After a nail-biting finish which say Glenwood score an after the hooter winner against Westville during preseason Port Natal Series final in February, it was the highly motivated Westville who turned the tables and recorded a memorable 18-17 win against their hosts in Durban’s biggest inter-schools rugby rivalry. A big crowd had gathered for Glenwood’s Old Boys day and they were treated to all the elements that make schoolboy rugby the most exciting rugby package in South Africa at the moment.
Glenwood got off to a flying start and scored a 4th minute try. It all really started when Westville attempted to carry the ball up from inside their own 22m but ran into trouble after Glenwood players arrived quickly and in numbers to effect the turnover at the tackled ball position. The ball found its way into midfield where a useful chip ‘n chase by Glenwood centre Donovan du Randt, forced Westville’s pressured sweeper Brogan Boulle to carry the ball back over his own line and concede a 5m scrum. The setpiece provided the springboard for impressive no.8 Marco Palvie to make his first meaningful ball-in-hand contribution. His onslaught was quickly followed by prop Christopher Klopper’s angled power run to get over for the try. Flyhalf Jerome Bossr converted to make it 7-0.
Westville opened their own account in the 8th minute via flyhalf Niel van Rooyen’s penalty, after scrumhalf Bryce Kitching’s quick tap and go had won his team an extra 10m as a result of Glenwood not retreating the required distance before engaging. 7-3.
A try in the 27th minute saw the visitors taking the lead for the first time, a position they held onto for the rest of the match. Its origin was an attacking lineout near their opponents 22m line, which was won by no.8 Zane Heyneke and gave rise to an effective but slowish driving maul. When the formation started to dissipate and momentum was lost, Westville’s most dependable player this season Devon Muller broke off the back, dummied, got over the advantage line to set up a new front-foot platform, which made it possible for his teammates to use the width of the pitch deep inside the 22m area. From the next ruck established, a pass went to the player of the first half, lock Fudge Qoma, who with work still to be done, used a bit of physicality to bust through two tacklers directly in front of him and score, making it 8-7.
Glenwood had opportunity to regain the lead a few minutes late after a poor exit had the well-positioned Palvie collecting and charging back at full tilt. The in-from no.8 wasn’t given free rein to sow his seeds of destruction during this game as a result of very committed defending but on this occasion the carry led to an offside at the ruck penalty against the visitors, from which Bossr missed the kick at goal.
On 32-minutes, Westville who had enjoyed a noticeable territorial advantage during the half, extended their lead via try number two. Overall Glenwood centre Maarten Holtzhausen had a good game but in this move when he tried to thread a grubber through a gap in midfield, it ricocheted off a Westville defender resulting in a turnover, which Ville’s standout 103kg hooker Hendrik Prinsloo took full advantage of aided by one of his signature explosive runs. The often underrated Neil van Rooyen then produced a perfectly weighted dink into an unguarded space behind Glenwood’s D-line and the evil bounce saw the hardworking speedster Tonny Mahangu enjoying the benefits of having the favourable line. He controlled the ball at the second bite and finished under the sticks in style. Van Rooyen converted to make it 15-7.
Mistakes from or shortly after halfway restarts cropped up as an issue for both teams. Very soon after the next kickoff, Bossr reduced the deficit to 15-10, once Westville were penalised for holding. From the kickoff that followed, Qoma got into a good penalty winning body position over the ball after a good take by Lencho Brynard but slow support from his teammates once he’d been sacked. Van Rooyen however missed the shot at goal.
The referee endorsed the new playing time rules introduced for school rugby this season, which saw the game continuing well beyond the 35-minute running time mark and Glenwood nearly profited from a poor exit by fullback Shane Ball, which triggered a good run by his opposite number Jayden Morgan, who provided spark on attack at different times during the match.
At halftime it was 15-10 to Westville.
3 minutes after the break, Van Rooyen landed a penalty to grow Westville’s lead to 18-10.
During a passage of play started around the 10th minute of the half, Glenwood came up with a series of offensives which caused Westville a lot of distress and led to numerous penalties being awarded to Glenwood, including one that appeared to be for a cynical knock-down very near the try-line. Glenwood resisted the urge to go for goal and instead tried to reduce the two score deficit via lineouts and tap ‘n go takes. The likes of Palvie, Klopper and Bossr all had goes at the line and but were stopped by a gutsy and organised defence. Morgan dropped a ball close to the line as well. Even when a bit of relief was gained, it was Holtzhausen who made the first of his two pleasing linebreaks for the match, with this first one reigniting the relentless goal line intensity, assisted once again by Palvie’s ability to get over the gainline. Twice Prinsloo came to Westville’s rescue with timely interventions, the second one delivering in a good long ball-carry out of his 22m area. The end result was that Glenwood crucially did not come away with a single point form this attacking stanza.
Westville’s best try-scoring opportunity of the half was initiated by an excellent in his tracks stopping Kitching tackle on Palvie when the latter tried to break off the back of a scrum on his own 22m line. This led a knock-on and from the scrum, Ville’s set move put fast-moving centre Sishle Mhlamvu into a hole. He was denied by a superb try-saving tackle by Bossr.
In the 27th minute more excitement was produced as Westville’s attack resulted in a Glenwood counter in which wing Ilunga Mukendi featured. Then another crucial moment followed soon afterwards as Glenwood ran a ball out of their own 22m area, setting wing GJ Lubbe off on a long run down the left touch with plenty of support players on his inside. It was all in vain though the wing had placed a foot on the touch line while still inside his own half of the field.
With time running out Glenwood’s Morgan and Holtzhausen both found gaps to set up their best finisher du Randt but he uncharacteristically knocked on the pass inside the Westville 22m area with very little to get in his way of scoring.
Unlike earlier in the half, Glenwood now had little choice but to tap ‘n go from penalties – especially with their lineouts where also not guaranteed ball. Palvie again showed up with a big carry but he was held up over the line by Westville’s dogged tacklers. One good rolling maul, along with more bashes and snipes at the try-line continued for the next few minutes, with several Glenwood players dropping the ball at critical times. Westville finally had an opportunity to clear the danger from a 5m scrum but decided to attempt a rather adventurous blindside run from behind their own goal-line, which had it come off might have seen them go coast to coast. The pass from Kitching to Ball was however a poor one and dropped, requiring the off-balance athletic Ball to improvise with a spectacular acrobatic kick to save blushes. The freakish kick ended up in the middle of the 22m area where a Glenwood player caught it and drove forward. Finally the home team got rewarded for all their redzone pressure when flank Alex Brummer crossed the line with a lot of effort. Bossr converted to make it a one-point game at 18-17.
There was still time for one more Glenwood assault. Westville’s defence stood firm and won a penalty well inside their own half, which they duly cleared off the field to bring the curtain down on an thrilling game.
The emotions displayed by the two sets of players after the game were in itself a sight to behold as it provided a clear indication of how every single player on the park had given it his all during this game.
@Bonthuis: Whahaha, like someone’s girl in Westville prison
@Grasshopper: You don’t need to tell us what happened on your bus rides, now we know why you such a defensive character!
@h2o: Thats quite possible, but sadly he won’t get to keep a clean pair of shorts against Bader and company.
@McCulleys Workshop: just a bit of history regarding flanks and flyhalfs….. Buurman Van Zyl one of the most successful Northern Transvaal coaches of all times once told a 19 year old Naas Botha …. if your shorts are dirty after a match your flanks have not been defending…. maybe the Westville 10 had the same instruction
@McCulleys Workshop: Now that’s what you call honesty.
@Frikkie: House was scared and we wanted to ensure a TOP 10 ranking
As a matter of interest … anyone know the reason why the Westville / Michaelhouse fixture did not happen this year.
I have a son at Westville and a nephew at Michaelhouse so was looking foward to it.
Besides, the 1st team team clash would have been a cracker this year.
@McCulleys Workshop: Whahaha, wait for the backlash now.
@Bush: Yes it would be magic, sort of like Abracadabra, now you see me now you don’t, the WV no 10 would be dancing with shadows for 70 min and thanking Jesus for great loose forwards.
@umbiloburger: Haha
@Pedantic: True keeping up with the Jones’s can be annoying, but if the kid is grounded they will know material things don’t matter……agreed it’s tough just being a teenager….
@Bush: Requires a 5km run but they do that now as warm up for practice….
@Pedantic: Yep, and I know this is very close to your heart…..a certain kid who is destined for higher honours. Of course that is great, but bursary kids are the minority at these schools. My wife attended Durban Girls College and most of her friends were the girls who worked hard to get there on a scholarship. The wealthy girls were not the type she mixed with….
@Grasshopper: Mixing with rich kids can be just as challenging – seemingly never ending funds available for recreational and performance enhancing drugs – learn to say no.
Peer pressure when all the buggers get a brand new car before they even get their license – usually a better car than your old man collects you with at school on the weekends
Swings and roundabouts … being a teenager is not easy, regardless of the environment.
@Pedantic: It’s also about the type of kids you mixing with, at a gov school you get all walks of life……more social issues related to lack of funds. I’m not saying this doesn’t happen in richer families but more so in avg to lower income families. You get my drift….boys like Spud were lucky to go to a private school. I traveled on the bus with ‘heavies’ from the Bluff…..I can’t even say what happened on that bus…
@Grasshopper: If thats the case why don’t the boys use the Varsity Fields? Boer maak ‘n lekker plan
@Grasshopper: Ever thought of it this way ?
Your lightie has a dream to attend a certain private school when he’s 10 years old – maybe coz you took him to a few rugby matches there and as you know, the privates have generally great environments.
As a parent, you always want to give your kids all you can, but not being able to afford it, you set them goals – goals that might get them a scholarship / part scholarship to the school of their dreams. Things like, work hard and get an A aggregate, train hard and make the 1st team in major sports, learn a musical instrument, be an upstanding kid worthy of leadership. Son, if you do all that you could possibly go to the school of your dreams – go out there and work for it!
Is that not teaching kids that hard work pays off and setting them up for even better success at high school?
@Grasshopper: Ok gotcha. Must admit, at club practises when we have 6 teams on two fields, I’ve never seen the private school players complain – but ya, I get your drift.
@Pedantic: Glenwood have 3 fields and sometimes there are 12 teams practicing on these 3 fields, it’s called making do and contingency plans…..a boer maak n plan stuff…..
@Pedantic: Many things that are associated with having more resource and money, think about it? Best facilities, best equipment……
@Grasshopper: What do you think is easier at a private school than at Glenwood?
Not necessarily arguing, just interested to know.
@GreenBlooded: Totally agree, at the time I hated Glenwood, I was a teenager….hated most things that were difficult. It’s the nature of the teen years. However 5 years after finishing I looked back and thought gosh Glenwood taught me so much about real life & I was privileged to go there. Mixing with all walks of life, demographics etc taught me much about humility and how to succeed in the business world. I feel some private schools create a false bubble of the world, it’s much tougher out there than some portray. Again different strokes for different folk. My lighty must learn nothing comes on a silver platter, only hard work and dedication will get him success..
@beet: I just checked last year’s results against Westville :
Total matches played 20 – Westville won 14.
In the u16 and below matches there were staggers :
Total points for Westville – 411
Total points for MHS – 117
Of the 12 matches MHS won only the u16c vs Westville u16d game.
All seems pretty one sided in Westville’s favour, not sure why they wouldn’t agree to staggers. All this means that boys in the lower teams don’t get a game , but someone is always going to miss out in the fixture ( as they would against Hilton and Kearsney too ).
( I am pretty sure that had there been an open Saturday, MHS would still have played against Westville even if there weren’t staggers)
@beet: From a Westville perspective I can tell you how gutted my son felt when he found out his team was playing away to a small school A team south of Durban the same day most of his mates were playing up at MHS.
My view is schools that want to play on the stagger should team up with a smaller school so that they can host (i.e. when playing at home) a full house from the likes of Westville, Glenwood and College. Just needs a bit of planning.
@Dixon’s: Yes, it does get bloody cold there. But a fire pit and a glass of the Big Easy keeps that chill away.
@GreenBlooded: Pedantic made a similar point a few weeks back. Some boys are just not comfortable at the school they are in, i hated my first few weeks at Glenwood, but my mother knew it was the right place for me and made me stick it out. best 5 years of my life!!!
@Bush: Congrats to you for making the decision that hopefully works out best for your child. hopefully he enjoys his time in the Midlands (i for one would never make the change to House…. gets too flippen cold up in Balgowan. i would have been miserable
)
@umbiloburger: Westville wouldn’t allow Kearsney staggers either.
There are obviously two point of views to this but competitive matches always trump one sided ones, so if the stronger depth schools can plan around this, its preferable.
@GreenBlooded: Yes, yes you right.
@Bush:
Just beware of knocking the school (continuously) just because your son didn’t fit in there. Glenwood is a tough environment, much like life. Perhaps the more nurturing environment at House will suit him better – good luck to him. As has been noted before, not every school is right for every kid. It’s not the schools fault or the kid’s fault – it’s just how it is. Continually knocking the school and burning their blazer in your fireplace isn’t going to change that.
@Bush: Obviously it would be nice to have the fixture, but it wont happen ( if it does I will be very surprised ).
@Far Meadows: Do you feel this game should take place? I do, as I said on this blog before, a curtain raiser to a Currie Cup game. In the 3rd term, the team will still be fit. They will be playing 7’s so the rugby will still be there. I remember a few games we fitted in after the season, Middelburg being one of the schools.
@Grasshopper: Don’t think luck has anything to do with it. Honoured more like it. MHS has changed my son in such a short period of time, never believed in spending such a huge amount of money on education. Hence sending them to GW, value(good marketing) for your buck as one would say. Biggest mistake I ever made, I regret it to this day. There is no price one can put on the value of great education, my son/children are my greatest assets. With ones greatest assets they must be invested in.
@Anti Green: very lucky, jumping from a R35k a year school to a R210k a year school, is a big jump….not sure it’s 6 times better though…
@Far Meadows: mmmmm I thought perhaps a conspiracy theory number 409, which reads……refusal of staggers by one said school.
@Bush: There is nothing suspicious about there being no Westville fixture this year, there just is not a Saturday available during the MHS rugby season.
@Boertjie: The WV sods, do the come in bankies and if so how much?????
@Boertjie: College still has a few sods from Bowden’s available if you are keen…… speak Gungets – I think he has a few at his car park
@McCulleys Workshop: Next year the sods will be up for sale at Bowdens, IF GW can manage a win. We will be there, waiting in humbleness and sheer awe, being privileged to play against GW.
Thanks Beet 8)
@umbiloburger: Regarding Toppy that’s great as he’s a phenomenal coach but should be at D level. Just my opinion.
@umbiloburger: Regarding Rhino he’s endanged. Have no idea why that game isn’t happening, wish that game between the two schools would happen. Haven’t seen Westville play but from what I’ve read on this blog it will be a magic game. Maybe one of the other House bloggers have an answer
@Anti Green: Eish, I will have to call DM and see if he can help. I don’t have that info, however I doubt if they would be an accurate indication of their depth as they play mostly staggers against most schools with the exception of Westville and College. Did you ever find out why House aren’t playing Westville this year?
Toppy is coaching the U15B side. I think the intake for 2016 will be ok. The marketing team has been seen all over the province working hard.
You missed a chance of issuing a red card to Rhino what with the language used.
@Gungets Tuft: And apparently those numbers are going to be even worse next year.
Morning Beet, seen I burnt my Anti Green paint brush last year. The majority of the bloggers know my name, as I openly revealed it. Please change my name to “Bush”
It will keep Hopper off my back about singling out his school.
@Grasshopper: Toppy is coaching D,E and F’s please get your facts right. Burnt that brush in my Braai last year. I wasn’t and am not alone in this, just lucky I had the means to move my younger son.
@Gungets Tuft: You are right, not acceptable. I’m sure they working on ensuring 2016 intake provides more teams.
@Anti Green: Exception not norm, you obviously had a son at Glenwood with a bad experience hence the ‘Anti-green’ name. Best to not paint the school with one brush…..
@Anti Green: Toppy, Hutch and Jordan, all with more than 30 years rugby coaching and teaching….to name 3.
@umbiloburger: Did Glenwood have a flu outbreak against College, only 4 U14 teams? 5 each at U15 and U16, but we expect more from Glenwood.
@Grasshopper: To add to my facts, my sons never played rugby at Primary Level. They received zero development at the lower levels at GW zero. GW doesn’t care about those kids and THATS a FACT.
@Grasshopper: You must get your facts straight. There was one year when the intake was 280( who left last year). That was the exception and not the norm which is roughly the same as GW at about 230.
Umbiloburger, please produce the results thus far for u16c,d,e,f and the same for u15 and u14. Even if it’s points for and points against. Cheers
@Grasshopper: Hey boet, I’m not talking about recruiting at Grade 8 level. Name the great coaches at those levels please and credentials. Seen you seem to know everything about the school
@Anti Green: boet, you need to get your facts straight. It’s well known Glenwood have some of their most senior & experienced staff coaching at D, E & F level. Westville have the depth due to sheer numbers. They were taking in 280 in grade 8, Glenwood 230 max. Also, most of Westville’s feeder schools play rugby, Glenwood’s soccer. You have to consider all of this to understand why Glenwood recruit. Once they stick to recruiting at grade8 only, there can be no complaints.
@umbiloburger: I think this is what OB/Reunion days should be about. Great support/intensity and drama. Days like this as our OB day against Kearsney are in the memory banks for a long time. I remember you had a O/B day against Monument recently and the vibe just did not seem the same. That is why I think Kearsney’s Reunion match up against Clifton/GC( with all due respect to those teams) is a relatively weak take out.(I suppose I will cop it now from Pedantic/Buffel.
) Also all the best for your match against Monument this w/e. I for one will be rooting for the GM.
@umbiloburger: Good morning, the results against WV were good, considering KC never won a match against WV. Never will the lack of coaching at the lower levels change. GW couldn’t care a less for those lower teams. Why? Because of all the purchasing that happens. If they did consider the lower level teams, the purchasing wouldn’t be necessary. I would love to see what you have stated happen. Then all GW marketing will be correct and not BS like it is at the moment.
@Bonthuis: You must be proud of the boys. Their defense was epic and the boys support in the stands throughout the game was superb.
The only disappointment was an incident where a WV matric boy deliberately shouldered a young GW staff member. When challenged he displayed absolutely no apology or remorse and proceeded to challenge his authority. Eventually a senior staff member stepped in and resolve the issue. Isolated incident.
The lack of depth in the GW teams will hopefully change in the near future. A new strategy is looming
.
Just for the record it wasn’t GW that only had 4 teams per age group. I heard that WV are in the midst of a flu epidemic resulting in them pulling teams. Perfectly understandable.
This is a great set of results for Westville winning most of the C & D games, proves we have true depth and we not just buying an A & B team at every age group. Celebrate the victory over Umbilo!
@boertjie I will take one. Already paid my R10.00.
Thought it was going to be long day after Palvie’s initial runs – I think he carried half the Team in the first bullocking run, but alas that was one of maybe two occasions. The rest of the game he was marked out of any effective attack by Kitching and Boulle. The frustration boiling over with a cheap head butt at the end on Boulle. He is definitely a better than what I saw on Saturday
@Westers: Howzit Westers, ok you are right. Always enjoyed the slightly farmer style setting, but have always thought Hilton had the best spectator field in KZN. Not sure about them as hosts…. When Star was there they always dished up mist and dodgy refs
@McCulleys Workshop: Westville played in the colder climates last year. Although the venue and hosting has to be one of the best, if not the best.
@star: Was Westville happy to travel to colder climates? It would be a great game no doubt and a great contest. As with SBR who knows.
@Boertjie: Ya Bru, what will you be saying next year?
A last thought: Dixon’s field sods for sale. Apparently now owned by Westville!
@Griffon08: If you had been offered the results in advance would you have taken them. I would have in a heart beat. There were only 2 ” disappointments” being the U15A( which I had called beforehand) and the 2nds who just did not pitch.(First domestic loss of the season so no call to throw the baby out with the bathwater.) You mention your concern regarding the A team results. Did you know that the current grade 12s never won at age group level? Also when last did Westville U14 and U15A beat GW. You will be surprized. Nothing new here. What is new is that GW could only put out 4 U14 teams and fell away badly after the B team. The points differential was over double in favour of Westville and would have increased substantially had the E and F teams played. Yes we lost all the A team games to College but the year before it was completely the opposite. Same with Kearsney where last year we lost all the A teams and this year recorded a whitewash. It is called ” swings and roundabouts” and is not necessarily indicative of an endemic problem.
GB is right about the challenge of limited boarding facilities but there is a plan to address that issue. GB also mentioned it would be quite nice to have a little more local representation eg a Penzance boy represent the GW 1sts. When Westville played SACS the starting 8 and 9 were the vice and captain of the 2010 WSPS team who have been playing together for almost 10 years.
I think that is a good box to tick in this ever increasing mercenary environment.
@Rhino: Against my better judgement ….
1. Grassy, and Glenwood in general need to bend the knee on the forum to show suitable humility in defeat for the first team, here –> @Eat my shorts:
They have done that, as far as I can see, stopping just short of puckering up.
2. When it comes to 2nds, U16A, U15A, U14A – no such requirement from you. There was no Glenwood victory, just Westville having a bad day … here –> @Just a bad day:
Beyond that, sorry bru, my tow truck vocabulary just let’s me down …
Just to be clear – I have strong views on depth and providing games as deep into the age groups as a school can, so the 4 matches in U16 and 4 in U14 is an eye-opener.
@ Gungets
rather do and explain yourself fella ! i mean no harm btw………
@Gungets Tuft:
Good to see you back in form 
@star: @”>Pedantic: Star set up the event, do we need two cases of quarts or will one do`?
Rugby was the winner on the day. Both sides had a chance of winning but GWD let theirs slip away with last passes not going to hand. Westville were very hungry and it showed in their defence. All the boys put their hands up and you could see the elation and relief on their faces at the final whistle.
Standout- Muller and Prinsloo with the rest playing their part. Well done to all concerned.
@Rhino: Eeisch. I’m not going to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person. You have a fine day now.
@Gungets
How i sound ? whats ure point ?
Overall it was a great day of rugby played by 2 great schools. It was competitive across all age groups, besides one or two games for either school. 50% wins for both schools about sums it up.
I agree with @frikkie
Not a good brand of rugby being played by the junior sides, or identity, so it does point to a lack of rugby direction and cohesiveness.
Concern for me is that WVille have not won a game in their two toughest local fixtures:
Maritzburg – u14A, u15A, u16A loss (at home)
Glenwood – u14A, u15A, u16A loss
The next out of town test was also not good
Affies – u14A, u15A, u16A loss
Throw in other random defeats – u16A to Hilton and KES and u15A loss to Jeppe and u14A draw to Jeppe.
Just an observation …
@Rhino: Have you ever considered how you might sound. It’s one thing demanding magnanimity when you win, but different when you don’t?
Even in this post – Glenwood beaten (Grassy needs to be on bended knee, forehead in the dust), Westville just having a bad day, every school has one…
@HOPPER – NO STRESS – u did actually for the first time…i was wrong. ta laar ! its just u usually have sarcy comments but alas np
@Rhino: fickle, in what way boet? I praised Westville for their performance, what else do you want?
@ Cyndi
Apologies, never meant be rude just find Hopper is very fickle and clever with his words and all………. sorry !!!
@Frikkie – hogwash !!! WV had a bad day nothing more and every school has one sometimes
@Frikkie: as an outsider – it does no seem all lost for Ville (or GW) – but seemed a fairly balanced set of results – considering it was GW Reunion Day – I think Ville performed pretty well – considering they pretty much whitewashed Kearsney a few weeks ago.
Rugby results vs Glenwood at Glenwood:
1ST 18 – 17 win
2ND 12 – 29 loss
3RD 7 – 22 loss
4TH 0 – 22 loss
5TH 12 – 20 loss
6TH 14 – 5 win
7TH 7 – 0 win
16A 12 – 24 loss
16B 5 – 12 loss
16C 43 – 0 win
16D 12 – 5 win
15A 12 – 54 loss
15B 15 – 33 loss
15C 24 – 21 win
15D 14 – 5 win
15E 43 – 5 win
14A 14 – 19 loss
14B 19 – 22 loss
14C 27 – 12 win
14D 52 – 0 win
Played 20
Won 10
Lost 10
@Frikkie:
I think the reason for that is quite obvious – boarding facilities. Westville does not have the boarding houses so are largely restricted to local talent.
@Frikkie: You say the junior team’s results are a concern, at this stage that should really not be too much of a concern ,they should develop over the next few years – I believe that when the current MHS open group were u14 ,the u14A team only won three matches that season.
Another evident point was marketing
Glenwood marking 1 – Westville marketing 0
The quality of players that Glenwood have in their junior ranks far surpass that of Westville.
Is it that Westville are incapable of attracting junior provincial stars like Glenwood. Generally speaking seems Westville aim for district players whilst Glenwood for provincial players.
A huge concern for Westville must be their performance of u14, u15, u16 and 2nd/3rd sides. Lost all at A and B level. Like fixtures against Maritzburg/Jeppe etc they have been on the receiving end. 2nd straight loss for 2nd’s.
Whitewashes in these teams against Maritzburg, Affies, Glenwood and possibly Jeppe. Concern.
I watched all the junior sides play at KES and again this weekend, and seems every team (u14A, u15A and u16A and 2nds) are on different pages.
Surely there should be a common playing theme and some cohesiveness.
Seems there is no-one at Westville taking charge of their rugby. Do they have someone in this capacity or just an admin MIC. If Westville are to become the top KZN side they need to have an active Director concentrating on this area.
Pity – seems no direction at all and results and performance show.
In my opinion – Westville need to address this and get someone to oversee their on field performance of all their teams – very disjointed from one age group to the next.
@Rhino: It is most unfortunate that your choice of language and sentiment has marred the comments and the manner in which the game was played.
@GreenBlooded: You were not dreaming. As H2O says he has played on both wings and even at fullback. Nice comment on his work ethic ” par none” . I have known Bryce since before the whiskey got hold of my senses, and his commitment has always been absolute.
Also a little birdie told me that the Westville/House game was being considered but House refuses to come down to the warmer climes. 
@ McCulley’s- the 10 has been the first choice for a while now. Schlemmer was the early call and is also a very useful player. I thought I was going to share in the beers if K beat College
@h2o: Add Schramm, Marcel Coetzee and current AW 6 Nicholson.
Yip HVJRC has send a few quality boys through the years Thomas, Dixon, Wheeler, Prinsloo, Boulle (there are some I could be ommitting)….. must be the old
combination of Pedantic and Greenblooded and co up the hill 
nice to see their progress from bulletjie rugby to now
@star: What counted against Kitching is he was never afforded the oppertunity to play in one postition constantly he played at 9 then at 11/14 and even once at 15….. did not help his confidence prior to the trials…. great kid humble and work ethics par none….. great future ahead if he does not let this years selection choices get him down….
@McCulleys Workshop: I agree 100%
think will have to come up on 13/06 to watch you play College. Should be game of scimilar intensity if not higher…..
@star:
Ou Sterretjie – Kitching is a Hillcrest Villagers lad, so by definition he has to be a great player…..
Was I dreaming or did they play him on the wing at Kearsney? Crazy stuff. Another Villagers lad who has worked very hard on his game and very unlucky not to make it – James Wheeler. Loads of respect for the lad.
@star: No doubt about the 9 on Saturday, but was the 10 your first choice 10?
@GreenBlooded: I hope BHP does not see your list as Pinetown Boys ( 84) is ahead of Paarl Boys( 87)
And talking of underrated boys I would like to mention the Westville scrummie Bryce Kitching who I believe topped the tackle count and was nominated as man of the match for his overall contribution. I believe against Affies he was awarded their man of the match( as happens in Pretoria) and made the most tackles against Jeppe and KES. His try against Jeppe had X factor written all over it. The fact that he does not get to go to round 1 trials and GW send 3 is beyond comprehension. By implication he is behind the GW 3rd team scrummie. Maybe Du Preez and Palvie did not have the best of games because they were being pressured around the fringes by the Westville loose trio and especially the scrummie. This is my last CW rant and as Pedantic says it is time to get behind the boys who are ” ampted” to do us all proud.
@Rhino: mature! I have not once said Westville didn’t deserve the win, in fact said well done a few times…
@McCulleys Workshop: agreed, but the age group sides are not :-)
@beet:
Love the new look. Thanks!
@Gungets Tuft: My sentiments exactly! I also had one over at my place this weekend and know how amped they all are
@h2o: I thought a well deserved win, and don’t get me wrong, I thought all 6 back three players showed up, I thought Westville loose forwards were immense. The first 50 min were disappointing and the next 30
the game came alive with an epic finish.
@Pedantic: I think it’s time that we started talking about the KZN CW team instead of the schools the players represent. I’ve been vocal till a week ago, it’s done. It’s going to sound ridiculous if “schools”, via their representation at CW, start getting blamed for any under-performance, and much much more so if the boys start being “blamed”.
They all get together for 2 weeks prior to CW, hopefully (I’m sure actually) the boys will leave parochialism on the sidelines and just play. Had one of the boys at my place on the weekend, he’s amped for it, so best we just amp up as well.
@McCulleys Workshop: Historically KZN struggle at CW, so don’t need a wizard to work out it could happen again. They’ve had a single training session and you’re already blaming the GW players for the poor CW performance – this year MHS have equal representation, lets see if they’re any better.
@beet: I agree Beet. I think each school will have to sit down after the season and reflect…. yes having a 100% win rate is great but were you really tested in the season. But i guess records will reflect stats not strength. We will see if “you know who” will choose another kind schedule in 2016…..WV, Kearsney, MC and GWD surely must all be contenders for 2nd spot.
@McCulleys Workshop: yes i have watched you play v Gwd and Kearsney….. you missing the the point as a unit the Westville back 3 have no match. Individually it might be a different story but the way Tony is playing the CW selectors must be realising that they have left the best finisher in KZN out of CW squad. But regardless of opinions still a hard fought win…..
Purchasewood! Who will be the next school to stop their fixtures!
@ Grasshopper
I have been more patient this year with your comments…. BUT shut the fuk up u lost we won end of !!! eat a big shush kebab ja
@Pedantic: Let’s watch and see
@h2o: I was at the game, thought the back 3 of both teams were good, but this is a weak GW side by their standards. You haven’t covered yourself in glory against the BIG sides this season, unless you are talking about KES. Have you watched MHS or the Hilton back 3?
@Grasshopper: As is Glenwood this year, average at best.
@beet: Invitation game, MHS play soccer and 7’s in the 3rd term. It’s one game to find the time in a entire term. Would be Lekker if it happens.
@Anti Green: We have to accept that it’s not going to happen. My disputable gut feel is MHS is the no.1 and should collect the prize at the Luncheon award ceremony but like Kearsney a few years ago, the missing game against Westville will somehow make it feel incomplete. But so is life I guess…
@Anti Green:
Agreed! Otherwise it’s joint 1st place for Ville and House with Kearsney getting 3rd, GW 4th, College 5th. Hilton possibly in there somewhere too. DHS and NW also played. That’s assuming College don’t pull a rabbit out of the hat on Reunion Day.
@Greenblooded: I know you posted it as reference only, but don’t get too carry away. The surveyors’ info about some of the schools is incorrect.
@beet: Westville vs MHS curtain raiser at a Currie Cup game. No excuses. No one can claim the best in KZN if they all haven’t played each other. This game has to take place, just to shut both sides up.
@GreenBlooded: Glenwood tennis beat Westville….so it’s not ALL sport…
@GreenBlooded: eish boet we all know that is a pile of camel dung, will stir old Bonty’s pot though, once he wakes up US East Coast time tonight…
@Grasshopper:
Check this out to see who is dominant across the board. For KZN
4. Hilton
12. College
17. DHS
21. Glenwood
24. Kearsney
71. House
72. Ville
http://howafrica.com/100-best-secondary-schools-in-africa-does-your-school-feature-in-the-list/
@McCulleys Workshop: its hard to make that comment if your team is not playing all the big schools…. i agree the MHS back 3 is good but to say they are the best is a bit presumptious… just saying on yesterdays(which i doubt you watched) and the couple before that they were great….. but that is my opinion ……
@Pedantic: Thanks.
I thought the CW forwards all did well. Palvie not everyone’s fav on the day but for me still as good as they come at this level – fantastic ball carrier, IMHO one of the best forwards in SA on current form – his matchup against Len Massyn next week is going to be a highlight. Xaba no mention of him in the report but I liked what he did especially at the tail of the lineout. The worry remains that he is not a genuine fetcher and not a ball carrier but he grafts. Klopper is dynamic in the loose and withstood the challenge from KZN’s best scrumming frontrow ala Westville – but at CW he will have to play TH not LH and that might be a concern. Prinsloo was a standout. Mchunu did not play but according to the experts at the Sharks, they reckon he is SA Schools material, stating that he is the full package scrum and workrate wise. They might have slightly overrated him based on being the only player that signed for them
but lets give them the benefit of any doubt here as scrums will be vital in the wet conditions of Stellenbosch.
For the record the Ville props got the better of the short Jeppe props in the first half of their game. Things evened out a bit in the second half but that’s good news if the Lions choose those prop combo to play us. The bad new is the SWD first choice frontrow are no slouches either so with compulsory frontrow rotation for the first 2 games, all 4 props have to be quality players.
Funny how derbies bring the best out of the school that lost the year before. Westville would have been hurt from 2014 when it was the Joubert show. They wanted it badly. Glenwood will hit hard in 2016, of that there is no doubt. Many grade 11’s in the side who will want revenge….love close derbies. Funny what 20 years does, in the 90’s both these schools were average at best…rugbywise
@Bonthuis: dominate in what sport? Only swimming and that is being tested by all schools. How about giving credit to other schools for a change…
Thanks for the report beet.
From the report it sounds like the CW and AW week players stood out as they should. Good to see Westville coming together as a team … we saw it starting to happen against Kearsney and if they can keep it up, I can’t see them losing again this season. The College return game is going to be tough for the home side.
@Bonthuis: @McCulleys Workshop: Not sure what bonthuis and the buccaneer are on about. From what I see most of the decision making will come from Hilton, MHS players at Craven Week ? Then again, we don’t expect bonthuis to make any kind of educated comment.
I see 20 games were played with Westville winning 10 and Glenwood winning 10 and with Westville winning most of C and D age group games showing that we have great depth and aren’t just focused on the A teams. Depth as we know was always the great strength of College in the past.
Great job to all involved and let’s continue to dominate KZN sport!
I did miss the Craven Week debate, but, no surprises. It’s the same story year after year with Westville not getting the recognition they deserve in terms of selection. Agree with McCulley’s, expect another poor set of results at Craven Week and best of luck to all 10 or whatever the number of the Glenwood Boys that got selected…
A genuine well done to Westville – a highly entertaining game
As far as intensity goes I put this game in the same league as the College 150th at Goldstones
as far as Gwd supporters go I must admit the relief at losing by one point instead of 8 points was evident at the final whistle
The only feel good issue for Gwd supporters was that as far as I know all the A teams won their games
I hear that 12 of the 1st team are returning next year ??
Nice een vir Westville hierdie!
I agree with Beets assessment of Qoma’s performance. His physicality was immense and he was at the heart of that great defensive effort.
I also agree with H20 regarding the Westville back 3. It works well so do not tinker with it. I am glad the Westville management resisted the temptation to move Wheeler to center and Mhlamvu to wing. Against College I think Wheeler was the only one in his ” right” position. The results are in the book.
I am also glad that Nicholson played in his natural open side position. Back the boys and their relative strengths and you will be rewarded.
@ Grassy- I have watched the Westville U15A ( against College) and this team has a mind set problem and can go seriously missing. Nothing that cannot be sorted.
The big surprize was the U14 result. GW have literally mowed down all comers and yet were 14 12 down in the final rounds. Westville were penalized for a skew put in and GW scored to win the match. There is a boy a really like in the Westville team who goes by the name Okkie Barnard. It is very strange when he comes on as a water boy for the 1st team to have a boy in shorts who is the tallest on the field. With likes of JJ good news for future KZN CW lock options.
@GreenBlooded: I live to inspire.
With regard to HP you have got my vote. It amazes me how a guy that size can be that quick and have such great feet. There was one ” blemish” ( if you can call it that) when he received a ball with space and slowed into contact and was turned over. He must believe in his X factor. I think when he kicked through along the near touchline he almost overtook Morgan 
@Grasshopper: The GW u15A team were brilliant yesterday. Game was stopped some 10 minutes early.
@h2o: You obviously haven’t seen the MHS 11/14/15. Not sure you were paying attention with the Hilton 11/14/15 combo either.
@h2o:
Good to hear. He was immense for Westville again yesterday. I predict national honours for him next year.
@Zulu: Prinsloo is fine no signs at all after game. Fieldside dr and medics cleared him… team physio cleared him….but Archie did not want to allow him back on…..i can say without a doubt no concussion… the knock was to the shortrib after a good tackle from GW7
@GreenBlooded: Surprising that the news hasn’t filtered through to someone living in Westville. Probably poor signal under that bridge …
@Roger: I watched Affies at Kearsney, quite a good side. 96 points better, maybe not.
Yes Prinsloo was taken off but I heard he took a knock and he didn’t look good getting up. 8) then he took a second knock and the Reff and AR agreed he should be replaced as he looked a bit groggy. Safety I suppose?
Here’s a reshuffle that could have accommodated a Westville – Michaelhouse game based on Westville being free on 13 June:
S/be Was
06-Jun 20-Jun M/College Westville
06-Jun 20-Jun Michaelhouse Hilton
13-Jun new Westville Michaelhouse
13-Jun 06-Jun Hilton M/College
13-Jun 20-Jun Clifton Kearsney
20-Jun 13-Jun M/College Michaelhouse
20-Jun 06-Jun DHS Westville
20-Jun 13-Jun Hilton Kearsney
Midweek 06-Jun Michaelhouse St Charles
Midweek 13-Jun Clifton Pinetown
@h2o: sorry as pointed out by my lovely wife… i am wrong again… correction 6 WV made AW
@Roger: Westville lost 10-33 to Affies in Pretoria
@Grasshopper: don’t Ville College and Glenwood still have to play Affies? Monnas is one thing – Affies quite another
@Bonthuis: 2 made CW and 4 made AW …… I must say that this Westville TEAM is a totally different side than the one in the 1st part of the season. They were a bunch of individuals playing now you see they are playing as a team……. yesterday was also a new 12/13 combination which to my surprise worked well against a more fancied centre pairing of GW. Still feel that Van Rooyen at 10 needs to vary his game a bit, get the feeling if he has made up his mind to run there is no option to kick. WV must have the best 11/14/15 combo in KZN at this stage really impressed how they supported on counter and kicks always giving the ball carrier options. DHS next on their founders and the College in 3 weeks…..
@Bonthuis:
Wake up boet. CW teams were selected 2 weeks ago.
Humble in defeat; http://www.glenwoodhighschool.co.za/sports-results-vs-westville-2930-may-2015
62-12 under15a win over Westville must be the biggest ever at that level, warms the cockles a little…
Monnas beat EG! Glenwood in for a pasting next week, eish!
@Bonthuis: you obviously have missed the entire CW selection debate.
@h2o: Bigger question is how many KZN schools players will Westville get this year at u18 level. Be lucky if we get one or two when are clearly the number 2 side in KZN right now. Would love to get a shot at Michaelhouse, might raise a few eyebrows.
What a great result for Westville. Very pleased for once to see the complimentary tone from the Glenwood
guys on this site. Bodes well for improving the relationship between the schools. Jubila!
Well done The Ville !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 love it !!!
Only consolation today is Glenwood Old Boy Warren Whiteley led the Lions to an epic win over the Tahs! Go Green!
@grasshopper – I doubt the result will be overturned – rumour has it that one of the best 1st team coaches in the country will be taking over as head coach in June … fresh from Grey and Top3 experience. 2016 should be exciting and a historic year for the ville – Old boys need a brand to cheer.
Nice to finally have one over the locusts…been a while so its good :-)
How come we dont play MHS this year as house is up there in all the rankings but tbh and no offense they also would have lost many a game im sure if they played affies and co…like GW and we do…….plus we would beat them too i have no doubt but point being is u cant rank the natal sides really can u ?
I think Westville defence has been immense the last 5 games. They also made sure that the ball carrier was met behind the advantage line…. Marco was given a lot of attention with some double tackles…. Westville won all their lineouts and scrums and played in the right side of the field……. filled out a raffle sheet before the game where some were predicting a 40 point win for Glenwood….. Fudge, Devon; Nicholson and Hendrik were great upfront with back 3 Ball, Wheeler and Tony immense in the backline.
@GreenBlooded: i hope its just a case of the boys just blindly sticking with what worked against College and DHS and not rigid coaching!
@Grasshopper: Westville are far better than the Horseflys… they put Glenwood under pressure with good structure on defence. its up to the halfbacks to vary the attacking play!
@Dixon’s:
Ja – your comments on the 9 are spot on. Quick ball from the base at crucial times may have allowed that split second advantage to mount a meaningful attack.
On going to a forward instead of the 10 – it was mind boggling and one has to wonder if that pattern is dictated from the coaching team. More and more we hear about schoolboy teams who are coached and expected to follow a rigid game plan without any latitude to express themselves and play what is in front of them. Or else. Surely in a situation like that when the pods clearly aren’t working the boys should be allowed to change the playbook and try something different. If think if Klopper, Morgan and co were given some ball today they would have made a difference.
How impressive was that Westville defence though?
@GreenBlooded: maybe the occasion got to him a little. Most of the season he has offloaded well and passed well. Watch the switch between him and Bossr vs DHS….
Du Preez played. I think i am being a bit unfair to him though, its not solely his fault that Glenwood lost
@star:
Always admired your humility in victory – never fails to inspire me.
Ja – Palvie is an awesome player, no doubt about it. But he really does need to offload more. I think against weaker defences he gets away with it and looks great scoring tries but it became clear very early on the today it was not going to work out that way. Prinsloo was immense for you guys today too – why was he taken off when he was looking so good?
@Dixon’s: I quite rate du Preez, was Dubizane playing? He is slow from the base…
Glenwood where tactically very poor today. Congratulations to Westville on a deserved win. For me the crucial period was the the first 10 minutes of the second half. Glenwood laid siege to the Westville goal line, Westville gave away a few penalties but held firm. That for me was the reason Westville won. Stand out player for me was Muller. From my seat behind the poles, he seemed to be at wvery ruck and was tackling some big ball carriers to a standstill! In every game Glenwood has lost this season the problems start at 9. Takes ages to get the ball away. Often passes to a lumbering forward when he needs to gove the ball to the flyhalf. But today the problem became worse when glenwood where chasing the game, there was no urgency from the scrumhalf.
@Grasshopper: Your boys gave it their all. Absolutely no disgrace.
This was always going to be tight. Westville had a better run in with some tough games. I reckon Glenwood’s 3 week break & playing a weak DHS last week left them under done. Anyway, next year will be interesting again…remember the Night Series was a 1 pointer too, reverse result…
Disappointing, but no disgrace. Westville must have played to their strengths & Glenwood didn’t. Very happy with the age group results though. 62-12 at Under15…ouch! 2nds & ubder16a winning also bodes well. This is a young Glenwood pack so will learn from this. I hope they can turn Westville over at Westville next year…
@McCulleys Workshop: I thought it was a 47 minute half. I asked Beet at one stage how much time was left and he said 8 minutes. If that was 8 minutes then I am a sex machine
4 years ago I predicted on Rugby 365 that in 2015 ” the great Western nobility would sweep the barbarian over the cabbage patch and into the sea” And so it has come to pass 
@ GB- I think you are being too hard on Palvie. I think he was the point of difference between the sides. He did a lot of great work as well and is still my man for all seasons.
@GreenBlooded: God help us at CW, if that is the backbone on the team.
Your assessment of the game is accurate, to try and attack WV around the fringes just made no sense to me when it wasn’t working, they needed to move the ball away from rucks to be in with opportunities, where they looked good out wide. The named stars weren’t that for me, in fact I was disappointed. Thought all the wings were great, centers ok, and the WV loose forwards were my pick. First half was hum drum and the 42 min second half a cracker.
@Grasshopper:
Epic but highly frustrating for the Glenwood supporters. Make no mistake – Ville thoroughly deserved this win and by a bigger margin truth be told.
Glenwood were outplayed up front. Time and time again they tried to bash through the Ville defence but to no avail – there was no way they were ever going to break through the rock-solid defence yet they persisted and persisted with the hungry backs looking on. Why they didn’t switch to a more expansive game when the forwards were getting owned I don’t know. And Palvie needs to learn that there are 14 other players in the team. A few tries went begging when he failed to offload to a team-mate in a better position. Westville defence was outstanding – brilliant in fact.
Westville win 18-17, well done Ville. Must have been epic!