Dean Carelse and Greg Miller, two former Grey High School, Port Elizabeth old boys who have established themselves as top rugby coaches find themselves on opposite sides when Westville hosts Hilton in a highly anticipated regular season opening day fixture. Although neither will be the head coach on the day, they both have significant roles to play at their respective schools this season.
Highly rated Carelse has been promoted from under-16 head coach to assist Grant Bell at 1st XV level at Westville, while the first class Miller joined Hilton as a kind of SOS answer call to help the Midlands private add some much needed experience to their 1st XV coaching setup. Apart from being the Director of Rugby, Miller heads up the Investec Rugby Academy based in Durban.
Apart from attending the same school, the two actually worked together at Grey PE for a few years before choosing KZN as their new homes. School teacher Carelse worked his way up the coaching ranks to reach the position of Grey’s 1st XV head coach at the time when Miller was the school’s Director of Rugby, having cut his teeth as a coach at Selborne in East London.
humble pie. Amazing achievement Kearsney College. This opens it up for the local season.
@star: Big call not having Pau in the mix. I would have had him as a cert at 12. Big and strong. I had pencilled him as a possible Craven Week candidate. To be candid, It is going to be a long day at Botha’s Hill.
Prove me wrong KC.
They will have to keep Palvie quiet and put pressure on the9 and 10 otherwise their backs could run riot. DuRandt and Mukendi are quality.
@h2o: @kosie:
@kosie: haha no offence taken…. was the nickname given to me at police college for the exact same reason…. might have cut down a second on the 100m time if it was not for them
@h2o: At the risk of being rude, I have to relay the following story after seeing your name. A couple of years ago I attended the Kwagga week in George and kept hearing h2o by the coaching staff of an up country school. Initially I thought it was a move but that was not the case. I then asked them what the h2o stood for. It was the nick name given to a wing with exceptionally large ears. It stood for “helse 2 ore”. I had to laugh. Sorry if I insulted in any way.
@beet: interesting that 3 of the tight 5 in the ville pack are u17 and 4/8 in the pack. …. Wonder if this would be a factor wrt experience in those tight situations…
@beet: Oh Lordy (groan) – here we go again
Not sure anyone knows how KES will be this year – they were fairly decent at age group level but lets wait and see. 1st game against St Johns next Saturday away –
@BoishaaiPa: @Playa: Ja boet. Kan nie onthou nie maar ek dink toe my seun in Gr8 of Gr9 was, was 18 uit 30 kinders in sy klas Afrikaans.
@BoishaaiPa: I’ll see your hand of:
– “boere can even go to soutie skole and pretend to be English and you don’t know the difference”
and raise it with the equivalent of a Royal Flush:
– “Ian Macdonald”.
@beet:
NO WAY! CAN’T BE!!!
There’ll be a super contest of contrasting styles when the No. 8’s Sisa Sibiya of Campbell comes up against pocket rocket Viwe Makhula of Northwood
Northwood team for George Campbell game
1. Gugu Nelani
2. Vic Hurman
3. Ngoni Moyo
4. Craig Trollip
5. Phillip Jansen
6. Daniel Humphreys
7. Zandre Griffin
8. Viwe Makhula
9. Ryan Symmington
10. Jasey van Kampen
11 Jason Daniels
12. Lars van Meijen
13. Pikho Sobhale
14. Luyanda Mngadi
15. Jadon Stevens
No Mr T and no Keegan Sparks in the starting lineup.
@Roger: Getting an idea of what KES is like this year has been like squeezing water from a stone but there is good news. Seems like the blog will have a new impartial agent roaming that “Red” zone fairly shortly, retracing his grandfather’s footsteps, keep a count of how many tweets KES sends out per minute and measuring the distance from the school to Hillbrow. But sorry you won’t get any clues who this agent will be is from me.
@Westers: you’re lucky – we have to wait another week for the 1st game
KES vs Westville twice this year – both on the ‘veld – should be interesting?
George Campbell for Northwood game
1. Daine Venter
2. Quinten Jordan
3. Douglas Phillips
4. Rian Du Preez
5. Bongumusa Sibisi
6. Jesse James Rutter
7. Siyabonga Thwala
8. Sisa Sibiya
9. Wayne Ngubane
10. Thobani Ngwenya
11. Andile Mazibuko
12. Alanas Alasaukis
13. Innocent Nkomo
14. Devon Palmer
15. Anele Nxumalo
@GCollege86: Ja..just goes to show how adaptable the boere can be…can even go to soutie skole and pretend to be English and you don’t know the difference!…
@Pedantic: Exactly, that is why I said there mommy’s and their mommy’s mommy’s must have all gone for the boere at some stage!..to get that tight 5 genes!
@Ploegskaar: @GCollege86: I suspect the same could be true for Coetzer
@GCollege86: Venter must be a foreigner, as his dad’s English and Afrikaans is equally poor…
@BoishaaiPa: You must see the Selborne team: forwards – Voigt, Venter, van Tonder (front row), Froneman, Rust (locks), Niewenhuizen, Lemmer (loosies), backs – Steyn, Brits, Coetzer, Botha. So 11 of 15 with boere surnames.
@BoishaaiPa: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover – many of those surnames mean very little, some of the “van X’s” can’t even speak Afrikaans
Having said that, I think the Westville tight 5 would be much happier with Afrikaans lineout calls
Only 6 out of 25 Tight Five with Soutie surnames…none in Westville!..Seems the Boere genes was well in demand by the KZN mommies!…
Hilton’s prep is not being helped by their cricket match against College today.
It sounded like they have a few 1st XV rugby players involved
Can’t wait for tomorrow. Getting tired of watching one sided cricket matches on TV. It has become boring. SBR any day.
@beet: @CRC: Thanks.
@Vleis: Eish Vleis. I would prefer the standard grade questions this early in the season
I know Badenhorst the fullback is u17 and I’m not sure about Nic Brown or Matt Swan but it looks like most players are u18 in that Hilton team.
@star: Very surprising Pau and Vorster in the 2nd XV and Brown in the 3rds
@star: Pau in 2nd XV
Peverill, loosehead from last year also on the injury list for this week, which could prove to be quite important come Saturday.
@Vleis: 3 grade 11s in the Hilton 1st XV. Loosehead, wing and fullback.
@beet: Where is the GW teamsheet?
Also where is Pau for Kearsney as his physicality will be needed against GW. It really is great to see old Kearsney names Tedder , Polkinghorne and van Noordwyk in the mix. There is something to be said for tradition and the due respect thereof.
@beet: Very sad news, hoping for quick recovery, both great players.
Not too quick though, we play them next weekend
@beet: Now where is the elusive GW teamsheet so we can compare notes ?
@beet: How many g11s are in the Hilton team beet? That would be interesting to know as said age group has been a weak one, while the g12s have generally been a strong one for Hilton. I only recognise one g11 name in the team (@14). I see that the ex-Ireland centre’s son (g11) is playing for 2nds.
Port Natal without their outstanding flank. DHS minus Simmo and Dylan Bryan
1 H. Mpanza
2 J. Diederiks
3 T. De Jager
4 L. Whitfield
5 R. Dafel
6 A. Ndabandaba
7 N. Makhalipi
8 K. Ntuli
9 M. Everitt
10 A. Noot
11 J. Kidgell
12 G. Coetzee
13 N. Mathenjwa
14 P. Sithole
15 H. Mekuto
Port Natal
1. Sewus Geldenhuys
2. Zayne Wind
3. Juan-Lee Noël
4. Jaco Visagie
5. Marko Prinsloo
6. Koos Kruger
7. Rudi Koekemoer
8. Louis de Jager
9. Wendall Adams
10. Daniel Botes
11. Frans Janse van Niewenhuis
12. Marchant Geldenhuys
13. Armand Marx
14. Andre Vorster
15. Riwaldo Linnert
Kearsney
1 Nicholas Luyt
2 Joshua van Vuuren
3 Greg van Noordwyk
4 Ryan Lewarne
5 Jared Meyer
6 Robert Polkinghorne
7 Tristan Dixon
8 James Miller
9 Warren Driver
10 James Tedder
11 Cian Waugh
12 Kyle Mertsch
13 Matthew Watts
14 Nicholas Hoare
15 Mitchell Nesbit
Qoma, Barnard and Bell all out injured for Westville
Westville
1 Els
2 Prinsloo
3 Stoltz
4 Heyneke
5 Pelzer
6 Grant
7 Muller
8 Nicholson
9 Kitching
10 Schlemmer
12 Van Rooyen
13 Shange
11 Wheeler
14 Mahlangu
15 Ball (C)
Hilton
1 Sakhile Nyembezi
2 Matt MacKenzie
3 Adam Holdcroft
4 Jean Nel
5 Matt Swan
6 Nkanyiso Nzimande
7 Nicholas Lello
8 Sebastian Desvaux de Merigny
9 Matt Dahl
10 Daniel Hirschowitz
11 Darren McGhee
12 Keaton Bottriell
13 Daniel Loftus
14 Nic Brown
15 Cameron Badenhorst
@Pedantic: I’m afraid Smith and Marx are both on Hilton’s long term injury list
@star: No impression created .. I saw those buggers with my own eyes – that is a huge Westville pack, well the tight 5 at least.
Els, Prinsloo, Stoltz, Qoma, Pelzer = at least 550KG tight 5. Apart from their size, they’re all pretty mobile too – very impressive. Hilton will be happy to hear some big guys out for this one
@CRC: Who are the G11’s in the team? I’m guessing Smith must be in the front row, strong committed rugger player with a good pedigree.
I hear Hilton have got a few 1st XV players from last year out in the pack as well. Anyway looking forward to a good game of schoolboy rugby and am interested to see how the grade 11s in the Westville pack go.
@Pedantic: You right about not taking Hilton lightly. I just feel they don’t seem to have had any time in the middle so to speak. The school as a whole might have more questions than answers and the games against Westville could be considered one big trial.
With regard to the ” big” pack Qoma and 2 other locks are out which might dilute the impression that has been created.
One positive for KC is that they will most certainly improve on the 2014 result against GW
Hilton have a decent crop for their 2015 campaign, Westville will need to take full advantage of their big pack else there could be an upset in the leafy suburbs.
Am just glad that KC have agreed to play Glenwood. It was never in doubt but after last year’s debacle, could have raised the white flag.
2015 a new team and different challenges. Good luck KC. I know you will come out firing and do your best.
@Grasshopper: Don’t start,you name 8 players the rest late arrivals ,nearly 50%,kids that play for money are mercenaries,keeping an eye on you boet.
@kosie: Agree on the paper thing, but have you seen the teams already?
On the age group progression these teams should be closely matched on paper as there was never more than 5 points between them, the difference would then be down to late recruitment and/or development of their existing talent.
@Grasshopper: Glenwood as a whole will certainly have gees, just wondering if there has been enough bonding time with new players being introduced. This also has a negative effect on the guys now relegated to 2nds, 3rds and one wonders how they feel about putting their bodies on the line for a school that deems them not good enough.
I could be wrong Hopper but I don’t see any tight forwards in the list you mentioned above, reserve judgement until we see the team lists. If we’re seeing 5 or more new faces (1/3rd of the side), would you agree they’re “mercenaries” ?
@Grasshopper: On paper its a one horse race and the horse is not maroon! Gees both sides will have plenty of on the day. What will be interesting, is the will to win. But the beloved game is fortunately not played on paper. Good luck to both teams.
@LineBreak: So you saying Glenwood don’t have ‘gees’, interesting. The backbone of the side has been there since grade 8, Palvie, Blose, Xaba, Morgan, van Rensburg, Mukendi, Thole and du Randt….others arrived in grade 10….so not sure why they are ‘mercenaries’….
If Westville step up a single gear from their Port Natal performances, they should win this clash easily at home, their pack is immense and expected to dominate.
Will be good to see an improved Hilton in 2015, but they’re going to have to be super improved to beat Westville this year.
Glenwood will always produce a powerful team and if early reports are true their 1st XV will be teeming with “mercenaries” bar an injury or two, especially in their pack.
On the contrary, KC will field their home grown side with a few makeshift positional changes, boys who have developed together over the years will put their bodies on the line for eachother and for the badge – as a purist I hope that long term gees is enough to down GW but somehow I doubt it.
@Grasshopper: Last years GW pack was immense but I cannot remember the last time GW did not put out a highly competitive unit and if K do not gain some parity there then the GW backs will just feed off the momentum created. It could turn out to be a long day on Stott for the home team. Out of interest Westville’s 2nds/3rds had a run out against College Firsts last Friday at Voortrekker and while the College pack is not the biggest around , the reports were that their backline was dynamite. The College/GW game which might be played at Kings Park will be a clash of the backlines and I predict the running rugby will put the main game to shame
@star: It certainly won’t be the hammering it was last year. Last year the Glenwood pack was immense..
@star: Agreed, once the GW backs wheels are in motion they are going to be hard to catch…..
Being both a Westville and Hilton OB I can relate to the potentially conflicted position.
@ Buffel- all the best for the game against GW. I suppose you will be pounding the touchline giving the necessary encouragement. K must just not allow those GW backs to get a head of steam. Get up close and personal and stay there
Here we go again- This time I will be wearing the badge of a Westville supporter. I have watched them at the Port Natal night series and can say with confidence that this Westville side will get better and better. The pack is a serious unit and will take on a number of sides up front and they have skill and pace in the backs. I think they will have too much power for Hilton this weekend but then I have not seen them in action.
My Alma Mater is up against Glenwood and hopefully will have Dixon on the field as he had a knock on the weekend and is being rested as a precaution. Can’t wait for the season to begin proper. Good luck to all the boys and lets hope that injuries are down to a minimum .