Aggressive, dominant, and ruthless are three words that can be used to describe the South Africa Men’s u21 side after they thumped Namibia 5-0 in the final of the Junior Africa Cup, in Windhoek, on Friday night.
South Africa breezed through the pool stages and maintained their unbeaten run by coming out on top in the final, too.
They were clinical from the outset, accurate in front of goal, and barely conceded, not that they had to do a lot of defending.
Under the guidance of head coach Guy Elliott, the SA boys kicked off their campaign with lopsided victories against Zambia (12-3) and Namibia (8-0).
Those were followed by a 7-1 thumping of Zimbabwe, which secured South Africa a place at the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup, which takes place in Chennai and Madurai, India, later this year.
Not even South Africa’s traditional African rivals, Egypt, could slow down Elliott’s charges, with SA cruising to a 5-0 win. It was a different story against Kenya, with South Africa scoring only a 2-1 victory. By then, they had already secured a place in the final against the hosts.
With the title on the line, it was one-way traffic at the Davin Trustco Hockey Stadium as South Africa ran rampant against the hosts.
They dominated the opening chukka and opened the scoring after some slick interplay between Carlon Mentoor and Reuben Sendzul, with the former Paul Roos Gimnasium captain converting to make it 1-0.
With two minutes remaining in the chukka, former Jeppe High School for Boys stalwart Jaydon Brookerconverted from the top of the D to make it 2-0.
The South Africans continued to pile on the pressure in the third chukka, making a whopping nine circle entries.
Out of those, they converted only one, but it was that man, Brooker, again, who scored a thunderbolt of a drag flick to make it 3-0 at the halfway point.
The message at halftime was simple from coach Elliot and his staff, and that was to continue outworking and outsmarting their opponents.
That’s exactly what they did, controlling the tempo of the game, and they were rewarded with a successful PC flick from former Clifton College captain Ross Montgomery, who finally got onto the scoresheet after numerous attempts.
The boys in green and gold completed the drubbing in the final chukka.
Wynberg Boys’ High product Viwe Mbatha created space in the circle, where he received the ball and tapped in for a simple finish, which made the final score 5-0.
South Africa completed the tournament having scored an impressive 41 goals while conceding only five.
Dan Dillion was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament, while Brooker was both the Top Goal Scorer and Player of the Tournament.
RESULTS
South Africa 12-3 Zambia
South Africa 8-0 Namibia
South Africa 7-1 Zimbabwe
South Africa 5-0 Egypt
South Africa 2-1 Kenya
South Africa 5-0 Namibia
Paarl Gimnasium boys’ head coach Jacques Grobler has urged his charges to stay humble and grounded after their impressive 4-2 win over Grey College in Bloemfontein on Friday night.
The boys from the Western Cape made the trip to Bloem, eyeing a confidence-boosting victory against Grey just a couple of days before the Hibbert Shield kicks off in Gqeberha, at Grey High School.
It was a clinical performance by coach Grobler’s troops, who dominated ball possession for the majority of the match, used their opportunities, and clamped down on the hosts when it mattered.
They scored early in the first half through Philip du Preez, who positioned himself in the right place to tap in after the ball was slapped inside the circle.
Grey responded through the dangerous Matthias Visser. However, the visitors took the lead once more through skipper Juan Swanepoel, who converted a penalty stroke.
Swanepoel wasn’t done and added a field goal before Visser pulled one back for Grey, courtesy of another penalty stroke.
Gim closed out the game in the final chukka with a super-charged drag flick from Stefan Wiehahn, which sealed the win.
“It was a fantastic game. I’m proud of the boys for the character they showed,” Grobler told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“They showed great character in tough circumstances, and I truly believe this team can be one of the great Gim teams if they can stay humble and keep growing and developing as a group.”
Among the positives Paarl Gim will take out of the game is the manner in which they bossed the midfield, and how well their midfielders linked well with their wings and forwards.
Grobler credited his players for executing well: “I believe we strangled their midfield, and we had excellent movement off the ball to create space from our midfield and forwards.
“If we were slightly more clinical, the game could have been slightly more in our favour earlier on.”
Paarl Gim will celebrate the massive win for a couple of hours before shifting their attention to the Hibbert Shield, which kicks off on 30 April, in Gqeberha, at Grey High School.
They have been drawn in Pool C and will face St Stithians Boys’ College, Westville Boys’ High, and the hosts. It’s a challenging pool.
“This is a fantastic confidence booster going into Hibbert, as we have a tough pool and will need to be at our best to make the quarterfinals,” Grobler reckoned.
“With that said, we always thoroughly enjoy that tournament, and no matter what, we will give it our best and enjoy the competitive environment.”
Paarl Gim opens their Hibbert Shield campaign with a matchup against Grey High at 10:15 on the opening day.
Hilton in a team huddle before their match against St Charles. Photo: Hilton College.
Reagan Mudau scored a brace as Hilton College edged out St Charles College 2-1 in a thrilling Hyundai Friday Nite Lights contest in Pietermaritzburg, while Kearsney College clinched a 1-0 win over Glenwood High School in their match on the AH Mason Astro.
Hilton would have been favoured to win but they and St Charles were inseparable in the first 15 minutes of play. Saintshad done their homework and executed their game plan perfectly.
They circumvented Hilton’s high press by launching overheads in their buildup. That ploy threw Hilton off balance, and it took the visitors time to adjust. At the end of the first chukka, the contest was deadlocked at 0-0.
The move that resulted in Hilton’s opening goal began on the right flank, just inside the St Charles’ 23-metre line. Coach Damian Kimfley’s charges, realising they couldn’t breach the wall on that side, strung together three quick passes to switch flanks. The move was well-timed and it created an opening. Charging forward, Hilton made a circle entry and registered their opener three minutes before the halftime break.
Both sides emerged from the break with renewed energy, resulting in a frenetic few minutes after the restart, with play flipping from one end of the turf to the other like a yo-yo. Hilton, though, was the first to strike.
Unlike the first goal that came through their left side, Hilton breached the right flank this time around, before Reagan Mudau received the ball in space and he gratefully slotted an easy tap-in two minutes into the chukka.
It didn’t take long for Saints to respond. Just three minutes later, they reduced the deficit to one goal from a swift counterattack after Hilton had committed bodies into the St Charles half. It was game-on.
The contest continued in its high-energy nature as the teams engaged in rallies of attacks like tennis players, but neither could muster another goal and it finished 2-1 in favour of the visitors.
“I was happy with the overall chances we created, but we need to be more clinical,” Damian Kimfley, the Hilton coach, told Supersport Schools Plusafter the fixture.
“We controlled the possession and won numerous penalty corners, which we didn’t convert.
“We can take lots of positives from the win, especially in the way we moved the ball and dominated the game,” Kimfley reflected.
Eyes on the ball. Ntsopa Mokoena scored a brace for South Africa in the final. Photo: Ntsopa Mokoena on Instagram.
The South Africa Women’s u21 hockey team cemented their standing as the continent’s powerhouse when they cruised to a 5-0 win over Namibia in the final of the Junior Africa Cup in Windhoek on Friday evening.
The gold medal winners were one of three teams – the others were Namibia and Zimbabwe – that qualified for the 11th Junior World Cup Tournament, to be held in Santiago, Chile, later in the year.
From their first match to their last, South Africa was on top form, conceding only once on their way to the title.
They made their presence known with a 5-0 win over Uganda in their opener. That was followed with a 19-0 hammering of Zambia and, then, they beat Kenya 4-0.
They maintained their form with a 5-0 walloping of Zimbabwe before shrugging aside Namibia 6-1 in their last group match.
In the final, the Namibians started well, maintaining control of possession for most of the first five minutes of the contest, but they were unable to progress beyond South Africa’s 23-metre line. Instead, it was the host’s southern neighbours who created the first handful of chances on goal.
Ntsopa Mokoena, who was named the Player of the Match, was a livewire throughout the tournament, yet she saved her best for the final. The former St Stithians College learner made enterprising runs into the Namibian circle and was denied early goals twice, thanks to some excellent shot-stopping from Jasmine Cartwright, the Namibian goalkeeper.
Soon, though, South Africa settled into a rhythm and wrestled control from the hosts, dominating possession. At halftime, the stats showed that South had the ball 70 percent of the time. They had made 13 circle penetrations, won 11 penalty corners, and had nine shots on goal.
Cartwright, in the Namibian goal, was kept busy, but she ensured that the home side did not concede double-digit scores. However, she could do only so much.
Mokoena opened the floodgates with a goal six minutes into the second chukka. She made a brilliant run down the left flank before firing the ball past a despairing Cartwright to put South Africa 1-0 ahead at halftime.
In the third chukka, the visitors spurned fewer chances and tacked on another three goals to their halftime lead.
The first of the three, two minutes after the restart, originated from an interception of an aerial pass made by Reabitswe Phume close to the halfway line. She threaded the ball through to Amber Fairon, who found Mokoena, and she laid it off to Teshawn De la Rey, who made no mistake from close range.
Before Namibia was able to regroup, South Africa struck again. The goal came two minutes after their second from a penalty corner, with Caylin Maree delivering the scoring blow.
Maree, the South African captain, was prolific in front of goal throughout the event. Her goal in the final took her tally to nine, the most by any player in the tournament.
Phume was again involved in the fourth goal. The St Stithians’ alumni picked up the ball on the halfway line and raised her head, scanning the field. She spotted Jodie Blows making a run, up front, and picked her out with an accurate pass. After receiving the ball, Blows brilliantly eliminated the two defenders shepherding her with some sharp stick skills before beating the Namibian ‘keeper to make it 4-0 with just over two minutes left in the chukka.
With five minutes to play, Namibia, at last, won their first short corner. It was their third circle penetration of the match but, like the previous two, nothing came from it.
South Africa retaliated immediately. Mokoena got onto the end of a long pass to the edge of the D, carried the ball into the circle, and tucked it behind the keeper with ease to complete the scoring.
That was the last of a long list of South African goals. They scored 44 during the Junior Africa Cup and conceded only one.
People have been talking about it, and it has finally arrived. The Curro Halala Cup made its debut nationwide this week, with matches aired on SuperSport Schools Channel 216 on DStv and the SuperSport Schools App.
The first day of the competition, on Wednesday, fulfilled expectations.
HeronBridge College was the first team eliminated from the tournament after suffering a defeat against The King’s School Linbro Park. In a high-scoring affair, King’s Linbro advanced after a comfortable 5-2 victory.
Curro Soshanguve moved on to the next round after having to go to a penalty shootout against Curro Pretoria. The sides shared a 1-1 draw, but Curro Soshanguve got through 5-4 from the spot.
In the Western Cape, Curro Somerset West and Camps Bay High School also progressed, with Curro Somerset West scoring a thrilling 4-3 win over Curro Sandown, while Camps Bay High School outplayed Somerset College, winning 4-1.
Curro Mbombela was eliminated by Sitintile Secondary School, going down 0-1 in a match played at Curro Nelspruit, while Curro Clayville moved on with a tight 1-0 win over Meridian Karino.
Westenburg Secondary School saw off Sebitja Secondary School, winning 3-0, and Louis Trichardt High School claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Happy Day Combined School.
On Thursday, Clapham High School joined Wednesday’s winners in advancing to the next round of the Curro Halala Cup.
In a much-anticipated Tshwane derby, Clapham faced Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School at HeronBridge College. The defending champions of the Absa Wildeklawer Soccer Tournament and current titleholders of the IberCup South Africa reigned supreme, scoring a 2-0 victory.
In another game at HeronBridge College, Curro Thatchfield delivered an outstanding performance to eliminate The King’s School Robin Hills by a 3-1 margin.
Playing at home, the reigning champions of the Kay Motsepe Soccer Schools championship, Northern Academy, advanced to the next phase after defeating HTSTom Naude 2-0.
Along with Clapham, Northern Academy, coached by the seasoned Hendrick Mukwevho, is regarded as one of the title favourites, based on their impressive track record and championship mindset.
In another match at Northern Academy, Florapark Comprehensive High School defeated The Future Comprehensive High School 4-1.
In the Western Cape, the opening match of the second day of first-round fixtures featured Meridian Pinehurst at Curro Century City.
At the end of regulation time, the teams were level at 2-2, but Meridan Pinehurst claimed victory 4-2 in a penalty shootout.
Milnerton High School, meanwhile, enjoyed a comfortable victory, dominating against Wellington College to move on after a 5-1 win.
Wednesday’s and Thursday’s winners will be in action in the next round of the Curro Halala Cup in May.
RESULTS
Wednesday, 23 April
Westenburg Secondary School 3-0 Sebitja Secondary School
Louis Trichardt High School 1-0 Happy Day Combined School
Curro Somerset West 4-3 Curro Sandown
Camps Bay High School 4-1 Somerset College
The King’s School Linbro Park 5-2 Heronbridge College
Curro Soshanguve (5) 1-1 (4) Curro Pretoria
Sitintile Secondary School 1-0 Curro Mbombela
Curro Clayville 1-0 Meridian Karino
Thursday, 24 April
Florapark Comprehensive High School 4-1 The Future Comprehensive High School
Northern Academy 2-0 Tom Naude Technical High School
Meridian Pinehurst (4) 2-2 (2) Curro Century City
Milnerton High School 5-1 Westville College
Curro Thatchfield 3-1 The King’s School Robin Hills
Clapham High School 2-0 Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School
Peterhouse will hope that with three games under the belt at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival they’ve played themselves into form for their match against Michaelhouse. Photo: Brad Morgan.
Michaelhouse vs Peterhouse
Michaelhouse hosts Peterhouse, their brother school, from Marondera, Zimbabwe, on Meadows, on Saturday.
The KZN school had been scheduled to take on Clifton College, but Clifton has been severely struck by the injury bug, leading to a change late on Thursday afternoon.
The Peterhouse 1st XV recently participated in the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, while other Peterhouse sides were in action at Michaelhouse in Easter events, so the change went smoothly, with the Zimbabweans touring South Africa as part of their 70th anniversary celebrations.
Peterhouse was founded in 1955 by John Snell, who was formerly the Rector of Michaelhouse. The current Rector is John Trafford, a former Housemaster at Michaelhouse.
This season, the Michaelhouse 1st XV hasn’t quite hit its straps yet. They opened their campaign at Northwood and played some good rugby, leading almost the entire match before being overhauled just before the final whistle and suffering a 13-15 defeat. The sting of that loss appears to have caused a bit of a hangover.
They’ve lost four games – by eight points against both Durban High School and Bishops, by seven against Helpmekaar Kollege, and by six against St Stithians, which was an unexpected setback. They also drew 28-28 with Grey High and 22-22 with St Andrew’s College.
That shows, though, that the Balgowan boys have been in every match. The line between victory and defeat is thin, and they’ll know they can turn their fortunes around with slight improvements.
They’re a better team than their won-loss record suggests. They’re well-balanced and it will take only minor improvements to turn losses into victories.
Peterhouse played their first matches of the season at Kearsney, losing all three. Their opponents, though, had the luxury of having already played games before the festival. With four days of rest, they’ll have peered through their performances in Botha’s Hill and worked on making improvements where they see fit.
At Kearsney, they impressed in the set scrums but were somewhat loose around the rucks and mauls. They’ll try to tighten up there.
Peterhouse’s backs also delivered some exciting moments, with their powerful centre, Andrew Maringa, being named to the All Stars Team. He and his midfield partner, Munashe Masamha, will face a sturdy challenge from Michaelhouse’s centre pair of captain William Ridl and Rourke O’Sullivan, two experienced campaigners.
Hilton College visits Old Orchards on Saturday for a showdown with St Charles College.
Brad Mcleod-Henderson‘s charges have played some fantastic rugby this season. They’re led by flyhalf Liyema Nela, who played one of the best games you’ll see from any number 10 in their 29-5 win over St John’s College at the St John’s Easter Festival. Hilton also scored a sound 33-16 victory over Kingswood College in Johannesburg, breaking open a tight contest in the second half.
They’re an experienced side, which has also been injected with some younger talent. They’re hard-nosed up front and skilled at the back.
There are no obvious weaknesses, but they failed to hit their stride in their two losses this season, against Westville Boys’ High (15-23) and Grey High (20-7). They’ll, therefore, be focused on starting the game on the right foot.
Saints, after an excellent 2024 season, was expected to take a bit of a step back this year, and they were well beaten by GlenwoodHigh in their opener, going down 0-38. But coach Craig Dwyer has them playing good rugby, and they’ve won three of four since, beating Port Rex 19-15, HTS Daniel Pienaar 26-13, and Windhoek High 38-22.
Most recently, they went down to a tight 14-19 defeat to St Andrew’s College at the Saints Easter Rugby Festival, in Johannesburg. The Makhanda boys, too, have played some enterprising rugby in 2025, so, despite the defeat, the close nature of that loss reflects well on St Charles.
The Pietermaritzburg school plays an attractive and expressive game – perhaps a reflection of the decade Craig Dwyer spent coaching the game in New Zealand– and they also have some exciting talent up front, especially their powerful, athletic eighthman, Raphael Ajibade. He has the power to run over players, as well as the pace to run around them. No doubt, Hilton will keep a close eye on him.
That said, Hilton’s eighthman, Emmanuel Dankwah, is a big unit, too, and he’ll require similarly close attention from Saints.
Michaelhouse: 15 Alex Jankowitz, 14 Lwandle Nzama, 13 Rourke O’Sullivan, 12 William Ridl, 11 Jack Carmody, 10 Stefan Moolman, 9 Dan Aissing, 8 Dominic Sesink-Clee, 7 Luke Mitchell, 6 Oliver Davis, 5 Dan Carr, 4 Thomas Peach, 3 Nicolas Salamousas, 2 Max Oliva, 1 Koketso Bopape
Peterhouse: TBC
St Charles College vs Hilton College, Old Orchards, at 15:00
Hilton College: 15 James Peattie, 14 Guy Fender, 13 Khazimla Makali, 12 Tristan Uys, 11 Requilme Adonis, 10 Liyema Nela, 9 Zander Vorster, 8 Emmanuel Dankwah, 7 Stewart Falconer, 6 Jacques Olivier, 5 Andrew Schnell, 4 André Boshoff, 3 Mholi Khuzwayo, 2 Josh Grant, 1 Khanya Jekwa.
The Gauteng Development League returns this weekend following a break over the Easter holiday, where teams competed in other competitions in different parts of the country.
The return of the league almost didn’t happen because of persistent rains in the Gauteng province over the last two weeks.
However, the grounds’ drainage systems and hard work from the various ground staff means that some matches will be played this week.
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the ground staff, Remember Elite Sport Academy‘s President Park Stadium won’t be ready in time, because of a water-logged pitch, which has resulted in their fixture against the in-form Randburg AFC being postponed.
Moreover, the Rockefvs’ home fixture against Highlands Park has suffered the same fate, with the newbies’ ACCP Grounds also waterlogged.
The rest of the scheduled fixtures will be played. First up is the weekend’s most anticipated match-up. It takes place at Elandsfontein, where School of Excellence hosts Kaizer Chiefs.
TS Galaxy welcomes Kathorus Hyper Academy to the 3 Squared Stadium, Mamelodi Sundowns travels to Tsakane Stadium to play East Rand Athletic Club, while Jomo Cosmos tackles Panorama FC at the Southern Suburbs Sports and Recreation Centre.
Wits Junior visits Tuks for a clash at the Tuks Sports Ground, Sevens Academy takes on the log leaders Superport United at Woodlands International College, and Joburg City goes up against league newbies Elspark United Academy at the Greek Sporting Club.
A full list of fixtures follows on Monday, with the showdown between Mamelodi Sundowns and TS Galaxy arguably the pick of them.
FIXTURES
Saturday, 26 April
School of Excellence vs Kaizer Chiefs East Rand Athletic Club vs Mamelodi Sundowns TS Galaxy vs Kathorus Hyper Academy Jomo Cosmos vs Panorama FC Tuks vs Wits Junior Seven’s Academy vs Supersport United Joburg City vs Elspark United Academy
Monday, 28 April
Highlands Park vs Joburg City Mamelodi Sundowns vs TS Galaxy Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Jomo Cosmos Randburg AFC vs Tuks East Rand Athletic Club vs Remember Elite Sport Academy Wits Junior vs School of Excellence Kaizer Chiefs vs Seven’s Academy Elspark United vs Supersport United
Die vorige keer toe Hoërskool Ben Vorster en Hoërskool Middelburg se paaie gekruis het, was dit die Buffels wat met 34-25 koning gekraai het. Nou, sewe jaar later, kry die Middies vir die eerste keer kans om die bordjies te verhang.
Dié twee sal Saterdag om 14:40 op die Piet Swart Stadion, die Buffels se tuisveld, in Tzaneen, swaarde kruis.
In die 2018-stryd tussen die twee spanne, óók in Tzaneen, het die Buffels se sege vir hulle die baan geweg na die eindstryd in die Skild-afdeling van die destydse Virsekerbeker-reeks.
In die daaropvolgende jare was die twee spanne geskeduleer om nóg drie keer teen mekaar te speel, maar die Covid-19-pandemie het ‘n stokkie daarvoor gesteek. Met 2022 se kragmeting wat ook uiteindelik gekanselleer is, beloof eerskomende Saterdag se herontmoeting 70 minute van ‘n aksiebelaaide rugby.
Die Middies, tans een van die top spanne in Mpumalanga, sal slaggereed wees om hul stempel kort voor die aanvang van hul aanslag in die SDC Noordvaal se Plaat-afdeling af te druk. Die Middelburgers beskik oor ‘n gebalanseerde span, met brute krag in die pak en flair in die agterhoede, waar Cravenweek-losskakel, Matthew Abbey, die toutjies trek.
Voorlangs gaan die Buffels nietemin hul hande volhê met die besoekers se haker, Roux Grobler, wat uitstekend op dreef is en reeds vanjaar met ‘n aantal dryfmaaldrieë spog. Sy tweestryd met die Vossies se Ruben Pohl, wat nog in Graad 11 is maar die veld aan die brand speel in die Buffels se nr. 2-trui, kan een van die hoogtepunte van die kragmeting oplewer.
Die tuisspan beskik voorts oor ‘n uiters bekwame binnesenter in Gehan Hendriks en, indien die Buffels se pak die nodige momentum kan bewerkstellig, sal Hendriks ‘n beduidende rol speel met sy venynige aanvalslyne.
Die spanne:
Ben Vorster t. Hoërskool Middelburg om 14:40 in Tzaneen
Ben Vorster: 15 Phetogo Shubane, 14 Miguel Makhubupetsi, 13 Chifu Banda, 12 Gihan Hendriks, 11 Lethabo Sejake, 10 Shelton-Ray Primo, 9 Stiaan du Rand, 8 Tumi Ramohlale, 7 Joshua van der Mescht, 6 Kobus de Beer, 5 Lourens Harmse, 4 Lesedi Motseki, 3 Randy Magabe, 2 Ruben Pohl, 1 Thabang Nkuna.
DHS showed, in a convincing win over Monument at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, that their pack stands back for no one. Photo: Brad Morgan.
Durban High School vs Northwood School
Last year’s two best teams in KwaZulu-Natal, highlight Saturday’s schedule in the province, with Durban High School (DHS) taking on Northwood on Van Heerden’s Field at 15:30, in Durban.
It will be a down ‘n dirty scrap featuring two powerful and abrasive packs. They’re well-coached, structurally sound, and they hit hard.
Northwood has lost only once in 2025, a narrow 14-16 defeat against Westville Boys’ High, who, together with DHS, are the lone unbeaten KZN teams. But the three teams just mentioned have shown that rugby in the province is in a healthy state this season.
The Knightsvisited Johannesburg for the KES Easter Rugby Festival and overran Pearson 61-14 before having their match against KES called off because of lightning when leading 12-7 in the second half.
Coach Jacques Deen‘s team is relentless, which is what Pearson discovered, but so, too, is coach Peter Engledow‘s DHS side. Last season, they drew 7-7 at Northwood before DHS triumphed 18-11 in a tight tussle at home.
It’s likely to be an arm wrestle again. Both sides play a similarly abrasive game up front and both boast backs with the potential to tear up the opposition.
Perhaps the most interesting battle to watch will be in the midfield where DHS wrecking ball Zingce Simka, alongside Nathan Aneke, will face the fleet-footed Bongane Khumalo, who partners Tristan Parkinson.
Simka and Khumalo offer a fascinating contrast of styles. Simka, especially near the try line, is a hard-to-stop, try-scoring machine. Khumalo is a smaller player, but slippery as they come. His path over the whitewash is usually less direct, but he, too, is an excellent finisher.
DHS went unbeaten at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival for a second season in succession, scoring three emphatic wins over Hoërskool Rustenburg (41-7), Hoërskool Monument (32-17), and Hoërskool Durbanville 33-5.
Last year, they had a legitimate claim to fielding the best defensive outfit in the country, conceding only 133 points in 15 matches, which is less than nine a game. While not quite up to that standard yet this season, there are signs that it’s becoming an ever-greater challenge to breach their defences. The Knights, though, will put that to the test.
Expect more of a test match-style game than a typical schoolboy running game, but anything is possible when two quality outfits butt heads.
Kearsney College vs Glenwood High School
Lock Joseph Roylance impressed for Kearsney at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival with his high work rate and all-round game. Photo: Brad Morgan.
Stott Field hosts Kearsney College against Glenwood. That clash has the look of a sneaky-good matchup.
Playing on the same field at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, Glenwood drew 26-26 with Monument, edged out Milnerton 37-34 in a thriller, and handed Dale College a 33-12 loss.
Kearsney opened with a 24-29 setback against Dr EG Jansen, coming alive in the second half of that match after starting slowly, to outscore the Boksburg boys 24-12 in the second stanza. They, then, beat Dale 34-13 before ending the festival with a 48-8 romp against Peterhouse.
First things first, Glenwood is a far better, more cohesive unit than last year’s 1st XV. They played some excellent rugby at Kearsney, especially in the first half of their match against Milnerton, which they led 29-0, thanks to their clinical ball movement and finishing. The concern for the Green Machine will be the fact that they allowed Milliesback into the contest, which was tied 34-34 before Joshua Kopp landed a late penalty to win it.
Led by Tylo Madaat, Glenwood’s lineout looks like a strength of the side, and another big unit, captain Lizwe Mtetwa, brings solidity and power to their midfield.
Between the backline and the forwards, scrumhalf Lian Lochner is a livewire and a try-scoring threat. He performed impressively at the Easter Festival.
Kearsney, after a deflating showing in a big defeat against Hilton College, has won four out of five since (and they will surely feel they should have beaten EG Jansen), and those wins include victories over Pretoria Boys High and Hudson Park.
Under the guidance of coach Grant Bashford, they appear to be going from strength to strength, and they played an enterprising 15-man game at the Easter Festival, with both the back and forwards making big contributions to the points’ scoring.
Looking at their standouts, an obvious one would be their eighthman, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, who was named to the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival. He led the way for an energetic and industrious pack.
At the back, Doan Nel, at centre, caught the eye with his excellent all-round game – physical and hard-hitting on defence, while also consistently denting opposing defences and setting up his support players for scores on the attack.
Last year, Kearsney won on Dixon’s Field for the first time since 2013, scraping a 25-22 victory over Glenwood.
TEAMS
Durban High School vs Northwood School, Van Heerden’s Field, at 15:30
Durban High School: 15 Cilermo Carolus, 14 Richard Gyamfi,13 Nathan Aneke,12 Zingce Simka, 11 Zenkosi Mthiyane, 10 Jordan van Wyk, 9 Jaydon Roberts 8 Bradley La Grange, 7 Zion Smith, 6 Daniel Ikotela, 5 Ambesiwe Sipango, 4 Vimbiso Kasvosve, 3 Bobby Udo-Idung, 2 Okuhle Bmanjwa, 1 Likho Khonza.
Een van die betrokke velde van die NWU Prestige-reeks, deurdrenk met water na die aanhoudende reën in Potchefstroom. FOTO: Verskaf deur Potchefstroom Gimnasium.
‘n Druppel déjà vu het vandeesweek oor die NWUPrestige-reeks gespoel nadat die geskeduleerde eindstryde van dié reeks ook deur die onophoudelike reën en uiters nat toestande in Potchefstroom gesink is.
Die eindstryde was geskeduleer om Saterdag, 26 April, op Olënpark, tuiste van die Luiperds Rugbyunie, asook die velde van Potchefstroom Gimnasium en Potchefstroom Volkskool, plaas te vind.
Die sopnat speeloppervlaktes het die bestuur van die reeks egter vir ‘n tweede keer genoodsaak om ál die aksie af te las weens kommer oor spelers se veiligheid, asook die skade wat die hoeveelheid rugby aan die betrokke oppervlaktes kan aanrig.
“Weens onvoorsiene omstandighede buite ons beheer, is ons ongelukkig genoodsaak om die eindstryd-ronde se rugbywedstryde vir die komende naweek te kanselleer,” lui ‘n verklaring deur die Prestige-reeks se voorsitter, Fielies Coetzee.
“Verskeie alternatiewe is oorweeg soos met die halfeindrondes en ons het die finale besluit so laat as moontlik uitgestel. Ongelukkig kan ons nie nog langer wag nie, want skole moet hul ouers inlig sodat die nodige verblyf en vervoerreëlings getref kan word. Skole moet ook vroegtydig vervoermaatskappye in kennis stel van die besluit.”
Die bestuur het ook lank gekoukus om uiteindelik die regverdigste bepaling van posies te bereik. Daar is op die volgende besluit:
“Die halfeindronde se bepalings word oorgedra na die eindstryde. Die spanne in die posisies 1-4, 5-8, 9-12 en 13-15 sal die hoogste posisie en punte deel. Sodoende kan ons by ‘n regverdige en werkbare uitslag uitkom.
“Die hokkie-, netbal- en tenniswedstryde sal soos beplan hierdie naweek voortgaan. Alle uitslae, insluitende dié van hierdie sportsoorte, sal ingereken word om die algehele wenners en rangorde te bepaal soos in die verlede,” het Coetzee bygevoeg.
The Gauteng Development League returns this weekend following a break over the Easter holiday, where teams competed in other competitions in different parts of the country. 
