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Grey High will be aiming to exploit their home-ground advantage to put an end to a run of defeats against their Gqeberha arch-rivals, Framesby, in a King Price Derby Series blockbuster, on the Kolisi Field, on Saturday.

After a run of defeats which lasted just more than a decade, the Framesby players have stepped up to the plate in recent years and have registered three successive victories. That fact will have the Grey supporters on edge when the referee blows the opening whistle.

Neither side have been overly impressive this season, with Grey High having lost their last three games to Wynberg Boys’ High, Queen’s College, and St Andrew’s College.

Coach Matt King’s men have not played since that 31 May showdown with St Andrew’s, but their players have been exposed to provincial-level rugby and there is enough talent in their ranks to rise to the occasion.

Burning brightly will be a fierce determination not to suffer a fourth straight defeat to Framesby as they try to salvage something from the season in the final weeks of the school’s programme.

It could boil down to a thrilling clash between the exciting backlines, with players such as Meyer Prinsloo, Bradley Myburgh, and Tristan Kemp poised to challenge the Framesby defence.

The visitors would do particularly well to keep an eye on Prinsloo, whose incisive running from the back has often undone the tightest of defences this season.

Framesby are no slouches in the attacking arena and Cole Hilpert, Mondre van Heerden, and Jaiden Brewis will be fired up to register another momentous result.

There’s been next to nothing between the sides in their last three encounters, with the margin of victory for Framesby being four points in 2022, and two points in 2023 and 2024.

This one could again go down to the wire.

Another exciting clash looms on the Strydom Field, at Pearson, where the home side is gearing up for the traditional onslaught from Graeme College (kick-off 14.20).

Several Graeme players, including Luke Doyle, Erin Nelson, and Lucritia Magau, showed up well at the FNB Craven Week, with Nelson and Magau making the SA Schools A team.

If they find their rhythm early on, they could make things awkward for the home team.

Pearson will rely on the skilful Denilo Jordaan at flyhalf to call the shots, but they also know that only a concerted team effort will help them to get across the line against a potent Graeme outfit.

In Humansdorp, Gqeberha team DF Malherbe will get a chance to test themselves at a higher level with they play Nico Malan (14.40 kick-off).

It will take a mighty effort by the visitors to hold a team which has operated efficiently in all departments this year.

Grey High v Framesby results since 2014

2014: Grey won 29-19
2015: did not play
2016: Grey won 45-19
2017: Grey won 13-9
2018: Grey won 39-19
2019: Grey won 22-17
2022: Framesby won 14-10
2023: Framesby won 17-15
2024: Framesby won 19-17

Teams:

Grey High: 15 Meyer Prinsloo, 14 Noah Mbizi, 13 Bradley Myburgh, 12 Ned Taggart, 11 Akhumzi Masoka, 10 Tristan Kemp, 9 Adam Holmboe, 8 David Melariri, 7 Jean Nel, 6 Cody Wilmot, 5 Ed Scorey, 4 Riley Higgs, 3 Ross Atkinson, 2 Blake Parker, 1 Evan Mucka.

Framesby: 15 Calestin Felkers, 14 Jaco George, 13 Cole Hilpert, 12 Reon Saaiman, 11 Maarten Kleynhans, 10 Jaiden Brewis, 9 Mondre van Heerden, 8 Eden Calitz, 7 Aiden Dennis, 6 David Matyani, 5 JJ de Lange, 4 Raynardt Brown, 3 Owen Wessels, 2 Luke Didoft, 1 Nathan Birkholtz.

Pearson: 15 Keano Beling, 14 Matthew Els, 13 Sibu Mkhontwana, 12 Hanro Botes, 11 Siya Ncwadi, 10 Denilo Jordaan, 9 Kadin Kretzmann, 8 Robert Harris, 7 Cameron Knoetze (captain), 6 Siphe Myataza, 5 Mlibo Toni, 4 Ryan Herbst, 3 Jordan Bruintjies, 2 Nicholas Gillespie, 1 Joshua Pienaar.

Graeme College: 15 Alden Walters, 14 Lucritia Magau, 13 Erin Nelson, 12 Torres Fourie, 11 Elgin Fanton, 10 Ethan Bokbaard, 9 Luke Doyle, 8 Ayamile Bill, 7 Ayola Mali, 6 Lwandle Dlamini, 5 Mikhulu Yolani, 4 Akho Tonjeni, 3 Athi Bonga, 2 Lebo Mahasele, 1 Bagcine Njengele.

Nico Malan: 15 Elroy Skosana, 14 Kobus Strydom, 13 Gelden van Niekerk, 12 Enzo Machaba, 11 Tequane Koopman, 10 Leighton Lawrence, 9 Lleyton Mienie, 8 Pietman Kleinhans (captain), 7 Chrisjan de Lange, 6 MC Ferreira, 5 Ruben van Dijk, 4 Ulrich van Zyl, 3 Andre van der Merwe, 2 Janu Janse van Rensburg, 1 Waldo Krige.

DF Malherbe: not available.

Paul Roos Gimnasium hosts Rondebosch Boys’ High on Main Field at 13:00 on Saturday. With hooker and SA Schools star Altus Rabé coming back into their side, the Maroon Machine is ready to take on the competitive Southern Suburbs challengers.

Although, it’s not just the usual starting lineup for Ou Polla’s Boys, with flank Caleb Koeberg making his 1st XV debut. The young talent is an exciting player to watch and has signed a contract with the Bulls.

Rondebosch won’t mind going up against such star firepower, since they have some of their own. Western Province representatives, like Caleb Bell on the wing, provide serious threats to the home defence, never mind clever and elusive centres like Matthew Galpin and David Kadima.
They are, however, without their captain, SA Schools’ flank Josh Neill.

In 2023, Paul Roos scored a comfortable 24-7 victory and last year’s all-conquering Maroon Machine won 38-17, but ‘Bosch has been a very competitive outfit over the past two seasons. While the Stellenbosch hosts are the favoured in Saturday’s fixture, they won’t be taking the Cape Town visitors lightly.

Strand find themselves up against a familiar foe when they host Swartland at 12:10 on Saturday.

Both sides are well rested after the holidays and should be at their best for one of the most important fixtures of their respective seasons.

With seven wins, a draw, and only three losses, Strand owns a more impressive record than Swartland, whose season’s record stands at four wins and six defeats.

They also, for example, beat Hermanus 31-20, while Swartland fell to a 0-17 loss against the same opposition. Then again, Swartland beat Charlie Hofmeyr 18-10 and Strand drew 19-19 against the same side.

The point is the outcome is unpredictable, and anything could happen on the day. A well-rested and passionate Swartland side will not be taken lightly by Strand.

Strand are most dangerous from their set-pieces, from which their backs wait to unleash an arsenal of moves.

The visitors are usually good starters, and an early lead might give them the confidence required to suffocate the creative Strand attack. If they can find cohesion in their scrums and lineouts, they will keep the scoreboard tight.

Teams:

Paul Roos Gimnasium: 15 Keenan Stoffels, 14 Divan Lamprecht, 13 Tiaan Basson, 12 Ian Smith, 11 Jordan Steenkamp, 10 Travis Pheiffer, 9 Jan-Jan Nel, 8 Gert Kemp, 7 Luke Kent, 6 Caleb Koeberg, 5 Manus van Leeuwen, 4 Trupse Schoeman, 3 Lehan Barnard, 2 Altus Rabe, 1 Zak Hickman.

Rondebosch: 15 Shellvon Mabooi, 14 Caleb Jeneker, 13 David Kadima, 12 Matthew Galpin, 11 Caleb Bell, 10 Sebastian Boshoff, 9 James Kirsten, 8 Alutha Wesi, 7 Connor Arbuthnot, 6 Linakho Mehlomakulu, 5 Bertus Versfeld, 4 Danil-Nicolas Oosthuizen, 3 Damian Spence, 2 Ismaeel Conrad, 1 Bulele Mbala.

Strand: 15 Ashton Mitchell, 14 Marquin Smith, 13 Kealan Milton, 12 Lyle Julies, 11 Kyle Steyn, 10 Justin Phillips, 9 Jaydan Steenkamp, 8 Rohan Bezuidenhout, 7 Chrismar Prinsloo, 6 Schalk Beukes, 5 Keagan Coetzee, 4 Joshua Lourens, 3 Timothy van den Bergh, 2 Ruben Paanakker, 1 Christopher Els.

Swartland: 15 Aurello van Wyk, 14 Enrico Louw, 13 Justin Vermeulen, 12 Daniel Walters, 11 Zaidell Paulus, 10 De Wet van Aswegen, 9 Dimitrios Boutsikaris, 8 Wessel Neethling, 7 Jayron Lottering, 6 James Joubert, 5 Martin Neethling, 4 Christian Cupido, 3 Melchoir Botha, 2 Eben van Wyk, 1 Lamin Bah.

Reece-Edwards Field hosts Northwood against Glenwood on Saturday, with the Knights aiming to pull off a season’s sweep of the Green Machine.

When the teams met earlier in the season on Dixon’s Field, at Glenwood, Northwood led only 18-16 with a minute to play, but they struck twice in quick succession to come away with a 30-16 victory.

If the Knights win, it would be a second successive season’s sweep of the Green Machine after they recorded 31-24 and 29-17 wins in 2024.

They own a superior record to Glenwood, too, this season, with nine wins and five defeats, while Glenwood’s record is five wins, six losses, and a 26-26 draw with Monument.

When they met at Glenwood, Trevor van Volenstee, who had played at fullback, took over at flyhalf for Northwood and delivered an outstanding performance. His goal kicking, though, has been somewhat inconsistent and that could be one of the reasons why he returns to the number 15 jersey, with Savio Stevens and his sure boot taking over at flyhalf.

It was also a game in which centre Tristan Parkinson shone, scoring a try from 55 metres out. His midfield partnership with Bongane Khumalo is a strength of the Northwood team.

The Knights will be without Lian Terblanche, who will be in action for the SA u18A team early in August in the International Series against Ireland, Georgia, and France. One of his teammates there will be Glenwood captain Lizwe Mtetwa, who is an impressive force in the midfield.

While Northwood will be favoured to bag another win in the amphitheatre-like bowl of Reece-Edwards Field, Glenwood has played some tremendous rugby this season, but they’ve lacked consistency, sometimes in the same game.

Their start against Milnerton High in the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival was spectacular and special. Midway through the first half, they led 29-0. Millies, though, pulled it back to 34-34 before a late Joshua Kopp penalty won it for Glenwood. And that’s been the challenge for the Green Machine this season – putting it all together.

Much like their performance against Northwood, Glenwood played themselves into a strong position in their most recent outing, leading Westville Boys’ High 25-21 six minutes into the second half. The unbeaten Griffin, though, tacked on 21 unanswered points to win. Glenwood showed, nonetheless, the ability to go head-to-head with top opposition.

Playing at Northwood, that same Westville team won only 16-14. That underlines the size of the challenge that awaits Glenwood.

If they’re unable to disrupt Northwood’s relentless forward pressure in the set scrums, lineouts, rucks, and mauls, they’re in for a long day. That’s what kept Westville in check. If they do, however, another interesting contest awaits.

Teams:

Northwood vs Glenwood at 13:30 in Durban

Northwood: 15 Trevor von Volenstee, 14 Josh Thondlana, 13 Bongane Khumalo, 12 Tristan Parkinson, 11 Aphiwe Maphisa, 10 Savio Stevens, 9 Jed Mun-Gavin, 8 Jamie Wimble, 7 Omari Mabuza, 6 Lusanda Mabizela, 5 Chad Howe, 4 Asanda Zama, 3 Janco Visagie, 2 Aya Makula, 1 Sphe Ntshangase.

Glenwood: N/A

Die beseringspook het kom aanklop by Hoërskool Middelburg, en dit op die vooraand van straks sy grootste toets van die jaar.

Volg al die Noordvaal Plaat-aksie regstreeks op SuperSport Schools – (www.supersportschools.com)

Die Middies, wat Saterdagmiddag tuis in Middelburg teen die onoorwonne Hoërskool Zwartkop te staan kom, is vandeesweek met ‘n rits beserings getref.

Heelagter Katlego Baloyi is vir die res van die jaar buite aksie vanweë ‘n ernstige nekbesering wat hy opgedoen het tydens die onlangse provinsiale weke wat in sy agterplaas plaasgevind het.

Agsteman, Hencoe Janse van Rensburg, wat die Pumas se Akademiespan aangevoer het, loop ook die kragmeting mis weens ‘n kniebesering, met Jabu Mathebula wat sy plek inneem, terwyl albei flanke, Wihan Jordaan en die woelige CW Hanekom, ook op die krukkelys is. Hulle word deur Zanempilo Mahlangu en Khensani Buthelezi vervang, wat beteken dat die Middies vir die gevaarlike Zwarries met ‘n splinternuwe lostrio moet aandurf.

Die besoekers se breier, David Gouws, kon daarenteen sy sterkste span in die veld stoot. Mikka Allers keer terug op nr. 6, met die witwarm Brian Smith wat agsteman toe skuif. Die gevaarlike Justin Julies is terug op heelagter, met die venynige Zulu Mona op linkervleuel.

Elders in Middelburg verwelkom Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg sy binnesenter en kaptein, Johnny Dos Santos, terug in die beginspan. Dos Santos voer dus vir die eerste keer sedert die begin van die seisoen vir die Rooi Bulle aan in hul stryd teen Hoërskool Kempton Park.

Afrigter, Jano Venter, en die res van die span is uiteraard opgewonde om hul leier terug te verwelkom.

“Nie slegs wat sy spel betref nie, maar sy blote teenwoordigheid maak ‘n reuse verskil. Die manne volg hom omdat hy deur sy voorbeeld lei,” het Venter gesê.

Hoërskool Wesvalia staal homself vir ‘n reuse stryd nie wanneer hy Saterdag na Alberton reis om met Hoërskool Marais Viljoen swaarde te kruis. Marais Viljoen het geen beserings na die provinsiale weke nie en spog dus met ál sy sleutelspelers.

Die Wessies moes egter ‘n paar skommelinge maak. Juandré Snyman en Fafa Calitz maak die middeveld uit, in die afwesigheid van Wian du Preez. Fanie Linde keer nietemin terug na die voorry om die Wessie-pak ‘n groot hupstoot te gee teen die tuisspan se makropak.

Die skoolvakansie was ook goedgesind teenoor Libron Akademie aangesien hy Saterdag sy sterkste vyftiental op die veld stuur. Die span van Ermelo word ingewag deur ‘n gedugte Hoërskool Klerksdorp wat op in Mpumalanga kom besoek aflê.

Die Klerksdorpers het self ongedeerd van die vakansie afgekom met die kranige kombinasie van Winton Abrahams (buitesenter) en Tyron Masango (vleuel) op hul pos, terwyl Brendin Matthyse terugkeer op heelagter.

Die spanne:

Hoërskool Middelburg t. Zwartkop om 12:30 in Middelburg

Hoërskool Middelburg: 15 Sihle Mkhatshwa, 14 Lesego Rakale, 13 Jaco Truter, 12 Lungelo Maseko, 11 Kefilwe Phamotse, 10 Matthew Abbey, 9 Keabetswe Nkgadima, 8 Jabu Mathebula, 7 Zanempilo Mahlangu, 6 Khensani Buthelezi, 5 Wian Olwagen, 4 André Roberts, 3 Dewald du Toit, 2 Roux Grobler, 1 Carlo Joubert.

Zwartkop: 15 Justin Julies, 14 Shayden Botha, 13 Luan Williams, 12 David van Jaarsveld, 11 Zulu Mona, 10 Tilon Baron, 9 Luan Janse van Rensburg, 8 Brian Smith, 7 Jethro le Roux, 6 Mikka Allers, 5 Logan, 4 Ettienne van Niekerk, 3 Christiaan de Vries, 2 Regan Blignaut, 1 Matthew Smith.

Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg t. Hoërskool Kempton Park om 13:30 in Middelburg

HTS Middelburg: 15 Nathan Jansen van Vuuren, 14 Kwanele Mkhize, 13 Jacques Greyling, 12 Johnny Dos Santos, 11 CJ Muller, 10 Danté Lubbe, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Tercius Bezuidenhout, 7 Ethan Kok, 6 Dewan Coetzee, 5 Andrea de Wet, 4 Janco Aucamp, 3 Marinus Oberholzer, 2 Hanru Terblanche, 1 Janco Botha.

Kempton Park: 15 Stian de Villiers, 14 Guillaume Botha, 13 Rocco Louw, 12 Wian Riekert, 11 Ethan Botha, 10 Ben Steyn, 9 Ettienne Stroebel, 8 Ruan Mostert, 7 Marko van der Walt, 6 Matthew Vermaak, 5 Luca du Plooy, 4 Louis Mouton, 3 Zander Luckay, 2 Dihan Keeve, 1 Piet van den Heever.

Marais Viljoen t. Wesvalia om 12:30 in Alberton

Marais Viljoen: 15 Raynhardt Kruger, 14 Devin Raubenheimer, 13 Juan van den Heever, 12 Jonno Morkol, 11 Kabelo Thloaele, 10 Claude do Couto, 9 Ethan Weideman, 8 Rio Tshimbalanga, 7 Tiaan van Huyssteen, 6 Lloyd Shoko-Schenk, 5 Clayton Gagiano, 4 Jermaine Crause, 3 Sifiso Shongwe, 2 Ondisa Njili, 1 Juan Cooper.

Wesvalia: 15 Henco Greyling, 14 Martin Bierman, 13 Juandré Snyman, 12 Fafa Calitz, 11 Stephan Pelser, 10 Eduard Dreyer, 9 Barry Niemand, 8 Franco Dumond, 7 Christiaan Swanepoel, 6 Quewen Fourie, 5 Tiaan de Kock, 4 Joshua Pieterse, 3 Ignus Nel, 2 Fanie Linde, 1 Ulrigh du Preez.

Ligbron Akademie t. Hoërskool Klerksdorp om 12:20 in Ermelo

Ligbron Akademie: 15 Gaston Brown, 14 Neo Zwane, 12 Siyanda Dennison, 12 Lethi Ngwenya, 11 Bandile Thanjekwayo, 10 Eben Degenaar, 9 Renier van Staden, 8 Jurgens Bezuidenhout, 7 Henco Scheepers, 6 Tiaan Botha, 5 Janco Claassen, 4 Ian Booysen, 3 Dewan Scheepers, 2 Regard Janse van Rensburg, 1 WP Human.

Klerksdorp: 15 Brendin Matthyse, 14 Tyron Masango, 13 Winton Abrahams, 12 Jarred van Staden, 11 Elzeno Schalkwyk, 10 Dorian Isaacs, 9 Rellston Wilson, 8 Tiaan Koen, 7 Marnus van der Merwe, 6 D-Jee Treurnich, 5 Juan Hills, 4 Abrie Esterhuizen, 3 Hanro Nel, 2 De Wet Le Roux, 1 Zander Nienaber

Paarl Gimnasium have won all 13 of their games this season, taking their unbeaten tally to 17 matches in a row. On Saturday, they host Wynberg Boys’ High.

Paul Roos Gimnasium was the last side to beat Paarl Gim, coming out on top in a 23-17 thriller on 18 May 2025. On this Friday, that was 433 days ago.

Saturday’s match kicks off at 12:30 on the J.A. Kriel Field.

Paarl Gim has been on a fearsome roll this season and they’ve had no trouble racking up points. They ended last term on a high note when they thumped Boland Landbou 80-29 away from home.

Wynberg Boys’ High has also been in good form. They came ever so close to taking down Paul Roos, almost earning the title of “giant slayers” on 14 June, when they narrowly lost 17-21 at home. They’ll be aiming to claim that title on Saturday, but they face an immense challenge.

In last year’s edition of this fixture, Paarl Gim walked away with a 45-20 victory. This year, Wynberg has the fire power to make it a much tighter affair. Having side that, though, Paarl Gim is loaded with try-scoring threats.

After a standout performance for Western Province at the FNB Craven Week, where he was named the SA Schools’ captain, Markus Muller returns to skipper Gim. Wynberg will have to keep their eyes on him if they want to keep the scoring low, but few have managed to slow the free-scoring centre down.

Also, Paarl Gim is not a one-man show. Flyhalf Louis Koen always has an ace up his sleeve when it comes to playmaking. Wing Thomas Saunders has some serious pace at his disposal, and he knows how to use it. He often wraps around from the blindside and cuts clean through the opposition defence to collect five points. And Gim boasts dynamic, skilful forwards.

Wynberg features an outstanding 9-10-12 combination, in SA Schools’ scrumhalf Morné Noble, Achmat Behardien and Yaqeen Ahmed. All three of them displayed their attacking prowess at the Craven Week.

Noble distributes the ball with speed and scores plenty of tries with his sniping runs. Behardien provides a plethora of options in attack, with precise passing and kicking. Ahmed aids his flyhalf in playmaking and with his sound goal-kicking.

In the forward department, Gimmies have SA Schools A eighthman Quintin Potgieter to lead them in the gruelling set-piece and breakdown battles.

The home side also displays a number of moves from their lineout; from the rolling maul to the long overthrow for the backs to run onto. Inside the opposition 22, they boast a high conversion rate for all of them and often include the dynamic Markus Muller as the ball carrier at the back of the rolling maul.

Wynberg has a bulldozer in Western Province prop, Luqobo Makwedini. He’ll be aiming to plough over the opposition goal-line if he’s within five metres of it, and he poses a serious test for the Gimmies’ scrum.

Captain and Western Province lock, Jaythen Orange, will test the lethal Gimmies lineout.

Whilst Paarl Gimnasium is the favourite, getting the better of Wynberg is no gimme.

TEAMS

Paarl Gimnasium vs Wynberg Boys’ High at 12:30 in Paarl

Paarl Gim: 15 Dawid Badenhorst, 14 Johan Kleymans, 13 Markus Muller (Captain), 12 Ethan Barker, 11 Thomas Saunders, 10 Louis Koen, 9 Mickyle Booise, 8 Quintin Potgieter, 7 Hendrè van Zyl, 6 Hendrè van der Westhuizen, 5 Jean Dreyer, 4 Bernhardt Schulze, 3 Adriaan van der Lingen, 2 Charles Whitehead, 1 Pieta Cilliers.

Wynberg (likely): 15 Daniel Oud, 14 Chad Campbell, 13 Kunene Gadu, 12 Yaqeen Ahmed, 11 Albert Lourens, 10 Achmat Behardien, 9 Morné Noble, 8 Alvin Machinja, 7 Tjeripo Karuhamba, 6 Alex Barret, 5 James Orwin, 4 Jaythen Orange (Captain), 3 Luqobo Makwedini, 2 Noah Gila, 1 Luke Miller.

Paarl Boys’ High has produced a strong season, suffering only one defeat in their 13 games, a narrow 26-28 setback at Oakdale Landbou in April. They’ll be heavily favoured to see off SACS on Saturday in a King Price Derby Series clash.

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

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for the Cape Town school, but they’ve put up some strong performances against Boishaai in the recent past, including a hard-fought 12-20 loss at home last year.

Saturday’s game kicks off at 12:45 at the Buco Brug Street Stadium.

Paarl Boys’ High boasts a powerhouse pack, led by SA Schools’ prop Jordan Jooste, who specialises in dismantling opposition scrums, while also making a bone-crunching impact with his carries.

SACS captain and flanker Siphe Mbungendlu is no stranger to physicality himself. His side will look to him for inspiration in the set-piece and breakdown battles.

Physicality, though, is one of Boishaai’s calling cards, but they’re not one-dimensional. Their backs offer an additional strength in their speed of play, and inside centre Iwan Jordaan, doesn’t only collect points from the kicking tee. He creates tries with the ball in hand.

The SACS backs will have to be highly alert and present good line speed on defence. If they give the Boishaai backs even a sniff of space, they will be punished for it.

The SACS backline has not gelled as well as they usually do this season. However, they have had their moments and stunned opposition defences with their creativity

Fullback Quewinn Lackay and outside centre Mikey Skeeles are two of their key players and often find ways to break through the opposition’s defensive lines. Paarl Boys’ High, though, poses a hardy challenge with their rush defence.

The home side will fancy their chances of adding another win to an impressive record. Whatever happens, though, a fierce battle and entertaining rugby should light up this age-old Western Cape rivalry.

TEAMS

Paarl Boys’ High vs SACS at 12:45 in Paarl

Paarl Boys’ High (likely): 15 Mark Grindlay, 14 Jeneal Davids, 13 Tristan Joubert, 12 Iwan Jordaan, 11 Cole Moultrie, 10 Francois van der Merwe, 9 Liam de Villiers, 8 Steph van der Merwe (captain), 7 Kobus Wilken, 6 Wege van Zyl, 5 Jayden Joubert, 4 Gershom Pieters, 3 Cruz Davey, 2 Tommy Muller, 1 Jordan Jooste.

SACS: 15 Quewinn Lackay, 14 Josh Gorgens, 13 Mikey Skeeles, 12 Daniel Grant, 11 Imtiaz Abrahams, 10 Robert Boyes, 9 Matt Forbes, 8 Thando Sithole, 7 Harrison Bell, 6 Siphe Mbungendlu (captain), 5 Cameron Hirst, 4 Reuben De Klerk, 3 Qiraan Hermans, 2 Sango Zangqa, 1 Qawe Sawuka.

Just two years ago, Paarl Boys’ High took on South African College High School (SACS) in the final of the Cape Town International Hockey Tournament.

In that fixture, SACS reigned supreme at the Hartleyvale A Stadium, beating their opponents 4-1 to retain the title they had won two years in a row.

A year later, in 2024, SACS was dethroned and beaten by Paarl Gimnasium in the final, while Paarl Boys’ High, affectionately known as Boishaai, finished in 11th place.

A lot has changed in the past 12 months, however, and both sides have a chance of playing themselves into the final after booking their semi-final places on Thursday, day two of the tournament in the Mother City.

SACS will take on Hoërskool Outeniqua in the first semi at Hartleyvale A before Boishaai tackles Reddam House Constantia at the Hartleyvale B AstroTurf at 19:45.

Road to the last four

The journey to the semifinals was smooth for SACS and Boishaai, who dominated their respective Pools on the opening day.

Then, on Thursday, SACS added a 3-0 win over Windhoek Afrikaanse Private School and a 4-0 defeat of the UK’s Reed’s School.

Daniel Graser, Litha Kraai, and Josh Goulding were on the scoresheet against Windhoek. Kraai, as usual, was at it again in the win over Reed’s, netting a brace, while Graser scored once more, and Troy Loots made it four.

For Boys’ High, it was business as usual in their final pool match against Windhoek High School, with Laubscher van Loggerenberg, Alex Lategan, and Mijan Herholdt scoring in a 3-0 victory.

They were made to sweat in their cross-pool playoff against St George’s Weybridge, another of the sizeable UK contingent competing in the CTIHT.

The match ended 1-1, which sent the contest to a penalty shootout. Paarl Boys’ High held their nerve and came away with a 3-1 win.

Outeniqua and Reddam House Constantia also had to work hard to make it through to the final four.

After a disappointing showing in the group stage, Outeniqua stunned Durbanville 1-0 in their cross-pool playoff game to set up a date with SACS.

Wehan Meyer was the hero for the boys from George after finding the back of the net and putting in a man-of-the-match performance.

Reddam, like Boys’ High, took the road less travelled after they played to a 2-2 draw with Parel Vallei High School (PV) in their cross-pool clash.

Skipper Joe Gitlin and Max Godden netted for Reddam, while Sashin Pillay and Luca Jordan scored for PV.

It was tight in the penalty shootout, but Reddam edged it 3-2 to progress to the semi-finals.

The Evolve section semifinals will be contested by Curro Durbanville and Windhoek’s St Paul’s College before the favourite, Bridge House, takes on HTS Drostdy.

After Friday’s matches, the players will have a rest day on Saturday and return on Sunday for the final day.

RESULTS

Pool A

SACS 3-1 Windhoek Afrikaanse Private School
St George’s Weybridge 2-1 Somerset College

Pool 

Paarl Boys’ High 3-0 Windhoek High
Reed’s School 2-0 Worcester Gimnasium

Pool C

Durbanville 6-0 Kingston Grammar
Parel Vallei 4-0 Millfield School

Pool D

Outeniqua 2-1 King Edward’s School
Reddam House Constantia 4-1 WP Invitational

Cross-Pool playoffs

Worcester Gimnasium 2-1 Somerset College
Outeniqua 1-0 Durbanville
Reddam Constantia (3) 2-2 (2) Parel Vallei
SACS 4-0 Reed’s School
Paarl Boys’ High (3) 1-1 (1) St George’s Weybridge
Windhoek Afrikaanse 2-1 Windhoek High
Millfield School 4-0 WP Invitational
King Edward’s School (3) 1-1 (2) Kingston Grammar

Click HERE for the day three fixtures.

Oakdale Landbou’s First XV has shown itself to be a force in South African schoolboy rugby this season, and they’ll be heavily favoured when they host HTS Drostdy on Saturday in Riversdal.

With Oakdale players making up a large part of the South Western Districts (SWD) squad, the team made it through to the unofficial FNB Craven Week final against the perennial winners Western Province. To get there, South Western Districts scored a stunning 35-34 victory over Free State and comfortably outplayed the Golden Lions, winning 54-22.

The Farmers are especially strong on their home ground, De Eike. Their results at home include handing Paarl Boys’ High their only loss of the season. Kick-off is at 13:00 on Saturday.

On paper, HTS Drostdy has not been at their best this season, with only six wins from 13 matches, while Oakdale has eight wins from 12 outings. Both have played tough schedules, but The Farmers have fared far better. The Worcester locals are in for a tough challenge.

When the sides met last year, Oakdale won 25-12, but they’re a far tougher proposition in 2025.

Drostdy, though, has always been a side to which the adage “anything can happen on the day” has applied. They play with a passionate tenacity, which was on show in a narrow 20-26 defeat to Paul Roos Gimnasium.

The hosts will have to be on their toes for a game that Drostdy will want to play at pace. The visitors, though, will have to figure out a way to deal with The Farmers’ big forward pack, which play with militant-like cohesion. Their loose forwards could build a small mountain of rugby balls with all the steals they’ve made this season. Their set-piece play has been equally impressive.

Knowing this, Drostdy will lean on their counterattacking play, trusting their quick hands to find ways through the airtight home defence. It’s going to be a tough challenge for the visitors.

Meanwhile in Paarl, Boland Landbou takes on Diocesan College at 12:45 on Perdeberg A Field.

They will look to their SA Schools scrumhalf, Jayden Brits, to open up the Bishops’ defences.

When they met last year, Boland Landbou powered their way to an emphatic 52-10 win. This year, Bishops is a much-improved side, which plays to the final whistle. That was on display against a very strong Paarl Boys’ High side in June, when Bishops scored the last 12 points of the contest in a hard-fought 12-33 defeat.

The Cape Town side also tends to grow into their games. Landbou on the other side, tend to start better than they finish. With strong leadership from their captain and hooker Daniel van den Heever, Bishops will be confident that they can put Boland under pressure in the latter stages of the match.

Bishops are known for their creative attack, scoring out wide with quick hands and in the middle of the field through running clever lines. The Landbou defence has conceded a lot of points this season, although they’ve also scored plenty themselves, too.

Saturday’s showdown has the potential to be a high-scoring showdown.

The teams: 

Oakdale Landbou vs HTS Drostdy at 13:00 in Riversdal

Oakdale Landbou: 15 Mark-Hein Fourie, 14 Myburgh Eksteen, 13 Anrich Scheffer, 12 Christian Vorster, 11 Lee-Winn Pretorius, 10 CT Vosloo, 9 Jandrian Goosen, 8 Jacobus de Villiers, 7 Liam Lightley, 6 Jannes Snyman (captain), 5 Rico Ferreira, 4 Diaan Augustyn, 3 Francois le Roux, 2 Adrian Smit, 1 Kai Pratt.

HTS Drostdy: 15 Pirlo Baron, 14 Adrian Vergotine, 13 Abdul Fisher, 12 Jacques de Klerk, 11 Darren Makheza, 10 Jano van Deventer, 9 Caleb Cornett, 8 Wynand Fabricius, 7 Arnu Nieuwoudt, 6 Wernu Ramsauer (captain), 5 Eugene Walker, 4 Carlos dos Santos, 3 Sandro Smit, 2 JP Lotriet, 1 Stefan le Roux.

Boland Landbou vs Diocesan College at 12:45 in Paarl

Boland Landbou: 15 Gethano van Bo, 14 Kobus Jordaan, 13 Aleit Stander, 12 Blake de Kock, 11 Jadon Ocks, 10 Pieter Bergh (captain), 9 Jayden Brits, 8 Jacques Visagie, 7 Kody Nell, 6 Juan Visagie, 5 Jeandré le Roux, 4 Stephan Griesel, 3 Derico Messina, 2 Wikus Coetzee, 1 Diwan Grobbelaar.

Diocesan College: 15 Rynard Gordon, 14 Ben Myburgh, 13 Cole Robyntjies, 12 Boytjie Fyfer, 11 Ben Koenig, 10 Eljaron Geduld, 9 Max Marr, 8 Jack Venter, 7 Joshua Macdonald, 6 Ethan Venter, 5 Rieko Kidha, 4 Dan Coetzee, 3 Chris du Toit, 2 Daniel van den Heever (captain), 1 Will Reid.

An intriguing battle is lined up in George, where Outeniqua hosts Stellenberg at 13:40 on Saturday.

Whereas the Kwaggas have often been a dark horse side capable of extending the best teams in the country, that hasn’t always been the case with Stellies. In recent seasons, though, the Jade Brigade has taken on that mantle.

The last time the sides met, in Cape Town, in July 2024, they play to a 24-24. This time out, Stellenberg has the battle-hardened experience to finish the chances required to defeat the George locals.

With their talisman and SA Schools A flyhalf Ethan van Biljon to the fore, Stellenberg has claimed some big scalps. Their results include a 24-10 win over Wynberg Boys’ High, and a 23-22 defeat of Rondebosch. Both of those schools had five representatives in the Western Province and Western Province XV teams at the 2025 FNB Craven Week.

The Kwaggas will have to dig deep to beat the visitors, and they’ll aim to tap into their skilful, running genes, which have produced Springboks’ Warrick Gelant and Manie Libbok, to do that.

At 13:10 on Saturday, Somerset West will host another classic encounter between the home team, Parel Vallei (PV), and Worcester Gimnasium on the A Field.

Recent meetings between the two have produced low-scoring games, with Worcester Gim winning their two most recent clashes, 12-5 last year and 17-7 in 2022.

The hosts have been playing more rugby in recent seasons and have steadily increased the strength of the opposition they’ve faced. As a result, Worcester will need to bring their A-game if they’re to continue their winning streak against PV.

Parel Vallei will fight tooth-and-nail for the win. It’s likely to be a dogfight between two evenly matched sides and predicting a winner is a coin-flip

TEAMS

Outeniqua vs Stellenberg at 13:40 in George

Outeniqua: 15 Jade Peterson, 14 Grant Savage, 13 Schalk van der Merwe, 12 Reshaan Damans, 11 Devino Bernardo, 10 Virgil Pockpas, 9 Cee-Jay Arends, 8 Henru Nell (Captain), 7 Bradley Steyl, 6 Ruan van Rensburg, 5 Favian Swart, 4 Franco du Toit, 3 Zacary Meyer, 2 Keenan Myners, 1 Matthew Prins.

Stellenberg: 15 Eben Rademan, 14 Daniel Mongie, 13 Luka Tonitz, 12 Armand Potgieter, 11 Christian Arendse, 10 Ethan van Biljon, 9 Daniel Steffen, 8 Yanos Molnar, 7 Ryan Jones, 6 Ernst van der Merwe, 5 Carlo Brink, 4 Juvan Burden, 3 Janu van Deventer, 2 Liam Joubert, 1 Christian Janse van Rensburg (Captain).

Parel Vallei vs Worcester Gimnasium at 13:10 in Somerset West

Parel Vallei: 15 Shudley Rhoda, 14 Johan van Zyl, 13 Cayde Lucas, 12 Tihan van der Colff, 11 Owen Cockroft, 10 Stefhan Niemann, 9 Michael Kent, 8 Bradley Brown, 7 Chris de Jager, 6 Marce Els, 5 James Paxton, 4 Renato Tosi, 3 Cayden Rautenbach, 2 Diaan du Toit, 1 Herman Diedericks.

Worcester Gimnasium: 15 Lohenzel Tshabatau, 14 Leagon Brooks, 13 Elrenzo Swartz, 12 Breyton Swartz, 11 Renang Mrashula, 10 Fredwin Philander, 9 Luke Cupido, 8 Jayd-Will De Klerk, 7 Vuyolwethu Bavuma, 6 Lisakhanya Luthuli, 5 Nichame Brown, 4 Leighcon Du Plessis, 3 Kiano Pretorius, 2 Liam van der Westhuizen, 1 Amaan Kana.

Reddam House Constantia and Zimbabwe’s Chisipite maintained their unbeaten runs to take charge of their respective groups on Thursday, the second day of the annual Cape Town International Hockey Tournament.

There are 60 teams in action, 28 of them girls’ sides, of which 16 are in the Elite section and 12 in the Evolve lineup.

The event, which kicked off on Wednesday, runs through until Sunday and is being played at six venues.

Reddam House, who finished the opening day with emphatic victories over their Pool A compatriots HMS La Rochelle and Worcester Gim, carried on from where they left off by extending their unbeaten run to four games.

On Thursday morning, they faced their toughest opposition when they crossed swords with Windhoek’s St Paul’s College. Like Reddam House, St Paul’s was flying high after big wins on Wednesday. There was little to separate the sides, and they played to a 1-1 draw, which meant Reddam House topped the group on goal difference by the narrowest of margins, a single goal.

Per the tournament rules, the pools were merged after the first round of matches, and Reddam House found themselves in a new group comprising former Pool A and Pool B members, Pool AB. Their first assignment in that new cohort was against Outeniqua, and they came away with a 2-1 win over the team which had finished second in Pool B.

Somerset College, who struggled and went winless on their way to a last-place finish in Pool B, found their groove and pulled off a 2-1 triumph over HMS La Rochelle in another Pool AB game.

Unlike Reddam House, Chisipite didn’t get their campaign underway with a deluge of goals. They squeezed out a 1-0 win over Hoërskool Bellville in their first match, before settling for a 0-0 draw with Durbanville High in their second fixture.

The ladies from across border began their second day in the same way as they ended day one, with a draw, sharing the points with Paarl Girls’ High, after their contest ended 1-1. That left them third in Pool D with a win and two draws.

In their new group, Pool CD, Chisipite found their stride and romped to a Jessica Orford-inspired 5-2 win over Windhoek High, with Orford slotting a hat-trick and Rebecca Winsor adding a brace. Windhoek High responded with goals from Leanne Steyn and Jodie Bester.

Other winners in Pool CD were Parel Vallei and Paarl Girls’ High, who beat for Durbanville High and Kingston Grammar respectively.

Parel Vallei, who topped Pool C after the first round of matches, scored a narrow 3-2 win over Durbanville High, courtesy of goals from Jordan Boer, Zelda Rosenstrauch, and Eva Blaauw.

Paarl Girls’ High, who won one and drew two on their way to a first-place finish in Pool D, picked up their second win of the tournament when they edged out Kingston Grammar 2-1. Heading into Friday’s action, there is all to play for in Pool CD, with three sides leading the charge.

The day will begin with a clash between Worcester Gim and Hoërskool Bellville, which will be followed by a humdinger featuring Outeniqua and Durbanville High. Fans and spectators can expect fireworks in the last fixture of the day when St Paul’s College takes on Paarl Girls’ High.

RESULTS

Cross-pool matches

Pool AB

Reddam House: 2 – Cassidy Frank, Jessica Bester. Outeniqua: 1 – Zanelle Rensburg.
St Paul’s College: (2) 1 -Leila Grögli. Millfield: (1) 1 – Lilly Holmes.
Somerset College: 2 – Annabelle Hamel, Leila Holtzhausen. HMS La Rochelle: 1 -Daniella van Antwerp.
Windhoek Afrikaanse (1) 1 – Kirsten Koudelka. Worcester Gim (0) 1 – Nicole Steyn.

Pool CD

Parel Vallei: 3 – Jordan Boer, Zelda Rosenstrauch, Eva Blaauw. Durbanville High: 2 – Amy Ten Cate, Nika Spies.
Paarl Girls’ High: 2 – Halle Williams, Lisa Craven. Kingston Grammar: 1 – Sophie Standford.
Chisipite: 5 – Jessica Orford (3), Rebecca Winsor (2). Windhoek High: 2 – Leanne Steyn, Jodie Bester.
Curro Durbanville: (2) 1 – Marissa Morgan. Hoërskool Bellville: (1) 1 – Lemae Sobey.

Pool A

Reddam House: 1 – Emma Hibbert. St Paul’s College: 1 – Stephanie Shepherd.
HMS La Rochelle: 1 – Cara Wilson. Worcester Gim: 1 – Grace Jacobs.

Pool B

Outeniqua: 2 – Nina Loots, Katelyn Rossouw. Somerset College: 1 – Mia Baumgardt
Millfield: 2 – Charlie Milson, Eva Herbertson. Windhoek Afrikaanse: 0

Pool C

Parel Vallei: 1 – Skylar Bougaard. Curro Durbanville: 0.
Kingston Grammar: 3 – Milla England, Zara Curtis, Sophie Standford. Windhoek High: 1 – Jodie Bester.

Pool D

Durbanville High: 4 – Zieke Rossouw (3), Kiara Kommer. Hoërskool Bellville: 0.
Paarl Girls: 1 – Anne Nell. Chisipite: 1 – Tawana Munyawarara.