It’s still early days and Westville like all other schools competing at this time of the year are using game time as part of their preparations for the regular season. One imagines that there is a fair amount of tweaking to be done and a few players are still unavailable due to other commitments. Nevertheless their 1st XV and 2nd XV selections for tonight’s Voortrekker Night Series makes for interesting reading.The games on are Westville 1st XV vs Maritzburg College at 18h30 and Westville 2nd XV vs Voortrekker 19h30.
The attention grabbing choices in the 1st team include big frontrower Matt Jackson (126kg) warming the bench, a blindside start for Wiehan Prinsloo and Juan Anderson last year’s under-16 flyhalf being opted for at inside centre.
| WBHS 1st XV Squad | WBHS 2nd XV Squad | ||
| 1 | Bren Kennedy | 1 | Bongani Majozi |
| 2 | James Erasmus | 2 | Renier Pieterse |
| 3 | Mzamo Majola | 3 | Cody Thomas |
| 4 | Zane Weir | 4 | Yuric Thambiran |
| 5 | Raymond Jardine | 5 | Adriaan Heystek |
| 6 | Andre De La Rey | 6 | Josh Bryce |
| 7 | Wiehan Prinsloo | 7 | Zane Kilmister |
| 8 | Tyron Jackson | 8 | Nathan Meilhon |
| 9 | Reece McHardy | 9 | Garryth Jackson |
| 10 | Matthew Larkins | 10 | Dale Hewitt |
| 11 | Yorick Chetty | 11 | Lindo Buthelezi |
| 12 | Juan Anderson | 12 | Nhlakanipho Khoza |
| 13 | Bradley Ellse | 13 | Dylan Stephens |
| 14 | Kyle Lubbe | 14 | Wayne Smith |
| 15 | Keegan Paverd | 15 | Ruan Kotze |
| 16 | Renier Pieterse | 16 | Joshua Bailey |
| 17 | Matthew Jackson | 17 | Nhlanhla Ntanzi |
| 18 | Jonty Osborn | 18 | Jarryd Van Zyl |
| 19 | Yuric Thambiran | 19 | Dyllan Papenfus |
| 20 | Kyan Braithwaite | 20 | Donovan Kelly |
| 21 | Jason Wilks | 21 | Shane Ball |
| 22 | Lindo Buthelezi | 22 | Simiso Phahla |
| UNAVAILABLE | 23 | Kyan Braithwaite | |
| 1 | Nic Pentz | 24 | Jonty Osborn |
| 2 | Alex Voster | ||
| 3 | Luke Schlemmer | ||
| 4 | Louis Snyman | ||
| 5 | Jordan Martin | ||
| 6 | Donovan Pieters |
@star: Without mentioning names I once sat in front of this guy at KERF who was a real ladies man and clearly brought his A game along with him that day. He later remarked that I had been furiously taking notes on the rugby game but truth is it was his game that I was overhearing and writing down for possible future application. Can give you his cell number for help with “boss” issues but suspect you already have several different contact details of his.
@ Beet- We are actually in SA on the 16th. The problem with the boss is the potential for injury( when was that not a concern for a mother) prior to the tour and given that the lightie has already been in hospital twice I suppose she has a point. But these kids just want to get out there and play. I see trouble ahead .
@star: I’m just surprised that Westville and Hilton don’t take advantage of the massive opportunity that opens up in your absence to reschedule that game on a neutral ground and both try to squeeze in their Old Boys Days on the same date. But then again I see the potential backfiring slash disaster unfolding when you decide to put your Dubai plans on hold and reach a compromise with the “boss” to attend.
@ Grassy- Unfortunately I will be in Dubai following a Westville development cricket tour.( hopefully the lightie is able to handle those low,slow wickets). I will obviously follow the proceedings with much interest from the desert and am relying on bloggers like yourself for some ” objective” comment.( Cannot rely on Beet for that sort of thing
) The problem at the moment is that Westville play Hilton the week before and as they are my two old schools I would love to see him play. The boss seems to have other ideas though.
@Star, happy to meet with you and Westers at Kearsney, we will probably find that we actually know each other and the avatars have been protecting our true identity…
@Star, I don’t hate Westville boet, it’s a great school doing great things. I am just passionate about Glenwood and want it to do well. I have 2 brother in-laws, a financial advisor and about 12 WOB mates so I obviously don’t hate Westville at all. I am in fact the only GOB in the group so having to fight off comments and jibes all the time. The thing is my WOB mates are not as passionate as I am about schoolboy rugby so they pick up stompies so to speak without knowing the detail…
I suppose people are right about the effect of a schedule and number of tough games played.We all see what happened when KZN played against the Lions at CW. One of the reasons for the loss was that 2 players of the spine the lock (Moberly) and the number 8 (Moon) did not start. As they are both MHS players what impact would that have had on their schools season if they were injured or just jaded. Maybe it is time for MHS and Hilton to man up so to speak if they want unqualified recognition.
@ Westers- It is just that Grassy hates Westville
@Grasshopper, Agree Glenwoods fixture list is the toughest. Why do you think Kearsneys is tougher than Westvilles?
I for one believe that Glenwood will field a +800kg pack this season. I expect to see new faces in the frontrow and possibly two decent height locks. The ingredients for a good pack will be there. My feeling is that Sean’s best teams in the past have had a big ball carrier in the backrow. Here I wait with anticipation to see what unfolds. Expect the line to be hot. If the forwards can win the contests there will be a lot of firepower in wider positions. But it will hopefully be a KZN season of surprises with the best team on the day winning the game. The last thing I want to see is one-sided contests with one team dominating.
@Grasshopper: Judging from the turn out the the open side trials yesterday, there is depth at Glenwood. Unfortunately I did not watch the trials so didn’t get a feel for the playing skills of those who attended trials. I’m looking forward to the team announcement.
@Grasshopper: I think we need to have a ranking system on this blog – The World According to Paul Dobson just doesn’t do it for me. Having said that – I am not putting up my hand to develop the model on how the rankings will get done? Maybe we should use Archies ranking system? I found it to be far more scientific than Paul Dobson’s gut feel. I do agree with All Black though – teams that play more games should get more recognition than those like MHS who only play a handful of fixtures and claim to be top in KZN cos they were unbeaten.
@All Black, totally agree. However, I think Glenwood do have the toughest fixture list out of the KZN schools by quite some margin. Kearsney and College next up and then Westville…..so really Glenwood’s depth will be tested the most. Glenwood playing half of the top 20 sides….madness!
I think Glenwood, Kearsney and Westville have the players to beat anyone on the day. It is all about how they come together as a team. With regard to the eventual top team in the Province, it must be a team that has tested itself against the best around the country and still performed in the local circuit. That is the nature of schoolboy rugby today. All, 3 that I have mentioned have these fixtures. College will fight for every inch so will be a threat. Depth is a problem though, similar to last year. A team that can handle injuries and tough schedules must be top. Sides that have breaks and only play 13 or 14 games in a season and then ambush a tired, depleted side should not have this honor. Glenwood not playing Westville leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, except the decision makers.
@GreenBlooded: Agreed.
@Grasshopper: I have been on and on about how teams will start going for smaller front rowers due to the new scrum laws. Since we had the talk on how these laws will be applied I have done a complete 180 degree on that. Big scrums are going to dominate this year without doubt and small scrums are going to battle. Expect to see MANY MANY balls won against the heel. The reason for that is the crucial “Scrum” call where the scrummie MUST put the ball in on the call and both teams can push. This means that there is no ‘secret’ about when the ball is coming and both teams can compete as soon as the scrum call is heard.
@Horsie, not from what I am hearing from some. Top 30, yes but with our fixture list which includes half of the top 20 and 5 of those in like 3 weeks……not sure hey. Our backs will be good but they going to need the ball. Playing against 800kg plus packs will be very testing, although size is not everything at this level. Sean Erasmus is going to have to change his gameplan with the squad he has. DHS will also be wanting to surprise a few and catch them off guard…going to be an interesting season for sure, let’s hope for the rugby on the pitch and not so much what happens off it…
@star:
I think All Black is using the prudence concept when it comes to College. Good call All Black, good call.
@Grasshopper:
Glenwood will be good, possible SA Top 15
@Star and All Black, I haven’t seen anyone talk up Glenwood, to the contrary I don’t think Glenwood are expecting anything spectacular, which for me is a good thing. The less expectation the better, less pressure on the boys. Every win will be celebrated. We are lacking a ‘spine’ too this year with virtually no leadership bar Kay and Mazibuko. Our pack will be unusually small and our backs will unusually be very quick. Glenwood have normally played a 10 man type game with big forwards, so this year will be interesting. For me Kearsney are the front-runners followed by Westville, College, Glenwood and the rest. Especially with Glenwood’s crazy schedule we will do well to keep our best side on the park. In other posts they are mentioning how tough Grey PE’s schedule, I think Glenwood’s is as tough if not tougher. Michaelhouse and Hilton with about 12 fixtures in a season are not being tested at all….
@ All Black- I am not sure why you are rating MHS this year. Last year they had a solid spine from hooker to lock to 8th man and flyhalf. This year they are a little bit ” spineless”
and are defintely not settled on the key flyhalf position. The U16 Paul Roos lightie cannot play Opens because of the new regulations but he is my tip fo GK flyhalf this year.
And why are you not talking up MC in their 150th year. They have a dominant front row and some very classy backs. I just think that when the twins fire then Kearsney are odds on. However they can go missing as was evidenced last year against GC and then Kreasney by default will struggle.
Very interesting pre season comments. It appears that all the talk is around Kearsney, Westville and Glenwood (and MHS) o be the top teams in KZN. Until MHS start playing all the other top teams from around the country I cannot give them too much credit. The other 3 schools are all testing themselves. I do predict a few surprises though.
@ Rugby fan- They had a lock playing blindside flank and a 126kg prop warming the bench. Someone mentioned Grey PE had a pack of 850kg. Westville might not be that far behind. The difference could be in the backs where Westville have 6 players returning who could be quite useful if they translate their potential into proper form( close but no cigar in 2012).How are Greys backs looking?
@star: What is Westville,s pack like Grey PE have a very big pack this year so they could be in for a hard time in Grahamstown.
@ Rian- Sorry you are right. I think Andile has actually left the school and has gone back to Northern Natal and represented Sarl Celliers at the provincial schools 7s.
I was referring to the 2011 U16B team where all of Majola,Jardine,Pieters,Ellse,Paverd, Snyman and Kennedy were included. I think Weir was also involved.There are therefore 10 players that were in the”mix” at GK2011 that are in the current Westville set-up.
@star: Hi there, as far as I know there are only two players from the 2011 GK week in the Westville side – Andre de la Rey (flank) & Reece McHardy (scrumhalf). A few of the other boys played in the warm-up match against the Pumas but weren’t in the final GK side. Andile Ndlovu was also in the 2011 GK side but was out the whole of last year due to injury. Lennox has also moved to a private school and is no longer playing rugby as I understand.
@GreenBlooded:
have your u14s started pre-season yet and if so how are they looking?
@GreenBlooded:
DHS vs College:
Waterpolo
1st- have no clue
U15A- easy win for DHS, 15 goals plus
u14A- College
Cricket
i think DHS can take College on in 1st, u16A and u15A while College u14A will probably be too strong
@HORSEFLY NO.1: What are your predictions for College next weekend in the various age-groups?
@NW_Knight:
what province is NW buying from?
i only know of 4 kzn u13 boys for DHS
@Horsey: Not necessarily KZN, but a couple of CW and KZN Dev. Looking competitive.
@NW_Knight:
True. then you also get those that only start playing in grade 8 and immediately make KZN . one of the DHS boys falls under that category. Brilliant polo player now, had never played before 2010 though…
Northwood should expect a good top 10 tournie then for theirlighties
How are the U14 rugby boys looking? Any KZN players there?
@Horsey: Agreed, but there are also a number from the year before ad 2010 that did not make U13 because they did not go to the right schools. But that’s just the nature of the game.
@NW_Knight:
But there’s a continuity when it comes to High school. Most of those boys who made U13 usually make it again and again at HS level.
Eg. Last years KZN U14 side was made up of 7 former DPHS boys and 4 former Clifton boys and they won the SA Champs so the selections of these boys are justified.
@Horsey: I think I made my feelings about KZN selections known at the time, so it makes no difference that Clifton have 6. Unfortunately, almost all these boys were from a primary school that did not play polo and to be chosen you have to come from DPHS, Clifton or Highbury or know someone.
@NW_Knight:
This N’Wood team has done pretty well with what I believe to be no kzn players.
Clifton have about 6 of them so its going to be tough but yeah maybe they can do it.
Hoping DHS U15 will overcome Clifton when they play again. Last time they played DHS were the better team and leading till the beginning of the 3rd chukka and lost the plot…
@Horsey: Yes, Clifton will be a test but this team is good. Hopefully they can rise to the challenge.
@GreenBlooded:
They’ve beaten MHS,
GWD 6-4
WBHS 10-6
St Charles 19-0
@GreenBlooded:
No it isn’t, have seen much worser scores unfortunately.
But yeah it is a good win, expected is, DHS team only has 2 boys who had played polo before this year, a total contrast to U15 where almost all boys in A and B team had played before coming to DHS.
Any comments on your U15 getting their 1st defeat this year? Seems the only two teams they can’t beat in kzn are DHS and Clifton. They’ve even beaten St Johns!
@NW_Knight:
Yeah you did say last year that they’d have a good team and it looks so. They will be massively tested by Clifton and Hilton though, both have fantastic teams!
U15 still look a problem for you though…
@NW_Knight: Who have they played so far?
Good win again by Northwood U14A Waterpolo over Westville. Unbeaten this year.
Great win by the Glenwood U14A!!! That score has to be some kind of record in U14 no?
@CyndiAtRugby:
Yip that’s the story I know too!
@GreenBlooded: According to Glenwood history, the Glenwood boys are known as the Grasshoppers because in the early days they had a major problem with grasshoppers on the fields. It took many years to get rid of these. DHS are known as the horseflies due to the proximity of the stables way back when.
@star:
Guess scrapping U16 in 4th term last year has really helped hey?
Glenwood vs DHS
Cricket and B-Ball rained out
Polo:
2nd Glenwood won 12-2
15A DHS won 10-6( 1st loss this year for this GWD team)
15B Drew 5-5(GWD still unbeaten since 2012 while DHS with one loss In 2 years)
14A Glenwood won 27-1( as was expected really)
@ Horsy. Westville Ist cricket team beat Northwood by 6 wickets( having got NW out for 106) . With 2 players back from last year I thought they might struggle a bit but the lighties have stood up and have been counted.
@GreenBlooded:
I disagree with that swimming was an untapped resource. Its been famous and on the up since the Days of the Fantasic Four in 04 Olymics.
DHS were known country-wide for their aquatics prowess, were easily the best aquatics school in SA, winning SA Schools Surf Champs, unbeaten in swim galas and being in top 5 of polo schools in SA then they made the biggest mistake that any no.1 school they made, they relied on reputattion while Westville offered anything and everything with goggles out there. Westville made same mistake this year thus Glenwood with the better team at U14.
Going to be tough for GW to get a similar team next year. My sources tell me that right now WBHS,Kearsney and DHS are the front-runners as far as getting swimmers goes.
@HORSEFLY NO.1: Maybe, maybe not. With the swimmers now going in at least 3 different directions now, it may level out the playing fields a little. Glenwood’s U14’s and U15’s are highly competitive while their U17’s and opens are crap. So theoretically only 3 years of decent intakes and things will be different.
@HORSEFLY NO.1: If you are the only one offering 25% or 50% to a boy who is not receiving offers from anyone else for anything else, it’s not that much of feat. Westville saw an untapped resource and went for it. Good on them – Trevor Hall is a BCom graduate so has a mind for business and knows how to sieze an opportunity. Took the other school far too long to catch on and start competing for the swimmers.
@GreenBlooded:
True. But Westville did well in attracting them there in the 1st place. Many schools have wanted these boys who chose Westville .
Also, Glenwood MIGHT end up emerging as the best swim school, will take about 5 years of great intakes of swimmers who will train really hard
@star: You do not get late-bloomers in swimming. The swimmers who are the best at primary school level will be the best at high school IF (Big IF) they train hard. What Hopper is saying is quite correct – for a high school to have a great swimming pedigree, they simply need to start off by buying every good swimmer they can lay their hands on and have a half-decent coaching set-up to top-up what the guys do at club 4 nights a week for 2-3-4 hours. After a while the process becomes self-sustaining. It is no secret that Westville make offers to all the top swimmers – my lighty got one out of the blue and he is not that good so go figure.
This is why Westville has the reputation as a great swimming school – and no doubt why Glenwood will have the same in the near future. There is now a bun-fight between Glenwood, Westville and Clifton for the top swimmers so it is not going to all go Westville’s way anymore – evidenced by the twins going to Glenwood. With the talent pool now evenly spread – don’t expect to see 4 Olympians at one school again.
To have 4 Olympic Swimmer old-boys assembled at a gala – Wow. That is something special and to be celebrated. But let’s not get the idea that Westville High single handedly produced this.
@star
wat ever happened 2 Musa Khumalo if memory serves me right he was at nwood in2011 then went bk to westville he was a very decent flyhalh and played westville 14A 15A and 16a
@star:
Is Graham. Not a Glenwood oldie??
Yeah Westville really did raise awareness for the sport with their eye-catching headlines also playing a part there’WESTVILLE DESTROY POSERS!’
How much do you know about what Fennels done?
I only know of open evenings, raising money and his convincing of DPHS parents to send their kids to DHS rather than Westville etc…
Nothing short of fantastic work so far!!
@ Horsy- Exactly- Westville does not expect tp be op top forever. But it has raised the bar for all schools and that excellence needs to be acknowledged. I see Fennell has started on the right line and I am sure we all wish SCHOOL the best for the future
@ Grassy- I apologise that the medley team( 75% Westville) just missed the final.I am not sure that disqualifies them from being considered Olympians. Still good that a school could beat most countries. Name the Aussie school! Chad Ho was not in the relay team. He was an Olympian as a school boy , medalled at the World Champs and just won the Midmar mile for a 4th time . Legend? G. Hill( 3 time Olympic coach) a product of Westville?
@Grasshopper:
One almost forgets that Westville only dominated from 2008 onwards.
As for Le Clos, he mentioned that it was always either DHS or Westville for him and he decided Westville after the D and D Gala in his Grade 7 year. Hard luck DHS!
Doubt they will, Glenwood is stepping up to the plate now although I don’t think they’ll get the best boys next year. More about that In a month or two…
@Horsie, yes congratulations to them, they spotted a sport they could be no1 in quickly and acted swiftly, snapping up the best swimmers using the influence of the national coach. They even snappled up Le Clos right from under a few schools noses. In the 90’s Westville were at best 5th in KZN, usually 6th in swimming to suddenly in the noughties being the best in the country…..a great achievement! Those early success stories have been coming through now…Ho, Le Clos etc. If only Ho had swum the open water at the Olympics we might have had another swimming medal. The thing is Westville will ride this wave for about another 2 decades now though…..
@Grasshopper :
Honestly How about a congrats to WBHS now? Swimmers are also coached by school coaches not club coaches. WBHS did well to even recruit these boys!
@Star, ask yourself did that relay team make the final? A team of South Africa’s stature should at least make the final. Yes, there must be a few Aussie schools who can claim that. Anyway, it’s quite logical that if you have the whole SA schools team in one school then naturally they would progress together to represent the country together. There success has little to do with the school and more to do with themselves as people and their coaches. Swimming is a very individualistic sport, they just happened to go to Westville where the SA schools coach happened to go and now train at. This probably won’t happen again because other schools have stopped all the best swimmers going there on bursaries and due to the coach…simple really..
Have to congatulate Mike Fennell on what’s he’s doing at School! Open evening has never been so great and applications have never been so full!
Comments from families very,very encouraging
@ Grassy- OK let us make it about Westville. GW has had one Olympic swimmer in 80 odd years. Westville were able to have 4 at one gala. I honestly ask the question can any school in the World replicate that? That truly is the legend of the Griffin.( and please do not repeat your statement of how easy it is. To set a world standard cannot by defintion be easy
)
@Grasshopper: bird must ‘ev had serious snot in its eyes
Same with DHS and Riaan Schoeman, Olympian, no legend…
Sydney Atkinson was though…
@Star, one legend the others made up a relay team. Glenwood has had an Olympic swimmer in Kenneth Cawood, he was like the other 3, Olympians but not legends.
@ Greenblooded- The Griffin is a matter of legend. Just what Westville Boys aspire to.
Did you not spot the 4 Westville Olympic legends at the gala last Friday? First time in history( anywhere) 
http://www.dphs.co.za/prep-patter/prep-patter-5-0
Haha look at this, what the executive headmaster might as well have been written by the DHS Principal
@Greenblooded, good spot! The Peregrine Falcon to boot. The Peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 322 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high speed dive), making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic program, the highest measured speed of a Peregrine Falcon is 242 mph (389 km/h)….
@Hopper: I think a fairer comparison of school icon’s would be the Griffin vs the Falcon – which is Glenwood’s official symbol – the Grasshopper is a colloquial icon that came later and is based on the colours in the rugby jersey. One of those icons is a fake animal/bird thingy that doesn’t exist and the other is “Swift and clean of strike”.
@Grasshopper: I don’t know if the HMA will even make it thru 2013 but just to be clear:
Even if a bona fide student arrives at his new KZN school the day before a match he can play as long as he is u18.
The rules are aimed at u19 players.
The “new” Westville player who was at Westville then went to Hillcrest and came back recently can play no probs. The new Glenwood player who was at Waterkloof can also play no probs even though both are in Gr.11. They are not going to be u19s in matric so no HMA application.
I heard Cody Thomas moved from Hillcrest High in the last few weeks of 2012 so that Westville could say ‘he was here in Grade 10’. Taking the piss a little methinks…..
@Star, the locust has been far longer than the Griffon and is much more experience and streetwise, especially considering the head to head stats against the Griffon. The locust is like a roach, can never be eradicated…….tough as nails and very canny
@ Greenblooded-Pieters was GK 2011(not U16A last year) but was injured against GC early in the season. Matt Jackson played a few first team games and Kennedy and Majola were GK 2011. Quite a few pretenders for higher honors.( let us hope they do not flatter to deceive
)
Where is Erasmus? I thought Prinsloo would play blindside and together with Tyron Jackson are well over 100kgs. That is a big pack even without Matt Jackson
It is called natural selection. You intimate that you only know 20% of the boys. Well the backline of McHardy,Ellse,Paverd,Snyman,Pieters and Lubbe are all back from last year. 5 of them were GK in 2011. You will also find that Larkins/Schlemmer played the odd first team game. That is a pretty experienced set-up to which you can add players from the star U16 team like Buthelezi and Anderson.
@ Grassy- the Griffon will never be scared of the locust.
@Grasshopper: Snyman was their kicker last year, Anderson, Meilhon, Thambirain, Pieters played U16A last year. Bryce came from College in 2011. Thomas came from Hillcrest High last year. Not sure on the rest.
Never heard of 80% of these kids. Weir, Jardine, De La Rey, McHardy, Ellse and Paverd yes….the rest no…
126kg Jackson and they were scared on a 115kg Coetzee last year…….hmmm…