The results from around South Africa will be updated here as we receive the results from the various schools.
If your school’s match is not listed below or you would like to send in your team’s results, please email us via e-mail at rugby@ssschoolsplus.co.za or via WhatsApp at 072 172 5455.
Northwood’s title defence remains on course after the Knights produced a string of impressive victories over the first two days of theu18 Guschkie Top Schools Tournament.
The tournament’s host, Grey College, and KZN’s Northwood triumphed in the quarterfinals of the u18 Guschkie Top Schools Tournament on Friday to keep their records clean.
Last year, they met in the final, with Northwood winning 2-0.
The tournament kicked off on Thursday with a double-header, with Worcester Gim facing DF Malan in a meeting of Western Cape rivals, while Northwood’s Knights faced St Andrew’s School.
Gimmies and DF Malan were involved in a titanic struggle, which was settled only seconds from the final whistle when DF Malan scored the winning goal to capture a 3-2 victory.
Meanwhile, Northwood showed off their intentions to defend their title when they rolled to a 4-0 victory over St Andrew’s. They repeated that score later in the day in a victory over DF Malan.
On Friday, they continued their free scoring ways, slotting four times against Somerset College, who did, at least, manage to pierce the Northwood defence once.
Grey College has impressed. They opened their challenge with a 4-0 romp against Hoërskool Eldoraigne 4-0.
Then, on Friday they brushed aside Menlopark, winning 3-0, thanks to goals from Matthias Visser, Waldo Konig, and MJ Bam.
In their second outing of the day, they took on their Bloemfontein rivals, St Andrew’s. After a tight opening chukka, the game was broken open in the second quarter when Grey struck two brilliant field goals through Ayanda Ngxaki and Wian du Plooy. Those were the only goals of the contest.
Grey College coach Wayne Coetzee felt his team could have performed much better: “We were not at our best, but we will take the result as we had different goal scorers on the sheet, which will give them confidence going forward,” he said.
The semi-finals will see Grey take on DF Malan, who handed Saints a 0-1 defeat later in the day.
Grey College 3-0 Menlopark
St Andrew’s School 0-1 DF Malan
Somerset College 2-3 Eldoraigne
St Andrew’s School 0-2 Grey College
Northwood 4-1 Somerset College
DF Malan 3-2 Eldoraigne
Worcester Gimnasium (3) 1-1 (1) Menlopark
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Friday’s action in the JVW Diamond Cup at the UJ AW Muller Stadium showcased competitive and exciting football, with Edenvale High School, the reigning champions, successfully progressing to the next stage of the tournament.
They faced tough competition from Roosevelt High, Germiston High, and Ashton International College (Benoni) in Group C, which proved to be very competitive.
Roosevelt shone, but Edenvale managed to scrape a 1-0 win when they met. Daniel Pratten and Jordan Van Der Linde, the co-coaches of Edenvale High School, and the architects of the school’s successful programme, said the match, against a team that had already won two games, was tough.
Van der Linde commented: “We came looking to secure a first position in our pool, so we knew that we had to go all out and perform. We saw that they [Roosevelt] had done well, so it was always going to be a tough game…but our girls worked really hard, and we are proud of them.”
Pratten weighed in: From our coaching perspective, we’ve had to manage some internal battles here and there with the ladies. We picked a larger squad than we used to in the past based on depth. This year, we have a lot of depth in our squad. Maybe we don’t have superstars or standout players, but the team is what we are focussing on the most and the girls have done well.”
Mental preparation
Tournament football is a mental battle, Van der Linde added: “We’ve both been in a position like this before, playing a tournament and coming back as the defending champions. Our girls have to be in the right space, mentally. We started our preparations in June for this tournament, and we have also been lucky that a lot of girls at Edenvale are interested and want to play football, making our job much easier.”
“The most important thing is that we play for our school. We have the same goal as our girls, and the girls are playing for each other on the field, with trust in one another, and they have the same goal and that is to play for the jersey,” Pratten said.
Depth and versatility
Reflecting on the hard-fought win over Roosevelt High, Van der Linde said Edenvale made a tactical adjustment to help the players manage their fatigue. With that in mind, the players have trained to play in three or four different positions, so as to better manage the workload.
Pratten said this approach is applied from u15 level. By the time players reach the first team level, they are versatile and dynamic.
Highlight
Last year, Tanna Hollis, who now plays for the JVW first team, was a star performer for Edenvale.
“She was responsible for scoring all of our goals in the final match, making her the pivotal element of our team,” Van der Linde said. “This year, however, we have made a significant change. We no longer rely on a single standout player. Each member of the current team contributes uniquely to the game, working collaboratively so that responsibility is shared rather than relying on one individual.”
Pratten said the coaches work with the girls’ strengths to make the best of the talent that they have.
Both coaches expressed pride the achievements of Hollis, who was the leading goal scorer in last year’s JVW Diamond Cup. Van der Linde said: “I coached her when she was about 10 to 12 at JVW. We have always been her staunchest supporters.
“She continues to attend our events, including today, which is beneficial not only for her but also for the other girls who can look up to her. We must acknowledge JVW defender Taylor Berkovic, as well, for her unwavering support.”
Day One Results
Group A
08:30 – Field A: Curro Aurora 1-0 Waterstone College
09:30 – Field C: Hoërskool F.H Odendaal 2-0 Ferndale High School
11:00 – Field B: Curro Aurora 0-1 Hoërskool F.H Odendaal
12:30 – Field A: Ferndale High School 0-2 Waterstone College
13:30 – Field C: Waterstone College 0-1 Hoërskool F.H Odendaal
15:00 – Field B: Ferndale High School 0-2 Curro Aurora
Group B
08:30 – Field B: St Francis College 0-0 Trinityhouse Glenvista
10:00 – Field A: Randfontein High School 1-0 Pretoria High School for Girls
11:00 – Field C: St Francis College 0-2 Randfontein High School
12:30 – Field B: Pretoria High School for Girls 1-0 Trinityhouse Glenvista
14:00 – Field A: Trinityhouse Glenvista 0-3 Randfontein High School
15:00 – Field C: Pretoria High School for Girls 1-0 St Francis College
Group C
08:30 – Field C: Edenvale High School 1-0 Germiston High School
10:00 – Field B: Ashton International College Benoni 0-3 Roosevelt High School
11;30 – Field A: Edenvale High School 0-0 Ashton International College Benoni
12:30 – Field C: Roosevelt High School 1-0 Germiston High School
14:00 – Field B: Germiston High School 2-0 Ashton International College Benoni
15:30 – Field A: Roosevelt High School 0-1 Edenvale High School
Group D
09:00 – Field A: Midrand High School 0-2 Curro Academy Pretoria
10:00 – Field C: Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge 1-0 Curro Thatchfield
11:30 – Field B: Midrand High School 0-0 Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge
13:00 – Field A: Curro Thatchfield 0-2 Curro Academy Pretoria
14:00 – Field C: Curro Academy Pretoria 0-0 Trinityhouse Randpark Ridge
15:30 – Field B: Curro Thatchfield 1-2 Midrand High School
Group E
09:30 – Field B: Norkem Park High School 3-1 Krugersdorp High School
11:00 – Field A: Steyn City High School 7-0 Reddam House Helderfontein
12:00 – Field C: Norkem Park High School 1-0 Steyn City High School
13:30 – Field B: Reddam House Helderfontein 0-5 Krugersdorp High School
15:00 – Field A: Krugersdorp High School 0-2 Steyn City High School
16:00 – Field C: Reddam House Helderfontein 1-3 Norkem Park High School
Group F
09:30 – Field A: Clapham High School 2-2 St Catherine’s School
10:30 – Field C: Curro Wilgeheuwel 3-0 Lyttelton Manor High School
12:00 – Field B: Clapham High School 1-0 Curro Wilgeheuwel
13:30 – Field A: Lyttelton Manor High School 1-0 St Catherine’s School
14:30 – Field C: St Catherine School 0-1 Curro Wilgeheuwel
16:00 – Field B: Lyttelton Manor High School 1-3 Clapham High School
Group G
09:00 – Field C: Parktown High School for Girls 3-0 Mondeor High School
10:30 – Field B: Meridian Cosmo City 5-1 Hillview School
12:00 – Field A: Parktown High School for Girls 3-0 Meridian Cosmo City
13:00 – Field C: Hillview High School 1-3 Mondeor High School
14:30 – Field B: Mondeor High School 1-0 Meridian Cosmo City
16:00 – Field A: Hillview High School 0-2 Parktown High School for Girls
Group H
09:00 – Field B: Rand Girls High School 0-1 John Orr ESS
10:30 – Field A: The King’s School Linbro Park 1-0 The King’s School West Rand
11:30 – Field C: Rand Girls High School 0-0 The King’s School Linbro Park
13:00 – Field B: The King’s School West Rand 0-1 John Orr ESS
14:30 – Field A: John Orr ESS 2-0 The King’s School Linbro Park
15:30 – Field C: The Kings School West Rand 1-1 Rand Girls High School
Fixtures: Round 16 and Quarter Finals
Field A
Time
Fixture
Group
Team 1
vs
Team 2
08:30-08:55
52
Group B & Group D (4)
Curro Academy
Pretoria High School for Girls
09:00-09:25
49
Group A & Group C (1)
Group A Winner
Roosevelt High
09:30-09:55
55
Group F & Group H (7)
John Orr
Curro Wilgeheuwel
10:00-10:25
57 (A) -1v3
Round of 16 Loser
L1
L3
10:30-10:55
60 (D) – 6V8
Round of 16 Loser
L6
L8
Field B
Time
Fixture
Group
Team 1
vs
Team 2
08:00-08:25
Playoff
Playoff Draw
Draw Group A
Draw Group A
08:30-08:55
50
Group E & Group G (2)
Norkem Park High
Mondeor High
09:00-09:25
53
Group A & Group C (5)
Edenvale High
Group A Winner of Playoff
09:30-09:55
56
Group B & Group D (8)
Randfontein High
Trinity House Rand Park Ridge
10:00-10:25
58 (B) – 2v4
Round of 16 Loser
L2
L4
10:30-10:55
61 (A) – 1v3
Round of 16 Winner
W1
W3
11:00-11:25
63 (C) – 5v7
Round of 16 Winner
W5
W7
Field C
Time
Fixture
Group
Team 1
vs
Team 2
08:30-08:55
51
Group F & Group H (3)
Clapham High
Kings School Linbro
09:00-09:25
54
Group E & Group G (6)
Parktown Girls High
Steyn City High
10:00-10:25
69 (C) – 5v7
Round of 16 Loser
L5
L7
10:30-10:55
62 (B) – 2v4
Round of 16 Winner
W2
W4
11:00-11:25
64 (D) – 6v8
Round of 16 Winner
W6
W8
Semi-finals: Field A
11:30-11:55
65
Cup Semi-Final 1
Winner A
vs
Winner B
Winner of QF 1 & QF2
12:00-12:25
67
Cup Semi-final 2
Winner C
Winner D
Winner of QF3 & QF4
12:45-13:10
69
Cup 3/4th
Loser of fixture 65
vs
Loser of Fixture 67
Field B: Diamond Plate
11:30-11:55
66
Plate Semi-final 1
Loser A
vs
Loser B
Loser of QF1 and QF2
12:00-12:25
68
Plate Semi Final 2
Loser C
vs
Loser D
Losers of QF3 & QF4
12:45-13:10
70
Plate 3/4th
Loser of Fixture 66
vs
Loser of Fixture 68
Finals
Field A: Diamond Cup
13:30-14:00, Cup Final: Winner of Fixture 66 vs Winner of Fixture 68
Field B: Diamond Plate
13:30-14:00, Plate Final: Winner of Fixture 65 vs Winner of Fixture 67
Head coach Jonathan Pendlebury and assistant coach Will Parkin have named their U18 Men’s matchday squad for the opening International Series encounter with Ireland.
England faces Ireland at Stellenberg High School on Monday 12 August at 12:30 BST, with the fixture being streamed live on SuperSport Schools.
Patrick Hogg has been confirmed as tour captain and will lead the side out from blindside flanker next week. The Durham School student, also capable in the second row, has four U18 caps and made seven appearances for Newcastle Falcons’ U18 side in 2023/24.
Eight of the starting XV will win their first competitive appearances for their country, with the potential for 10 more debutants off the replacements bench for Pendlebury’s group. Hogg, Jonno Balding, Tom Dye, Fraser Rawlins and James Linegar, as well as Connor Treacey, Elliot Williams and Felix Champain are the previously-capped touring members.
Treacey replaces George Marsh in the touring party, slotting in at No. 8 for Matchday 1. The former u18 captain has seven u18 caps, lifted the u18 Academy League title with Bath Rugby and was recently announced as part of his club’s academy intake.
England continue with fixtures against France and South Africa, with Georgia and a South Africa A side incorporated into other 2024 International Series fixtures.
Jonathan Pendlebury said: “Coming off the back of a productive few camp meetings at the Hazelwood Centre, our approach is beginning to take shape with our young group which has been incredibly pleasing.
“We’re seeking to continue the relentless attitude that has been the cornerstone of our approach to getting better since our first meeting as an u17 squad at Hartpury College last season. It’s been a great privilege to see the development of the boys and their willingness to get going has been impressive thus far.
“The players have taken a lot of inspiration from the u20 Men’s group and want to make their own mark on a tour. We as a coaching group want to see our principles of Exploration and Speed implemented from minute one on Monday through the following 10 days, and most importantly, we want our boys to return home better rugby players and people as a result of these experiences.”
The team:
15. Sam Winters (Bath Rugby, Harrow School, uncapped), 14. Noah Caluori (Saracens, Mill Hill School, uncapped), 13. Victor Worsnip (Bristol Bears, Clifton College, uncapped), 12. Felix Champain (Harlequins, Worth School, 2 caps), 11. Julian Nunn (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff, uncapped), 10. James Linegar (Bath Rugby, Kingswood School, 4 caps), 9. Asa Stewart-Harris (Saracens, St Albans, uncapped), 8. Connor Treacey (Bath Rugby, Beechen Cliff, 7 caps), 7. Jack Marshall (Saracens, The Campion School, uncapped), 6. Patrick Hogg (captain) (Newcastle Falcons, Durham School, 4 caps), 5. Jonno Balding (Gloucester Rugby, Radley College, 3 caps), 4. Elliot Williams (Harlequins, Gordon’s School, 3 caps), 3. Ben Beere (Leicester Tigers, Stamford School, uncapped), 2. Tom Davis (Sale Sharks, St Mary’s College, Crosby, uncapped), 1. Tom Dye (Northampton Saints, Ipswich School, 1 cap). Replacements: 16. Oscar Thomas (Bath Rugby, Wellington College, uncapped), 17. Elvis Kitenge-Fuki (Newcastle Falcons, Gosforth Academy, uncapped), 18. Diamond Ayiehfor (Leicester Tigers, Warwick School, uncapped), 19. Jack Murphy (Saracens, Colfes, uncapped), 20. Ollie Hull (Northampton Saints, Stamford School, uncapped), 21. Matthew Branch-Holland (Saracens, Ravens Wood, uncapped), 22. George Newman (Exeter Chiefs, Truro College, uncapped), 23. Finn Keylock (Saracens, Bishop Wand School, uncapped), 24. Cameron Ward (Bath Rugby, Cranleigh School, uncapped), 25. Fraser Rawlins (Saracens, Haileybury, 2 caps), 26. Ben Morrow (Saracens, Millfield, uncapped).
St Mary’s DSG heads into the semi-finals of the Fairtree Super 12 tournament with a perfect record of five wins from five matches.
St Mary’s DSG (Kloof), Waterkloof, Rhenish Girls’ High, and Durban Girls’ College were confirmed as the Fairtree Super 12 semi-finalists after Friday’s action in Bloemfontein at C&N Sekondêre Meisieskool Oranje.
Those four teams occupied the top two places in their respective pools.
For a first time since the event’s inception in 2014, there is no Free State representative in the semi-finals. It is also the first time that two KwaZulu-Natal sides have made the semi-finals at the same time.
The first of the KZN teams is St Mary’s DSG, who are through to the final four for a third time. They ruled the roost in Pool A, winning all five of their games.
Coach Carla AnnMackay’s charges will play against their neighbours and rivals, Durban Girls’ College (DGC), in the semi-finals. Saturday’s showdown will be the third time the sides have met in either the semi-finals or final of a tournament this year.
DGC finished second in Pool B, after registering two wins and three draws. It’s their third time in Fairtree Super 12 semi-finals. Their best finish was third place in 2022.
Rhenish secured the top spot in Pool A after drawing with DGC in the last match of day two. The Stellenbosch side won three and drew two matches, which took them to 11 points. Like St Mary’s, they’ll be in the semi-finals for a third time. They made the final four last year, too, but coach ChrisGerber’s team had to settle for fourth on both of their previous semi-final appearances.
Rhenish will square up against Waterkloof, which is the only side to be making its debut in the top four. Waterkloof’s only previous appearance at the Super 12 was in 2016, when they finished in 10th place. Klofies grabbed second place in Pool A, winning twice, drawing once and losing twice.
The match of the day on Friday was between Paarl Gimnasium and Oranje, who finished third and fourth in Pool A respectively. While St Mary’s had accumulated an unassailable 15 points, the second spot remained up for grabs until the final Pool A game was played. Any one of Waterkloof, Paarl Gim, and Oranje could have made it through to the semis, depending on the result.
In a thrilling encounter, Paarl Gim and Oranje fought out a 0-0 draw, which included a pause in play after a power cut knocked out the floodlights for a while. Not even that pause in proceedings could throw either team off course, and they took to the field with their intensity undiminished when play restarted.
Pool B had less drama and the only jostling that happened was for the top spot, which came down to the final group match between Rhenish and DGC. The KZN girls had to win to claim first place, but they were unable to do so and needed an equalising goal three minutes from time to pull off a draw.
Pretoria’s Garsfontein and Menlopark went at it in the first cross-pool match of the tournament, with Garsies coming away with a 2-0 win. In another cross-pool clash, Bloemhof and St Anne’s crossed swords, and Bloemhof cantered to a 3-1 win over the KZN side.
Results
St Stithians 1-0 Menlopark
Durban Girls’ College 4-1 St Anne’s
Oranje 0-1 St Mary’s DSG
Paarl Gim 1-1 Garsfontein
Waterkloof 1-0 Bloemhof
Rhenish 4-0 St Stithians
Durban Girls’ College 2-2 Eunice
St Anne’s 2-1 Menlopark
Waterkloof 0-1 St Mary’s DSG
Bloemhof 0-1 Garsfontein
St Anne’s 0-0 St Stithians
Menlopark 1-0 Eunice
Oranje 0-0 Paarl Gim
Rhenish 1-1 Durban Girls’ College
Garsfontein 2-0 Menlopark
St Anne’s 1-3 Bloemhof
BAYANDA WALAZA (Curro Hazeldean) blitzes the 100m off in only 10.34 seconds for gold during the inaugural Curro Hazeldean Top 14 at Pilditch in Pretoria. PHOTO: Frans Lombard/Actionpix
Bayanda Walaza, a Grade 12 learner at Curro Hazeldean in Pretoria, has won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics as part of the South African team in the 4 x 100 metres relay.
The South African team of Bayanda Walaza, Shaun Maswanganyi, Bradley Nkoana and Akani Simbine finished second in a time of 37.57 – a new African Record. Canada won gold with a time of 37.50, while Great Britain claimed bronze in 37.61.
It is South Africa’s first ever medal in a relay event at the Olympics.
Walaza, who turned 18 in February this year, ran the first leg of the relay in a time of 10.41, the 4th fastest time for that section.
He then handed the baton over to Shaun Maswanganyi, a 23-year-old St Alban’s College alumni, who ran his leg in 9.06 – the 7th fastest section time.
South Africa slipped to 5th at this point.
The third leg was run by Bradley Nkoana a 19-year-old former student at Potchefstroom Boys High, in the 6th fastest time of 9.32.
South Africa remained in 5th place.
After missing out on a medal by a millisecond in the 100-metre final, Akani Simbine (Edenglen High School) was determined not to be denied again. The 30-year-old 3-time Olympian ran the final leg in a blistering 8.78, the fastest for that section, to push South Africa up to second place.
Walaza, who was born in Kathlehong on the East Rand but attends Curro Hazeldean on a scholarship, is the first South African to appear at the Olympics while still enrolled at school and is now the first pupil to win an Olympic medal.
Earlier this year he became one of the fastest teenagers in the world for 2024 when he ran the 100 metres in 10.13 and the 200 metres in 20.34 at the South African Junior Championships in Pretoria.
On Friday, day two of the u16 Top Schools hockey tournament, there were surprising results as teams fought tooth and nail to secure play-off spots ahead of a jam-packed weekend of action.
The annual tournament, which brings together top boys’ and girls’ teams from all around South Africa, is being hosted by Paarl Gimnasium and runs from 8-11 August.
Grey High School 1-1 Fairmont
Northwood School 2-0 Paarl Gimnasium
Outeniqua 0-0 Pearson High
Paarl Gimnasium 0-1 Fairmont High
Grey High 4-0 Outeniqua
Northwood School 2-2 Pearson High
Paarl Gimnasium 2-1 Outeniqua
Northwood School 3-1 Fairmont
Grey High 3-1 Pearson High
Pool B:
Grey College 1-1 Die Hoërskool Menlopark
Paul Roos 0-2 Michaelhouse
Paarl Boys’ High 0-3 Parel Vallei
Paul Roos 5-2 Grey College
Die Hoërskool Menlopark 0-2 Paarl Boys’ High
Michaelhouse 1-3 Parel Vallei
Die Hoërskool Menlopark 1-6 Paul Roos
Girls | Results: Day 2
Pool A
Paarl Gimnasium 4-1 Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria
Die Hoërskool Menlopark 2-2 Herschel Girls’ School
Oranje 1-0 Our Lady Fatima
Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria 0-0 Herschel Girls School
Paarl Gimnasium 1-0 Oranje
Die Hoërskool Menlopark 1-0 Our Lady Fatima
Oranje 0-1 Herschel Girls School
Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria 0-0 Die Hoërskool Menlopark
Paarl Gimnasium 2-1 Our Lady Fatima
Pool B
St Mary’s DSG (Kloof) 1-2 Reddam House Constantia
Rhenish Girls’ High 1-3 Collegiate
Garsfontein 0-0 Waterkloof
Rhenish Girls’ High 1-2 Reddam House Constantia
Garsfontein 1-0 St Mary’s DSG (Kloof)
Waterkloof 0-0 Collegiate
Garsfontein 2-0 Reddam House Constantia
Day 3 Boys fixtures
Pool A
10:15 – Northwood School vs Outeniqua
10:15 – Grey High vs Paarl Gimnasium (Astro B)
11:45 – Fairmont High vs Pearson High
Pool B
08:45 – Paarl Boys’ High vs Michaelhouse
08:45 – Grey College vs Parel Vallei (Astro B)
11:45 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Parel Vallei
13:15 – Paarl Boys’ High vs Grey College
13:15 – Michaelhouse vs Die Hoërskool Menlopark
Day 3 Girls fixtures
Pool A
09:30 – Die Hoërskool Menlopark vs Oranje
09:30 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Herschel Girls (Astro B)
12:30 – Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria vs Our Lady Fatima
Pool B
08:00 – Rhenish vs Waterkloof
08:00 – St Mary’s DSG vs Collegiate Girls High (Astro B)
11:00 – Rhenish Girls’ vs St Mary’s DSG (Kloof)
11:00 – Waterkloof vs Reddam House Constantia (Astro B)
12:30 – Garsfontein vs Collegiate Girls’ High
St Mary’s Waverley maintained their unbeaten run at the Challengers’ Cup to book themselves a spot in the last four. Early on day two, they defeated Pearson High 3-0. Photo: Suzanne Meyer-Nell
St Mary’s Waverley, Rustenburg Girls’ High, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria (Affies), and Somerset College all secured semifinal spots on Friday, day two of the Challengers’ Cup, which is being held in Paarl, in the Western Cape.
The tournament, which kicked off on Thursday morning is being hosted at La Rochelle Girls’ High School and Paarl Girls’ High.
It will conclude with the final on Saturday at 13:10.
Heading into the second day of action, coach Cindy Brown’s St Mary’s side was in a strong position in Pool B. They looked like a potential title-winner after recording impressive results on day one.
They played three matches on Thursday, winning two and drawing the other. Then, they began day two with a comfortable 3-0 win over Gqeberha’s Pearson High School, courtesy of goals from Lucy Viljoen, Erin Kruger, and Zara Colyn.
By the time they were held to a goalless draw by DSG Makhandain their final pool match, coach Brown’s team had already secured a place in the final four.
“I’m happy for the girls. I think we’ve played good hockey at times. We haven’t played our best, but we’ve managed to get results, so that’s a positive,” Brown told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“The one characteristic about this team is that we play well as a unit. No matter what the situation is, we dig deep. We’ve been up against it many times, and we’ve come out on top, which is pleasing.”
The Johannesburg side entered the tournament on a high after winning the Pullen Trophy last month, defeating Hoërskool Monument 2-1 in the final.
They endured a challenging start to the season but have flourished of late, and Brown believes stacking wins has added an extra spring to her players’ step.
“It was a tough beginning to the season, but I think in the past six weeks we’ve been playing some brilliant hockey,” she said.
“From the Pullen Trophy into this, there’s a sense of belief in the team that we know our capabilities. Everyone fights hard and believes in the process, and in the semifinals, we just need to continue doing what has worked.”
St Mary’s will face one of the local sides, Rustenburg Girls’ High, for a place in the final.
Coach Olu Ncukana‘s side is one of only three teams that remain unbeaten at the Challengers’ Cup.
After five matches, they’ve won three and played to draws against Affies and Bethlehem Voortrekker, two tough opponents.
Rustenburg finished second in Pool A, tied with Affies on 11 points, and separated by goal difference only.
It will be Rustenburg’s second semi-final this year. In their first one, they were beaten by Hoërskool Middelburg at the Belgotex Sport Easter Hockey Tournament.
“It’s always pleasing to make it to a semi-final, but we also understand that the tournament starts now, and we have put ourselves in a position to play for a medal twice,” Ncukana told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“On the back of some inconsistent form coming into the tournament, one of our key things was togetherness and playing for each other. We want to play our brand of hockey and trust each other,” he added.
Somerset College were made to work hard for their 2-1 win against Paarl Girls’ High which booked them a spot into the last four. Photo: Suzanne Meyer-Nell
The second semi-final will see one of the favourites, Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria take on Somerset College.
Affies are also unbeaten, while Somerset College beat Paarl Girls’ High 2-1 in their final pool match to sneak into the last four.
Both teams will be on the hunt for their second trophies this season.
Rustenburg Girls’ High 2: Tatum Malherbe, Kate Naiker. York High 0. Affies 1: Mia Pretorius. Bethlehem Voortrekker 0. Parel Vallei 5: Elrie Pienaar, Michaela Birch, Zelda Rosenstrauch, Anna-Rose Cock, Grace Taylor. Hoërskool Middelburg 1: Jaden Muller. Rustenburg Girls’ High 0. Bethlehem Voortrekker 0. Parel Vallei 1: Skylar Bougaard. York High 0. Hoërskool Middelburg 1: Lume Smit. Affies 1: Simone Botes.
Pool B
St Mary’s Waverley 3: Lucy Viljoen, Erin Kruger, Zara Colyn. Pearson High 0. DSG Makhanda 2: Lucy Holderness, Alex Ovendale. Paarl Girls’ High 0. Somerset College 3: Annabelle Hamel (2), Caroline Morris. Fairmont High 0. DSG Makhanda 0. St Mary’s Waverley 0. Pearson High 2: Tanna Cuff, Jody van Aardt. Fairmont High 0. Somerset College 2: Caroline Morris, Julia Brown. Paarl Girls’ High 1: Lisa Craven.
Day 3 fixtures
08:00 – Hoërskool Middelburg vs DSG Makhanda
08:00 – Parel Vallei vs Pearson High
09:10 – Affies vs Somerset College – semifinal 1 @La Rochelle
09:10 – St Mary’s Waverley vs Rustenburg Girls High – semifinal 2 @Paarl Girls’
Indien Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg Saterdagmiddag kan seëvier teen Hoërskool Transvalia in die SDC Noordvaal Cup se Plaat-afdeling, sal die twee buurskole in Middelburg vir die tweede keer vanjaar in ‘n halfeindronde kragte meet.
Hierdie slag sal dit op die Rooi Bulle se tuisveld plaasvind.
Die span van Middelburg was, voor Ligbron Akademie se bonuspuntsege Donderdagmiddag in Centurion, derde op die afdeling se puntelys met 25 ligapunte. Die Liggies was ‘n kortkop agter hulle met 22, maar het verbygeskuif en lê tans op 27 punte. Dit is egter steeds een punt agter Hoërskool Middelburg, wat tweede is met 28 punte.
Die Rooi Bulle kan dus met slegs ‘n sege verby albei skuif om die tweede posisie in te neem en ‘n tuishalfeind teen die Middies te verseker. Dit gaan egter nie ‘n maklike taak wees om Valia, wat die voorloper in die reeks is, ore aan te sit nie. Die tweestryd in die middeveld kan deurslaggewend wees.
Die Middelburgers se Cravenweek-senter, Johnny dos Santos, is oorgehaal vir sy tweestryd met die besoekers van Vanderbijlpark se Tshepo Molakeng, wat op heelagter vir die Valke se Cravenweekspan verteenwoordig het, met heelagter, Siyabonga Khambule, wat in dieselfde span op buitesenter in aksie was. Anthoni Smuts en Brandonlee Smit sal mekaar die stryd in die nr. 12-truie aansê.
Voorlangs rus daar ‘n groot verantwoordelikheid op die skouers van die Rooi Bulle se Cravenweek-flank en kaptein, Toy Engelbrecht, wat saam met agsteman, Tertius Bezuidenhout, ‘n gedugte kombinasie vorm in die los en ‘n besliste uitdaging bied vir Valia se woelige Daniel Kazambu en Kie. Kazambu, wat gewoontlik steelkantflank speel, skuif hierdie week na slot, met JP Fourie wat sy plek aan die kant van die skrum inneem.
Die spanne:
Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg t. Transvalia om 14:00 in Middelburg
HTS Middelburg: 15 WJ Enslin, 14 Alex Pretorius, 13 Johnny dos Santos, 12 Anthoni Smuts, 11 CJ Muller, 10 Gerry Gendall, 9 Theunis Anthony, 8 Tertius Bezuidenhout, 7 Eathan Kock, 6 Toy Engelbrecht, 5 Sam Ndwandwe, 4 Janco Aucamp, 3 Kagiso Gumbi, 2 Hanru Terblanche, 1 Dirk du Plooy.
Head coach Jonathan Pendlebury and assistant coach Will Parkin have named their U18 Men’s matchday squad for the opening International Series encounter with Ireland.
