With a 13-10 lead, KZN is just one win away from retaining the English Medium Schools Grogper Cup. It could be a done deal by this Saturday if Westville can produce match-winning form in their rematch against the KES.
In spite of their horrible defeat at the hands of Affies last Saturday, KES remains a formidable opponent for any KZN team including Westville who lost 18-11 to the Reds at the Jeppe 125th Festival a month ago. Trying to beat KES on their Jozi home turf will be even more difficult.
Westville contributed their second Grogper Cup point of the season with a 25-0 home win against Pretoria Boys High last Saturday. Boys High had enough ball possession and their ball carriers made decent ground but a combination of not taking the kickable points on offer, some bad passing amongst the backs and a few poor ball in hand decisions, kept their score blank. Westville played in patches. When they got their act together, the urgency level to secure ball resulted in continuity from rucks and opportunity for two of the stronger carriers Hendrik Prinsloo (hooker) and Brogan Boulle (centre) to score first half tries from close range. Boulle added a gem of a try in the second half after being set off on the right line via quality off the top lineout ball found its way to him in a hurry. With still a bit to do at the end of a 25m run, he again showed good physical upperbody strength to get over. Westville’s final try belonged to their fullback Shane Ball who combined footballing skills with his athletic sprinting ability to get the 5-pointer. Ville flyhalf Niel van Rooyen added five points with the boot. A comfortable win in the end but WBHS may need to find a higher level of intensity to cope with what the wounded Reds have to throw at them.
Grogper Cup 2015 results:
| # | VENUE | DATE | GEMS | KZN | EVENT | GP | ZN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neu | Thu.02Apr | Jeppe | 27 | 24 | St Charles | St John’s Rugby Festival | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Neu | Sat.04Apr | St David’s | 10 | 33 | DHS | KES Rugby Festival | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Neu | Sat.04Apr | St Benedict’s | 24 | 14 | St Charles | St John’s Rugby Festival | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Gau | Sat.04Apr | St John’s | 5 | 27 | Hilton | St John’s Rugby Festival | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Neu | Sat.04Apr | St Alban’s | 16 | 34 | Maritzburg College | St Stithians Festival | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Gau | Sat.04Apr | St Stithians | 3 | 51 | Michaelhouse | St Stithians Festival | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Neu | Mon.06Apr | St Benedict’s | 20 | 34 | Hilton | St John’s Rugby Festival | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Gau | Mon.06Apr | St Stithians | 24 | 29 | Clifton | St Stithians Festival | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Gau | Sat.18Apr | Jeppe | 29 | 22 | Northwood | 1 | 0 | |
| 10 | Neu | Sat.25Apr | Pretoria BH | 24 | 17 | DHS | Jeppe 125th | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | Neu | Sat.25Apr | Parktown | 31 | 38 | Westville | Jeppe 125th | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Gau | Sat.25Apr | Jeppe | 21 | 20 | Maritzburg College | Jeppe 125th | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | Neu | Mon.27Apr | Parktown | 18 | 23 | Maritzburg College | Jeppe 125th | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Gau | Mon.27Apr | Jeppe | 27 | 21 | DHS | Jeppe 125th | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | Neu | Mon.27Apr | KES | 18 | 11 | Westville | Jeppe 125th | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | KZN | Wed.29Apr | St Benedict’s | X | X | Clifton | Cancelled | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 17 | KZN | Fri.01May | St Benedict’s | X | X | Northwood | Cancelled | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| 18 | KZN | Fri.01May | Jeppe | 27 | 20 | Westville | 1 | 0 | |
| 19 | Gau | Fri.01May | Pretoria BH | 3 | 25 | Maritzburg College | 0 | 1 | |
| 20 | KZN | Fri.01May | Parktown | 34 | 10 | St Charles | 1 | 0 | |
| 21 | KZN | Sun.03May | Parktown | 10 | 19 | Northwood | 0 | 1 | |
| 22 | KZN | Sat.09May | KES | 33 | 34 | Maritzburg College | 0 | 1 | |
| 23 | KZN | Sat.16May | Pretoria BH | 0 | 25 | Westville | 0 | 1 | |
| 24 | Gau | Sat.23May | KES | – | – | Westville | |||
| 25 | Gau | Sat.30May | St Stithians | – | – | Kearsney | |||
| 26 | Gau | Sat.30May | St John’s | – | – | Michaelhouse | |||
| 27 | Gau | Sat.20Jun | St Alban’s | – | – | St Charles | |||
| 28 | KZN | Sat.01Aug | Pretoria BH | – | – | Maritzburg College | |||
| GROGPER | TOTAL | 10 | 13 |
@Bonthuis: I’m actually in Joburg now, been back in SA since Oct 2012. You must be one weird night owl then as your posts are exactly EDT…
Live in Westville North, you still blogging from the UK or Cape Town like you did for all those years??
@Grasshopper: the truth is as old as it gets, no reverse psychology. You guys just gave College 50 points at Kings Park and they the no. 2 side in KZN!
@GreenBlooded: true, I forget he is based in Manhatten
@Grasshopper:
It’s what happens when you try and call it from 7000km away.
@Bonthuis: no chance, it was 1 point in the night series and Ville have improved since, nice deflection there. Reverse psychology is as old as it gets.
Purchasewood by 40, have to be realistic.
Next week is the big one on Dixons :-)
Great win for Westville! Not easy to win at KES. Team is starting to really gel after an up and down start to the season.
@Greenblooded your reference to the referee is certainly pertinent to the 2nd team game today when Ville played KES.
I am sure the KES supporters would have liked the 2nd team ref to have blown the 1st team Game.
I hear the KES coach was having words with the 1st team ref after the game.
Refereeing is always in the spot light after these fixtures.
@Grasshopper:
So Westville squeak a 17-12 win over KES, Grogper secured! :-)
@Playa:
College already played Boys High in Pretoria. Return match is at College.
@Buffel: Which GEMS teams do you see winning?
I also predict 16-12. KES to win today, and St Albans will be too strong for St Charles. The rest are pretty much a formality.Though College will have to dig deep up in Pretoria against a Boys High that has been hurting all season.
@Grasshopper: bang on. Don’t see St.Stithians coming away with a win against KC. KES at home could be a difficult one for Ville but won’t be surprised if they take it. My prediction when the dust has settled KZN 16 Gauteng 12.
@kosie: if it doesn’t land today it will next week. Two years in row, pretty stoked about it!
@beet. I get it, Grogper cup makes for better reading than the TengKwa cup from a ZN perspective.
Convinced Grogper will go to ZN and therefore champagne is in order! Congrats ZN
Westville vs KES. A referee’s worst nightmare………