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42 – That is the number of tries scored on day one of the Standard Bank Kearsney College Easter Festival at the Stott field.

The opening day produced six highly contested matchups and saw some unexpected upsets, with only three teams (Monument, Westville Boys High, and Glenwood High School) running away with convincing victories.

Newcomers Worcester Gimnasium pulled off a 36–31 shock victory against Durban High School in the second match of the day. Two tries by wing Alungile Mothibe and 11 points from the boot of inside center Carick Kustoor secured the historic win for the Western Cape side. 

After trailing 20-5 early in the second half, Dale College edged host Kearsney College (23-21) with a penalty kick from the boot of Lindo Ndlela in the dying seconds of the match.

The most anticipated match of the day was undoubtedly the clash between Dr. EG Jansen and Hartpury College from Gloucestershire (England). 

The South Africans started the brightest, opening the scoring after a tense 10 minutes through lock Reon Pretorius. However, it only took the visitors two minutes to hit back as they camped in EG’s half, playing several phases before a gap opened for Sam-Morton-Smith (scrumhalf), converted by his half-back counterpart Sonny Greenman. 

Fullback Toby Maddock added to his team’s tally to see Hartpury take a 14-7 lead to the interval. 

The second stanza resumed with an even higher intensity, as it only took four minutes for the UK side to register on the scoreboard. Explosive hooker Henry Walker brushed off four defenders on his way to scoring in the far corner.

EG looked dead and buried until a charge-down score by Juandre Jacob and a penalty try (for illegally collapsing the maul) in the 45th minute brought them back into the game.

Tied at 28-all with nine minutes to go, EG Jansen had an opportunity to win the match, but scrumhalf Gordon Smith passed the ball to his teammate, resulting in a knock-on and scrum for the visitors. The match ended 28–28. 

Lock, Reon Pretorius, and vice-captain David Twala played well, whereas Toby Maddock, Sonny Greenman, and Mason Watkin put their hands up for Hartpury. 

In other matches, Hoërskool Monument proved too strong for Gqeberha side Hoërskool Framesby, and a brace by Likhona Finca earned Westville a hard-fought 31-19 victory over Noord-Kaap.

Glenwood concluded the day’s proceedings with a 22-10 win over Marlow. Zuki Tom played well and scored two tries in the first half. 

Scorers:

EG Jansen 28 (7) – Tries: Reon Pretorius, Juandre Jacob, Ruan van Heerden, Penalty Try. Conversions: David Twala (3). Hartpury College 28 (14) – Tries: Sam-Morton-Smith, Toby Maddock, Henry Walker, Sonny Greenman. Conversions: Greenman (4).

Dale College 23 (5) – Tries: Cole van Staden, Lindokuhle Xozwa, Linamandla Peter. Conversion: Lindo Ndlela. Penalties: Ndlela (2). Kearsney College 20 (15) – Tries: Junior Dlamini, Siso France, Salusiwe Mqobongo, Chad Croshaw. 

Worcester Gimnasium 36 (10) – Tries: Alungile Mothibe(2), Alton Hendricks, Ryan Jacobs, Hope Dliso. Conversions: Carick Kustoor (4). Penalty: Kustoor. Durban High School 31 (17) – Tries: Florensen Ockhuis, Ntando Mavuso (2), Maurice Willemse, Khanyisa Stamper. Conversions: Deano Boesak (3). 

Monument 28 (14) – Tries: Ceano Everson (2) Nathan Erasmus, Michiel Burger. Conversion: Daylon Myners (4). Hoërskool Framesby 7 (0) – Tries: Jaco Pretorius. Conversion: Logan Muller.

Westville Boys High 31 (19) – Tries: Likhona Finca (2), Michael Satade (2), Tshegofatso Ramaloko. Conversion: Ramaloko (2) Unathi Mlotshwa. Noord-Kaap 19 (12) – Tries: Liam Harmse, Junior Kettledas, Shaw Lourens. Conversion: Eldridge Jack (2).

Glenwood 22 (17) – Tries: Zuki Tom (2), Sisipho Dwayi. Conversions: Johandre Van Rooyen (2). Penalty: Van Rooyen. Marlow Landbou 10 (5) – Tries: Leonard Booysen, AK Schenk.

 

Shaun Schürmann, hooker of Pretoria Boys’ High, completed a hat-trick of tries as the boys from the Jacaranda City defeated St Charles College by 41-5.

It was a closely contested affair in the first half. Pretoria Boys’ High only managing a narrow 12-5 lead at the break.

Watch all the matches again on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

Winger Ntsako Ndlovu also crossed the try line twice for the victorious side.

Pretoria Boys High’s halfback pairing of Joshua Naude and Justin Tattersall continued their impressive run of form.

Maritzburg College eased passed the Golden Lions Invitation XV by 50-5 during the opening game of the festival. The side coached by Hendré Marnitz led by 36-0 at the break.

The team faced Grey College (24-37) on Monday during the NMI Toyota Menlyn Noord/Suid-tournament in Pretoria. The clash against the combined side could’ve a trap for the team from Pietermaritzburg after going toe-to-toe with South Africa’s premier rugby school earlier in the week.

Winger Colm Reardon completed a brace of tries as Maritzburg College scored eight tries in the victory.  Captain, Travis Walton, also made a comeback after missing the Noord/Suid due to illness.

Ayrton van der Linde (centre) and Swelihle Mbatha (fullback) will also feel happy with their performances on the day.

Scorers: 

Welkom Gimnasium 28 (20) – Tries: Navan Goeda (2), Taschon Meas (2). Conversion: Renaldo Kiewiet. Penalties: Kiewiet (2). St John’s College 12 (0) – Tries: Thomas Archer, Kyle Watson. Conversion: Joe MacRobert.

Hilton College 32 (22) – Tries: Roelof Engelbrecht (2), Ben le Roux, Murray Brink. Conversions: Ivan Lockem (3). Penalties: Lockem (2). Noordheuwel 30 (13) – Tries: Jarrod Coetzee, Juandre Schoeman, AN Other. Conversions: JT Kapank (3). Penalties: Kapank (3).

Boland Landbou 22 (15) – Tries: Enslin Claasen (2), Jay-T George, Retagen van Rooi. Conversion: Dewald de Villiers. Grey High School 12 (0) – Tries: Kaiden Titus (2). Conversion: Titus.

Jeppe High School for Boys 27 (0) – Tries: Lethabo Kekana, Exauce Kevani, Risima Khoza. Conversions: Khuthadzo Rasivhaga (3). Penalties: Rasivhaga (2). Graeme College 17 (3) – Tries: Soso Sizani, Licebo Ngwentle. Conversions: Steven du Preez (2). Penalty: Du Preez.

Hoërskool Nelspruit 12 (0) – Tries: Braam Basson, Hughwin Hayman. Conversion: Kian van Tonder. St Benedict’s College 8 (8) – Try: Nathi Beda. Penalty: Onkgopotse Monaheng.

Pretoria Boys’ High 41 (12) – Tries: Shaun Schürmann (3), Ntsako Ndlovu (2), Jason van der Merwe, Jack Tsanweni. Conversions: Justin Tattersall (3). St Charles College 5 (5) – Try: Rashid Isaacs.

Maritzburg College 50 (36) – Tries: Colm Reardon (2), Codi Robinson, Struan Oosthuizen, Ayrton van der Linde, Liam Swanepoel, Swelihle Mbatha, Travis Walton. Conversions: Van der Linde (4), Mbatha. Golden Lions XV 5 (0) – Try: Reinhardt Botha.

 

Kingswood College was playing chess and Clifton was playing checkers in today’s match up as Kingswood pulled off a well-coordinated 45-12 victory.

You can tell when a team is just having fun and that is when things usually go their way.

This was clearly the case for Kingswood today, as they had already put in the work and today was simply time to get creative with it and play around with strategy.

Watch all the matches again on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).

The way the boys played in unison was like poetry, the ball wouldn’t leave someone’s hands without someone else there to catch it.

Their left wing, Vizi Labase, scored a hat trick. Flyhalf, Praise Matsila, got five conversions through and made it look easier than saying Happy Easter. Their right wing, Sine Brawen, had the most entertaining play of the day when he scored them a try with a chip and chase off the boot.

Sometimes things just come together perfectly, and that’s exactly what happened for Kingswood College today.

Clifton did have some decent defence, with their left wing, Mackenzie Haygarth, notably holding the line shortly before and after the half-time mark.

Josh Kennedy, their inside centre, did also succeed in both conversions. Perhaps his kicking would have stayed at one hundred percent if more chances were provided. Clifton’s gameplay seemed to come together for brief moments of brilliance, however, it was just not enough to contend with a spectacular, polished performance from Kingswood.

Diocesan College turned in a polished ten-try performance against hosts, St Stithians College, to kick-start their Saints Sports Festival with a convincing victory of 66-3.

All areas of play were dominated by the visitors in the opening game of this long-standing annual Festival, with the first try through Western Province XV Craven Week scrumhalf, Hashim Pead,  coming after only thirty seconds on the clock.

As in the first two games of the winter, the coaches introduced a raft of substitutions in the second half of proceedings, thus ensuring that all on the bench had a run at altitude.

Winger Lucca Mynhardt scored a hat-trick of tries. With this resounding win behind them, the players now look ahead to Saturday afternoon’s exciting fixture against Helpmekaar.

Mention must be made of the local ground-staff who ensured that the Baytopp Field was in immaculate condition after all of the recent rain up on the Highveld.

Article written by Zane Louw and Alex Ralston

Scorers: 

Wynberg Boys’ High School 20 (10) – Tries: Amier Adams, Xola Nyali. Conversions: Yaqeen Amed (2)  Penalties: Amed (2). Helpmekaar Kollege 12 (2) – Tries: Junayden Seffeir, Jandre Labuschagne. Conversions: Michael Benzien.

Michaelhouse 29 (7) – Tries: Murray Baker, Luthando Buthelezi, Campbell Ridl, Penalty Try. Conversions: Luke Davidson (2) Penalty: Davidson. St Andrew’s College 22 (8) – Tries: Oliver Myatt-Taylor (2), Joe Wostenholm. Conversions: Jacques Cloete (2). Penalty: Cloete. 

St John’s College (Harare) 29 (21) – Tries: Stefan Kruger, PK Manyakara, Joshua Galant, Thomas Judson, Penalty Try. Conversions: Rory Honey (2) Penalties: Honey. St Alban’s College 26 (15) – Tries: John-Joshua Steenkamp, Alex Yeatman, Ross Van Noordwyk, Luke Sass, Patrick Weir. Conversions: John Verster (3).

Kingswood College 45 (28) – Tries: Vizi Lebase (3), Shingi Manyara, Amazing Verhiwa, Sine Brawn, Appiah Nedzengu. Conversions: Praise Matsila (5). Clifton 12 (7) – Tries: Nathan Shotland, Levi Anastia. Conversion: Jonathan Kennedy.

Diocesan College 66 (38) – Tries: Lucca Mynhardt (3), Merlin Fransman, Hashim Pead, Aidan Norris, Olo Sopotela, Nic Allison, Christian Steward, Kashief Joseph. Conversions: Gilermo Mentoe (5), Shaywan Blankenberg (2), Mynhardt. St Stithians College 3 (3) – Penalty: Chris Anderson.

Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen and Hartpury College played out a scintillating 28-all draw in the penultimate game of the first day of the annual Standard Bank Kearsney College Easter Festival in Durban.

Hartpury, the first overseas team to participate at KERF since Christ College back in 2011, produced a manful defensive shift late on, to deny the Boksburg boys at the end of what was a brutal affair.

The tourists spent the majority of the opening ten minutes defending inside their own half, and they were eventually breached when Reon Pretorius barged over.

From there it was all Hartpury though, with a converted Sam Morton-Smith effort levelling the scores in no time, before a prolonged period of possession and territory was rewarded when Toby Maddock went over to put the boys from Gloucestershire 14-7 ahead at the interval.

They extended their lead through powerful hooker Henry Walker, but EG Jansen responded against the run of play, when Juandre Jacobs charged down a kick on halfway to bring it back to within seven.

Sonny Greenman, who nailed all four conversions on the day, hit back for Hartpury but the momentum swung again in EG Jansen’s favour.

The South Africans replied immediately when they were awarded a penalty try following an illegal collapse of a powerful driving maul, before flyhalf Ruan van Heerden dived over to level the scores.

EG Jansen launched a number of attacks in the Hartpury red zone at the death, but some desperate defending from the boys in red kept them out and sealed the draw.

Westville Boys’ High School held off Hoërskool Noord-Kaap in a hard-fought 31-19 victory in game four.

The KZN boys started the first half brightly, but some lapses in concentration on defence allowed Noord-Kaap back into the contest. Deon Carney’s side did well to fight back in the face of a hard-nosed Westville line-up, and they enjoyed some good moments at times.

Ultimately though, Westville’s physicality was too much for Noord-Kaap to handle, as the local lads got their festival campaign off on a winning note.  Midfielder Likhona Finca opened the scoring for Westville just a few minutes in, with No 14 Michael Satade bagging a brace soon after.

After initially struggling to break Westville down, Noord-Kaap hit back through hooker Liam Harmse and winger Junior Kettledas to make it 19-12 at the break.

Fullback Tshegofatso Ramaloko extended Westville’s lead in the second half before Finca positively barnstormed his way over for his second of the encounter.

A Tyron China break set up Shaw Lourens for Noord-Kaap’s third, but they couldn’t get any closer to closing the deficit.

Worcester Gimnasium earned a late 36-31 victory over Durban High School in a counter-attacking feast in game two of the Standard Bank Kearsney College Easter Festival in Durban.

Both schools were brilliant with ball in hand, with Worcester taking their opportunities when they mattered to fight back against an accurate DHS team.

A great run saw Alton Hendricks take Worcester into an early lead, before DHS’s Deano Boesak put half-back partner Florenson Ockhuis away with a delicious offload inside their opponents’ 22.

DHS made use of their lineout maul often and one such drive opened up plenty of room for Ntando Mavuso to dot down off first phase, with the diminutive right winger adding his second not long afterwards.

A 40m penalty by Carick Kustoor, excellent from the tee all morning, made it 17-10 at the break, but a Maurice Willemse touchdown extended the DHS lead after the interval.

Alungile Mothibe got one back for Worcester against the run of play, before Thando Luthuli hit back soon for the Durbanites.

However, a Ryan Jacobs effort, as well as Mothibe’s second, brought the scores level at 31-all with under 10-minutes remaining on the clock.

Then, with under a minute to go, Hope Dliso scored the winner in the corner to earn the Western Cape outfit a dramatic win.

Kearsney College and Dale College got the first day’s play underway, with the visitors pulling off a remarkable comeback to open their campaign with a thrilling 23-20 win.

The festival hosts dominated territory and possession early on, twice turning down kickable shots at goal in favour of a lineout drive. The decision-making paid off when Junior Dlamini dotted down on the left touchline to get them off to a flyer.

The Eastern Cape boys came back swinging, proceeding to set up camp in Kearsney territory for the better part of the first half and initiating wave after wave of attack. Although the hosts put on an admirable defensive effort, a high hit by Jarred van Staden earned him a yellow, with the visitors eventually making the most of the one-man advantage through Cole van Staden.

Kearsney went on to bag further five-pointers through Siso France and Salusiwe Mqobongo to set up a commanding 15-5 lead at the break and, when a fantastic individual score by scrumhalf Chad Croshaw gave Kearsney a 15-point lead, it looked as though the floodgates had opened.

Royden Kennedy’s side had other ideas though, and, in the space of a few minutes, a Lindokuhle Ndlela penalty and tries to namesake Lindokuhle Xozwa and Athi Msileni brought the scores level with just over a quarter to play.

The sides continued to trade blows before a typical Dale counter attack earned them a penalty on Kearsney’s 22, from which Ndlela slotted the winning kick with time up on the clock to record a cracking victory.

Scorers:

EG Jansen 28 (7) – Tries: Reon Pretorius, Juandre Jacobs, Ruan van Heerden, Penalty Try. Conversions: David Twala (3). Hartpury College 28 (14) – Tries: Sam Morton-Smith, Toby Maddock, Henry Walker, Sonny Greenman. Conversions: Greenman (4).

Westville Boys’ High 31 (19) – Tries: Likhona Finca (2), Michael Satade (2), Tshegofatso Ramaloka. Conversions: Ramaloka (2), Unathi Mlotshwa. Noord-Kaap 19 (12) – Tries: Liam Harmse, Junior Kettledas, Shaw Lourens. Conversions: Eldridge Jack (2).

Monument 28 (14) – Tries: Ceano Everson (2), Nathan Erasmus, Michiel Burger. Conversions: Daylon Myners (4). Framesby 7 (0) – Try: Jaco Pretorius. Conversion: Logan Muller.

Worcester Gimnasium 36 (17) – Tries: Alungile Mothibe (2), Alton Hendricks, Ryan Jacobs, Hope Dliso. Conversions: Carick Kustoor (4). Penalty: Kustoor. Durban High School 31 (10) – Tries: Mavuso (2), Florenson Ockhuis, Maurice Willemse, Thando Luthuli. Conversions: Deano Boesak (3).

Dale College 23 (5) – Tries: Cole van Staden, Lindokuhle Xozwa, Athi Msileni. Conversion: Lindokuhle Ndlela. Penalties: Ndlela (2). Kearsney College 20 (15) – Tries: Junior Dlamini, Siso France, Salusiwe Mqobongo, Chad Croshaw.

Victoria Park High School hosted a successful soccer tournament at Dave Weinronk Sports Complex that saw schools coming from all over the country to participate in a three-day tournament. The venue was packed with excitement all over the participants and the supporters and some with clear nervous moments written in their faces.  

Schools such as the Northwood travelled all the way from the KZN province to Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth for the tournament. It was the school’s first participation in the tournament, and they won U18 Plate Final, defeating Sanctor by 2 goals to nil. Speaking to Mini Khoza, the director of Soccer at Northwood he could not express how grateful he was for his school to not only be invited to the Victoria Park Soccer Challenge but to actually walk away with something. “As you can see, the boys are happy that they have come to participate, and I am proud of their achievement. Hopefully, next year we can walk away with everything as champions of the Victoria Soccer Challenge”, he said. 

The home side, Victoria Park High School U16 thumped Hudson Park by 4 goals to nil in the U16 Final Cup. The home side fans packed up the grounds in full support of their team and the side did not disappoint as they took the game under full control in the early stages of the game. By the time it was the 2nd half, Victoria Park were clear favourites to win the U16 Final Cup. Coming into the 2nd half of the game, Hudson Park showed signs of competing and making a comeback however, the home side proved to be too much for them. 

Another final that was entertaining that had everyone in full joy was between Alexandra Road and Vulumzi Senior Secondary School. Anathi Ndorho was the outstanding player for the game as she terrorised Alexandra defenders on the left wing. With jersey number eleven on her, she became a clear fan favourite of the fans in the stands as she showed skills, clean passes and in total control of the game. Anathi Ndorho was the top goal scorer of the tournament with nine goals. Together with her team, they thumped Alexandra Road by 5 goals. 

First team winners U18 boys, Urban Academy, played against Selborne College from East London. Both teams held each other to a 1-1 draw, leaving the game to the penalties, where Urban Academy won by 5-4 to walk away as champions of the Victoria Park Soccer Challenge. 

 

The annual Standard Bank King Edward VII Easter Festival kicks off on Thursday, 6 April, in Johannesburg and the fixtures promise another action-packed week of rugby during the Easter school holiday.

Catch the games live on SuperSport Schools. – Register your free account now

14 schools will be in action over the three days, and as always, some of the matches promise to showcase a highly exciting brand of rugby between some of the top schools in the country as well as some teams with a history of delivering big upsets.

Paarl Boys’ High’s season does not get any easier, after two hard-fought victories over Jeppe and Affies at the North/South festival in Pretoria, they are back in action on day one against Selborne College before they play the hosts in the main game of the second day and Northwood on the last day.

Selborne has a list of famous sporting alumni, from Mark Andrews and Brent Russell to Mark Boucher and Jody Scheckter, but they have yet to establish the dominance of old on the rugby pitch in recent years, losing to Marlow earlier in the season at the Grens festival, but a good performance this week can change the trajectory of their season.

The hosts, King Edward VII, also need to perform this week after going down by 49-19 against Paarl Gimnasium when they represented the North last week. 

KES is the Alma Mater of Springbok hookers, Scarra Ntubeni and Malcolm Marx, as well as the loose-forward, Joe van Niekerk and winger, Bryan Habana. The Welsh prop Rhys Thomas also attended King Edward VII, so they are no strangers to producing some great players and will hope that this group will also be able to realize their potential at this prestigious festival.

They have three challenging fixtures in Hudson Park, Boishaai and Selborne to get through over the Easter period.

Rugby fixtures:

Thursday, 6 April

08:10 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs Nico Malan
09:20 – Eldoraigne vs Parktown Boys’ High
10:30 – Paarl Boys’ High vs Selborne College
11:40 – Northwood vs Ben Vorster
12:50 – King Edward VII vs Hudson Park
14:00 – Queen’s College vs Diamantveld

Saturday, 8 April

08:00 – Kempton Park vs Durbanville
09:10 – Nico Malan vs Diamantveld
10:20 – Eldoraigne vs St David’s Marist
11:30 – Hudson Park vs Northwood
12:40 – Queen’s College vs Ben Vorster
13:50 – Selborne College vs Parktown Boys’ High
15:00 – King Edward VII vs Paarl Boys’ High

Monday, 10 April

08:00 – Kempton Park vs Queen’s College
09:10 – Nico Malan vs Ben Vorster
10:20 – Parktown Boys’ High vs Diamantveld
11:30 – Hudson Park vs St David’s Marist
12:40 – Eldoraigne vs Durbanville
13:50 – Northwood vs Paarl Boys’ High
15:00 – King Edward VII vs Selborne College

History and prestige go hand-in-hand with sports, and rugby is no stranger to this rich tradition here in South Africa.

The Standard Bank St Stithians Easter Festival was founded in 1984 and has only grown stronger each year. The 2023 line up has some really interesting pairings and few favourites to look out for this season.

Michaelhouse recently defeated Maritzburg in a 27-20 victory. This is no small feat, and is evidence of their strength. Unfortunately, they will not face off this year, as Maritzburg is absent from the festival. It would’ve made for great viewing, but this line up will definitely not disappoint.

Michaelhouse is set for a rematch against St Alban’s, and a bit of rivalry always turns up the heat. In the 2022 fest, St Alban’s received an absolute thrashing from Michaelhouse as their game ended at 37-9. Will it be revenge or a winning streak? Only time will tell.

The Western Cape boys certainly made their presence known last year, and will surely come ready to play, once again. Wynberg taught Clifton a lesson and beat them 41-0, but lets see if the Highveld can hold them off; as Helpmekaar takes on Wynberg for the last game of day one.

This has the makings of a great game, if the Helpies can play aggressively, focus on running their backline with quick hands and utilizing their defence. Wynberg played great rugby last year but should also not underestimate the boys from Jozi.

Bishops did not miss opportunities last year, especially against Grey High, when an intercepted pass from Grey let them score an excellent try, this performance ultimately won them the game at 31-20. Bishops open the festival against the hosts on day one, so Saint’s will want to make this a good first game to set the tone.

From the first game, to the last, a festival of this magnitude will only serve up the very best of what rugby has to offer. If you miss it, you miss out.

It’s. That. Simple.

Fixtures

Thursday, 6^th April 2023

11:00 St Stithians vs Bishops

12:15 Kingswood vs Clifton

13:30 St John’s vs St Albans

14:45 St Andrew’s vs Michaelhouse

16:00 Wynberg vs Helpmekaar

Saturday, 8^th April 2023

11:00 St Alban’s vs Wynberg

12:15 St John’s vs St Andrews

13:30 Clifton vs Michaelhouse

14:45 Helpmekaar vs Bishops

16:30 St Stithians vs Kingswood

Monday, 10^th April 2023

11:00 Bishops vs Clifton

12:15 Wynberg vs Northcliff

13:30 Michaelhouse vs St Alban’s

14:45 Kingswood vs Helpmekaar

16:00 St Stithians vs St John’s

The 2023 edition of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) gets underway this Thursday (6 April) and is set to deliver yet another knockout spectacle for schoolboy rugby fans.

Considering the volume of provincial and international players the event has produced since its 2008 inception, plenty of future pros are expected to take to the Stott over the three play days.

Joining this year’s line-up for the first time is Hartpury College from Gloucestershire. The English side is a powerhouse of note, having claimed the UK’s national ACE League title a whopping 10 times in the past 12 years.  NextGenXV, a global hub of school rugby, recently named them the world’s best at producing professional players. No small accomplishment – and a possible warning sign to local teams.

From KZN Glenwood, Westville Boys’ High and Durban High School will join the hosts again this year. Gauteng giants Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen (Boksburg) and Hoërskool Monument (Krugersdorp) return, with Dale College (Qonce), Hoërskool Framesby (Gqeberha) and Hoër Landbouskool Marlow (Cradock) making up the Eastern Cape contingent.

Hoërskool Noord-Kaap from Kimberley and debutants Worcester Gimnasium (Western Cape) complete the South African lineup.

The action takes place over Easter weekend, with play on Thursday 6, Saturday 8 and Monday 10.

Kearsney’s pre-season form has been encouraging. They face Dale in the festival opener, before taking on EG Jansen on Day 2 and Hartpury on the final day. Hartpury will be the first international school to participate at the festival since New Zealand’s Christ College in 2011.

Glenwood, so often KZN’s standard bearers, face Marlow, Dale and Worcester; the latter set to be the surprise package after some stellar performances so far this year. The Green Machine won two of their three games at last year’s event and will be going for a full house this time around.

Framesby left Botha’s Hill unbeaten last year after knocking over EG Jansen and the hosts, with a 14-all draw to Pretoria Boys’ High sandwiched between. They’re back, also searching for a 100% win record this year, but will find stiff competition in Monument, DHS and Noord-Kaap.

Other sides looking to make a big splash this Easter include Durban High School and Westville Boys. The latter was edged 24-25 at Glenwood and beaten 0-15 at DHS earlier this year. Dale College has performed particularly well in the build-up and are in for a promising season.

In KERF tradition, a curtain raiser between primary school teams will kick off each day’s action at 08h00, with KZNRU Ibutho/Mark Godefroy U13, Umhlali Prep, Highbury, Westville Senior Primary and Hillcrest Primary involved this time around. Senior teams will play from 09h00.

Spectators are again ensured of a festival highlighting outstanding youthful talent. The list of festival alumni is staggering, with Springboks like Grey College’s Jan Serfontein and Johan Goosen, RG Snyman (Affies), Handre Pollard (Paarl Gim) and Warrick Gelant (Outeniqua) all having turned out for their respective schools at events past. More recently Jaden Hendrikse (Glenwood) and Aphelele Fassi (Dale) played at the festival.

Gate entrance is R30 per person with ample secure parking.  Food and refreshment outlets, a coffee shop, beer tent and KidZone will ensure a full day of entertainment for the whole family.

Download the Kearsney College Events app from Google Play or iStore for full and up-to-date festival news, including team information, fixtures, results and match reports. All matches will be live-streamed on the SuperSport Schools app and website.

Fixtures

Day 1 Thursday 6 April

09:00 Kearsney College vs Dale College
10:20 Durban High School vs Worcester Gimnasium
11:40 Hoërskool Monument vs Hoërskool Framesby
13:00 Westville Boys’ High School vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap
14:20 Hoërskool Dr E G Jansen vs Hartpury College (UK)
15:40 Glenwood High School vs Hoër Landbouskool Marlow

Day 2 Saturday 8 April

09:00 Hartpury College (UK) vs Westville Boys’ High School
10:20 Worcester Gimnasium vs Hoër Landbouskool Marlow
11:40 Glenwood High School vs Dale College
13:00 Hoërskool Dr E G Jansen vs Kearsney College
14:20 Durban High School vs Hoërskool Framesby
15:40 Hoërskool Monument vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap

Day 3 Monday 10 April

09:00 Worcester Gimnasium vs Glenwood High School
10:20 Hoër Landbouskool Marlow vs Durban High School
11:40 Hoërskool Monument vs Dale College
13:00 Westville Boys’ High School vs Hoërskool Dr E G Jansen
14:20 Hoërskool Framesby vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap
15:40 Kearsney College vs Hartpury College (UK)

GQEBERHA – The Victoria Park Soccer Challenge Girls Cup Champions, Vulumzi High School, are playing for more than just a victory on the field but more so for a victory off the field. 

The Victoria Park Soccer Challenge kicked off on Friday, 31st March 2023, at Victoria Park High School in Walmer, Gqeberha. 

Schools from all corners of the country gathered and competed as Victoria Park once again hosted the impactful tournament. 

Originating from the gang ridden streets of Motherwell, the biggest township in South Africa, Ntombekhaya Tose marshaled her troops to the Girls Cup Final where they beat Alexander Road High School five goals to nil. 

Tose, a teacher and coach at Vulumzi, had done this many times in the past but this time round, the decorated coach led an all-girls team with a different purpose in mind.

Alcohol and drug abuse prevail in the townships in South Africa mainly because of the vandalized sporting facilities which were built to keep township kids off the streets. 

Coaching an all-girls team, Tose is determined to play a part in her girls’ lives to help them avoid the snares of township life. 

Too many times, young girls growing up in townships fall victim to teenage pregnancy and alcohol abuse for a host of different reasons. 

Tose believes sport is the solution for her girls to build a fruitful life for themselves and their families.

“We are able to run away from the negative things like alcohol, teenage pregnancies,” Tose told SuperSport Schools in an exclusive interview.

“We use sport as our traditional weapon to fight all these things.” She added. 

A netball player in her youth, Tose is a passionate sport fanatic and coach. 

Her drive is to expose her girls to sport as a career path that they all can venture into. Tose emphasized that some girls may not be as talented academically as they may be in sport, hence the need for more investments into sport for girls in the townships.

“Also, we use sport to make learners feel valuable because other kids aren’t A students. You need to test and explore the child’s talents whether that’s in the classroom or out in the field,” said Tose. 

“I like to work with young ones, inside and outside the classroom. I feel it is my duty to lead and inspire these young girls to see themselves living a better life than what they are exposed to in the townships.” 

Sport is still a male-dominated industry in South Africa. Whether it is out in the field or in admin offices, there’s more men than there are women. 

Tose believes this is mainly because girls are not exposed to the many opportunities of sports from a young age quite like young boys are. 

Her dream is to see the girls involved in sport in some capacity. 

“Football to me is no longer just a game to play for enjoyment but it can serve as a source of employment,” said Tose. 

“Being a school based in Motherwell where there is a high rate of unemployment, some of these girls may not be that good in the field but they may be good doing administrative work in football for example. 

“Within football, I want to push these girls to get into admin should it happen that they don’t make it to the professional scene as players.”

The journey to a prosperous society and sporting environment is accelerated by the likes of Ntombekhaya Tose who strive to use sport as a vehicle for change.