost 7-8.

A break here or there and Westville would have been playing for much higher honours than seventh.

Kearsney, with a young team, finished sixth in the Clifton tournament. They, too, fell by only a single goal to Paul Roos, 7-8, and in Cape Town their results included a 5-6 loss to SACS. They’re going to be a tough out for any opponent.

Northwood, who were the fourth school from KZN in action at the SACS tournament, were somewhat inconsistent, but certainly belonged in the elite company. The question they’ll have to answer is whether or not they can raise their game the rung or two needed against the other top teams.

Michaelhouse were very underdone at the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, so one should expect significant improvement from the Balgowan boys this time around, while Glenwood, despite taking home the wooden spoon, had Jesse Venter named the Best Goalkeeper of the Clifton tournament. A top net-minder can have a massive impact on results, so Glenwood cannot be taken for granted.

DHS, in the Clifton tournament, were a little like Northwood were in the SACS Tournament. They produced some good water polo without setting the world alight. One doesn’t see them winning the Top 10, but they could definitely cause an upset or two along the way.

Maritzburg College, too, produced some good passages of play at the Clifton tournament, but they’re also a step or two off the pace at present.

The Invitation team brings an unknown into the tournament. The biggest challenge they will have is being able to gel against sides that have built up considerable experience together.

The Pools:

Pool A: Clifton, Northwood, Kearsney College, Michaelhouse, Invitation.

Pool B: Glenwood, Hilton College, Durban High School, Maritzburg College, Westville Boys’ High.

The Fixtures:

Friday, 13 October 2023

14:00 – Westville Boys’ High vs DHS B; 14:45 – Kearsney College vs Invitation A; 15:30 – Clifton vs Northwood A; 16:15 – Westville Boys’ High vs Maritzburg College B; 17:00 – Northwood vs Invitation A; 17:45 – Hilton College vs Glenwood B.

Saturday, 14 October 2023

08:00 – Northwood vs Michaelhouse A; 08:45 – Clifton vs Invitation A; 09:30 – Maritzburg College vs Glenwood B; 10:15 – Hilton College vs DHS B; 11:00 – Clifton vs Kearsney College A; 11:45 – Invitation vs Michaelhouse A; 12:30 – Westville Boys’ High vs Glenwood B; 13:15 – Hilton College vs Maritzburg College B; 14:00 – Kearsney College vs Northwood A; 14:45 – Clifton vs Michaelhouse A; 15:30 – Westville Boys’ High vs Hilton College B; 16:15 – Maritzburg College vs DHS B; 17:00 – Kearsney College vs Michaelhouse A; 17:45 – DHS vs Glenwood B.

Sunday, 15 October 2023

08:00 – 2B vs 3A; 08:50 – 2A vs 3B; 09:40 – 4A vs 5B; 10:30 – 4B vs 5A; 11:20 – 1A vs Winner 21 semi; 12:10 – 1B vs Winner 22 semi; 13:00 – Loser 23 vs Loser 24 9th/10th; 13:45 – Winner 23 vs Winner 24 7th/8th; 14:30 – Loser 21 vs Loser 22 5th/6th; 15:15 – Loser 25 vs Loser 26 3rd/4th; 16:00 – Winner 25 vs Winner 26 1st/2nd.

After eight thrilling action-packed tournaments, played over the course of two months, a dozen teams are set to compete at Loftus Versveld this weekend for the honour of being crowned the champions of the 2023 FrogFoot Sevens Champion of Champions.

Catch the action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

The tournament takes place on Saturday with the defending champions, Secunda, from Mpumalanga, kicking off proceedings against the locals, Die Wilgers, before facing Strand, from the Western Cape, later in the day.

Swartland and HTS Drostdy will also fly the flag for the Western Cape, along with Strand, in Pool B and D respectively.

The Swartland boys find themselves in what is sure to be one of the most competitive groups, up against the flyers from Upington, Duineveld, and Groblersdal’s pride, Ben Viljoen.

HTS Drostdy, from Worcester in the Boland, tackle Hoërskool Pietersburg, from Polokwane, and the local favourites, Menlopark, for a spot in the playoffs, which take place on Saturday afternoon as soon as the group stages have been completed.

Grey High School from Gqeberha have been setting the pace in the Eastern Province this season and will bear close watching in Pool C, where they have to contend with Limpopo’s HTS Tom Naude and Ligbron from Ermelo.

The groups:

Pool A: Secunda, Die Wilgers, Strand.

Pool B: Swartland, Duineveld, Ben Viljoen.

Pool C: HTS Tom Naudé, Grey High School, Ligbron.

Pool D: Menlopark, HTS Drostdy, Hoërskool Pietersburg.

The fixtures:

08:00 – Secunda vs Die Wilgers; 08:20 – Duineveld vs Swartland; 08:40 – Strand vs Ben Viljoen; 09:00 – HTS Tom Naudé vs Grey High School; 09:20 – Menlopark vs HTS Drostdy; 09:40 – Ligbron vs Hoërskool Pietersburg; 10:00 – Die Wilgers vs Strand; 10:20 – Duineveld vs Ben Viljoen; 10:40 – Secunda vs Swartland; 11:00 –  Grey High School vs Ligbron; 11:20 – HTS Drostdy vs Hoërskool Pietersburg; 11:40 – HTS Tom Naudé vs Menlopark; 12:00 – Secunda vs Strand; 12:20 – Swartland vs Ben Viljoen; 12:40 – Die Wilgers vs Duineveld; 13:00 – HTS Tom Naudé vs Ligbron; 13:20 – Hoërskool Pietersburg vs Menlopark; 13:40 – Grey High School vs HTS Drostdy.

The teams at the fifth annual Westvaal North/South tournament will be rearing to go after finding out who they will face in this year’s T20 tournament.

Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

The defending champions, Hoërskool Waterkloof, will feature in Pool B alongside Paarl Boys’ High, Hoërskool Nelspruit and the renowned Grey College from Bloemfontein.

In 2022, the Klofies blasted their way through the group stages before facing Potchefstroom Volkskool in the Final. The Pretoria-based side has yet another strong outfit this year and will look to repeat their winning recipe as they aim to defend their title.

Runners-up from last year, Potchefstroom Volkskool, will have to beat Hoërskool Centurion, Wynberg Boys’ High and newcomers, Selborne College in Pool A if they want to have an opportunity at redemption in this year’s tournament.

The newcomers to the tournament, Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool of Pretoria, will also face a tough ask in Pool D, where they take on some of the best teams from down south in the form of Rondebosch Boys’ High and Westville Boys’ High. They will also have to deal with the in-form powerhouse from Johannesburg, St Stithians College, if they want to progress to the playoffs.

The men from Pretoria have been in good knick in recent weeks and fancy their chances of being in the hunt for the silverware come the business end of the tournament.

Selborne College, the newcomers from the Eastern Cape coast, will definitely be a dark horse as not many of the northern sides will have seen them in action. However, it will be interesting to see how the change from slow-turning wickets to quick and bouncy pitches affects Selborne’s way of playing.

The Pools:

Pool A – Hoërskool Centurion, Wynberg Boys’ High, Hoër Volksool Potchefstroom, Selborne College.
Pool B- Hoërskool Waterkloof, Paarl Boys’ High, Hoërskool Nelspruit, Grey College.
Pool C – Hoërskool Menlopark, SACS, St Andrews (Bloemfontein), Grey High School.
Pool D: Affies, Rondebosch Boys’ High, St Stithians College, Westville Boys’ High.

“Vir my tel een ding, watter bydrae kan ons lewer, op watter vlak ook al, tot Suid-Afrikaanse rugby.”

Dit is die voornemensverklaring van Hoërskool Eldoraigne se nuwe Direkteur van Rugby, Naas Botha.

Die gewese Springbok-kaptein en -losskakel se aanstelling tree met onmiddellike effek in en Botha sluit eersdaags aan by die skool in Centurion.

“Ek dink daar is ‘n lekker paar uitdagings wat wag, dit gaan interesant raak. Di’s regtig aangename mense met wie ek te doen het daar, sover is die gesindheid teenoor my baie positief,” sê Botha oor die skuif terug na Pretoria, waar hy steeds legendariese status geniet vir die 179 wedstryde wat hy in ‘n Noord-Transvaal trui gespeel het.

“Daar gaan hekkies in die pad kom. Di’s hoe dit werk, veral in sport. Partykeer dink jy, jy is op die regte pad en dan skielik kom jy agter jy is dalk bietjie verdwaal, maar dan vind mens maar net ‘n oplossing.”

“Ek is maar net een van daai ouens. Ek kan nie sê dat ek altyd positief is oor die lewe nie, maar ek glo definitief dat elke probleem ‘n oplossing het.”

Botha het die Noord-Transvaal span op 128 geleenthede aangevoer, en in sy tyd kon hulle die Curriebeker nege keer in Pretoria staanplek gee.

Dit is slegs ‘n fraksie van die magdom ondervinding wat Botha vir die skool se rugbyprogram sal bied.

“Mens kan sien Eldoraigne wil hul rugby op die regte vlak kry, nou ek sê nie ek is die ou wat dit daar gaan kry nie, maar ek gaan probeer om ‘n rol te speel in hul ontwikkeling” vertel hy oor sy visie.

“Ek lei af die laaste paar jaar was nie baie suksesvol nie. Sukses word natuurlik verskillend gemeet deur verskillende mense. Party spanne gaan Wêreldbeker toe om Wêreldbeker toe te gaan, ander spanne gaan om te wen. Sukses is relatief.”

Hy sê die eerste stap sal wees om te bepaal wat hy tot sy beskkiking het om mee te werk, “Ons sal moet vasstel wat die kwaliteit van die spelers is, daar is noemingswaardige laerskole in daardie omgewing, maar wat ek aflei is dat baie van die kinders uit die area uit beweeg na ander skole toe.”

“Die eerste ding wat ‘n mens dus wil bewerkstellig is ‘n rugbyklimaat wat aanvaarbaar is vir die plaaslike spelers, sodat hulle voel dit is ‘n omgewing waar hulle betrokke wil wees, en die ouers moet ook voel dat dit ‘n omgewing is waar hulle hul kinders wil hê.”

Dit is waar sy rugbyfilosofie inkom, hy ag Suid-Afrikaanse rugby in geheel as groter as die individuele dele wat dit opmaak.

“Ek dink bietjie anders oor skolesport. Vir my gaan dit oor wat mens kan doen met skoletalent om hulle voor te berei vir die profesionele spel, en uiteindelik om vir hul land uit te draf. Ek dink as iemand tekens van talent wys moet mens dit ten volle probeer ontgun sodat hy in die toekoms ‘n rol kan speel vir Suid-Afrikaanse rugby.”

“As mens êrens langs die pad dalk ‘n diamant kan optel, waarokal jy betrokke is, en daardie diamant eindig op by ‘n wereldbeker, dan het jy ‘n bydrae gemaak.”

Hy is egter gefokus op die verantwoordelikheid wat aan hom besorg is, “Die eerste prioriteit bly die skool. Dit is belangrik om die ouers en die kinders te respekteer sodat hulle kan inkoop in die program in. Dit is nie ‘n ‘one-man show’ die nie, di’s die gemeenskap.”

“Dit is iets wat vir my nogal uitstaan van die Amerikaners. Die hele dorp koop in en staan agter sy span. Dit is wat ek wil hê in Pretoria. Ek wil hê die gemeenskap rondom Eldoraigne moet inkoop, en so ook by al die ander skole. Die gemeenskap rondom Menlopark moet bankvas staan agter Menlopark, Die Garsfontein gemeenskap moet trots wees op die Garsfontein span.”

“Wat lekker is van gemengde skole waar daar ‘n beperkte aantal sportmanne en meisies is, is dat hulle aan alles deelneem, wat fantasties is vir hul ontwikkeling. Dit gee jou ‘n goeie balans en die vaardighede wat mens optel in van die sportsoorte skep weer ‘n basis vir die ander sportsoorte. So ek hou nogal daarvan as jy sit met ‘n briljante rugbyspeler wat kan presteer in atletiek of krieket of enige ander sportsoort. Di’s vir my ‘n goeie teken.”

As daar iemand is wat potensiaal sal herken is dit Botha, wie vier keer as die Suid-Afrikaanse rugbyspeler van die jaar aangewys is.

Sedert hy sy tokse opgehang het is hy al vir jare ‘n hoogs gerespekteerde rugby-analis vir SuperSport en het as afrigter al sukses ervaar by Tukkies, asook in 2019 toe hy op ‘n kort kontrak Indië se nasionale spanne afgerig het en die vrouespan gehelp het tot hul eerste toets oorwinning.

“Ek is mal oor talent. Talent fasineer my altyd, of dit in die musiekwêreld of op die sportveld is of selfs in die besigheidswêreld. Talent fasineer my. Daar is ‘n rede dat nie almal ‘n Springbok word nie, dit vat talent, so daardie talent moet gesoek word, en as jy dit dan vind moet jy dit tot die beste van jou vermoëns ontgun, dan beweeg die speler na ‘n ander afrigter wat hom weer tot die beste van sy vermoëns verder moet ontgun, en so hou dit aan tot hy die dag in ‘n Springboktrui op die veld draf, dan het jy jou deel gedoen.”

“Dit is hoe ons ‘n bydra kan lewer om die noordelike skole te kry om bietjie beter te vaar teen die suidelike skole. Die feit is, oor die algemeen oorheers die suidelike skole. Daar is partykeer ‘n noordelike skool wat goed doen, maar as mens na die statistieke kyk is daar geen twyfel dat die suidelike skole voor is nie. Natuurlik dink elke skool sy span is die beste, dit is hoe dit hoort, maar mens moet nie sig verloor van die groter prentjie nie. Ons almal werk saam aan ‘n groter doel, en dit is om te kyk watter talent ons kan ontwikkel vir Suid-Afrika.”

Botha was al vroeër by Suid-Afrikaanse skolerugby betrokke toe hy sy afrigtingsloopbaan in 2012 begin by Waterkloof. Hy beaam sy liefde vir die junior weergawe van die spel, “Ons het ongelooflike talent in skolerugby in Suid-Afrika. Sekere skole beskik nie noodwendig oor die nodige talent om nommer een in die land te wees nie, maar die talent wat daar is moet ten volle ontwikkel word en ontgun word op ‘n manier wat die gemeenskap trots maak om geassosieer te word met daardie skool.”

“Die ding wat my bietjie bekommer, en ek moet nou my woorde mooi kies dat dit nie verkeerd opgeneem word nie, is dat ons moet oppas dat ons nie begin glo sekere skole is tot voordeel van jou kind nie. Elke skool moet ‘n geleentheid kan bied aan sy leerders, ons wil nie hê mense moet begin dink dat hulle by ‘n spesisifieke skool aanvaar moet word om ‘n Springbok te kan word nie.”

“Wat jou ‘n Springbok maak is jou talent, nie jou skool nie. Daar is sekere skole wat net ‘n fantastiese werk doen, ek gee hulle alle krediet. As jy kyk na Grey-kollege, Paarl Gimnasium of Boishaai, hulle is fantasties in wat hulle doen, maar ek dink dit moet vir al die ander skole ‘n uitdaging wees, nie noodwendig om daardie spanne te ‘match’ nie, maar om ook hul bydrae te lewer.”

Dit is dan die missie, vir elke afrigter by elke skool om sy spelers se talent so goed as moontlik te ontwikkel, sodat die wat die geleentheid kry om die land te verteenwoordig selfs harder moet werk om hul plek te verdien, en sodoende ‘n rol te speel tot die ontwikkeling van sport in ons land.

“Ons het ongelooflike skole talent in Suid Afrika. As mens kyk na die onlangse sukses van ons netbal, hokkie, krieket, atletiek en selfs ons sokker wat nou lekker aan die gang kom, sien jy dit deurkom op nasionale vlak, maar ek wil hê ons moet dit selfs nog meer sien.”

Battle lines will be drawn this coming weekend when 20 schools battle it out in the annual Clarendon Centennial Stayers hosted by Clarendon Girls School in East London.

The tournament, in its uniqueness, will see 40 fixtures played on the first day, with the u18’s locking horns at the Selborne College pool, while the juniors, the u15’s will play their matches at the Harrison Aquatic Centre at Clarendon.

The home side will be joined by City rivals in Stirling High School, Hudson Park, and Merrifield College.

Makhanda’s Kingswood College and Diocesan Girls School will both take the three-hour trip down to East London, while Woodridge College, Collegiate, and Pearson High School, who are all from Gqeberha are also in the mix.

Visitors intent on ruining the coastal party:

There are four teams from East London representing their schools in the u18 sections. Stirling, Hudson, Clarendon, and underdogs Merrifield College.

The general feeling between these sides is that one of them, could have a stellar tournament and prevent any of the visiting teams from claiming the title.

It will however not be as easy as it seems. Stirling and Hudson have a huge rivalry, not only in the pool. During the winter season, the two sides meet home, and away on the rugby field and astroturf, with Hudson Park grabbing the bragging rights most of the time.

This time around, they are drawn in the same pool and will open the tournament as the first fixture on Friday at 07:30.

As for the other two sides, Clarendon, and Merrifield, fighting the teams from Gqeberha will be their main goal.

The two teams are seeded in probably the group of death, which features the deadly Pearson High, Woodridge, and DSG from Makhanda.

To make it out of the pool and into the semi-finals, the two sides need to win every match they play, with one team winning the head-to-head against each other.

Whatever happens within the first two matches of the tournament will set proceedings up nicely for the play-off stages on Saturday, as the visitors will be on a quest to ruin the coastal party.

The juniors to dazzle like sparkle in the pool:

The inclusion of the u15’s in the tournament is something commendable from the organizers.

Often, these tournaments just focus on the senior teams, while the younger players sit, and watch at home. However, if there’s anything we’ve seen so far this season is that the younger teams can also entertain.

In the u16 Durban Girls College tournament hosted last month, the style of Water Polo played in that tournament showcased the talent young players have in their arsenal. Moving on to the St Anne’s tournament, where the organizers decided to include an u16 side which played pretty well under the circumstances.

Last weekend, Durban High School hosted an u16 tournament where the future first-team players were on show.

What this means is that the younger teams, when given an opportunity to showcase their talents can rise to the occasion.

It will be no different this coming weekend, with the 10n teams battling it out for top honours. They will also begin the action on Friday morning with a clash between Merrifield and Stirling High School.

Alex Road, from Gqeberha, comes into the tournament as the underdog and will be looking to cause an upset against the bigger teams.

Clarendon, in this section, has selected an A, and B team to face Woodridge, Hudson, and Rhenish respectively.

The group matches will be concluded on Friday, with the play-offs on Saturday, and the final on Sunday at 13:30.

Fixtures:

The groups are:

U18:

Pool A: Stirling High School, Hudson Park, Kingswood College, Glenwood House, Collegiate.

Pool B: Clarendon, Merrifield, Pearson, Woodridge, Doicesan Girls School.

Selborne College Pool: u18 Fixtures

07:30- Striling vs Hudson; 08:10- Clarendon vs Merrifield; 08:50- Pearson vs Woodridge; 09:30- Stirling vs Glenwood House; 10:10- Hudson vs Collegiate; 10:50- Clarendon vs DSG; 11:30- Kingswood vs Glenwood House; 12:10- Merrifield vs Pearson;  12:50- Stirling vs Collegiate; 13:30-Hudson vs Kingswood; 14:10- Merrifield vs DSG; 14:50- Stirling vs Kingswood; 15:30- Merrifield vs Woodridge; 16:10-Glenwood vs Collegiate; 16:50- Clarendon vs Pearson; 17:30- Woodridge vs DSG; 18:10- Hudson vs Glenwood House; 18:50- Clarendon vs Woodridge.

U15:

Pool A: Clarendon, Diocesan Girls School, Merrifield, Stirling, Alex Road.

Pool B: Hudson Park, Collegiate, Rhenish, Clarendon B, Woodridge.

Clarendon Pool: u15 Fixtures

08:00- Merrifield vs Stirling; 08:30- Rhenish vs Clarendon B; 09:00- Hudson vs Woodridge; 09:30- Clarendon A vs Stirling; 10:00- Collegiate vs Rhenish; 10:30- DSG vs Merrifield; 11:00- Hudson vs Clarendon B; 11:30- Collegiate vs Woodridge; 12:00- DSG vs Alex Road; 12:30- Hudson vs Rhenish; 13:00- Stirling vs Alex Road; 13:30- Clarendon A vs Merrifield; 14:00- Clarendon B vs Woodridge;  14:30- DGS vs Stirling; 15:00- Merrifield vs Alex Road; 15:30- Collegiate vs Clarendon B; 16:00- Clarendon A vs DSG; 16:30- Rhenish vs Woodridge; 17:00- Hudson vs Collegiate; 17:30- Clarendon A vs Alex Road.

After four days of non-stop action in Potchefstroom, Dr EG Jansen from Boksburg and Monument from Krugersdorp finished off on a high note with two strong bowling performances in their final T20 outings.

Watch all of the games at the second annual Izintaba Potch Gimmies festival games again on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament

Dr EG Jansen visited the crease first against Brackenfell and mustered a total of 164/7, spearheaded by the batting efforts of Andre Pretorius, Jayden Marcus and Jazz Jones, who chipped away at the Capetonians’ bowling attack at a steady rate.

Keenan Rheeder put up respectable figures for the Brakkies with the ball in hand, capturing three wickets in his three overs for only 18 runs, but the team from Boksburg’s bowlers then proved too skilful for their challengers.

James van der Merwe led the attack, snaring three wickets for only seven runs in his six overs, and Dale Slabbert, Andre Pretorius and Zander Lubbe each got a brace, conceding a mere 20 runs between them to dismiss Brackenfell well short of their victory target.

Voortrekker won the toss in their final match against Monument and the boys from Bethlehem chose to swing the willow first.

Christiaan van der Sandt contributed 23, but the Trekkers managed a total of only 80/9. Monnas were on the front foot from the start, with four of their bowlers claiming two wickets for less than 20 runs each. Elijah McCoy was especially effective, with two for six.

Joshua McCoy then led the Monument batting charge, hitting a decisive 43. He fell as a half-century beckoned, but the damage had been done by then with Monnas requiring only 14 runs for victory. They duly cruised across the line without much fuss.

Summarised scorecards:

Dr EG Jansen 164/7 (Andre Pretorius 38, Jayden Marcus 32, Jazz Jones 29, Extras 26, Zander Lubbe 20; Keenan Rheeder 3/18, Antonio Jussan 2/26); Brackenfell 50 (Brett Smith 16; James van der Merwe 3/7, Dale Slabbert 2/1, Andre Pretorius 2/6, Zander Lubbe 2/13). Dr EG Jansen won by 114 runs.

Voortrekker 80/9 (Christiaan van der Sandt 23; Elijah McCoy 2/6, Innocent Ramerafe 2/12, Tshepo Mlambo 2/14, Joshua McCoy 2/14); Monument 81/2 (Joshua McCoy 43, Handre Fourie 1/14), Monument won by 8 wickets

The Marais Viljoen batsmen played a starring role in securing a comfortable five-wicket victory over Helpmekaar Kollege on the last day of the Gimmie-Cricket Fest. The side from Alberton nonchalantly chased down the 254 they required for victory in the 44th over of the teams’ 50-over match.

Having won the toss, Helpmekaar opted to bat first. Anthony Stone was superb with the willow in hand, scoring a magnificent century after the Helpies were in early trouble at 35/3.

Juandre Verwey also had his say with a well-constructed 45 off 69 deliveries and combined with Stone for a crucial 86-run partnership.

Stone kicked on after the dismissal of Verwey to notch up his century, only to be sent back to the pavilion without adding a run. Stefan Lottering (31, 39b) and Kevin Olivier (25, 20b) also produced telling contributions in the latter stages of the innings.

After 50 overs, Helpmekaar had posted a competitive 253/7.

Declan Botes bowled tidily and returned the neat figures of 2/26 from his 10 overs. Cayden Ramage also impressive, capturing 2/17 up front with the new ball.

Marais Viljoen appeared comfortable from the start of their reply, the run rate moving along at a consistently decent rate. Aldre Huyzers (28, 47b) and Botes combined for a commanding 82-run opening stand. Botes went on to record a well-deserved half-century, accumulating 67 from 82 balls, in a fantastic outing out for the all-rounder.

Nathan Coleske’s 59, a contribution of 43 not out from the impressive Jaden Govender, and a blistering 26 from Tristan Thom carried their side over the line and to a comfortable victory, which was their third in four games.

Summarised scorecards: 

Helmekaar Kollege 253/7 (Anthony Stone 100, Juandre Verwey 45, Stefan Lottering 31, Kevin Olivier 25; Declan Botes 2/26, Cayden Ramage 2/17); Marais Viljoen 254/5 (Botes 67, Nathan Coleske 59, Jaden Govender 43*, Aldre Huyzers 28, Tristan thom 26; Lottering 2/13). Marais Viljoen won by five wickets.