The annual St Stithians Rugby Festival takes place from 24, 26 and 30 March in 2016. The Randburg private school has once again done a fine job to attract known rugby schools from around the country to participate. Bishops and Westville are amongst the new additions to the event in 2016.
| TIME | DATE | SCHOOL | SCHOOL | EVENT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09:45 | Thu.24Mar | Clifton | 0 | 35 | St Alban’s | St Stithians Fest |
| 11:00 | Thu.24Mar | DHS | 24 | 27 | Bishops | St Stithians Fest |
| 14:45 | Thu.24Mar | Michaelhouse | 31 | 31 | Wynberg | St Stithians Fest |
| 16:00 | Thu.24Mar | Westville | 6 | 29 | Grey HS | St Stithians Fest |
| 12:15 | Thu.24Mar | St Stithians | 17 | 16 | Graeme | St Stithians Fest |
| 13:30 | Thu.24Mar | Pretoria BH | 8 | 36 | St Andrew’s | St Stithians Fest |
| 09:45 | Sat.26Mar | Clifton | 8 | 10 | Graeme | St Stithians Fest |
| 11:00 | Sat.26Mar | St Andrew’s | 14 | 8 | St Alban’s | St Stithians Fest |
| 12:15 | Sat.26Mar | Grey HS | 44 | 0 | Bishops | St Stithians Fest |
| 16:30 | Sat.26Mar | St Stithians | 16 | 17 | DHS | St Stithians Fest |
| 13:30 | Sat.26Mar | Pretoria BH | 11 | 17 | Michaelhouse | St Stithians Fest |
| 14:45 | Sat.26Mar | Wynberg | 17 | 7 | Westville | St Stithians Fest |
| 09:45 | Mon.28Mar | DHS | 31 | 17 | St Andrew’s | St Stithians Fest |
| 11:00 | Mon.28Mar | Graeme | 20 | 10 | Pretoria BH | St Stithians Fest |
| 12:15 | Mon.28Mar | Wynberg | 32 | 27 | St Alban’s | St Stithians Fest |
| 13:30 | Mon.28Mar | St Stithians | 46 | 21 | Clifton | St Stithians Fest |
| 14:45 | Mon.28Mar | Michaelhouse | 15 | 39 | Grey HS | St Stithians Fest |
| 16:00 | Mon.28Mar | Bishops | 20 | 20 | Westville | St Stithians Fest |
Squads (click to enlarge)
Teams attending
| 2016 | 2015 | City/Town | CW Region | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Stithians | St Stithians | Johannesburg | Lions |
| 2 | Bishops | Cape Town | WP | |
| 3 | Clifton | Clifton | Durban | KZN |
| 4 | DHS | Durban | KZN | |
| 5 | Graeme College | Grahamstown | EP | |
| 6 | Grey HS | Grey HS | Port Elizabeth | EP |
| 7 | Michaelhouse | Michaelhouse | Balgowan | KZN |
| 8 | Pretoria BH | Pretoria BH | Pretoria | Bulls |
| 9 | St Alban’s | St Alban’s | Pretoria | Bulls |
| 10 | St Andrew’s | St Andrew’s | Grahamstown | EP |
| 11 | Westville | Durban | KZN | |
| 12 | Wynberg | Wynberg | Cape Town | WP |
| Helpmekaar | Johannesburg | Lions | ||
| Maritzburg College | Pietermaritzburg | KZN | ||
| Schoonspruit Inv | Western Cape | Boland | ||
| Windhoek HS | Windhoek | Namibia |
@Bush: Agree with you and those 3 examples I mentioned are only at under14 level and might not be involved anymore due to their age. I mean Hutch and Toppy must be close to 70 now. I offered to coach free of charge many times, just because I have a passion for it and did some Under21 coaching in the UK. TK never got back to me. You really need the passionate Old Boys with some knowledge to take these sides and as you say do the basics and do them well. Maybe with the change at GW the new management might consider it. Potentially getting a company like Playball to do the normal weekday coaching and then the OB running the team on the weekend and in preseason. I don’t know the answer but if teams at the lower levels are getting pumped by 90 to 100 points they are going to give the sport up and try something else like Basketball. Maybe the teams should be coached in two’s so A & B one coach and C & D another etc, instead of a coach per side. That way the better coaches will coach more boys the skills required.
@Grasshopper: Yes, I was making reference to GW. There are not many schools in KZN with 1000 plus boys. College, GW and I think Pinetown Boys High. I have spent a few years on the sidelines watching the lower levels of C,D,E and F rugby. What has been the yard stick for me is the final game against Grey Bloem. From this fixture you can see the poor development of the junior sides over the entire rugby season. They get hammered (They don’t know how to ruck,get 2nd phase ball, line out work etc etc), maybe 1 team wins a game.
The area that GW pulls it’s Grade 8’s from is quite vast. Which is understandable considering what the Umbilo Area has become. The kids from those areas mainly play soccer and don’t have rugby. If they do offer rugby the coaching is of a very poor standard. GW at U14 level can feed a very strong A and B side, with an average C side. These sides get the best coaching, get invited to the Academy. While the Diddley Dallies that need the best coaching and the development don’t really get it. So I feel you don’t need a big purse to developed these kids. The best coaching I’m sorry to say, should be at the lower levels.
I watched a game at Grey Bloem, I think it was the U14K team. Grey Bloem was killing GW. I look over to the coaching staff from Grey Bloem. The Coach had his old school blazer on. He had full colours for Choir(Nothing Wrong with that. I wish I could sing) But when your team is getting 70 points coached by “Rod Stewart” you need to really look at what’s wrong.
“Toppy” best coach GW has ever had, amazing man. But he takes the 3rd or 4th. He should be at the lower levels, teaching the basic skills. GW have quite a few successful Premier Division coaches in the set up. Do they spend time developing the unskilled player? To conclude here, once those kids pass U15/U16 level and those skills have not improved, its very difficult for them suddenly develop in the higher age groups.
@Bush: To add I think you will find Affies, Grey Bloem, Paul Roos & Boishaai beat most of their opposition at lower levels by big margins, except between themselves of course. KES will cop over 1,000 points vs Affies, same with College and Glenwood, maybe not as many though…
@Bush: You saying Glenwood has that or other schools? Remember Gov schools don’t have the same purse to bring in private coaches. At Glenwood they actually have some of the oldest and most experienced coaches at the D,E & F team level. Hortop, Hutchison, Jordan etc all coach lower sides. The Teachers Assistants usually have some rugby background. I’m sure the Head of Rugby at Glenwood is not just thinking about the A team. The more depth you have the more cover when there are injuries. Also to try and play the same game plan across sides means boys moving up will slot in better eg same calls etc
@Grasshopper: Lack of proper coaching at the lower levels????
@Roger: Agreed, the other 5 are smaller schools with less depth, but at A team and 1st team level they are usually Top 10. Historically in KZN College have always been the benchmark down the line. In my day we were lucky to win one or two vs College down the line, these days it’s almost 50/50. Against Affies and Grey Bloem, a single win is not unheard of. It’s usually about keeping the scores below 50 in the B & C teams then under 100 for the D, E and F sides. Especially away in Bloem or Pretoria. It’s actually ridiculous…..
@Roger: Our unhealthy obsession with the Kes game is an issue that many people have tried to resolve and the school is hard at work to establishing it a healthy a adversarial relationship instead of a relationship of hatred and envy. I agree that we old boys put way too much pressure on the boys for this game living vicariously through them. Cannot comment on certain unruly often not Jeppe old boys that decide to act in an unbecoming manner at the end of Jeppe games. To be fair I was not at Kes last year as I preferred to watch it from home as I had sneaky feeling things would not go to plan for us on the day. There are many people that do wonderful things for the school who are not old boys and we are thankful for their generosity, we often want embrace as many people as possible into the Jeppe family and our openness makes us susceptible to infiltration by angry Eastranders who love the bad reputation that Jeppe has built up historically as thugs and brollers which by the way is not often true although when you are losing by a large margin you throw a punch to get the game called early is plan all schools adopt to stop the hurt. I have also found that Kes is less accommodating for the hoods of people that arrive on the day of a Jeppe/Kes game and it creates an uncomfortable viewing environment for many spectactors they get unruly and frustrated quickly. However it does not excuse people behaving soo poorly as to abuse players after a loss. I would be devastated if Jeppe old boys abused boys after the loss truly devastated. Cause one my memories of school was how often we would have to chant ” we love we do we love we do oh Jeppe we love you!!!” which is the war cry we sing after every loss but never after a win. Mates used to joke it was like an abused wife trying to convince themselves to stay with an abusive husband. If there one thing about Jeppe was that we thought the world of our school even during the days when we went winning many rugby games. Which if you look at a school that is over 125 year old is actually not that long as I consider the dark days being the early years of the early 21st century between 02 – 09.
@Ringo: that must have been one of the only games KES won in 2004 – officially the 2nd worst side in the schools rugby history – closely followed by 1999!
@Ringo: problem for you guys is it just means too much to you. I think if less emphasis was placed on the 1st team result – the guys would relax a bit more. I think KES handle the pressure of the whole build up and day itself better than Jeppe do. The abuse Jeppe got last year from old boys after Jeppe lost was pathetic – it really has become a bit much, to the point where I don’t go watch anymore
@Grasshopper: I wouldn’t class EG Jansen, Waterkloof, Monnas, Paarl Gim and Boland Landbou with Affies, Paarl Boys, Paul Roos and Grey Bloem. Those latter four schools are, in my opinion, historically, presently and consistently, the top four rugby schools in SA. They put out 28 teams week after week and don’t lose often – across the board. There is a big difference between have great A and 1st teams and having 28 great teams. Claiming a big four scalp is rare. KES has never beaten Affies, Grey Bloem or Paul Roos and has only beaten Paarl Boys once (although they don’t play very often) – yet KES vs Monnas head to head is now at 14 wins each and KES win more games down the line than they lose against Monnas.
This is not to say the other schools don’t have great rugby programmes and are great schools – they are, but for me the top four are a class apart
@Andre T: Morning good Sir do not know if it called SA schools trials weekend or the exact terminology…. But in 2012 I remember the Kes Duo of Hooker and prop running onto the field halfway through the first half of the game and we were told they were returning from SA schools trials which luckily where held at EG Jansen in Boksburg that year and last year when two of players were selected for SA schools they were in Stellenbosch the whole week of the Kes fixture and that had disastrous effect on the outcome of the game for us. Before you ask could two players overturn a 24 – nil scoreline the answer is probably yes… if consider that 3 of the Kes tries were full field sprints by their winger off Jeppe mistakes in the Kes 22. I reckon at least 3 of the players in the Jeppe team could make u18 Sa schools or the u18 SA -A team…. If they are not available for some or another reason for that last game of the season that may have a significant impact on that last game. The score is already something ridiculous like 70 – 22 in favour of Kes in our historical head to head… Partly due to the fact that Kes have the ability to win or draw the games they should not win like in my matric year 04 when they were really terrible and the guys had beaten them convincingly through the age groups and still lost to them and to end injury to insult it was a blue moon Saturday… Remember the Headmasters address at assembly that Monday and he specifically making mention of the fact that if we could not beat them on a blue moon we properly could never ever beat them again. Took another six painful years before we turned them out in 2010 would hate this year to be another one of the many many many many many instances were we are supposed to put on a rugby tutorial against Kes but the occasions gets to the Jeppe boys.
@BOG: And then I discovered all the hookers are still virgins in Bloem
@Ringo: Never heard of this SA Schools trials weekend……is this something new?
@Andre T: the Jeppe backline is truly something to wtite home about …. we play Kes on the 6th of August at Jeppe SA schools trials weekend … but maybe trials might be moved as it is the same day as interschools in Paarl
The references above to hookers, reminds me of Andre Ts experience in Bloemfontein. He asked for the nearest escort agency and the good folk from the city, directed him to the Ford dealership.
So I heard Jeppe ran circles around Monnas last night at the Lions’ trials.
When is the KES vs Jeppe game and where?
@bison: Oops, I was watching at the diametrically opposite end of the ground, so the chap looked big from where I was, but clearly I was mistaken. That said, I’m glad to hear that he made a full recovery.
@Roger: @Bush:
@Vleis: Marx tackled Ivan van Zyl who currently plays for the Bulls nr 9 in that 2012 game and he broke his wrist. Affies was lucky to win that game.
@Roger: Yep, wins against those 2 powerhouses are very rare, hence our pride at Glenwood in getting quite a few scalps in the past decade, 13 big ones for us…
Affies
2014 won 36-22 (granted it was a weak year for them, but it was up there)
2009 won 24-10 (Away)
2008 won 24-7 (Home)
Grey Bloem
2006 won 14-10 (Home – Warren Whiteley and Kyle Coopers year)
Paul Roos
2011 won 13-8 (Away)
2008 won 26-7 (Away)
Paarl Boys
2013 won 17-15 (WildeKlawer – at College, so like home)
Boland Landbou
2013 won 36-13 (WildeKlawer – at College, so like home)
2006 won 29-10 (Away)
Monnas
2012 won 25-18 (Away)
EG Jansen
2011 won 34-22 (Away)
2013 won 31-20 (Kearsney Fest)
2016 won 14-13 (Kearsney Fest)
Waterkloof
2004 won 14-12 (Away)
There maybe more from the 90 years before that…
@Grasshopper: nope – played Affies 6 times and no win as yet (not gonna happen this year either) – closest we came was 2012 and 1998 (Joe v Niekerks year) where KES lost by 2/3 points)
Grey Bloem we have only played three or four times – closest was the famous 1986 game where KES lost it in the last second at the Saints festival – think the score was 20-18 or something. There is a KES blogger on here who played in that game (KES Duchy). Not sure when last KES played Grey Bloem – not this century I don’t think
@Roger: Have KES ever beaten Affies? OR Grey Bloem for that matter? Brink is good but will need to wait another 4 to 5 years I think. Marx could cover flank in a squad scenario which is always handy
@Playa: Mahatma Gandhi Drive (Point Road Durban) plenty co-hookers 8)
@Playa: co – hookers – sounds like a good night out
seriously though – hooker and loose forward is one position in SA we have covered
tight head prop and fly half different story
@Vleis: Affies had an SA Schools prop that year (loosehead and captain) – Pierre Schoeman – he played SA under 20’s as well and I think is now at the Bulls. He got smashed that day by Dillon Smith. First time I have seen an Affies pack get drilled like that – but their backline was brilliant that year.
There are not that many good tightheads in SA at the moment and Smith might get a call up at some point too.
IMO Brink is the best of the three – but loose forward is such a tough position in SA – so many good players. In the SA u20 side in 2014 he started ahead of the Du Preez’s
@Roger: Yep. It was hosted at KES and was the first of the now annual rugby fixture v Affies. I’ll never forget a large Affie forward heading for a certain try when Marx came out of nowhere and smashed him into touch. Unfortunately, the ferocity of the tackle (which was 100% legal) broke the Affie player’s arm (or was it shoulder?).
FYI Bongi (of the Stormers) is a St Alban’s old boy. Their latest super rugby player (Jenkins) came to watch the team on Saturday with his lock partner (RG Strydom).
@Roger: Since we have co-captains…why not have co-hookers
Boggles the mind.
@Grasshopper: IMO Marx and Edgar Marutulle are the form hookers in the comp right now – closely followed by Akker vd Merwe. Strauss is off the boil and the Stormers have no idea who to start with – Bongi or Scarra – which is doing them no favours.
@Vleis: that was one that got away – KES missed 5 kicks at goal that day and lost 15-13 I think
Of the 23 at Kearsney festival, 9 are grade 11. So around 40%….
@Roger: Ah yes, I remember that now. Spoke to Warren Whiteley recently and he said the 3 KES boys were all very good and likely to make the Boks in the near future, especially Marx as hooker. Although he isn’t quite the right demographic unfortunately…
I think half of the Glenwood squad are grade 11 (standard 9)…
@Roger: I watched the 2012 game v Affies. KES was comfortably the better team on the day (even the Affies supporters acknowledged same) but could not close it out. Your flyhalf was an excellent kicker, but he missed a lot of kicks (some quite easy) that day.
@Grasshopper: grade 11 – standard 9 – can’t get used to this grade malarkey !
2012 was Marx, Brink, Smith etc – great season – beat Monnas, lost to Affies by 2
@Roger: Do you mean 9 grade 10’s? Grade 9 playing Open is probably illegal. What happened in 2012, just remind me? Unbeaten but didn’t play Affies, Monnas etc?
@Grasshopper: KES U16A’s in 2015 were very good Hopper – make no mistake. Taking into account that at least three of the top players had already been drafted into the greater 1st XV squad the result vs Affies and Monnas were pretty good.
The KES 1st team this year has at least 10 grade 9’s in the mix – very young so their results will be up and down. Next year we are hoping for a repeat of 2012!
@Ringo: not sure who they playing this weekend – It says on the website “Parktown/Pretoria Boys High, but no 1st, 2nd or U16A fixtures
Your guess is as good as mine – I guess we will know soon enough
@Grasshopper: I think just Brakenfell is incorrect, as they beat them 16-5 .
@Vleis: Maybe reversed then, got them off the Paarl site but it didn’t say if it was winners first or not…
@Grasshopper: Grassy. Your MHS results aren’t correct. A mate of mine has a son in that u16A team and I remember them being unbeaten after their first two games. They deffo beat Brakenfell.
@Bush: Agree, the early years mean nothing. I remember losing to Westville by 50 odd points in standard 6 and then losing in matric by a point, last minute penalty for ‘holding on’ according to the ref. Glenwood play House on the 16th of April at Glenwood, should be a good game. Good luck to House too, looks a well coached side..
@Grasshopper: Thanks, I don’t look to much into the junior ranks of the game. What counts is what happens after grade 10.
I think it would be wonderful to have a bunch of kids wet behind the ears arriving in grade 8. Then seeing them develop through coaching and become great players.That would be the ultimate for a teacher at any school.I say teacher as I don’t support independent people coaching at schools. Coaches should be teachers. Any way good luck for your season. I hope I will get the opportunity to watch GW 1st XV again this year.
@Bush: fyi – House at Paarl Gim;
Under16
vs Framesby drew 14-14
vs Brackenfell lost 22-0
vs Rustenburg lost 24-10
OK results, might be tough vs the big Gov’s in KZN..
@Bush: Yep, they lost quite heavily to Grey Bloem, 5-22 in Bloem. Quite a few of their wins were very close affairs. I was told they have the potential but playing a bash bash sort of game which needs to change. Also, they relied on size last year and others have caught up. Give them time, they will be fine
@Grasshopper: Cape and Eastern schools tough nuts to crack. Didn’t that u15 side finished 2nd in the country last year. They lost 1 game, their final game against Grey Bloem.
@Bush: Yep, those 3 are 3 of the top sides in the country.
Paarl Gim vs Glenwood 16 – 10
HJS Paarl Boys vs Glenwood 31 – 10
Paul Roos vs Glenwood 36 – 19
That is a pretty hectic schedule for any side, but they will learn a lot from that.
@Grasshopper: I see your U15 side haven’t had a great start to the season. 3 losses on the trot.
@McCulleys Workshop: 1987 vs House was another better year…
@McCulleys Workshop: No it wasn’t, 1964 & 1965 will always be the best sides ever…
@Grasshopper: That draw of ours was obviously painful, considering it was your best side ever!
@McCulleys Workshop: Life according to the 2007 House team….pot kettle comes to mind…
@Grasshopper: Life according to Glenwood. You could make a religion out of it, Rastahedonsim, that could work…
OK, so KES under16A lost 11-31 to Affies, so either they had a great game vs Monnas or they were kak against Affies. Not sure they are as good as the KES guys are saying…
Some perspective, Glenwood under16A lost 15-16 to Monnas and beat Affies 26-22. How did the KES Under16’s do vs Affies?
@Andre T: ah understood drilled it is then
@Ringo: I didn’t say hammer……I said drilled………Drilled is when you get hammered unexpectedly by a team you should beat by 20 points…..lol
@Andre T: 13 – 12 was the final score just checked on the KES website and if I am not mistaken last minute penalty won it for them…. Do not get me wrong I think they are a quality team but they did not hammer monnas is all I was trying to say
@Ringo: Are you sure it was 6-5…..I think it was rather someting like 22-18
@Roger: I think these are the KES fixtures as posted on the Noordvaal 2016 fixtures tread:
Beet – final fixtures for KES:
Wed 16 March – Saints (h)
24 – 26 – 28 March – KES Festival
Sat 16 April – Waterkloof (h)
Sat 23 April – Boys High (h)
Sat 30 April – Rondebosch (Wynberg 175)
Mon 2 May – Tygerberg (Wynberg 175)
Sat 7 May – College (h)
Sat 14 May – Affies (h)
Sat 28 May – St Albans (a)
Sat 4 June – St Johns (h)
Sat 11 June -Monnas (a)
Sat 23 July – Boys High (a)
Sat 30 July – Parktown (a)
Sat 6 Aug – Jeppe (a)
So 16 games – nice number:
“think it was posted by yourself” from my understanding Kes are playing Parktown on the weekend of the 9th and Jeppe is playing boys high but the boys high under 14 -16 g-j teams and opens 7th – 10th teams are playing KES as Jeppe only has about six or seven teams per age group
@Andre T: The KES u16 a were a quality outfit very good team but 6-5 win is hardly a hammering. Think their team this year is mixture of youth and experience and next year they will be a scary prospect. This year they will play a good brand of rugby but their defence is a bit scatchy as showed by Ben Vorster
I wonder how many of KES u/16’s of last year, who drilled Monnas u/16, are in the first XV this year?
@Roger: what was interesting on Twitter KES OB’s were ripping the side apart when they lost to Ben Vorster then a few days later when KES beat Northwood they were the red army & going to have a good season. Having Northwood as a benchmark isn’t aiming too high, all due respect to them. They have a good team but not going to challenge the top 4 in KZN. They big up front and will give their best but top 20 beaters, errr maybe at home and all their ducks are in a row. The big tests for KES will be Jeppe, Affies, Monnas, Parktown (sorry forgot you not playing them) & Westville. If KES can win 2 of those ill put them top 20.
@Ringo: KES play Boys High next weekend (9 April) or am I missing something ?
@Tang: it was a cracker that 2013 Boys High game… I am certain the game on the 9th of April will be very close as boys high always bring a good game. In the last 7 years games have been closely fought between our schools the win in 2010 for Jeppe invoked a sense of self belief that brought the winds of positivity that has carried us in the second decade of the 21st century boys high can upset us next week though I hope it does not happen though
@McCulleys Workshop: have not seen the current u 14 from Jeppe but like Roger said it will some of the first games of rugby that some of these boys are playing but with time we should see the results give a clearer indication of these boys ability but we have played some quality natal schools at Glenwood and Maritzburg it will be a valuable experience for the boys giving them lots of mhch needed game time
@McCulleys Workshop: Glenwood results at their festival;
Under 14A
vs Noordheuwel won 47-0
vs Jeppe won 44-3
vs Jim Fouche won 56-0
Under 16A
vs Noordheuwel won 26-8
vs HS Middelburg won 57-6
vs Prince Edward won 64-0
A good start for the youngsters
Helpmekaar 47 KES 29 at Ellis Park – was 34-29 with five minutes to go and Helpies scored a breakaway try and another after the hooter.
Well done both schools – great game!
@Andre T: Did he get time of his 2 and half men filming schedule?
@Roger: Could have been Lood de Jager
@McCulleys Workshop: nope – but they certainly feed them something different – I saw a 6″5′ 120kg lock playing for one of the above mentioned schools at U14 level – have you ever?! I’ll give you a hint – it wasn’t KES!
@Roger: You think they have been rigging their ages
?
@Vleis: KES u14A and 2nds are at the Monnas festival. They lost 22-0 to Monnas on Tuesday, 27-0 to EG Jansen on Thursday and play Kempton Park tomorrow – but to your point – look at the 2nd team results at the same festival – KES beat Helpmekaar and EG Jansen and I will wager they will beat Kempton Park tomorrow as well. English schools struggle at U14 level against the Afrikaans schools (mainly die to size) but the gap narrows as the kids get older, bigger, stronger and more skilful.
@McCulleys Workshop: Generally the junior teams of the Gauteng english speaking high schools sruggle, as most of the players have not played rugby before. This is changing, as more and moe english speaking primary schools are slowly starting to play rugby.
@Ringo: Just watched Jeppe U14 playing DHS at Glenwood. Jeppe have a very big side, however I see they were beaten 24 – 17 by House U14 on Wednesday.
@Ringo: It would have been a travesty had the Jeppe kicker slotted the conversion in 2013. Jeppe were awarded a try after Boys High had clearly dotted down behind the try line. Jeppe converted that try and essentially got 7 free points from the ref. At one stage in the 2013 match, I thought Boys High would run away with the game but Jeppe always stayed in touch.
I think this year will be about damage limitation for Boys High. I can only see one result on 9 April and I just hope Boys High keep the scoreline close.
@McCulleys Workshop: hahah, never heard it called that, maybe from non Bluffites. We just dopped OB’s and Paarl Crackling stukkend!
@GreenBlooded: @Grasshopper: That’s the Doos Wyn the chicks take to parties. Drostyhof extra something. AKA Bluff Handbag
@McCulleys Workshop: Not sure what you mean, sorry tired and brain not engaged. If you looked at Skye Robinson or Shane Thorne squiff you would have got moered, not sure about hand bags though…
@McCulleys Workshop:
It that when you get moered in the head with a motorbike helmet?
@Grasshopper: Did you ever come across a Bluff Handbag?
@Ringo: The chap that told me that number (i.e. 1,000) is an old boy and the father of the current 1st team cricket captain.
@Vleis: would be great to see Potch and Springs being revived to be viable alternatives for thise 800 boys who get turned down by Jeppe if 800 is the number seems high ….. to be honest as old boy its nice to tell a saints or parktown boy the winning streak continues… but not so nice to say to my mates we no longer play Potch….
@Ringo: @Matty: Yep, I think that the OB’s (esp. Jackson) have done an amazing job at Jeppe. My son spent a week in the Jeppe hostels a few years back for a cricket IPT and was complimentary about the food.
Coming from a govt school, I always support Jeppe/KES/etc over the privates…unless they’re playing against St Alban’s. Jeppe even has the tag line of ‘turning black and white into gold’, which was developed pre ’94 (I think?), but which is so apt today. KES/Jeppe/etc give one hope for the future of our country.
@GreenBlooded: Yep, born and bred on the Bluff in those very Afrikaner days, 1979 to 1991 when I moved to Westville due to my dad remarrying. We had two powerful Afrikaans rugby schools, Dirkie Uys and Andries Pretorius, co-ed and over 1,000 pupils each. I remember the elections once and their were VF, AWB & NP guys on horses with Afrikaner flags in the school grounds at the voting stations. There is only one road going into the Bluff and these buggers wanted to block it off there during the referendum. Certainly some rough railway families there too. Grosvenor Boys High has a reputation for dagga roeker surfers bunking school and causing kak. Let’s just say as a Bluff boy going out in town to Rip Tides, Harley’s etc we were pretty safe with the heavy ou’s from the Bluff. I remember we all caught the bus back on Friday nights and the stuff that went down on that bus cannot be spoken about now. We had tons of ‘paras’ with the Burra & Toti boys also plenty of town clowns (town surfers). I hailed from the ‘heaviest’ beach, Garvey’s off Marine Drive. If anyone not from Garvey’s was caught in the water there they were simply stuffed up and sent packing. So yes, I had some rough upbringing but that was because my dad was a single dad having to work in Jacobs so needed to live nearby to ensure he was home early enough to ensure we were not up to mischief. I never regret coming from there, showed me how low some people can be and to strive for better…..
@GreenBlooded: rough and tough from the ‘Bluff – as they say. Kinda like the South of Jozi – pronounced “Souff” ‘cos most of those okes had their two front teeth missing and dental plans were not high on the priority list
As the old joke goes……….
Have you seen what it says on a Leb’s gravestone in the Souff?
“Did you know who I was?”
@GreenBlooded: What happened to all refs being innocent until proven guilty? My bad, forgot we are talking no rules territory.
@Playa: @Roger:
Eish. You okes clearly aren’t familiar with the Bluff. Definitely not the strangest thing that happens out there. There was once talk of UDI and it becoming a separate country. There was more support from the outside that the inside!! Hopper gonna be hatin’ for me saying that – he hails from the Republic of the Bluff……
Seriously – if ou Kyle did that, he must be fired from the Sharks. Let due process take it’s course – but a story like that has to have an element of truth to it.
@Roger: @Playa: If she ain’t good enuff for her Ma an Pa she ain’t good enuff for me!
in terms of the facilities that are offered at those schools. Essentially what the traditional boys schools offer is private school facilities at half the price or more realistically 25% of the price
@Roger:
ed zachery!
@Matty: Glad another Jeppe blogger is on the forum.
@Vleis: think they are plenty young men that afforded opportunities through the many avenues at the school. I was laughing with my mom the other day saying that my brother and I would not be able to afford the school fees at Jeppe now. But through the generosity of people like the Jacksons and many other unnamed and equally important ( just think the Jacksons deserve a special mention for stepping up and saying they will spearhead the drive and thinking of the greater good and also creating employment through the trust) . If you to hear how heart wrenching some of the kids on the foundations stories are you would also be fan of theirs cause if they succeed so many lives will be improved. Jeppe has never been an elitist school but you need money to run a public school and we at least 7 years behind the likes of KES, College and Rondebosch
Apologies, I’m not trying to make any excuse for that disgraceful behaviour. Completely unacceptable.
I remember last years St Albans game, your boys never gave up the fight the entire game and I would say they gave more of themselves that day then the boys in the black and white. That for me is what school boy rugby is all about!
Wrt the bursaries of 13, 15 and 8; they may well be on bursaries. My point is however that the bursary is not based on the premise of boy’s needing to be exceptional sportsman (although I will never complain if they are). For every bursary provided to a first team player there are several more provided to an average Joe, and that’s the way a school should run its bursary programme me thinks.
@Matty:
I’m from a working class background, so have no qualms re swearing – just not at women over a neck injury…but I’m sure that dude was the exception to the rule.
I was told that your current 13, 15 and 8 were Jackson bursary recipients, or were they recipients of other bursaries? Like KES, I’m sure that the Jeppe OBs are now backing all sorts of bursaries (and I’m sure that there are countless OBs that deserve major recognition for Jeppe’s return to success at sports) but I think that Dale Jackson was the key trigger.
I agree that the KES v Jeppe game should not take place on said date. It’s highly likely that the KES win in ’15 and the Jeppe win in ’12 were as a result of same.
The Jeppe team imo has been very competitive since 2013. A lot of praise has to go to not only Dale Jackson but to various old boys, staff members and parents who invested endless time and resources in to returning the black and white to its former glory.
The Jackson scholarship I have seen by some has been labelled as the principle reason behind Jeppe’s resurgence. I disagree. The scholarship, is non-sporting and non-academic, the only qualifying criteria is a boy of character who would otherwise not be able to attend our school for financial reasons.
I would say that the real turn for Jeppe came about with the change of headmaster from Tait to Dempsey as well as the return of some zealous old boys.
@Vleis Apologies about the nasty incident. We are generally of a working class background and we can sometime lack the refinement of our more affluent brother schools.
@Roger From what I’ve heard the Jeppe KES derby will again be at the same time as the SA school trials. The derby of 2012 and 2014 were both affected by this. Surely as one of the most watched derby in the country the broadcasters/sponsors should ensure that this clash between country and school does not happen.
#Monnas Festival – KES u14A lose 22-0 to Monnas, KES 2nds beat Helpmekaar 22-17
well done
@Vleis: Yeah our kicker in 2013 cost us the game at Boys high where he missed a last minute conversion in front of the sticks in game we lost by one point.
@Vleis: yeah this Saint Albans team this year is not bad side though although your grade 11 will not want to remember their grade 8 year cause they took 93 – nil on that day….. Judging at how close it has gotten since that faithful day in 2013 it will be interest game this year. Those Blue bulls refs also hate Jeppe hey so would not be surprised if anyone of boys High and Saint Albans upset us this year. I hope for all money it does not happen. In 2013 we only lost 4 games and it was a special season. This year the backline is even better than the one we had in 2013 soo we truly hope that we have stellar season. But as Beet said we need to take it one game at time:-D
@Vleis: what is the world coming too
Well done the blue and the grey!
I do see that KES U16, 15 and 14 A’s were all unbeaten for the season though – good on ’em!
@Ringo: Yep, I remember 2013 well. My son took a knock the week before, so failed the concussion test. He was so desperate to play v Jeppe that he retook the test three times!
On the day, our u15A did well to ‘only’ lose by about 26 to 12 v your dream team, so I was quietly confident that our 1st team would win as:
1. they beat Jeppe the previous year; and
2. that St Alban’s team had three future pros – the 126kg lock (Bulls super rugby), 115kg 8th man (Bulls Currie Cup) and 100kg centre (French Top14).
However, you blew us to pieces and the score would’ve been higher if you’d kicked better!!
@BrotherBear: ah – not official then – but Fridays game at Ellis Park definitely is!
@Roger: Monday’s games are 1st trials for Lions u18 and u16. This year they start with schools playing each other. Don’t know if games can be classified as official, as they are playing 20 minutes per 1/2 (someone can maybe confirm).
@Playa: hehehehe – and I see they refuse to talk to the press as well – pleading the 5th!
@Vleis: No no no definitely not the type to swear at parents that is un-becoming. Those sorts are the type of rotten apples that confuse banter with barbarism. That Tyrone is a crazy fella saw him in the coaches dug out at the Kes fest….. You will have to forgive us cause in 2013 we won 88 – 0 nil so we thought lightning would strike twice
@Roger:
As such a helpful little chappie, please find below for your consideration:
http://www.kingedwardschool.co.za/Content/Result.aspx?eid=4051
The rest of the results look very unpromising!
@Roger: I thought I was the only one who found that odd…then again…if you’re in your 40s, married and are out with a 19 year old birdie…what’s the best way out of trouble once bust
@Vleis: I didn’t see or hear of it so it never happened
@Roger:
Re St Alban’s v KES: I live in hope of a first win, but St Alban’s seem to get psyched out v KES, just like my school did back in the day. That said, I watched my son and his mates beat your 1st team cricket a few weeks ago, so you never know!
@Ringo: Cool, but I hope you weren’t the chap who was swearing at the St Alban’s parents last year when we called him out for cheering when our hooker went off on a stretcher!
He was clearly very frustrated, as you were expecting a big win, which didn’t materialise. To be fair, even his mates were very embarrassed. 
On the plus side, I had very pleasant experiences (and shared a few beers) with your old boys at St Alban’s in ’14 and ’12. In particular, I remember the one chap (he may have been a teacher – his name was Tyronne) was very passionate but magnanimous in ’12.
heh @Grasshopper: I see your boy Kyle Cooper is in some strife – klapping a member of the fairer sex at 2am in a bar on the Bluff and then moering the old man in the car park – tut tut tut – what is this world coming too when father and daughter simply cannot have a good time together at 2am
@Roger: No they lost to Monnas 12 – 10 in u 16. These Afrikaans schools are bruisers hey and would much rather play Saint David’s and win by big score than play a close game with Helpmekaar but understand that kids are more competitive these days and want to measured against the very best.
@@BrotherBear: Helpmekaar was bridge to far last year and the boys really do need time to recover in between games. Think about Jeppe has already played 6 games in March alone. 4 of them against Afrikaans school’s playing Helpmekaar on Friday and Monument Monday would be suicide. We just need to have a good season a bit of RNR is well deserved by these boys
@Vleis: Yeah being in that group of younger old boys we were there in the mid 2002 – 09 when things were not so lekker and Kes was threating to cancel our fixture because it was not competitive enough and they needed to make space for College and other schools that were more fitting of their stature. Yes it actually happened it ended up being a toss up between us and Potch boys and heard we made it by a whisker in fact had we not won in 2010 apparently the fixture would have been held on Wednesday in 2011. Hence we get slightly more excited than those who there in the 80 and 90 when schools were more on par with each other.
@Ringo: I stand corrected – I thought this Jeppe team beat Monnas at U16 level?
Real pity they not playing Monnas and Helpies this year – that would determine the Northvaal top team in my opinion (with Affies and EGJ)
@Vleis: the Jackson’s have done great work there – especially Dale – big up to them.
If the SA mens hockey team had been allowed to go to the Sydney Olympics in 2000 – Craig would have been the first South African to compete at four Olympic games. Barcelona on 1992, Atlanta in 1996, Sydney in 2000 and Athens on 2004.
Vleis – KES St Albans should be pretty good this year?
@Wyvern: Un-called for mense from the east do have a bit of tamper though
…. We do not play Helpmekaar luckily 
… I not entirely sure what happened at their Glenwood tour when they were under 14 think they drew in their match against Glenwood in u14 and won everything else…… and to my knowledge through u14 – u16 they only had 4 losses was twice to Affies (u14 and u 15) once to Helpmekaar in u16 and the other loss to Monument also in u 16….. Luckily we do not play Helpies this year and there is no scheduled fixture against Monument but I understand they will play them in trial match at Ellis Park on Monday the 4th of April 18h00. From what I understand it will take the form of a full match just 25 minutes a half though.
The Jeppe 8th man played SA schools last year and really think if all things work out for him he will play for the boks on the wing. Also think the 15 and 13 will be professional players might even be boks if they get their heads right. The rest of the backline is solid and in year without those three they would have all been the stars. Number 12 is specimen of note and was told that he was an incredible cricketer too. In fact a mate was telling me that 11 of these boys played u 16 a cricket at Jeppe and beat everybody but I mean beat everybody including Kes and Saints which is them impossible on the cricket field. Then they choose to focus on rugby when they reached opens and did not play cricket. I just think sometimes we focus to much on the rugby field and lose sight of everything else.
@McCulleys Workshop: The Glenwood pack at 830kg must be close to Northwood in size, difference is the Glenwood pack is super conditioned and lean (bar Palvie in your opinion). In fact Glenwood played Northwood in a preseason warm up scoring 5 tries in a short match. It’s a pity they not playing them this year after last years drubbing….
@Wyvern:
Yep, the mums and old boys (especially younger ones – e.g. 25) are very (ahem) passionate about their team. 
The turning point re improved Jeppe intake started about nine years ago. At that point, I think that Dale Jackson joined the school as deputy head and started the Theo Jackson scholarship with his brother, using their inheritance. This brought in great talent and started a positive (like Garsies) attitude re the school. Now, they’re in the position where over 1,000 boys apply for 200 places each year and the Theo Jackson scholarship has progressed from one or two scholarships to 50 – i.e. 10 new ones per annum.
@Roger:
@BrotherBear: KES playing Helpies Friday at Ellis Park and I see KES 2nd’s play Helpies today at the Monnas festival.
Are you saying KES and Helpies are playing Monday as well
@Wyvern: oh ja – with some of those Mommies you would be safer on the field
@McCulleys Workshop: unfortunately it seems Helpies not playing Jeppe this year. Would be a good contest. We asked to play them this Friday (we now playing KES on Friday and Monday), but Jeppe had some lame excuse.
@Roger: Oh okay i see. I tell you what though, the fire they showed on the field against Waterkloof was matched by the fiery language by (presumably) some of their mothers in the stand hahaha!!!
@McCulleys Workshop: not sure about Helpies, they do play Monnas though. In 2014 as U16’s they beat both Affies and Monnas and were ranked top three in the country so much expected of them this year. They have made a good start though, beating Queens, Eldoraigne, Waterkloof and Kempton Park convincingly.
@Wyvern: Jeppe Prep is pretty decent, they also draw from the eastern suburbs mainly – Kensington, Malvern, Edenvale, Alberton, Benoni, Boksburg etc. Kids on the Theo Jackson bursary come from far and wide though – Jeppe have a fairly big BE.
@Vleis: @Roger: Vleis did you see NW play? They have the biggest pack in KZN this year, but when I’ve watched them for the last few years their conditioning, basic skills and temperament have let them down. So to answer your question I think there are two potential issues with skills training 1. They don’t have sufficient skills coaching from u14 upwards 2. From my understanding the imports are often PDA players who have been identified with raw talent, but later on, u16, and although, big or fast, the basics need to be improved on. I think that if NW apply themselves to great coaching structures from u14, they will do very well. Roger, do Jeppe play Helpies and Monument?
@Roger: Agree Jeppe was by far the most impressive team at KES this year! That Waterkloof match was brutal and they probably should have won it by more.
What junior schools do Jeppe draw most of their pupils from?
@McCulleys Workshop: Jeppe look really good this year – very fast and skilful backline and good pack of forwards (number 8 is pure class). I can’t see any school in Northvaal (bar Affies) beating them. The Affies clash will be sensational. Do they play EG Jansen this year?
But heh
stranger things have happened on derby days!
@McCulleys Workshop: @Vleis: I watched Northwood KES on Monday and let me tell you that Northwood pack is massive. They ran out of steam in the second half though – at one stage the score was 20-17 and then KES ran away with it. Northwood scored a consolation try after the final whistle which made the score board look better. Bloody big buggers (wtf do they put in the water down there?) but fitness an issue.
@Orbit: I think you are 100% right about Paul Anthony. I think the current director of rugby is starting to develop the right culture. He has taken on a difficult task but if you look at the younger age groups, there are signs that the improvement is underway.
@boishaaipa @barry ouens hoe gaan dit met Boeta Chamberlain?
@McCulleys Workshop: OK thanks. Wouldn’t these players have had reasonable skills developed at their previous school or club?
@Vleis: It was suggested a few seasons ago that NW were being fed by the Sharks recruiting scouts. Beet can give you the facts. They have had useful forwards for the last 3 years, but if you have players arriving in Grade 11-12, it is pretty hard to instil skills that should have been drilled into them from grade 8.
@Tang: it seems to me that beside the obvious bursary talk the big thing is that boys high have never really ever replaced Paul Anthony, and not to take away from the current coaches at all. He is a legend of school boy rugby … And boys high need a spear head at the top. They will be back, one of the finest institutions in the country
@Vleis: KES have recruited well at 10 and 11 too. I agree with what you say about Northwood. However they have a really great and clever coach in bashford which makes them quite tricky to play and they have an excellent gym facility which I’m sure helps. They look to have a decent U14 team so maybe the table will then for them in the future.
@Grasshopper: I presume that Northwood recruit a lot of players in grade 10/11/12? I ask as their current matric bunch were extremely weak at age group level, but the 1st team seems pretty good. Some players develop later on, but this seems to be a consistent trend…so I must assume that there is either recruitment or many u19 players. Parktown do the same here in Jhb.
@Henkies: I watched DHS at Saints, good side….much better than the past 5 years. I think they will take a few good scalps this season, maybe even a Berea derby, you never know. Good to see Glenwood playing both DHS and College twice, home and away. A pity we don’t have a Hilton and Northwood fixture this year. The clash of the packs with Northwood….
@Henkies: Monument and Affies away, Grey College at Glenwood.
Well done Glenwwod. Great to see a KZN school claiming some huge scalps. Judging by the weights, they must have a huge pack, bigger than Affies possibly. Grassy is Glenwood playing Affies home or away this year?
@GreenBlooded: Sorry, not making a statement that they will finish “Top” but I was referring to them finishing in the top group.
@Rhino_67:
Big call on DHS considering Glenwood’s winning streak at KERF. Early days still. Let’s see how the season pans out. The Westville injuries are a concern, but a big school with depth and lots of opportunities now where boys from lower down can step up to the plate.
@GreenBlooded: A player of Prinsloo’s statue will be missed by any Team, but the boys coped admirably. Both hooker replacements were sidelined with injury. One before the Bishops game and the other during so the utility Front Row who was converted from Open Side Flanker last year stood up and took over hooking duties. DG has now played across the front row and to his credit has coped phenominally with the change. I must say though that he will be looking forward to settling in at the loosehead role as the season progresses. We also missed Barnard in the lineouts where first phase ball needs to be secured better rather than tapping off the top and putting the scrummie under pressure. These will be rectified on these players returns and I think we can look forward to a very competitive KZN Rugby season ahead.
DHS are looking like a Team with lots of potential and will ceratinly finish up at the top of the KZN rankings this year. Michael House surprised and played with a lot of heart and seemed to be punching above their weight for the duration of the tournament. Had Grey PE within sight for the 1st half of their encounter but the dam wall had to fall sometime and when it did, it opened the game up to some sublime rugby from the E/Cape Team. What a pleasure to watch a backline at full pace. That was from a Team without the assistance of there SA Schools player Kwezi Mafu who is a player of note.
@Rhino_67: @h2o:
Nice introspective commentary gentlemen. Thanks for not blaming the referees like some Westville supporters make a habit of doing
. I’m sure Westville will take positives out of this and use it to build for the season ahead. Saw Prinsloo at the KERF – how badly was he missed on tour? What is the prognosis on some of the other injured players?
@Rhino_67: Glad to hear. This team is certainly way better than the results are showing. A tough start to the season yes but we need to have settled down by now as it will not get any easier.
@h2o: The game plan changed substantially yesterday with some nice positives spinning off this change. As you said, you have to earn the right to go wide and we diffinitely did that. The Team was very thin with a lot of injuries but I think they have turned the corner. We certainly had a tough draw this tournament, but we stood up admirably. Grey: we were beaten by a very good side but the other two were very close affairs. Wynberg, if it was not for a silly error on the stroke of full time, the score would have been 10:7. Bishops: we were leading 20:15 with 2min to go and they scored so it could have gone either way. We also had DG – LooseHead/TightHead/Hooker throwing in for the first time in the match at a line out and due to poor communication, ball went off the top and they went through and scored. so I think we can be really proud of what we achieved. Onwards and upwards.
The Grey backs are flying. If the forwards can give them clean ball, which they struggled to at times in the festival, then I think this might be a very good season for Eastern Cape boys. Really impressed with the 10. Anybody care to breakdown Paul Roos’s results so far?
The Wynberg 13 is very good. He played scrumhalf last year and I was fortunate enough to watch him vs Grey. He reads the game well and is a threat in loose play. Wynberg were a little bit disappointing after so much hype was made about this team because of the 175th. I hope they improve during the season.
@Vleis: He went over his ankle but he’ll be back in time for Paul Roos.
@Mike: Any idea why your star 8th man did not play in the final two games? I think he was suited up on Saturday, but did not come on. Today, he was not even suited up.
Well done Grey boys. 3 from 3 against quality opposition. Would be good to try and put together a team of the tournament.
@Vleis: I found the quality of rugby a step down from previous Kearsney festivals I have watched, but those had Affies, Grey Bloem & Outeniqua at them. The boys seemed smaller too. Maybe because it’s a soutie tourno of sorts, not sure. Still enjoyed it and Saints has a lovely campus, but not quite a Michaelhouse or Hilton..
@Grasshopper: Thanks Grassy! Yep, in Pretoria, but a large chunk of the pupils (maybe up to 40%?) come from Johannesburg – like my son.
As a school with only four open teams (and almost no rugby scholarships), St Alban’s punch far above their weight. As a rugby supporter, I hope that they can convert more of the hockey, rowing, basketball, etc players to rugby in future years. Fortunately, they have quite a few kids from Afrikaans (or 50% Afrikaans) families to help balance it out, or they would really struggle.
I was a little disappointed by Wynberg this year. This was supposed to be their “dream team”, but I don’t think that they will cope with the schools from Paarl/Stellies.
That 13 was brilliant on attack though…and deceptively strong for such a small chap. Also, my son chatted to him and said that he is a very nice guy.
Seems like a loooong season waiting for Westville. New coaching staff and game plan not working with 2 draws and 3 losses…… the sooner RN realises that you have to earn the right to play expansive rugby by dominating the fixed phases and contact area the better….
@Vleis: awesome Vleissy, I watched most of that game. Impressed by St Albans & felt Wynberg were ok. Their no13 was tiny, that is the channel I would have attacked, big time. I didn’t even know St Albans were from Pretoria!
I’m very proud of the St Alban’s boys for showing a lot of courage against Wynberg to only lose by 32 to 27 – especially after our last fixture against Graeme College was changed to Wynberg on the 11th hour as the latter wanted a “weak” team on the last day! Yes, I sound like a pom celebrating a loss, but they put up a good effort…and if they didn’t show so much respect to Wynbery for the first 40 minutes, it might have been interesting. Also, my son scored the final try under the poles to cap it of!!
@McCulleys Workshop: you make a fair point. Boys High are capable of much better results and should be winning at least one to two fixtures at the Easter Festivals. When you have lost 9 out of 9, you know your rugby programme has suffered. The school are working hard to correct this and the long term prognosis should be far better. The rest of Boys High sport is very competitive. Why should rugby be any different?
@McCulleys Workshop: In reality Old Boys do care, see how important it is to win the Midlands derby. Hilton now employing professional coaches. Hopefully your jibe wasn’t at Glenwood who are now bringing in serious academic options for the boys like Cambridge exams etc.
@Tang: Do you really care? You shouldn’t. It’s not a reflection on anything other than rugby not being THE priority. As highlighted on this blog previously, over the next few years school rugby will be polarized around a few high performance centers masquerading as schools.
@Tang: don’t lose hope, I have seen this situation with Glenwood in 1996, we played 20 and won 3. We lost to Afrikaans Hoer Durban Noord, for god sake. They were ranked about 200th in the country. Old Boys said enough was enough and ensured we set up a High Performance centre focused on rugby in particular. They then started an under 13 tourno to ensure the best possible kids came in grade 8. With more success they attracted better & better players. They grew the BE from 120 to 270 & gave out more bursaries. In time the sinking ship was finally resurrected…..
@Tang:
PBHS were a real force in schools rugby, it’s sad that the ruling body at the school have allowed rugby to slide like this. All of the best in a revival sooner than later.
@kcman: Thank you for the correction. That actually makes it worse.
To be fair to Boys High, this side is a side that reflects a school in transition five years ago. The longer term cycle for Boys High should be much better.
It is still hard to have a loss to a school who have fewer boys than Boys High have in grade 11 and 12.
@Tang:
Graeme College is a public school with only about 400 boys.
It’s very sad to see a school of the size of PBHS not being able to have stronger rugby sides, is the coaching not of a high standard or are the boys just not interested in playing rugby?
@Grasshopper: You only have to read my comments above. This disaster has been on the horizon for a long time. Boys High have just been so slow in responding.
I am truly worried that this side will not win a single fixture.
That is nine losses in a row at Easter Festivals. Three loses to private schools with a third of the number of boys.
You now have to go back to 2013 for the last time a Boys High side won a fixture at an Easter Festival.
Dark days.
@Tang: I’m surprised by the lack of quality players for such a big school. No8 is pretty good ?
A school of 650 boys from grade o to grade 12 leading a school of 1500 boys from grade 8 to 12. Come on Boys High – back yourselves!
@Tang: watching PBHS now, they need to turn pressure into points. Two missed kicks at posts. Graeme scoring twice now against the run of play.
@McCulleys Workshop: Yes i watched the game.
Brief observations- Boys High came into this festival short of match practice. They started to show some potential against House but it was too erratic.
House are well drilled and scored when they needed to. It was a good contest in terms of being even but there was never any doubt about the result. When Boys High got close, they showed their lack of match prep by making mistakes and looking desperate rather than patient.
@Mike: Saw a pic of the Grey PE side on Twitter, very large boys all of them. I bet their pack is close to 850kg. Too dismantle a usually well coached Bishops and Westville so easily means they have another good side this year.
@Tang: Hi Tang, did you watch the PBHS / MHS game?
@Anonymous: thanks ! Sounds like Grey played some smart rugby against a rated team.
@Mike:
It was relatively simple. Grey played as much of the match as they could in Bishops half. They kept them back and tackled them when they tried to run everything. The cracks started to appear in the second half when bishops had tired themselves out and started making mistakes, which lead to two quick turnovers creating tries. And then they just stuck to structures to keep Bishops in their half and patiently waited for opportunities to appear.
Well done DHS. They suffered a come from behind defeat on Thurs to nice to see that BMT character rubbing off on them during the closing stages of this match against Saints
Well done to School for pulling one out the fire 17/16 in the last minute and 16/ 5 down with 5 minutes to play
@Mike: big win that, also beating Westville quite comfortably. Putting down a marker for top 10 again this year…
Big result for Grey against bishops today. Did anyone watch the game and care to comment ?
@McCulleys Workshop: oh yes, in my opinion Glenwood have not been sublime for a while now, in patches yes but not a season where you say wow they were awesome. 2014 & 2010 were very good but both had glitches & banana skins. House have been better overall although not really tested when they had good sides. Maybe if Glenwood stuck to local teams plus 3 festival games they might have had some unbeaten years. I’m just proud of them, especially compared to the years I was there which were bleak rugby-wise, 1992 to 1996….eish!
@McCulleys Workshop: then what would be awesome is say a prominent OB in his position mentor him. So Warren Whiteley, takes him to a Lions training session and inspire them. Same for other schools & players. I like mentorship to keep these boys hungry after school especially…
@Grasshopper: No doubt your are right about Palvie, however as per Bush’s point, with improved conditioning all of the above would only get better, fullstop. As for JL Dup, in MHO he was at his best in grade 10 and 11, the moment he bulked up he wasn’t the devastating mongrel he had been. He seemed to be a yard off the pace.
@McCulleys Workshop: at 105kg he would be the same size as Warren Whiteley who some say is still too small, proving those naysayers wrong. When the one Doop was 115kg at school everyone said what a beast……let’s see the stats I promise you Palvie is up there on metres made, tackles, rucks cleared, passes made etc. He is the one that created the try for Lubbe vs EG, drew like 3 of their players just because it was him….he isn’t the polished product but gosh does he have the raw materials needed, guts, fight and never say die attitude!
@McCulleys Workshop: yes Boet, point is give the guy a chance. He is recovering from a serious injury. It will take time to get match fit. He could be our next Willem Alberts so bring him up not put him down. Glenwood are a bit like your precious Pat and the 2007 House side, untouchable!
@Bush: Palvie is at his prime fighting weight, actually maybe 5 kg more would help with his pace around the park and Glenwood are again the best side in the world, as they were last year and the year before and and and
@Bush: He was 104kg last year. I think he is the sort of guy that will never look muscular but is physically strong, a bit like Anton Leonard and the great Wallaby, Owen Finegan…deceptive. They look chunky and slow but are actually not. Would love to know how many metres he runs in a game and the drives and offloads he makes….plenty.
@Grasshopper: Palvie needs to loose around 10kgs. Then he will be fighting fit. Showed some individual brilliance yesterday.
@Bush: I think JJ and Palvie are in a similar mould. I mean JJ is 120kg and 2,01 at 16! Palvie is around 110kg now….they just don’t have famous Bok fathers…
@Grasshopper: Those guys were freaks of nature. If GW players could have the touch the KC boys have, they would give everyone big points. Have you seen KC play. If not, you need to make a point on watching them. Hope that due to their size they don’t lose any key players to injury. GW should have hammered EG yesterday, skilled let them down.
@Bush: And when the Doops and Schramm were playing they played to their advantages, size…
@Vleis: The fact that they have only just started playing now over the past 2 weeks indicates the boys talent. I think coaches could learn a thing or two from Kearsney’s method of success so far. Ave weight of the KC team at the KERF is 85.5kgs. They play with such skill and pace.
@Vleis: Eish, I know you can’t draw linear conclusions but Glenwood beat House 25-5 without kicks and only 25 mins a half at the DHS Festival, so could have been a max 35-7 with kicks and add 10 mins. Glenwood must be quite good, time will tell, but a close win vs EG is a good start :-). I’ll be at Saints tomorrow and Monday :-)
@Tang: I didn’t see the PBHS game, so can’t comment on them. House is definitely a slick team, so PBHS will need to be at their best tomorrow. That said, I’m sure that PBHS will improve, as yesterday was their first match of the year.
@Vleis: So do you think Boys High will be in for another tough day tomorrow?
@Vleis: Thanks for the feedback.
@McCulleys Workshop: I watched the 2nd half and was very impressed with House. What a well drilled side! Wynberg had more pace, size, etc…but House just kept on fighting. I expected them to be poor this year, but they are definitely one if the best coached teams in the country. They made very few errors. Well done to them!
@McCulleys Workshop
That’s a great result for House! Well done. Glad one of the KZN schools is keeping things tidy up there in the Big Smoke.
I’m not sure where the matches are being played, but I was at Saints last week for the primary schools festival on the field called “Higher Ground”. What a fantastic facility that is!! And only those who have been there will understand why I say that….
@Vleis: I’m shocked and stoked 31/31.
@McCulleys Workshop: Yep, fair point. From that angle, it is a very tough fixture list for House. Of course, there are very few poor House teams, as they are so well coached…but yes, this year may be one of the less stellar teams. Last year, St Alban’s (with many injuries and only four open teams) had St Andrews, Maritzburg and Wynberg…which was also a nightmare.
@Vleis: I get that, but I’m rather looking at the comparable strengths of the 2 KZN sides!! Westville have the size, speed and skills to hold their own. MHS are particularly small this year.
@Vleis: Thank you. Boys High have just beaten DHS 9-0 at hockey. Hopefully the rugby boys follow on from that.
@Tang: Thanks. I’m sure that the boys are pleased but I haven’t seen them as I’m back at the office. I’ve loaded my beer tent card though, so I’ll return to Saints by 3.30pm!
Good luck to PBHS tpday.
@Vleis: Big win for St Albans 35 – 0 VS Clifton. Well Done.
@beet: does this count towards Grogper Cup?
@Vleis: Yeah, I have them as my pick for top honours in the Southern Suburbs – though the word around here is the Bishops are due a big year. Wynberg have a nice balance of Grade 11 & 12 boys in that squad.
@beet: I don’t believe you, those Mielie boere are always bigger. If JJ & Palvie play we have a chance…
@McCulleys Workshop: House also has a very difficult fixture list, but it’s a bit easier than Westville’s. They both play Wynberg & Grey, but House plays PBHS while Westville plays Bishops. The latter are probably stronger than the former. Indeed, I saw Bishops beat PBHS by 60 points in a 50 minute game last year.
@Grasshopper: Glenwood pack is bigger than EG’s this year
@McCulleys Workshop: BJ & Greg Rawlinson…eish! I’ll be there supporting the KZN sides whilst my beloved Glenwood face the monster boere from EG & Middelburg…
@Griffonfly: Slade, Blakeway, Barker
@McCulleys Workshop: I hope the KZN schools will give each other support. I would like to see good festival rugby being played by all schools. “Die Engelsmanne” better put on a good show. The good news is I have 2 teams to support at Saints. Not sure if my blazer will fit me anymore. I see the DHS Oldies will be playing against the Saints Oldies. I wonder who is in the Horsefly team for the oldies.
@Vleis: Westville have a very useful side! I wouldn’t underestimate them. Their backs can be explosive and they run into space. Their support play needs to improve and they may shock a few sides. Based on what I’ve seen, MHS have a tougher schedule for the weekend.
@Vleis: Yes it will be tough. They definitely will be tested. They will be up for it, even if they missing some talented players due to injury. They also face Affies on the 4th April at home and Jeppe away on the 7th May.
@Griffonfly: Westville have a very difficult fixture list – one win would be good and two would be a fantastic.
Westville arrived safe and sound. First up Grey High. Good to see Westville playing some EC and WC schools. The season will be a very good test for them.
@Playa: Yep, my son is mates with quite a few of the St Andrew’s boys (including both props) as his cousin is there and we holiday in Kenton. Also, he used to play district cricket with their star backline player in junior school.
@Playa: To be honest, I expect Wynberg to be the strongest team at the festival, so they shouldn’t have too much trouble with any of their opposition. As u16s, they beat all the other CT schools both home & away and had good tussles with the Wineland schools – narrow wins/defeats. Also, over 80% of the team have a year’s 1st team experience.
@Vleis: Could well be a case of the old ” Be careful what you wish for” narrative. Let’s see how this ends.
I hear St Andrews have a backline made of awesomness. Boys High will do well to nullify them. I’m bummed I missed the game at Bishops, I had my sights on it.
@Playa: Agreed!
Especially given that St Alban’s u16A beat PBHS (the school that they are scared of playing on Monday) two years ago!
@Tang: Yep, a good start to the season, but the difficulty increases from now on. The team are quietly confident, but are struggling with a lot of injuries, which hit a small school much harder than a large school. Re your fist opponents: St Andrew’s have played two games so far – one win over Nico Malan by 22 – 12 at Graeme Fest and one loss by 27 – 17 away at Bishops. Sounds like they will be good.
@Vleis: Very cheeky of Wynberg
@Vleis: The PBHS team is fairly young and inexperienced. I did not watch the trials as I chose to go and watch Monnas play.
I hear the side is looking good. It is so hard to make a call about the team until they have played a few games.
I think it will be tough for Boys High to come into the festival and face St Andrews first up.
Wynberg could be making a bad choice by taking St Albans over Boys High.
I see St Albans had a good win over St Davids. That must have been good prep. I see you guys play Clifton first up. What are you expecting?
@Vleis: Have you had a look at the Saints Website?
Try this link http://events.stithian.com/events/easter2016/
Some of the teams are posted but no age, height, weight
What position is your son playing?
@beet: Do you know when all the team sheets will be produced? St John’s are by far the best as they provide the age, height and weight of each player.
@Tang: I hear a rumour that Wynberg told the hosts that they did not want three tough games in a row, so asked to face St Alban’s on the final day instead of PBHS!
How is the PBHS 1st team looking this year? Have you had any games/warm-up games yet?
@beet: Do you have any idea why Boys High are playing Graeme on Monday and not Wynberg? Originally it was the other way around.
If I recall correctly, Wynberg narrowly beat Boys High last year.
@Vleis: Looks like you have a tough assignment on Monday when you play Wynberg.
Seems like there is a change to the fixtures on Monday. PBHS now playing Graeme and not Wynberg.
Yes, the reason there is “no Durr”, is because he was a player not an English medium school.
@McCulleys Workshop: Yes it’s an odd number, no durrr. Let’s chuck in Selborne, Dale or Queens to make it even…jeez boet
@Grasshopper: I see that moving to JHB hasn’t improved your ability to count.
I will certainly be attending this festival. Only big English schools missing now are Rondebosch, SACS, Hilton, College & Glenwood. Kearsney, KES & St Johns host their own festivals.
@Tarpeys: Will your son be playing again? My son is very disappointed that he won’t be playing House.
Top class fixtures. Well done Saints. Looking forward to seeing how Michaelhouse does here. Rebuilding in many respects. It should interesting. This is pretty much a home festival for Michaelhouse since most of the boys live there.
@PretoriaBoysHigh: Thank you for the offer. Have had discussions before. Nothing comes of it. Also worried for my boys.
WOW!WOW!WOW! Saints have really outdone themselves with this fixture list. Just when people were starting to think the oldest ERF in the country was dying a slow and painful death. Big ups to the organisers…!
An all-English affair. Giving the Soutpiele a chance to throw the ball around with gay abandon without having to take the knocks of the real world (read: Boertjies)
All English medium schools, I like it.
The KZN schools will be tested against different opposition this year. The altitude will come into play. Westville will be tested by all 3 opposition and will have to be on top of their game if they want to win all 3 games. They have a team who can do it. DHS will have a good side this year, and should do well against all their opposition. I see them winning all 3 games. Michaelhouse have a tough festival but will probably surprise. Clifton should also do well with their new director of rugby.
Hats off to the Saints organisers! This fixture list looks awesome.
Have the fixtures been finalised for this festival?
@Tang: Thank you very much for your comments. We take the opinion of our supporters very seriously. Please will you email me at pr@boyshigh.com so we can set up a meeting with our Deputy Headmaster and discuss your concerns.
@Roger: Yep, OB Steve La Marque is making a huge difference to our polo. We might even have a proper assault on the SACS tourno in the coming years. Swimming, well let’s just say the international coach is not in SA much so not sure what difference he could be making, maybe training schedules etc….
@Roger: You’ve got to be a special kind of poison dwarf to still be carrying a grudge 20 years later. FFS, this squad could literally by that squads kids!!
Once again, the admin staff going to the Olympics will outnumber the athletes, all snuffling around the Premier class trough. Then the bloated bunch of lickspittles will be at the airport to welcome any athlete who has defied the SASCOC odds and won a medal, fawning around as it they’ve actually done a damn thing. Eeisch
@Gungets Tuft: I have it on very good authority that SA Hockey is still not yet forgiven for the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The men’s team were caught by Gideon Sam partying up a storm and he said he would ensure they would never go to another Olympic Games. If you recall they missed out on Sydney 2000 as well.
SA Hockey really cocked this one up – mores the pity
@Roger: Indeed. Hockey sold out by their own “CEO” who signed off the Olympic qualifying criteria. I’m convinced money changed hands ..
Then there is Tubby Reddy, corpulent ball of pus … he’ll go and take 45 fat admin b@stards on a free junket to the Olympics, along with his “secretary” ..
The U21’s will go to World Champs, it’s a small bonus.
@Grasshopper: looks like all the investment Glenwood made into aquatics a few years ago is starting to pay off. I recall lots of movement of coaches and players between schools discussed on this blog re: Glenwood’s push into polo and swimming.
@Gungets Tuft: eisch – Hockey – a real poisoned chalice at the moment – poor fellas are not even going to the Olympics. Feel for them
Anyone want to talk hockey??
In the U17 cricket very impressed with young Matthew Dicks who topped the batting rankings at the U17 cricket week, 278 runs in 5 innings. Reward for a lot of hang-in-there. And a really nice kid on top of that.
@Vleis: How did WP do that if KZN won the Under 18 and Under15, unless KZN faired poorly in the other age groups….
@Grasshopper: Not sure why you are asking about St David’s as I have nothing to do with them. My son’s team is at 10 in the cricket rankings. That said, a St David’s boy did make the SA Schools Colts team.
Re Waterpolo: WP was named top province overall.
U19 SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS COLTS SQUAD 2015
WILLIE LUDICK (C) WATERKLOOF NORTHERNS
ZIYAAD ABRAHAMS WCSS WESTERN PROVINCE
EAHAN BOSCH HILTON COLLEGE KZN INLAND
OKUHLE CELE GLENWOOD KWAZULU-NATAL
CHAD CLAASSEN ST DAVIDS INANDA GAUTENG
JADE DE KLERK WOODRIDGE COLLEGE EASTERN PROVINCE
JEAN DU PLESSIS GLENWOOD HOUSE SWD
AAQIL EBRAHIM RONDEBOSCH WESTERN PROVINCE
RUAN HAASBROEK POTCH GIM NORTH WEST
SINEGUGU MASEKO HTS WITBANK MPUMALANGA
BRYCE TULLIS MARITZBURG COLLEGE KZN INLAND
JOEL VEERAN GLENWOOD KWAZULU-NATAL
http://www.glenwoodhighschool.co.za/water-polo-news
3x Glenwood boys in the U19 side who beat Australia – Dylan Cronje, Cameron Wiid and Keagan Aiken
KZN win the Water Polo Nationals – http://www.glenwoodhighschool.co.za/kzn-win-water-polo-nationals
The team included four Glenwood boys (Wanye Phillips, Slade du Randt, Gabriel Stopford and Mitchell Scott).
The KZN U15A team also won gold and Glenwood were represented by A van Rooyen (captain), D Rodrigues, D Bull, A Jacoby, B Jacoby.
Whilst we talking non rugby sport, should we discuss waterpolo?
@Vleis: Yes, I am aware cricket rankings are a pile of poo, but Glenwood are still top 10 and not one player, including Jerome Bossr who was tipped to make it years ago. Luckily he still has a chance next year. I’m surprised no St David’s players, I heard they were a cricket school..
@Vleis:
Ok..so once in a while they can actually be good for something
@Playa: The last time Dale played Monnnas (a few years ago), the latter won by about 40 to 20…so maybe the Jozi schools are good for more than just cricket, polo and rowing.
@Grasshopper: sorry, the second comment in my post above should have been directed to Grassy.
@Roger: If that is Ziyaad Abrahams then it’s the boy from The Western Cape Sports School
@Roger: Moonsamy was at St Alban’s and Ludick was/is at Waterkloof. I’m not sure about Abrahams.
I think that Northerns were very unlucky not to compete for the main prize this week as they were unbeaten in six games.
I’m certain that the selectors did not only consider this week re form, as L Smith (from KES) has had a great season, but averaged only 9 (from six innings) this week.
@Roger: Theo Garrun was coaching Highlands North 1st team when I was in matric and I am a few years older than Roger the Dodger…so he is deffo not Theo.
Re cricket rankings, I have two comments:
1. The rankings at the end of 2015 are a guide for next year’s Coke Week, as most of the matrics stop playing in the final term due to exams. Likewise, the guide re the current Coke Week is the end of 2014 rankings.
2. The cricket rankings are significantly less accurate than the rugby rankings (even), so I wouldn’t take them too seriously.
@Grasshopper: You’re a tough man to please Grassy
@Grasshopper: good old Theo – a doyen of school sport reporting in JHB for the last 30 odd years!
Not me though Hopper
@Playa:
T De Zorzi (Gauteng KES) Captain
L Smith (Gauteng KES)
W Makwethu (Gauteng St Stithians)
W Mulder (Gauteng St Stithians)
C McKerr (Gauteng St Johns)
F Savanvala (Gauteng St Johns)
Z Abrahams (WP
D Galiem (WP Rondebosch)
K Verreynne (WP Wynberg)
D Foxcroft (Northerns Menlo Park)
W Ludick (Northerns
R Moonsamy (Northerns
L Philander (Boland Boland Landbou)
L Sipamla (EP Grey High)
S Whitehead (Free State St Andrews)
Not sure where Moonsamy Ludick and Abrahams are at school.
The final was between WP and Gauteng and 9 of the 15 are from those two provinces so perhaps @Grasshopper: is correct that if you have no form during the week – no pick.
Having said that – KZN still sucks the hind tit
Sorry my bad, Glenwood are ranked 6th; http://www.saschoolsports.co.za/cricket/national/first-xi-cricket-the-powerade-performance-rankings17-11-2015.html
14x boys picked for provincial teams; http://www.glenwoodhighschool.co.za/kzn-coastal-cricket-capping-ceremony-2015
I have a little sneaky feeling Roger is actually Theo Garrun…
@Roger: No doubt the selectors were from the Vaal too. Glenwood ranked 9th in SA for cricket, above KES :-). KZN had a off week, too many good players in that side. Luckily most are in grade 11. Veeran & Cele making the Colts side. Watch out for Jordan Grobbelaar and Matt Pollard from KZN in the next couple of years
@Roger: Those Jozi schools are good for something after all
That’s an impressive feat, well done! Do you perhaps have the full squad on hand?
No doubt where the balance of power lies in schoolboy cricket in SA – KES St Johns and St Stithians provide 50% of the SA U19 team to compete in WC. Congratulations
http://www.mycomlink.co.za/posting.php?i=23292#.Vma-8zMSbK8.twitter
@star:
@Gungets Tuft: So you think I am ” someone” at Teachers training college and Greys Hospital nurse home. ”
OK.
@Rugger fan: If I had a buck for every time someone has said that to me, but it was at Teachers training college and Greys Hospital nurses home ..
@Tang: Bowls club it is then. Be prepared, cosYcos there’s a tradition about Transkei Dumpies daarso …
@star: The last time I asked him for a beverage – it was a little bigger and longer than expected
– must be something to do with the jersey 
@Tang: Tang – I still owe you a beverage too after your updates from Jeppe earlier this year. My son will not be playing (he is out for the entire 2016
) – but I’ll probably be giving the incorrect decisions on the field being a biased Midlands ref 
– and watching my junior in the U14’s – shout if you need any assistance
@Tang: I would not trust that Gungets fellow. The last time I asked him for a beverage he made some excuse about watching his daughter play hockey. Very poor indeed.
@Gungets Tuft: I will definitely be traveling to Martizburg for the 16 April fixture. We can catch up and have a beverage on 16 April.
@Tang: Despite my son having finished up this year I will still do the travel thing for the PBHS thing. Will have to have a beverage this coming year.
@Gungets Tuft
We share exactly the same sentiment. Love the annual College fixtures.
To keep the fixtures interesting, Boys High need to improve. If each school is winning 50% of the fixtures, you have a good balance.
PBHS & College are up there too. Glenwood certainly is in the Top20 for All round excellence, something they are striving for.
The KZN Cricket Capping ceremony took place on the 1st December 2015 at Kingsmead Cricket stadium. 14 boys out of a total 39 were from Glenwood, this was more than any other school present. This is also a record number of boys in the KZN U19 team for Glenwood.
The following Glenwood boys were selected to represent their respective KZN teams:
KZN U19- travelling to PE
1. Okuhle Cele
2. Sthabiso Zungu
3. Nduduzo Mfoza
4. Jason Wagener
5. Matthew Kirkham
6. Joel Veeran
7. Jerome Bossr
KZN U17 – travelling to PMB
1. Jordan Grobbelaar (captain)
2. Thamsanqa Khumalo
3. Khwezi Gumde
KZN U15- travelling to East London
1. Prealin Naidu
2. Jaden Hendrikse
3. Steven Naidoo
4. Tinotenda Takodza
@Roger: Hillbrow vs Durban, no brainer really. I was in Houghton yesterday, what a dump! Oh yes, my grandad (KES’s oldest Old Boy) passed away a week ago aged 90. KES is certainly not the best school in SA, their academics are far too weak to even be considered. SACS, Westville, Grey Bloem, Rondebosch and others are ahead of them on academics alone….
@Tang: This post illustrates why almost all College people love the double fixture against PBHS and will fight tooth and nail to keep it.
There’s a middle ground that will be found that retains the traditional school ethos and mixes it with a more professional approach. The danger is over correcting and ruining the tradition. Good luck.
@Grasshopper – Now that Boys High are no longer playing Grey Bloem, it could become a reality.
@Roger – Yes the last point is subjective. To a KES boy, KES is the best school in the country. To a Glenwood Boy, Glenwood is the best school in the country.
@Tang: we have even seen those horrible little locusts sniffing around the KEPS talent – although, why anyone would choose Durban Docks over the leafy northern suburbs is beyond me
I agree with you on all points besides one – KES is far and away the best boys high school in SA
@beet: I agree with you, especially on the coaching side. I remember our dark years post-Spilhaus in 2006/2007…we didn’t recruit, but had talent and because the coaching was not up to scratch, the results were testament of that. And this filtered to the lower teams, albeit the junior sides still managed to do well. What was worse is that the head at the time couldn’t give 2 hoots about rugby or any other sporting result for that matter, unlike his predecessor. The introduction of Darryl Mauer as coach in 08 shook things up a bit. The results got better (not great), but we became competitive against our rivals again as oppose to the hidings we were getting in prior years.
@Tang: My point is, before bursaries and scholarship, the sporting programme itself must be attractive. Good, committed coaches who dedicate time into making it work. Pointless recruiting a whole U13 CW team only to have them play touch at practice while the coach sits catching up on instagram posts. Because a bunch of half decent boys with a champion coach could probably beat them. I have always believed that rugby is 60% motivation, 30% brains and 10% skill.
@Tang: Agree with you. I would love a fixture between PBHS and Glenwood, over 20 sides & similar age and traditions of both schools. I loved my time staying with a PBHS family on athletics tour almost 21 years ago. Grounded, polite and well educated boys..
@beet and fellow bloggers. I would like to give terms of reference for the sake of clarity.
I speak for myslef on this blog but I certainly echo the sentiments of many who are either not motivated to blog or fear some form of reprisal. I am sure there are many Boys High people who read the blogs but very few who contribute. I can’t say whether I speak for the many or the few. I am also not negative about the school. I still believe it is the best Boys school in South Africa and produces a fine calibre of young men.
There is no ongoing impasse at Boys High between the ones who would favour a more modern approach and those who favour a less modern approach. We coexist side by side and support no matter what the results.
I don’t think there are many at Boys High who would not express concern over the recent rugby results.
I believe tradition and honor can be maintained but they must follow a natural evolution. Darwin did not advocate survival of the fittest or strongest but rather the most adaptable.
My motivation for posting and advocating change is not to undermine but to give a different angle or perspective. I feel the boys would be the biggest beneficiaries of a modernised approach to rugby.
@beet – The last sentence of your post is interesting.
What do you forsee happening?
It would be a tragedy for the national team if SA Rugby don’t look after their most valuable asset that is school boy rugby.
Are you saying that the national team may not do as well and therefore interest in school boy rugby will wane?
What about another scenario:
Talented South African school boys are recruited to Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia. What would happen to interest in school boy rugby? The emphasis may increase exponentially as the earnings power would go up so significantly.
Although this may be sad for SA rugby, it could be a boon for school boys in South Africa.
@Tarpeys I think you echo my sentiment perfectly: “The days of having a good fixture list but an amateur approach are over.”
@beet – It is very difficult to sit on the stands and watch as Boys High is dismantled by opponents with a more professional approach to the game. Boys High have decent fixtures and a fair amount of expectation from old boys, parents and learners to perform. I reckon MH must feel like a boxer with his hands tied behind his back. I think the Boys must feel this way to.
I have sensed a growing frustration amongst the boys who play the sport seriously. They are going out and giving it all they can but they have administrators who fail to understand how difficult it is to compete.
Having a 1980’s mentality to the sport is just not good enough.
Boys High have more than 20 rugby teams, they therefore have to take fixtures with schools who can provide a deep fixture list. How can you take on fixtures like Westville, College and KES but not have a modernised approach.
Although I agree with your general sentiment, there is no honor in being thrashed when you could have done something about it.
In all of this I still feel there is something very honourable about the way PBHS has gone about it’s business and even if results are not going their way, they can hold their head high. No doubt there remains massive pressure on them to perform well given their history and I’m sure a coach like M.H. must at some point say to himself let me have the rugby/all-round sport bursary budget of a Jeppe, KES, Westville or College and then judge me on my ability and achievement as the PBHS 1st XV coach.
With the way things are going in SA rugby one has to wonder if the emphasis on school rugby will at some point in the near future also start to slide.
@Gungets Tuft: News to me!
But as i said in an earlier post I am a bit out of touch although I do still have mates on the board. I’m fairly sure that the scholarships are structured as I recall. When i was last involved there were definitely no sports scholarships that covered more than 50%l.
@meadows: 50%??
Not true. I know at least 1 of them on 100%.
I think the other option for Boys High is to do a Hilton. Withdraw from fixtures where the scores are going to be embarrassing or change their approach and move with the times. The days of having a good fixture list but a modest amateur approach are over. Even Michaelhouse manage their fixture list very carefully to suit their approach to the sport with regards to their overall vision for the school.
Unfortunately Boys High teams at the moment are cannon fodder for the likes of Jeppe, Affies, College and Westville to name a few. St. Johns and St Benedicts have stolen the March on them. Even mediocre rugby programs like St Albans and St Stithians fancy a crack at boys high.
Decision Time at the capital
@Roger – The schools looking to acquire are not coy about the boys they approach. Talent is talent.
However, if KEPS have a good core (6-8 good players) and then you add 9 to 7 strong outsiders, you have a good starting team. Boys High hardly ever beat KES at u14 level as the gap is just too wide to breach.
I think Jeppe have also tried to use this approach. Try and bring a core from one school and then add to the core.
I reckon Boys High take at least 6 to 8 fixtures before it is clear who is capable of playing in the A team.
@Tang: wrt KEPS – in bygone days, every KEPS boy went to KES – it was a small Prep school with +-75 boys per grade (bigger now though) and unless your folks sent you “away” to boarding school (the KZN privates, St Andrews and also Queens or Dale) you went to KES. Nowadays, KES are having to work bloody hard to ensure that the talented KEPS boys still move thru’ to KES as they are been approached from far and wide
Not a guarantee anymore and KES woke up to this only 10 odd years ago !
@Meadows @Grashopper
It is interesting how we can agree in general but disagree vehemently about the details of each schools approach to rugby.
I find the Michaelhouse information fascinating but not surprising. Let us say for arguments sake, they have four or five CW players in the u14 A team next year. Given the coaching and the acquisition of talent, one would expect House to produce good u14 results.
One factor that can never be discounted is the continuity some schools have from primary to high school. House don’t have a primary school and thus the boys play as a team for the first time in around March of each year.
The Cape Schools are particularly lucky in this regard. They have good primary schools who are made stronger by strong additions.
KES would also fall into this bracket.
I don’t think we will arrive at a universal template to solve all problems.
Schools have two broad levers that can adjust to improve rugby results:
1) They can acquire
2) The can coach
Acquisition is the murky area. How many, what age, etc
@meadows: Yep, I have never said the coaching was bad, it’s in fact excellent. It should be with the resources & facilities House have. At Glenwood, most teams have half or even a quarter of a field to train on. House has the luxury of about 8 fields & probably 4 or more scrum machines. It’s like comparing apples with oranges, you just can’t.
@Grasshopper: If the U14 side were full of provincial players I suspect that their record would have been a bit better than the class of 2015’s was. This years U14A managed to beat Hilton but were given 57pts by College, 62pts by Northwood, 33pts by Glenwood and also lost to DHS and Kearsney.
I am also quite sure that if one looks back through the records many of the better MHS sides in the last decade improved significantly as a group against the same opposition over their transition from U14 to 1stXV.
For example, Pat Lambie did not play U13 CW or U16 GK. Nor did Ruan Combrinck. The Cronje twins did not play U13 Cw but did play at U16GK. Mark Richards played B team until U16.
If we accept that the coaching is of a good standard that is hardly the performance of a team full of U13 Craven Week players, scholarships or fee paying. It is also my that at this level a few stars who are early developers can make far more of an impact single handed than they can a few years later when structures have improved and size discrepancies may have evened out.
@Tang: Those are the 3 on scholarship, there are other provincial players who a fee paying. I promise you, gov schools have the last pick hence looking in other provinces these days. Kearsney usually get most of the KZN Under13 team, but Glenwood are aware the KZN side is not the best, so look in other provinces. Grey usually get about 60 provincial players, including Academy etc…
@Grasshopper: Actually no I wasn’t implying Glenwood specifically. I don’t believe that Glenwood are unique in their approach.
Unless things have changed dramatically I think that you will find that rugby does not dominate the sports scholarships awarded. In the past even if rugby was the boys primary sport he needed to demonstrate an all round ability as well as “sportsmanship”. Sports scholarships are only awarded to boys entering E Block (grade 8). An exception is made for music scholarships which can be awarded later – I guess that is a loophole to poach rugby players who can sing
It is also worth pointing out that the maximum sports scholarship award is for 50% of fees (some of the scholarships are a lot less). With current fees at R225 000 pa that leaves a significant shortfall before factoring in ancillary costs or the R25 000 non refundable deposit.
@Tang: Thanks for the info. As I said I am a bit out of touch but 3 out of 13 is in line with my recollection. I couldn’t recall more than two in a given year.
@Grasshopper – To be fair to Meadows he did say only a few rugby scholarships as they preferred to give to all rounders.
If you take a look at the above sports scholarships, the following boys played u13 Craven Week in 2015:
Brett Ollerman KZN
Jordan Dobson KZN
James Murray KZN
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDED TO PREP SCHOOL
Major Open Hubo Khumalo, St David’s Marist
Academic Exhibition Michael Ross, Waterkloof House Prep
Academic Exhibition Tapiwa Chikwanda, Kyalami Prep
Major Trust Michael Gurney, Eston Primary
Minor Trust Siyabonga Ndlovu, Howick Prep
Allround Exhibition, James Murray Cowan House
Allround Exhibition Mark Grant Cordwalles Prep
The Ridge Closed Tom Walters, The Ridge
Pridwin Closed Michael Bradford, Pridwin Prep
Music Grant Hiscock, Drakensberg Boys’ Choir
Major All Round Jordan Dobson, Kloof Senior Primary
Sport Exhibition Brett Oellermann, Merchiston Prep
Sport Exhibition Michael Christodoulou, Virginia Prep
Sport Exhibition Chris Christodoulou, Virginia Prep
Sport Exhibition Jared Meiring, Merchiston Prep
Sport Exhibition Roeland van den Berg, Waterkloof House Prep
Sport Exhibition Michael Moodie, Merchiston Prep
Sport Exhibition Luke Gammie, Clifton Prep, Durban
Sport Exhibition Zola Sokhela, Merchiston Prep
Sport Exhibition Xhanti Gqwetha, Irene Primary
Sport Exhibition Nhlaka Mathe, Merchiston Prep
Sport Exhibition Mugabi Lubinga, Clifton Prep, N/Road
Sport Exhibition Luke Stubbs, Merchiston Prep
Sport Exhibition David Stubbs, Merchiston Prep
@meadows: fyi – 13 x Sport Exhibition Scholarships – http://www.michaelhouse.org/E-books/Newsletter_2015/files/assets/basic-html/page12.html
@meadows: I’m guessing on this post you probably implying Glenwood, but just an FYI yesterday 14x Glenwood boys were capped for KZN Coastal cricket, 7 of 13 Under19A side. Our waterpolo is on the rise and academic improving annually. Tennis is and has always been strong. Glenwood is not just a rugga school…
@meadows: Yeah, but the bursaries are increasing every year. What saves House, Hilton and Kearsney are the boarders. In House and Hilton’s case they all boarders so they know each other well. In gov schools teams are flung together, especially at the lower level. Due to the best equipment, facilities and coaches the few that House have are well drilled. House will never have a weak side so to speak, the school attracts enough wealthy paying parents and their kids. The top sportsman from Pridwin, Highbury, St Peters etc are naturally attracted to house
@Meadows – Fully agree with your points. It is all about balance but balance is a response to your environment. If your environment changes but you don’t then it is likely to lead to an imbalance.
Boys High are good at Cricket, Water Polo, Hockey, Swimming, etc where the environment is still very much based on the pool of resources you get in form 1 and adequate coaching is sufficient. I must say that cricket and to a lesser extent hockey are starting to change in this regard. The only reason they don’t change quickly is the amount of focus or coverage they receive.
Michaelhouse is a great example of a successful coaching led approach. I would also say that Glenwood and Westville are examples of model C schools responding to change and employing a broader strategy – coaching and recruitment.
Michaelhouse has the resources to attract and train the very best school boy coaches. Glenwood have good coaching but they are open to losing coaches to private schools so a broader response is required. It could also be that Glenwood have extremely tough opponents and thus they have to take a more drastic approach.
I do agree with you in terms of awarding bursaries and what I like to call the law of diminishing bursary returns. There must be a point where awarding more bursaries will not make you more competitive. The other factor is how commodity prices increase. There is a limited pool of talent and if many schools are vying for the same talent, commodity prices will increase.
Obviously the later you can acquire the talent (Grade 10 and above), the more certain you can be of your purchase but also the more likely you are to pay more.
If we were to have a purely moral discussion, then I think we would agree on some basic principles:
1) Doping is out
2) Recruitment should be governed by a well structured set of laws.
3) Professional coaches should be the exception and not the norm.
4) Recruitment should be transparent and there should be a moral obligation and an etiquette obligation to inform your opponents of the number and nature of recruits.
5) Education should be the priority. Players should meet a minimum academic standard or face exclusion from selection.
I think most bloggers would agree that this is a minimum requirement.
Boys High are postulating a Michaelhouse type approach to rugby. Take a risk with your resources but coach them to the right level. My problem with Boys High is the investment in coaching and the inherent nepotism associated with under qualified coaches (how do they make the right selection decisions).
Boys High have a good director of rugby but one man can’t boil the ocean. If Boys High are to boil the ocean, they need a drastic change to coaching structures. Every coach should have to be at a certain level to coach an A or B team.
I am also of the opinion that a small number of selective rugby bursaries at form 1 level will have a huge impact.
@Grasshopper: Depends how you define “cream.” In being awarded a place rugby performance as a 13 year old is certainly not a major consideration. There are limited sports scholarships and “all-rounders” are preferred. I’m a little out of touch but not that long ago i don’t believe that there were more than 2 sports scholarships awarded to U13 CW players in any given year and generally those boys had other attributes. One I recall was an outstanding academic and another probably a better prospect as a cricketer. Most scholarships are also partial so leave a significant financial burden for the parents.
Generally, other than in the odd exceptional year, MHS do not shoot the lights out at U14 7 U15 level against their traditional KZN opponents. usually, fortunately, the gap has narrowed a bit by the time they get to 1stXV.
@meadows: I wouldn’t plead poverty too much as the privates get the first pick on the cream. Parents want their kids to go there so it’s quality over quantity…
@Tang: I understand your frustration but the biggest challenge is in maintaining the appropriate balance between success on the sports (read rugby) field and preserving the schools values. We are all aware how the approach to rugby at schools level has changed in this country, and not necessarily to the advantage of our senior national side based on performance and mindset, The difficulty in entering the “arms” race to use your analogy is that it is very difficult to do so on a partial basis.
The schools that are fully committed have no qualms about;
Prioritising rugby over all other sport,
Recruiting extensively and at any stage to bolster their 1stXV
Employing a team of professional coaches who have no regard for the boys all round development and focus purely on rugby results
Encourage or turn a blind eye to steroid abuse.
For a school like Michaelhouse a number of factors have influenced thinking;
With just over 500 boys the school simply does not have the numbers to be consistently competitive with the top tier of bigger schools nationally,
Increasing scholarship numbers and recruiting post grade 8 were deemed unsustainable (notwithstanding the willingness and financial means on the part of some to do so) and in the latter case contrary to the ethos of the school.
Professional coaches were not an option for a number of reasons but primarily related to the prioritisation of the all round education of the boy.
Substance abuse was not negotiable.
The net result is that the school takes it chances with it’s raw material from year to year but endeavors to provide a coaching environment that helps each boy develop to his potential. The coaching structure consists entirely of teachers but guys like Ryno Combrinck, Mike Swartz and others are IMO some of the most astute coaches at schoolboy level out there. The result is that every couple of years they produce a very good side and in other years they will be less competitive. They will always be well coached and drilled and it is interesting to note that players like Mike Rhodes and Pat Cilliers did not have an especially good year in their final year at school.
The Old boys and Board are at peace with that approach although of course no-one enjoys a poor year.
@Vleis – The bulk of the governing body are old boys. I just don’t think they have the right balance. If there was a balance, there would be no questions about the approach.
I will add this. Positive tension is not a bad thing. If every parent in the school blindly followed the views of the leadership team, we could be led astray very easily.
As fee paying customers, we have every right to like the product but we also have every right to disagree.
Boys High is still a top school and the boys love it to bits. I just think a more progressive approach is required for rugby. I used the example in my previous post to justify my belief. I doubt anyone can argue that school boy rugby is not semi- professional and therefore requires an appropriate approach.
@EP Boy – Thank you for the post. That certainly clarifies matters. There is almost a lethargic indifference to change the way rugby is approached.
If a village is surrounded by trained attackers carrying weapons, the response is highly unlikely to be; we will train our people to fight but we refuse to use weapons.
This is my whole point with Boys High leadership. They can see the village is surrounded by trained attackers but they seem to deny they are carrying weapons. As a consequence they respond in the wrong way (just train our people).
As I mentioned in an earlier post, the attackers are no longer carrying knives and shields, they are now carrying automatic weapons with armoured vehicles. In a year or two, the attackers will have nuclear weapons by which time it may be too late to mount a reasonable defense.
@Roger: Haha….I’ve seen that article a few times – quite a few years ago and then again last week when a mate from Haalands put it up on facebook.
If memory serves, Highlands were kicked out of our “English” league in the early 80’s for repeated dirty play, so they had to play in the Admin Cup. They returned when I was in std 8 (’83). Our 1st team beat them in ’83 and ’84, so they were desperate for revenge in ’85, when I played. Unfortunately, my year was soft , so they klapped us in the rugby and (more embarrassingly) in the fighting – our hooker had to go to hospital after the game, after losing a large chunk of his thigh via a bite.
@Tang: It sounds like you need to get more OB’s onto your Board of Governors.
@meadows: Yes, but not used as a manager or coach, but more as an inspirational speaker. Hand out jersey’s in the changeroom etc. Brian Liebenberg could be a good backline coach and inspiration too. At Glenwood, I reckon Ivan Clarke has quite a large say. There are others too have large influence..
@meadows: yup -they all three are nuts – I could tell many stories but not for this forum. Those kids from Yeoville, Orange Grove, Bez Valley and surrounds were bloody tough – we ran fast and far after our rugby games against them – last seen heading for the Northern suburbs at pace
@Grasshopper: based on said Old Boy’s record as an administrator at the Sharks I’m not sure that I would give him much credence notwithstanding his fine record as a player
In my experience the extent of Old Boys influence varies significantly across schools. At MHS and Hilton the bulk of the Board of Governors are Old Boys. The Old Boys associations are organised and vocal. Add some pretty substantial cheque books and individuals used to calling the shots and you have an enormous amount of influence on the direction and policies of the school.
@Roger: I remember Gareth – very good young player but I think that he lacked the “mongrel” of his older brothers. Probably a bit less of Eddie’s influence
Chesney told a story about when he was picked for the Highlands 1st XV in Std 8 to play KES . His opposite number, who had a reputation as a tough guy, let it be known that he was going to sort this laatjie out on the weekend and Chesney happened to mention it to Eddie who promptly loaded him into the car and drove him straight over to the guy’s house and made him go and bang on the front door and tell the older boy to come out into the street and they would sort it out there and then.
According to Chesney he was so terrified that his knees were literally knocking together but he was far more afraid of Eddie than any 18 year old. Needless to say the 18 year old thought he had a nutcase on his hands and refused to venture out and was very quiet in the game on the weekend.
@Tang: I remember when your Head was himself a coach of a school 1st team down in Port Elizabeth.His record over two seasons was one of the most dismal,if not THE worst concerning results at Grey High.
He didn’t seem to have much interest in the tradition of the 1st team and continuously chopped and changed the team in both his two years in charge.
Possibly he still has such an attitude at PDHS-not really worried about what the rugby results mean to the wider school body?
@Wyvern: hahaha, it certainly isn’t the case at all. We have an academic academy too for the top academic boys, plenty of Science & Maths Olympiad, debating, accounting etc winners. We also have a very strong chess set-up, so the school does cater for the nerds so to speak. It’s all about being flexible with time, so like in the work environment the school offers more sporting boys flexibility to train and study when it’s best for them and with that add in extra lessons etc.
In terms of old boys, who is not going to listen to ex Bok captain John Smit, surely any idiot would at least listen. Old Boys are the lifeblood of any school, they will send their sons and will assist financially, they are a very important group of supporters to keep happy.
@Grasshopper: It’s one thing getting famous OB’s (or any OB’s) involved, it’s another thing getting the school’s leadership to listen and take guidance (in a sporting sense) from. If there is no OB representation on PBHS’s school council then it will still be a long shot no matter how many famous OB’s you can find. I don’t know the school setup of PBHS, but maybe Tang can shed some light on this?
If there isn’t any representation on the school council, and the problem of leadership adverse to change still persists, then a tough call needs to be made with regards to whether the headmaster is the “right fit” for the school.
On to Glenwood….out of interest was there/is there any adversity by the academic staff when the OB’s got involved to push sports at the school?
It sounds like you guys are running a professional sports club over there with part-time studies
@Tang: PBHS need to get their most famous OB’s involved, John Smit and co. 15 years ago Glenwood decided to get their A’s into G by getting John Allan and Rudolf Straueli into their set-up. Rudolph’s son attended Glenwood and John’s is there now. They set up a Sport Academy and brought in professional coaches. Yes, many schools didn’t agree with this strategy and still don’t, but it was to ensure the survival of the school. If they had not done this DHS, Westville and others would have hoovered up all the local talent. Glenwood increased the boarding establishment capacity and started recruiting grade8 talented kids from around the country. They overstepped the mark a few times recruiting at grade11 level which I thought was wrong. However now a winning culture is naturally attracting boys to the school, on bursary or not. The school is thriving and starting to produce international standard athletes. I believe the next phase of focus will be academics, offering Oxford Brookes and Queensland Schools level of academics. Gov schools are under serious pressure so headmasters have to think out of the box to survive. I think Glenwood are a great example of this, even with a few mistakes along the way. Westville have this sorted too…
@Tang: LOL – club rugby around the country was much the same in that era. Whether you played against Bellville in CT, Despatch in the Ec, or Transvaal clubs like Roodepoort ( with Calla Botha and Ferdi Barnard) and Randfontein it is easy to forget, in the modern era, how important it was to be willing and able to stand up for yourself on the field.
@meadows: @Tang: younger brother was Gareth and moved from Highlands to KES for his last two years. Father was Eddie who was a boxing champion and those brothers were as tough as they come. Lee was in the Welsh squad at the 91 RWC.
When KES played Highlands after Gareth had moved the Thomas brothers put the word out that if their younger brother was hurt (he was playing flank for KES) there would be consequences ……. needless to say, he made it thru’ the game fine
He played TVL schools two years in a row – back in the day when if you were English and made the Craven Week “A” team you knew you were a pretty special player 
@Meadows – Good old Johannesburg club rugby.
I remember watching Pirates play Randfontein in Randfontein. There were a few capped English players in the Pirates side and Randfontein had Charles Pieterse at flank.
A huge brawl broke out. I remember making a hasty run for the exit and trying to make a speedy getaway in an old VW Beetle.
The Randfontein crowd were a scary bunch and would not hesitate to get involved in on field fights.
I think Garth Wright may have also played in the Wanderers team with the Thomas brothers. He would have come just after John Robbie.
@Roger – Thank you for this.
Fantastic article. How can one ever forget playing Highlands North. The Thomas brothers were legends and fantastic rugby players.
KES had quite a different fixture list in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. The mere mention of Highlands North or Athlone Boys would strike fear into many boys.
@Roger: Good article! It shows how the school rugby landscape has changed since that time. I remember the Thomas brothers (Chesney, Lee and a younger one whose name escapes me who I think went to KES) well. Chesney and Lee were at Wanderers in a powerful era when the club could field the likes of Ray Mordt, Chris Rogers, Tito Lupini and John Robbie among others. If memory serves their old man, Eddie as they called him, was Commonwealth boxing champion and he had the boys hitting the heavy bag from an early age.
I remember a game in which Wanderers were playing a Pretoria Police side – it may have been a pre-season “friendly” – and the Police pack had been targeting Chesney from the outset until he was flattened by a punch from their lock, Adri Geldenhuys, who later became a Bok.
After the inevitable flurry of punching that ensued had calmed down and the medics were trying to revive Chesney the Police skipper called his team together for a chat. As they huddled together in a circle with Adri standing with his arms around two teammates shoulders Lee Thomas walked into their midst and unleashed a hook that his old man would have been proud of on the exposed Adri Geldenhuys that laid him out cold.
Rugby was a different game back then.
http://thoughtleader.co.za/traps/2007/09/26/highlands-boys-kess-the-wonder-years/#.Vln4_5U_YZ8.mailto
@Tang: @Vleis: et al may enjoy the article
Highlands was a tough school to play in those days!
@Vleis – You make many correct and frustrating observations:
1) Boys High have far more Boys than St Albans and yet the A team results are getting closer and closer. I believe St Albans have a better rugby coaching structure than Boys High.
2) Boys High don’t seem to be able to modernize their approach to rugby and the school leadership have a one sided view of the correct approach.
3) Old Boys are very involved but have very little influence on sport. I sense a growing conflict between Old Boys and the school leaderhsip especially on the topic of rugby. If the Old Boys could establish a Theo Jackson like fund for sporting bursaries, Boys High could become a massive force in all sports. Take a look at the Hall upgrade at Boys High. The Old Boys were fantastic in how much they contributed.
4) KES and Jeppe Old Boys have a much bigger influence in terms of sport and sporting decisions. Jeppe in particular seem to base there whole self worth on sports results. Boys High base their self worth on academic results. If Boys High found a more modern balance (especially to rugby), I would shudder at what could be done.
Boys High should never lose to private schools (no disrespect but based purely on numbers). I always get the sense Boys High operates at about 40% t0 50% capacity for winter sports. I have been to Brooklyn on a Saturday morning when Boys High are playing KES. Just before the first team kick off many day boys are walking around with their parents whilst every border is having to sit on the stands. Many of these day boys have just played a hockey match (some at first team level) but they don’t seem to have any desire or passion to support the rugby teams.
I would say most boarding parents want a far more competitive approach to sport (especially rugby) but the day boy parents seem totally indifferent (not all day boy parents) and will gladly drive out the school with their child just before the first team kicks off against KES, Jeppe, etc.
My summary is that Boys High boys play the sport because they have to not because they want to (certainly this will probably be the rule for day boys).
I think Boys High are getting caught out at how fast school boy rugby is evolving. Until Boys High fully understand how professional many of their opponents have become, they will produce mediocre results. Unfortunately, these results have an impact on your ability to attract top sportsmen and then you get into a vicious cycle.
Boys High have seem to tolerate poor results at A team level in rugby.
@Tang: My son has played Boys High in rugby at A or 1st team level four times in his four years in high school and won twice (one narrow win and one comfortable win) and lost twice (both narrow defeats).
On the face of it, that doesn’t sound too shocking for Boys High, but when one delves a little deeper you realise that there must be a problem as:
– not one single boy in his team has received a rugby scholarship;
– his school is much younger than Boys High, so doesn’t have the same history/legacy/etc; and
– his school is one third the size of Boys High.
I agree with Wyvern that you need to start by getting good coaches – at the very least in all the A teams, plus 1st and 2nd.
One observation: as an outsider, it seems to me that KES and Jeppe have much stronger Old Boys than Boys High. Either that, or KES and Jeppe embrace their Old Boys more than Boys High. Often these groups set up separate foundations/funds (e.g. the Theo Jackson fund at Jeppe) to source talented kids to attend the school, so there is no cost to the school.
@Wyvern I think the bulk of Boys High parents agree, we can’t sell out on the principles of the school.
However, being obstinate and ignoring the advances the opponents have made is problematic.
Boys High were poor from u14 A to First team level in 2015.
There is clearly conflict about the approach to take. There are staunch advocates of only using coaching to improve results but then where are the coaches. Having a director of rugby with poorly qualified coaches is hardly a step in the right direction.
Boys High are not attracting enough quality rugby players at u14 level. Too much time is consumed trying to get soccer players ready for rugby. Most of Boys Highs opponents have u14 boys who have played rugby for a number of years as a unit. In addition, they have a sprinkling of provincial players. Boys High are lucky to attract one or two u13 Craven week players.
The fact is simple – potential Boys High boys are going to schools who offer rugby scholarships and are producing better results.
If Boys High have a few poor rugby seasons in a row, then there is even less reason for decent rugby players to want to attend Boys High.
I get the sense many of the Boys High leaders believe good rugby players can’t be good academics and that offering scholarships is selling the school out. How can Westville be so good academically and yet still offer many sports scholarships? Boys High use an argument that is based on a false assumption. Offering a few talented u14 rugby players scholarships is not selling the school out. I would argue that it is exactly the medicine the school requires to remedy the poor rugby results.
I think many teachers will leave the school as they feel at odds with a leadership who are not listening to all sides of the argument and justifying their decisions with one sided logic.
@Tang: In your opinion what are the reasons why the leadership are taking the approach they are taking?
The friends i have from PBHS (only a few) are of the opinion that they would rather see the school stay as it is now, than to be at risk of “selling the school’s soul” for the sake of winning. I don’t know much about PBHS but a school that size (and this is not a criticism) should have enough talent that only needs to be well coached from u14 to get good results with their current fixture list.
Could your old boys union not throw some weight behind getting the right coaching structures in place before bursaries etc. are considered? I know from experiences at KC that the headmaster and a strong old boys backing (most importantly) are crucial ingredients for this type of drive.
Thoughts?
Boys High are going to get three tough fixtures at St Stithians in 2016.
They will play three out of Grey HS, Bishops, St Andrews, Michael House, Clifton, Graeme, DHS or Wynberg.
In 2015, they were soundly beaten by Grey HS and Bishops. If Boys High come into the Saints festival as poorly prepared as they were last year, 2016 promises to be another disaster season. Tallyho chaps – results don’t matter. Old boys and prospective parents don’t care about results. A good thrashing at the hands of Bishops or Grey HS is a valuable life lesson that will make you a fully rounded man for the future. Making over 100 tackles a match and watching your opponents score try after try is a fantastic way to spend an Easter weekend in front of large crowds.
Would love to hear thoughts from PBHS parents on the 2016 season.
Are Boys High falling behind their traditional rivals?
Do you believe Boys High will do any better than 2015?
It is clear from recent news letters how out of touch the school leadership are with the realities of school boy rugby. The head quoted an Eton student who claimed he was hardly aware of sports results at Eton. Perhaps if the head had asked about rowing results (undoubtedly Eton’s biggest sport), he may have been surprised by the answer. He may also have been surprised to find out how many boys are on rowing bursaries at Eton. Eton have an appalling rugby record. However, they are the best rowing club in the UK because they invest more than any school in the UK.
It is high time Boys high tried to find a balance and bring some serious rugby players to the school. Boys High seem to think that good rugby players and good academic students are mutually exclusive. I am by no means suggesting Boys High offer ten or twelve ruby bursaries a year but I am suggesting a far more professional approach to rugby. The Boys High Boys play against semi- professional teams week after week and yet the school leadership turn a blind eye to the challenges the boys have to face. I fully agree that sport is not the be all and end all of school life but I haven’t seen a first team player smile at Boys High for two years. What life lesson is being learned if our Boys are poorly prepared, play against semi professional teams and accept losing as inevitable. The experiment of only using teachers (and poorly qualified teachers at that) to coach A teams has failed. A 20% win ratio for A teams over the last two seasons is not a fluke or a cycle. It is an indication of just how far behind Boys high are falling.
I would love to hear counter arguments or thoughts from Boys High parents.
@Rhino_67: wrt 9/10 there are a couple of contenders some returning from long injuries….. some u16 boys who were played out of position last year but who i have seen at club level at #10…..9 would be more of a challenge to find the right combination but we have enough depth. The key would to try and play the boys in their natural positions and not a 15 on 10…….
@h2o: I have heard Grey would also be one of the Westville opponent, so could be quite a tough Festival. When do you think the guys will be cutting the large squad? Hopefully soon. Need to get down to some constructive work with the boys. Depth is there but not too many stand out players. Will be interesting to see the eventual line up. Back line could be a challenge in a few key positions. Scrum half and flyhalf are key and we are going to have some untested combinations there. Centres wings and fullback should be quite easy to fill, but 9 &10?
Any news on who Westville will be playing at Saints other than Bishops? Their pre season has started with a large squad which should be cut soon…. really looking good in all positions. …
@Vleis: Pity, would like to have seen MHS play both Bishops and St Andrews, as well as Grey High who they have played on a number of occasions at the Grey festival.
Definetly my favorite festival to attend, glad to see Grey HS back next year. Should be some good games.
@Vleis: Wow. That is a tough fixture list. DHS should be very competitveness next year while Grey PE and Westville are also tough opponents.
Per Bishops, their opponents at Saints are:
24 March: DHS
26 March: Grey High
28 March: Westville
That’s a tough fixture list, as I’m told that they’re not expected to have a strong team next year. I hope that my information is incorrect, as it’s always a treat to watch Bishops hit their straps at festivals.
I wonder how they found out who their opponents are already?
@Skoorsteen: St John’s Festival http://schoolboyrugby.co.za/?p=12045
Waar gaan Helpmekaar speel?
This is my favourite festival and it seems like the line up for 2016 is even better. It will be nice to see Michaelhouse over 3 days. I hope we get Bishops, Grey and St Stithians/ St Albans.
An interesting group of teams – some weaker and some stronger, but no really weak teams (e.g. Schoonspruit, Gauteng Development, Viadana, etc) and no top 5 teams (e.g. GCB, HJS, Affies, etc). Therefore, there should be less blowouts in 2016 than there were in 2015. St John’s, on the other hand, will produce a few gargantuan scores.
Natal will be the most represented province…even outnumbering the Vaalies!
I think that Wynberg may be the best team, closely followed by Westville and Grey High. Wynberg’s ’15 team was mostly made up of grade 11’s, who completed the season with a bang by beating SACS. They were also very competitive at u16 level in ’14.
4 KZN schools raiding the St Stithians Festival. There could be some interesting match ups here.