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Two of the most impactful football schools in South Africa, Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School and the School of Excellence, are set to meet in Tshwane this weekend.

Who can forget the impact Mama Rosina Sedibane Modiba had on South African sports in general, let alone track and field, a sport in which she excelled in the late ’70s?

Modiba, born in Atteridgeville, in apartheid South Africa, dared to dream when all the odds were stacked against her. At her peak she defied those odds and won the 1 500m during the multi-racial provincial championships at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria in March 1977, beating the then-record-holder Sonja Laxton.

Modiba was a pioneer, a trailblazer for the likes of Caster Semenya, another global track and field legend born and bred in South Africa.

As a result, the former Laudium Technical College in Gauteng was officially renamed the Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School of Focused Learning to commemorate her achievements.

This stubbornness, courage and never-say-die spirit is on display week in and out in the Gauteng Development League (GDL) when Rosina Sedibane Modiba Sports School takes to the field in each of the four divisions.

They’re currently eighth in the under-19 standings, with five victories and as many losses in 14 fixtures. They’re also desperate to maintain their position on the log, especially after losing 0-3 last week to their neighbours, SuperSport United.

In the past two seasons, Rosina Sedibane has hovered around the top 10 in the division and will present the School of Excellence with a stiff challenge when they go at it on the weekend.

The School of Excellence has an equally rich history of its own.

Academies and schools are judged on the number of players they produce that go on to earn international caps. In South African football, no other school or academy comes close to the School of Excellence on that metric.

Daine Klate, South Africa’s most decorated DStv Premiership footballer, with six league titles, including three in a row, is a proud old boy. Steven Pienaar, Bernard Parker, Bryce Moon and Masilo Modubi, to name a few, all hail from the School of Excellence.

However, all is not roses at the school at present, with many saying their glory days are well and truly in the past. This follows Transnet’s exit as the longstanding sponsor of the school. Recent reports say that the school owes Eskom over R1-million.

The issues in the boardroom have filtered down to the quality of the product on the pitch as the School of Excellence has moved from being regulars in the top four of the standings in the past two seasons to occupying seventh place after 14 rounds of the 2024 campaign.

However, the school appears to be clawing its way back to form following a 3-3 draw against Sevens Academy last week, in a match in which their goalkeeper scored a stunning freekick to remind the country they still have a superb eye for talent.

WATCH: School of Excellence Goalkeeper Scores Stunning Freekick

Saturday Fixtures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Fixtures

Hoewel Hoërskool Garsfontein se Bere verlede naweek behoorlik spiere gebult het, sal hulle op hul hoede moet wees vir die bedreiging wat die groen golf van Hoërskool Rustenburg kan inhou.

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Die Bere het sommer gelyk na die Garsfontein van ouds in hul reuse oorwinning van 90-14 oor Hoërskool Menlopark verlede naweek en sal daardie skitterende spelpeil tuis wil voortsit teen die Rusties in die SDC Noordvaal Cup se Beker-afdeling.

Die Pretorianers het uitstekend herstel om na ‘n wankelrige begin om hul laaste tweede wedstryde in die kompetisie te wen. Voor die slagting op Bere-park in die vorige ronde, het hulle ook met 31-19 teen Hoërskool Marais Viljoen, in Alberton, geseëvier.

Die Rustenburgers, nuwelinge in vanjaar se Beker-afdeling, spog ook reeds met twee seges op hul kerfstok, nadat hulle met Marais Viljoen (51-29) en Hoërskool Nelspruit (23-19) afgereken het.

Dit sal interessant wees om te sien hoe die Rusties se agttal, onderleiding van slot en kaptein, Pedrie Human, teen die Bere se voorhoede opweeg. Toe dit moeilik gegaan het met Garsies aan begin van die seisoen, was dit die voorspelers wat uitgeblink het, terwyl hul sukses die afgelope paar weke te danke was aan Junade Pasensie se uitsonderlike vermoë om spel te skep agter die pak.

Pasensie se skuif na losskakel het nuwe wind in die Bere se seile geblaas en help ook dat die aanvalswapens soos linkervleuel, Junaide Stuart, en buitesenter, Ruan Enslin, op die voorvoet kan kom.

Die Rusties beskik self oor ‘n paar gevaarlike angels in hul agterlyn. Die vleuels, Zulu Khumalo en Christiaan van den Bergh, is albei uitstekend op dreef en nie vreemdelinge vir die doellyn nie, terwyl die Luiperds se Cravenweek-heelagter, Lorenzo Snyers, ook die Bere inwag.

“Ons het gewerk aan ons foute die week en klem gelê op die vaste fasette,” sê Rusties se afrigter, Naas Olivier.

“Garsfontein is sterk voorlangs en ons sal op ons stukke moet wees die naweek. Ons doelwit is om hulle onder druk te plaas met ‘n westrydplan wat ons glo vir ons die beste kans gaan bied.”

In Krugersdorp wag daar ‘n groot taak op Hoërskool Noordheuwel se Blues wanneer hulle vir Helpmekaar Kollege in die kompetisie se laaste ronde van die kwartaal aandurf. Die Helpies het verlede naweek ‘n broodnodige loslootjie geniet, terwyl die Blues naelskraaps teen Dr. EG Jansen vasgeval het met 30-34.

Hierdie is ‘n wedstryd wat die Nories se afrigtingspan as ‘n “moet-wen” beskou aangesien hulle die afgelope twee keer teen Hoërskool Monument (33-36) en EG Jansen tweede gekom het. Die Helpies het self, voor die loslootjie, op hul neus gekyk teen die Arende van Boksburg (19-27).

Albei spanne het tot dusver met rukke en stote uitstaande rugby opgedis. Die span van Johannesburg se agttal sal uitsien na nóg ‘n fisieke stryd voorlangs .

Agterlangs is albei agterlyne taamlik onvoorspelbaar, en beskik elkeen oor die vermoë om iets uit niks op te tower. Die Blues se losskakel, Jeandre Uithaler, se geoefende skopskoen sal weer ‘n deurslaggewende rol speel om die telbord aan die rol te hou, terwyl Helpies se Michael Benzien die toutjies vir die Johannesburgers sal trek wanneer daar aangeval word.

Nories se heelagter, Jade Muller, sal ook met ‘n valkoog dopgehou moet word, vernaam wanneer hy besluit om giftige teenaanvalle van agter te loods.

Die tuisspan sal ook dwaas wees om onnodig op die besoekers se agterste driehoek te skop, want dan sal hulle hul keer moet ken – verál as linkervleuel, Pieter Möller, met sy fisieke lopies teen die kantlyn af vorendag kom.

Die spanne:

Hoërskool Garsfontein t. Hoërskool Rustenburg om 13:20 in Pretoria

Garsfontein (moontlik): 15 Handre Maree, 14 Xian Erasmus, 13 Ruan Enslin, 12 Luann Olivier, 11 Junaide Stuart, 10 Junade Pasensie, 9 Luan Ferreira, 8 Aiden King, 7 Thinus Oosthuizen, 6 JP Pieterse, 5 Jacques Swarts, 4 James Schnetler, 3 Luan van der Berg, 2 Stephan Pretorius, 1 Ethan van Dyk.

Hoërskool Rustenburg: 15 Lorenzo Snyers, 14 Christiaan van der Bergh, 13 Hendré Robinson, 12 Awie Alberts, 11 Zulu Khumalo, 10 Jayden Meyer, 9 Adriano George, 8 Coenraad Coetzer, 7 Dirk Huisamen, 6 Wickus Jacobs, 5 Pedri Human, 4 Edrich Potgieter, 3 Ockert Grobler, 2 Xavier Steenkamp, 1 Divan Welgemoed.

Hoërskool Noordheuwel t. Helpmekaar Kollege om 14:00 in Krugersdorp

Noordheuwel (moontlik): 15 Jade Muller, 14 Jenemo Luiters, 13 Cheswil Jooste, 12 Jared Coetzee, 11 Lindsey Jansen, 10 Jeandre Uithaler, 9 Ignatius Jantjies, 8 Brad Brown, 7 Donovan Breedt, 6 Juandré de Villiers, 5 Xander Buytendach, 4 Alex Greeff, 3 Martin Nel, 2 Brendan Naude, 1 Meyer Opperman.

Helpmekaar (moontlik): 15 Tiaan le Roux, 14 Delano Maritz, 13 Ty Ax, 12 Clinton Cloete, 11 Pieter Möller, 10 Michael Benzien, 9 Tristan van Niekerk, 8 Motlatsi Moloi, 7 Darius Haasbroek, 6 Zaiden Krige, 5 JP Lombard, 4 Eugene de Lange, 3 Urlich van der Merwe, 2 Gustav Grotius, 1 Liam Devenier.

Hoërskool Waterkloof staan ‘n kans om vir die Jansies se Arende ‘n tweede keer vanjaar in Boksburg te klop.

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Die Klofies het Hoërskool Dr. EG Jansen se eerste span reeds op 13 April, in die NWU-sportreeks, met ‘n telling van 45-38 getroef.

Dit is nog onduidelik of ‘n Klofie-span, in die skool se geskiedenis, al twee keer in Boksburg kon seëvier. Dit dra verder by tot die groeiende opwinding onder die twee spanne se ondersteuners.

Daar het egter, sedert die laaste ontmoeting, heelwat water in die see geloop, wat beteken dat Saterdag se kragmeting, in die SDC Noordvaal Cup se Beker-afdeling, beloof om ‘n bielie van ‘n stryd af te gee.

Albei spanne is steeds onoorwonne in vanjaar se kompetisie én is waarskynlik, op hierdie stadium, die groot gunstelinge om weer in dié afdeling se eindstryd te ontmoet.

Die span van Pretoria het nog nét eenkeer vanjaar hul rieme styfgeloop, teen die toonaangewende span in Suid-Afrikaanse skolerugby, Paul Roos Gimnasium (24-47), terwyl die Jansies slegs twee keer die knie gebuig het, waarvan die nederlaag teen die Klofies die seerste sou gemaak het.

“Ons doel hierdie naweek is om op óns te fokus en óns plan uit te voer, met so min as moontlik foute,” het Cobus van Dyk, die Klofies se hoofafrigter vandeesweek gesê.

Dit is ‘n benadering wat tot dusver vanjaar goed vir die Pretorianers gewerk het. Hulle het verál beïndruk in die eerste helfte van hul wedstryde, máár soms die voet van die pedaal afgehaal na rustyd. Dit sal hulle nie teen die Arende kan bekostig nie.

Die Jansies, daarenteen, het dikwels gelyk asof hulle afdraande speel in die tweede 35 minute van ‘n wedstryd en dit is dan ook waar hulle gereeld die knoop deurhak.

Die Arende se buitsenter, Jeandre Jacobs, het verlede naweek in ‘n taai tweestryd met Noordheuwel se Cheswill Jooste daarin geslaag om die oorhand te geniet en was ook verantwoordelik vir die wendrie.

Die Jansie-sneller behoort egter sy hande vol te hê met Klofies se buitesenter en kaptein, Riwan van Aswegen. Van Aswegen beleef ‘n seisoen wat hy vir lank sal onthou en dit was juis hý wat in April die Arende se harte gebreek het, met ‘n drie vanuit sy eie halfgebied.

Daar wag ook ‘n liplekker-stryd onder die losvoorspelers. Dit is veral EG Jansen se oopkantflank, Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar, wat ‘n groot impak kan maak met sy doeltreffendheid by die afbreekpunte.

Hoërskool Marais Viljoen se strewe na hul eerste oorwinning word nie makliker wanneer hulle vir Hoërskool Monument Saterdag in Alberton verwelkom nie.

Die span van Alberton het verlede naweek met 15-33 teen Hoërskool Nelspruit, in Nelspruit, vasgeval, in ‘n kragmeting wat waarskynlik hul beste kans was om die pyp te rook. Die Krugersdorpers lek ook hul wonde na die dragslae van 19-85 wat hulle teen Grey College in Bloemfontein op die lyf geloop het, en sal so spoedig moontlik wil terugekeer na die wenpad toe.

Die Wit Bulle se slot, Jacques Botha, sal sy span oor die voordeellyn wil kry met sy kragtige dryfspel. Botha het vandeesweek ook bevestiging ontvang dat hy opgeneem is in die Leeus se Cravenweekspan, wat volgende maand op Monnas se tuisveld in aksie sal wees. Die twee Cravenweek-flanke, RJ Barnard en Jamaal Feldman, wag ook op Marais Viloen se pak.

Die tuisspan sal sonder hul kaptein en spelskepper, Recce Gerber, se dienste moet klaarkom. Gerber, ongetwyfeld die span se grootste uitblinker vanjaar, word deur die uiters bevoegde Claude do Couto op losskakel vervang, dus rus heelwat verantwoordelikheid op binnesenter, Brandon Els, se skouers om die agterlyn aan die gang te help kry.

Die spanne: 

Hoërskool Dr. EG Jansen t. Hoërskool Waterkloof om 12:30 in Boksburg

EG Jansen (moontlik): 15 Ntokozo Ngobese, 14 Jean-Dre Claassen, 13 Jeandre Jacobs, 12 Steven Williams, 11 Keanu van Loggerenberg, 10 Matthew Bergman, 9 Riekus van der Merwe, 8 Storm Labuschagne, 7 Divan Francis, 6 Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar, 5 Zandre Naudé, 4 Gerhard van Aswegen, 3 Duwan Potgieter, 2 Danre Pike, 1 Zian Marais.

Waterkloof: 15 Ronan Bastiaanse, 14 Malcolm George, 13 Riwan van Aswegen, 12 Happy Makate, 11 Jaiden Badenhorst, 10 Dennis Obi, 9 Migael Prinsloo, 8 Marko Kok, 7 Lendrey Janse van Vuuren, 6 Divan botha, 5 Alrich Uys, 4 Stephan de Beer, 3 Jedri Swart, 2 Ruan Jacobs, 1 Juan Gouws.

Hoërskool Marais Viljoen t. Hoërskool Monument om 12:20 in Alberton

Marais Viljoen: 15 Tyron Bouw, 14 Devin Raubenheimer, 13 Tiaan Joubert, 12 Brandon Els, 11 Ethan Weideman, 10 Claude do Couto, 9 Weon van der Vyver, 8 Rio Tshimbalanga, 7 Dian Scheepers, 6 Lloyd Shoko-Schenck, 5 JD Labuschagne, 4 Bjorn Pieterse, 3 Sifiso Shongwe, 2 Liam Catlow, 1 Clayton Gagiano.

Monument (moontlik): 15 Hanu Fourie, 14 Kealan Milton, 13 Jason Joubert, 12 Theuns du Plooy, 11 Ernesto Oersen, 10 Cruz La Moer, 9 Hanno du Toit, 8 Vincent Robberts, 7 RJ Barnard, 6 Jamaal Feldman, 5 Nathan Erasmus, 4 Jacques Botha, 3 Juandre Marais, 2 Keenan Myners, 1 Wikus Meyer.

 

Litha Kraai, who plies his trade for SACS in Cape Town, scored a total of 10 goals and finished the u16 tournament this past week as the player of the tournament in Bloemfontein.

The Province boys, who were looking to replicate the feat of their senior side that won the u18 title a week ago, dominated proceedings from the first game until the final where they thumped the KZN Inland A side (6-2).

The side opened their campaign with an emphatic (9-1) victory against the KZN Inland B side on day one. It was the second day of the tournament when Province kicked on, as they were scheduled to play two competitive matches against Northern Gauteng A and Eastern Cape’s Amathole side.

The side looked untouchable as the days went by. Southern Free State were always going to prove to be a tough nut to crack; however, Jody Erasmus’s side manned up, scoring four goals and only conceding one in the process.

For a spot in the final looking possible than ever, the side brushed off Boland to cement their spot in the showpiece. Kraai and Theunis Reece both scored a brace in that game.

The final was one-way traffic for the Cape side. They opened the scoring in the first minute through Zachary Gibbon. A flurry of goals in the 12th, 13th and 28th minute saw the side take a (4-0) lead after the first two chukkas.

Province added two more goals to their tally in the third chukka through Gibbon and Matthew Lassen.

The Inland side finished the game the strongest, when they registered two goals in the 49th and 60th minutes respectively.

The match ended (6-2) in favour of Western Province.

Captain Joshua Le Roux finished the campaign alongside the top goal scorers with six to his name. Reece Theunis finished the campaign on eight goals.

 

The full standings from the tournament:

Western Province

KZN Inland A

Southern Gauteng A

Boland A

Northern Gauteng A

KZN Coastal A

KZN Coastal B

Southern Free State A

KZN Inland B

Amathole

Southern Gauteng B

Western Province B

The age-old rivalry between Bishops Diocesan College and Rondebosch Boys’ High, which stretches as far back as 1908, will add another chapter when the two proud schools do battle on the Piley Rees Field this Saturday.

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This year, Bishops is celebrating its 175th anniversary and a win against their peninsular rivals would be the perfect way to celebrate the historic milestone.

So far this season, however, they have been injury-plagued and struggled to find momentum. Their challengers, on the other hand, have been extremely impressive and boast eight representatives at the Craven Week this year.

Dylan Miller, Alutha Wesi and Joshua Neill have been selected for the Western Province team. David Simon, Randall-John Davids, Tom Barnard, Luqobo Makwedini and Matthew van der Merwe are in the WP XV.

Despite not having any players at this year’s youth weeks, the hosts have more than enough firepower. Lucca Mynhardt returns to fullback this weekend, with young Max Marr stepping into the scrumhalf position.

Mynhardt has been a standout in the Bishops team this season and will have a big part to play if they are to overcome the odds and beat Rondebosch.

He and his teammates will be fully aware that form and previous results rarely have an impact on derby day, and they will know, too, that anything can happen when these two storied schools take to the field.

Bishops has racked up 103 wins in the 116-year-old rivalry, while ‘Bosch has come out on top on 80 occasions and 19 games have ended in a draw.

Last year, Bishops beat Rondebosch 13-8 in their first meeting of the season. ‘Bosch returned the favour when they met again, edging past Bishops 36-35 on the Piley Rees Field in their return fixture.

TEAMS

Diocesan College: 15 Lucca Mynhardt, 14 Alex Newton, 13 Iviwe Dadamasi, 12 Ammar Laatoe, 11 Tim Visagie, 10 Jordan Petersen, 9 Max Marr, 8 Aza Gabada, 7 Uzoma Ngcwangu, 6 Josh MacDonald, 5 James Kotze, 4 Alex Smith, 3 Yusuf Ahmed, 2 Jack Campbell, 1 Gareth Mckinon.

Rondebosch Boys’ High: 15 Dylan Miller, 14 David Kadima, 13 Ewan Lawrie, 12 Alutha Wesi, 11 Shakeel Abrahams, 10 David Simon, 9 Travis van den Berg, 8 Collin Paul Kemp, 7 Joshua Neill, 6 Matthys du Plooy, 5 Tom Barnard, 4 Danil-Nicolas Oosthuizen, 3 Matthew van der Merwe, 2 Justin Amos, 1 Luke Pretorius.

FIXTURES

Piley Rees: 12:15 – Diocesan College 1st XV vs Rondebosch Boys’ High 1st XV; 11:00 – Diocesan College II vs Rondebosch Boys’ High II; 09:45 – Diocesan College III vs Rondebosch Boys’ High III; 08:30 – Diocesan College VI vs Rondebosch Boys’ High VI.

Sahara: 11:00 – Diocesan College u16 B vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u16 B; 09:50 – Diocesan College u16 A vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u16 A; 08:40 – Diocesan College u16 C vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u16 C.

Avenue: 10:00 – Diocesan College V vs Rondebosch Boys’ High V; 08:30 – Diocesan College IV vs Rondebosch Boys’ High IV.

Range: 11:00 – Diocesan College u15 A vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u15 A; 10:05 – Diocesan College u15 B vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u15 B; 09:10 – Diocesan College u15 C vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u15 C; 08:15 – Diocesan College u15 D vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u15 D.

Cemetry: 10:30 – Diocesan College u14 A vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u14 A; 09:30 – Diocesan College u14 B vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u14 B; 08:30 – Diocesan College u14 C vs Rondebosch Boys’ High u14 C.

The Southern Gauteng u18 hockey squad to represent the province at the SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein from 16 June has been announced, and it includes a number of players who helped Southerns make the final in 2023.

Within the 16-player squad are St Stithians’ Matt Eichweber, Deven Wax of Beaulieu College, and Avela Sibisi, from St David’s Marist Inanda, who did duty last year in Bloemfontein.

Jeppe High School for Boys provides three returning players in Boipelo Koloti, Joshua Renders and Ethan Kapanda. Those three have been at the forefront of Jeppe’s efforts this season and helped the school bag another Aitken Cup title this month.

Coach Anthony Woodhouse, assisted by Justin Rosenberg and team manager Siya Sityana, explained how they carried out the selection process.

“Our trial process is complicated,” Woodhouse said. “We have three- and four-term schools, with very different holiday periods to consider. This creates a small hiccup, in terms of when trials can take place. Then there is the sheer number of players from across Johannesburg and the Vaal area.

“We usually have district trials before centralised trials, totalling five to six rounds before the final teams are picked.

“This year, we split into A/B and C/D squads and had two training sessions before finalising the teams.

“Lastly, we have many traditional top hockey schools, as well as excellent players from lesser-known schools. This means that some excellent players miss out on selection across teams. Luckily, it’s a good problem to have,” Woodhouse said.

Last year, the team enjoyed a good run and placed second after winning four games, losing two, and drawing one. Southern Gauteng, as always, will be one of the favourites to win the provincial title, although the defending champions, Western Province, will be odds-on to add another crown.

Woodhouse believes his charges are on the right path so far in terms of their preparations. “They’ve gone well so far,” he reckoned.

“It is a bit of a balancing act, with many players writing exams, some still playing fixtures, and a few who have club commitments. Luckily, our sports scientist, Jarred Marsh, has been diligent in managing the load on the players.

“We have had a good number of training sessions and are playing practice matches against premier league club teams and other Southern Gauteng teams.

“I am excited to be working with such a high-quality management group, including Siya Sityana, Justin Rosenberg and Jarred Marsh, who bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge.

“The team is starting to gel on and off the pitch and I am hopeful that we can bed down some smaller details in the final stretch to the IPT,” he added.

While Woodhouse politely admitted the goal is always to win the title, this year, he said, they “will take the tournament game by game.”

He concluded by saying” “I realise that this is a bit of a cliché, but I think it is especially important to have this outlook in our pool. We have both KZN teams, who are generally in the top four, as well as EP, Free State, and Northern Gauteng, who are all drawing on excellent schools to make up their teams. It is a very strong group, and the most consistent teams will make it to the semifinals.”

SOUTHERN GAUTENG TEAM

Joshua Renders (Jeppe High School for Boys), Ethan Kapanda (Jeppe High School for Boys), Ryan Venter (Parktown Boys’ High School); Fynn Campbell (King Edward VII School); Matt Eichweber (St Stithians College); Juan Martin (Jeppe High School for Boys), Ryan Harcourt-Baldwin (Jeppe High School for Boys); Zeyad Davids (Parktown Boys’ High School), Boipelo Koloti (Jeppe High School for Boys), Tyler Napier (Home School), Jack Waddell (St David’s Marist Inanda), Devin Wax (Beaulieu College), Avela Sibisi (St David’s Marist Inanda), Nashaan Matroos (Dainfern College), Ben Benjamin (Jeppe High School for Boys), Jared Beilings (St David’s Marist Inanda).

TECHNICAL TEAM

Coach – Anthony Woodhouse – St John’s College
Assistant coach – Justin Rosenberg – Redhill
Manager – Siya Sityana – Jeppe High School for Boys

St Andrew’s School can exact revenge on Hickling Field on Saturday when Cornwall Hill College returns to the City of Roses after last season’s 44-10 victory in Bloemfontein.

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The visitors will be looking at experienced campaigners, like Jon-Martin de Jesus and Evangelos Papadopolous, to lead them to success in the Free State capital once again.

After beating Saints in May last year, Cornwall Hill College returned to Bloemfontein in June to take part in the Independent Schools Rugby Festival (ISRF) where they pushed Kearsney College hard before going down 7-15. St Charles College had their number, winning 21-5, but Cornwall ended on a high, beating their fellow Pretoria school, St Alban’s College, 29-19.

Both teams will be in action at the tournament again this year at the end of June in Pretoria.

So far this season, Saints has been an exciting team to follow with some high-scoring victories against Heatherdale (52-0), Bloemfontein South (54-0) and, most recently, SPS Brandfort (43-27).

Cornwall Hill is coming off a 26-14 win against HeronBridge College and they’ll be chasing further momentum before taking on CBC Boksburg, St Stithians and St Andrew’s College at the ISRF.

St Andrew’s will face Clifton College and CBC Boksburg before taking on St Alban’s on the final day.

Captain Matthew Fletcher has led by example this year and will be a player to keep an eye on if they are to reverse last season’s result on Saturday.

Eduan van den Heever has been a strong ball-carrying option at no. 8 for the Bloemfontein side and their speedy winger, Dakalo Leketa, is sure to provide some excitement if he can find a bit of space.

Next year, the derby’s biannual schedule will continue with each school getting the opportunity to host every other year, but on Saturday the Bloemfontein boys have an opportunity to make amends for last year’s result while the Cornwall Hill challengers will be hoping to assert their dominance with another win.

TEAMS

St Andrew’s School: 15 Tsebo Senago, 14 Kaelo Monyaki, 13 Alex Eliades, 12 Leon Athanasiou, 11 Dakalo Leketa, 10 Naude Botha, 9 Pluto Chen, 8 Eduan van den Heever, 7 David Grivas, 6 Matthew Fletcher, 5 Olin Hirwa, 4 Chris Jordaan, 3 Kamogelo Leshupi, 2 Lucien Hugo, 1 Hloni Mkhwhane.

Cornwall Hill College: 15 Matthew Fox, 14 Amo Mosupye, 13 Jon-Martin de Jesus, 12 Onkabetse Leketi, 11 Daniel van Ravensteyn, 10 Tshepo Molete, 9 Eric van Ravensteyn, 8 Dade Kunneke, 7 Alex Botes, 6 Zander Bosman, 5 Julian Hattingh, 4 Tristan Austin, 3 Ryan Solomon, 2 Evangelos Papadopolous, 1 Tana Nhando.

FIXTURES

Hickling Field: 12:30 – St Andrew’s 1st XV vs Cornwall Hill College 1st XV; 11:15 – St Andrew’s II vs Cornwall Hill College II; 10:00 – St Andrew’s u16 vs Cornwall Hill College u16; 09:00 – St Andrew’s u15 vs Cornwall Hill College u15; 08:00 – St Andrew’s u14 vs Cornwall Hill College u14.

Victoria Park: 10:00 – St Andrew’s u11 vs Cornwall Hill College u11; 09:00 – St Andrew’s u13 vs Cornwall Hill College u13.

As the second term draws towards its conclusion, some teams in the Western Cape are still in action and they’ll be looking to sign off with wins this weekend.

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The action begins on Friday with four highly competitive matches, followed by a tasty spread of fixtures on Saturday.

Rustenburg Girls’ High and Paarl Gimnasium welcome Reddam Constantia and Herschel Girls School to their turfs respectively, while Parel Vallei takes on Springfield Convent School.

Herschel heads to Paarl with their sights set on causing an upset against one of the top teams in the country.

Last week, the side from Claremont played matches against Parel Vallei and DF Malan. They went 1-2 down against a well-structured Parel Vallei side but, on the weekend, they roared to an emphatic 6-1 win over DF.

The last time coach Stacey-Lee Gedult’s side played against Gim was in last year’s Top Schools tournament, with Paarl claiming a narrow 1-0 win on that occasion.

Last week, Gim drew 1-1 with Parel Vallei. The week before that, they downed a spirited HMS Bloemhof side 2-0, with Anya Swanepoel and Tanya Pieterse scoring against the side from Stellenbosch.

Gim will be boosted by their home support, and they’ll be seeking a good performance ahead of a clash with Fairmont High School next weekend.

The Parel Vallei versus Springfield Convent School game on Saturday should be interesting. PV heads into the game after a demanding week in which they played tough matches against Herschel, Rhenish, and Gim.

They picked up a 2-1 win against Herschel, drew 1-1 with Gim and lost 0-2 to Rhenish.

Parel Vallei coach Jarred Pitout will want to see his team finish the term strongly, but it will be a challenging match once again.

The schedule also includes St Cyprian’s hosting Fairmont on Friday night.

Brackenfell has two big matches, taking on Milnerton on Friday, before facing Pinelands on Saturday morning. Stellenberg High tackles DF Malan.

Western Cape fixtures

Friday, 31 May 

15:30 – Milnerton vs Brackenfell
18:15 – Rustenburg Girls’ High vs Reddam House Constantia
18:15 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Herschel Girls School
19:20 – St Cyprian’s vs Fairmont High

Saturday, 1 June

08:00 – Brackenfell vs Pinelands High
09:30 – Parel Vallei vs Springfield Convent School
11:00 – Stellenberg High vs DF Malan

St Andrew’s College, after going down 1-2 to Grey High School last weekend, faces a stiff challenge in its quest to return to winning ways, with a Friday night showdown against highly motivated Selborne College in East London.

Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.

Push-back for the big clash is set for 18:45 on Selborne’s main AstroTurf, and a sea of black and white will fill up the stands.

St Andrew’s will enter the match as the underdogs, considering the excellent season Selborne has put together. But the boys from Makhanda have proven themselves to be a tough outfit, too.

At home, Selborne has only lost once in 2024, and that 2-5 defeat came against the dangerous Grey College last month. Apart from that loss, they drew 1-1 with Queen’s College and swept their opponents at both the Tony Godding Festival and the Nomads Festival in March.

In the past two weeks, despite playing away from home, coach KJ Friend’s side has scored a whopping 16 goals while only conceding one.

They thumped Dale College 10-1 at the Qonce school’s reunion and, last week, they outscored Cambridge High School 6-0.

Waeden Plaatjes, captain Tre’ Gilbert, and Kungothando Macanda were among the goal scorers in both matches.

The hosts are not short of confidence and will want to continue their record of success against the Makhanda side. Post the Covid-19 pandemic, the teams have met twice, in 2022 and 2023, and it’s Selborne who’ve won both times, winning 3-0 and 2-0 respectively.

St Andrew’s head coach Dean Ferreira will be eager to reverse that trend and his side will be inspired by the promising season they’ve put together.

They began their 2024 campaign sublimely, going undefeated at the Tony Godding Festival, where they also defeated Grey College 2-1.

They were also in action at the Bishops 175 Hockey Festival and the St Stithians Easter Hockey Festival.

At Bishops, Ferreira’s side won their first three matches, but they then went down 1-2 to the hosts, before losing their final match 0-3 against Michaelhouse.

They had mixed results, including a couple of draws, at Saints. Then it was on to their Eastern Cape derby matches. So far, they’ve been on a good run.

Apart from last week’s defeat against the in-form Grey High, they’ve posted wins over Hudson Park (3-0), and Cambridge High (7-1).

Winning away from home will be a big ask, but the boys from Makhanda have the quality to spring a surprise ahead of their matches next month against Queen’s College and Kingswood.

Other matches

In an early game, on Friday, Graeme College faces Dale.

Stirling hosts Hudson Park, while Woodridge takes a short trip to Pearson High School in their final match of the term.

Eastern Cape fixtures

Friday, 31 May 

15:30 – Graeme College vs Dale College
18:00 – Stirling High vs Hudson Park
18:45 – Selborne College vs St Andrews College
19:15 – Pearson vs Woodridge College

Four young men in Westville’s blue and maroon hockey uniform celebrating victory. That is one of the pictures that greets you as you enter the school’s Sports Office. The walls of the room are lined with photos from different codes, all from moments of triumph.

That hockey picture is five years old. Cameron Mackay’s side, which had started the season spurred on by hope and not belief, had done the near-impossible by defeating an all-conquering Jeppe team 3-2. It was a miraculous season that had 17 wins from 20 outings, no losses, and three draws. The team had no standout striker but scored 57 goals at an average of 2.85 per match and conceded a paltry 13 at 0.65.

“I have a frame of that team photo in my office, then my KZN team that got out the U18B section, and then my schoolboys who were indoor league champs,” said Mackay, who has a knack of getting his teams to perform beyond expectations.

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If it had not been for hockey, Mackay would have probably pursued football for much longer than he did. As a youngster, he was a multi-sport athlete, taking part in cricket, rugby, hockey, and football, but he was particularly drawn to the last two. His love and enjoyment for hockey deepened when he met Alan Paton and Mark Ross at Berea Rovers as a teenager.

“I think, from the early years, Alan Paton really taught me a hell of a lot. I’ve taken a lot from him in my coaching, in terms of the technical aspects of the game and keeping the game simple, as well as creating high standards,” he said.

His game was modelled around what he picked up from a trio of role models growing up. Wade Paton was the first player he emulated as a youngster. Mackay described the younger Paton as the person he felt gave him a stepping-stone to becoming a better player. The other two were Mike Cullen and Tim Drummond. It was Drummond who helped him in the club hockey world when he first started playing at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) at the age of 15, Mackay said.

He flourished under the watchful eye of the elder Paton and Ross. That year, he was picked for Northwood’s u15 team. It wasn’t long before the talented forward caught the attention of the provincial selectors and he was immediately selected for the KZN u16 team, representing it for two years in succession. The step up into the KwaZulu-Natal side led to a call-up to the SA u17 squad.

“I played for the KZN u21 team, as well as the Mynahs, where I was selected for the SA men’s squad, which I unfortunately had to withdraw from because of a knee injury. I played in the Raiders team where I won two IPTs, I think in 2017 and 2018. I was also lucky enough to play in the Maropeng Cavemen for the Premier Hockey League (PHL) for all the editions and we won two gold medals,” Mackay added.

His most memorable match as a player was during the Raiders versus Southerns encounter at the 2018 IPTs held in Pietermaritzburg. Mackay scored the goal that won the Raiders the interprovincial trophy.

The only thing that could compete with his drive to play hockey was his passion for coaching and getting the best out of people. In 2009/2010, while he was still enjoying his playing career, Mackay branched out into coaching.

“I think Wade Paton was the coach I took the most from, because he coached me from 14 to 17 and played the biggest role in showing me the impact a coach makes in one’s life. He showed a great way of getting the best out of anyone without having to be forceful,” Mackay explained.

The tie against Jeppe in 2019 is a favourite for many Westville Boys’ High School staff, students, alumni, and fans. It ranks in Mackay’s top five matches in his coaching career.

However, the most memorable was with the South Africa men’s indoor team at the 2023 World Cup, where he served as an assistant coach. South Africa pulled off a dramatic 6-5 win over Argentina in the quarterfinals and with that victory secured the best finish for a South African team at the Indoor World Cup ever.

Mackay is not yet done. The Westville coach is intent on creating more memories with the school, the KZN Coastal u18 team, whom he will lead at the 2024 SASHOC National Week in Bloemfontein in June, and the South Africa men’s teams.