| SLOT | SCHOOL | SCHOOL | BROADCAST | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAY 1 : Thu 18-Apr-2019 |  |
||||
| 09h30 | Kearsney | 11 | 27 | Pretoria BH |  |
| 10h45 | Framesby | 25 | 25 | Welkom Gim | |
| 12h00 | Selborne | 29 | 10 | Noord-Kaap | |
| 13h15 | HTS Middelburg | 14 | 19 | Drostdy | |
| 14h30 | Glenwood | 27 | 26 | EG Jansen | |
| 15h45 | DHS | 12 | 34 | Transvalia | |
| DAY 2 : Sat 20-Apr-2019 | |
||||
| 09h30 | Noord-Kaap | 27 | 21 | HTS Middelburg | |
| 10h45 | Transvalia | 17 | 22 | Pretoria BH | |
| 12h00 | Kearsney | 21 | 26 | Framesby | |
| 13h15 | Welkom Gim | 32 | 16 | Drostdy | |
| 14h30 | DHS | 12 | 39 | EG Jansen | |
| abandoned | Selborne | X | X | Glenwood | |
| DAY 3 : Mon 22-Apr-2019 | |
||||
| 09h30 | Noord-Kaap | 24 | 21 | EG Jansen | |
| 10h45 | HTS Middelburg | 32 | 27 | Pretoria BH | |
| 12h00 | Selborne | 20 | 17 | Framesby | |
| 13h15 | DHS | 19 | 27 | Drostdy | |
| 14h30 | Glenwood | 38 | 07 | Transvalia | |
| 15h45 | Kearsney | 08 | 21 | Welkom Gim | |
Double dose of Valke for the Kearsney Easter Rugby Fest 2019
The always vocal Oos-Randers were missed at Kearsney in 2018 but come Easter 2019 they are set to return as the festival welcome’s back Boksburg’s regulars EG Jansen, who will be making a return after a one year absence, KERF will host EG’s fellow Valke school Transvalia of Vanderbijlpark for the very first time in 2019.
So listen out for their cheerful supporters shouting out things like:
“Dit is my Laaitie!”
“Pappa se Bul!”
“Lekker Tapatt!”
“Hoes Hoes Valia is Woes!”
“Die EG Bom, hy kom, hy kom!”
“Mamma se worshond!”
“Gee hom Gas!”
and many more.
The Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival encapsulates festive schoolboy rugby as it brings together a blend of schools from nine different unions of South Africa.
Expected fixtures:
| SCHOOL | REGION | Thu, 18 Apr | Sat, 20 Apr | Mon, 22 Apr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kearsney | KZN | Pretoria BH | Framesby | Welkom Gim |
| 2 | DHS | KZN | Tranvalia | EG Jansen | Drostdy |
| 3 | Drostdy | Boland | HTS Middelburg | Welkom Gim | DHS |
| 4 | EG Jansen | Valke | Glenwood | DHS | Noord-Kaap |
| 5 | Framesby | EP | Welkom Gim | Kearsney | Selborne |
| 6 | Glenwood | KZN | EG Jansen | Selborne | Tranvalia |
| 7 | HTS Middelburg | Pumas | Drostdy | Noord-Kaap | Pretoria BH |
| 8 | Noord-Kaap | Griquas | Selborne | HTS Middelburg | EG Jansen |
| 9 | Pretoria BH | Bulls | Kearsney | Tranvalia | HTS Middelburg |
| 10 | Selborne | Border | Noord-Kaap | Glenwood | Framesby |
| 11 | Tranvalia | Valke | DHS | Pretoria BH | Glenwood |
| 12 | Welkom Gim | Griffons | Framesby | Drostdy | Kearsney |
I spent the day at home and watched many of the games on TV. Credit where it’s due the streaming was top class. Well done SSL.
@McCulleys Workshop: Not sure why you bring recruitment into this ? Basically I’m saying some schools have tougher fixture lists than others in KZN , which could either positively effect the way the teams perform against the easier local opponents or it may have an adverse effect due to tougher games exposing theses teams to potential injuries or if they get pumped all the time , have an impact on team confidence etc …. I still think it’s good for schools to expose their rugby players to better opponents as the life lessons learnt are more valuable than playing rugby against softer opponents which gives the boys a false sense of success or to protect some sought of win loss ratio for marketing purposes ….. I’ve really enjoyed watching the KZN schools battle it out over the various festivals either live or via Live streaming , MHS played some great rugby against Grey and St Andrews , scores not reflective of the games .
@Vleis: Morning Vleis. They seem to be building more and more confidence after each win. That return game between MC vs GW at Goldstones going to be a humdinger.
Official media release:
KEARSNEY EASTER RUGBY FESTIVAL 2019
PREVIEW FOR FINAL DAY (MONDAY 22nd APRIL)
Judging from the caliber of rugby played at this year’s Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, those attending Monday’s final day are in for a treat after two days of thrilling running rugby, dogged defense and some surprising results.
Five sides go into the final day unbeaten, although Pretoria Boys High is the only team having won both its fixtures, 27-11 against hosts Kearsney College in the opening festival game and 22-17 against festival newcomers Transvalia. Pretoria Boys’ 22-17 win over the Vanderbijlpark team was an entertaining game, especially in the second half when most of the points were scored.
Glenwood and Selborne College go into the last day having each won one match, with their second – against each other – abandoned due to lightning. Their game, tipped to be the match of the festival, was abandoned on Saturday when lightning threatened play just after halftime, at which point Selborne was 15-10 ahead.
Both schools won their first games – Selborne 29-10 against Hoerskool Noord-Kaap and Glenwood 27-26 against Dr EG Jansen in the last minute of the game, when they came from behind to snatch the one-point win with full time showing on the clock. A brilliant conversion from the touch-line by Jordan Hendrickse ensured Glenwood’s victory, after EG Jansen had scored four tries to Glenwood’s three.
Selborne had an easier win in their first match, beating Hoerskool Noord-Kaap 29-10. Tomorrow (Monday) they will play Hoerskool Framesby, who beat hosts Kearsney yesterday, and drew with Welkom Gimnasium 25-25 on the first day.
Glenwood plays the penultimate game of the festival on Monday, when they face Hoerskool Transvalia, who beat DHS on the first day and lost to Pretoria Boys High yesterday.
Hoerskool Framesby and Welkom Gimnasium have each won one match and drawn their second. Framesby will play Selborne at noon on Monday; whilst Welkom Gim play hosts Kearsney in the final game of the festival at 15h45.
In Saturday’s opening match, played in glorious autumn sunshine between Hoërskool Noord-Kaap and HTS Middelburg, both teams were keen to get their first win at the festival. Noord-Kaap held a slender three-point lead at halftime, although they looked the more dangerous with ball in hand. An entertaining second half saw a resurgent Middelburg come back and, with five tries scored in the second half, the appreciative crowd became increasingly vocal. Play swung from touch-line to touch-line with both sides giving their best. Noord-Kaap ended 27-21 winners at the end of an exciting game.
In the game between hosts Kearsney College and Hoërskool Framesby, a well-conditioned unit from Port Elizabeth, Framesby won the lion’s share of the ball in the first half. With 10 minutes remaining, Kearsney fullback Derick Marshall broke through a number of tackles and, from a subsequent ruck, the ball went to centre Luke Wilson who sniped through, scoring under the crossbar. Jordan Bamber converted and Kearsney had narrowed the gap to 14-26. Kearsney kept the pressure on Framesby and centre Connor de Bruyn scored, converted by Bamber, to bring their points to 21-26.
@linespeed: I’m not convinced by your theory. I think it’s more of a case that the more you feel like you need to compete, the better your recruitment at any grade.
@Bush: After indifferent starts to their seasons, I’m happy to see that both MC and Ville have significantly upped their performances in the past few weeks. It bodes well for them for the rest of the season.
I am happy that PBH is looking good again. It just proof that coaches can make a difference. What a fresh breath of air.Good school with lots of potential and old boys money. Could be a serious player in the next few years
@Bush: you are giving Hilton to much credit here …. the local KZN league will be tough to call as I think all the sides can beat each other , even Glenwood could be beaten by some locals this year …. the main factor is some KZN schools like MHS and Hilton have padded fixtures , although MHS have extended themselves at the Saints fest getting pumped by St Andrews and Grey PE , as did Hilton get a hiding from St Andrews …. those are their only out the comfort zone games …. GW have the toughest fixtures again which could see them being either very good after KERF and Wildeklawer or dismantled….. KC as usual have the next toughest fixtures along with college , which also could be their in doing…. DHS , Ville and NW have the next toughest , with NW getting smashed by Grey PE and then redeeming them selves against Selborne…… all these tough fixtures against schools from outside the province could make one play better Rugga and then positively effect your local season or it could hurt you with injuries and confidence! However , I prefer the schools to play tougher games out side of their comfort zones as it gives the boys an opportunity to learn and grow …..
@Bush: swap 9 and 10 and I think you are on the money ??
@h2o: My prediction for KZN.
1-GW 2-NW 3-Hilton 4-MC 5-WBHS 6-DHS 7-MHS 8-KC 9-StC 10-Clifton
R20 gets you on the table.
Really hope i am wrong on the MC call with them 3/6 at this stage…..
@Bush: Bush I think there are more contenders for this spot than just these two….MC… DHS????
Having said that if KC can get more competitive at the breakdown their results will be much better. Their 9/10 can also be more assertive…. Not a bad side just lacking a bit of basics.
@RunItStraight: @wondermaar, Selborne was leading 15-10 when game was called off early in the 2nd half
@Wondermaar: Weather stopped play at Kearsney, KES and SAINTS festival.
I was looking forward to seeing the final Selborne score. I think it would have been a high scoring end result in the favor of Selborne.
@Wondermaar: The final rugby fixtures at all the festivals were called off due to lightning, which is very unusual given that KERF is in a different province. I believe that Selborne was up by 15 to 7, when play was called off. I think that St John’s may have continued with games later on as they have floodlights.
I can’t provide any more details, as I’m currently overseas. I return on Monday morning and will probably attend the St John’s fest and find out more then.
selborne vs glenwood, no score?? only two crosses????????? what happened….
@Bush: thank you. Yes I am only a supporter on this blog of EGJansen these days so have no direct information or affiliation with this team anymore. But what I know and have seen so far in 2019 is that EGJansen rugby looks very good this year. That is all their teams from under 14 right up to their 1st team. Big things happening there again with their rugby. Their coaches are on top of their game again and doing a brilliant job. The surprise of todays rugby at Kearsney though was Pretoria boys high beating a strong Transvalia team. Big things happening at PBHS again. Well done PBHS.
@jakes: Jakes you guys have a really Lekker team this year. Well coached, RD is doing a great job. DHS played well today but EG was just to good.
Looks like the game at Meadows on the 11th of May with be for the best at the bottom (can I say bottom????) in KZN ????. See House took a caning again today against SACS and KC also got it today at KERF.
2 3 House
Sterkte EGJansen vir jul game more teen Durban High school. Julle was ongelukkig teen Glenwood. Een doelskop die verskil eintlik in die game. 4 driee vir EGJ teen 3 vir Glenwood met 2 strafskoppe.Koppe optel en leer uit daai game uit. Julle het ‘n baie lekker span in 2019.
@Grizzly: dankie..??..daar is nou maar altyd iemand wat die ander wil uitlok met hul comments. So asof hul verveeld is met hulself.??
@jakes: Stem!@mjyoung: Het jy jou geelkoors inspuiting gekry voor jy Donker Afrika in gevaar het?
@mjyoung: wat ‘n vertraagde reaksie kom jy nou na vore mee??
@jakes: elke keer terugkom halflyn toe vanaf onder pale staan ja…
@Bush: it was a brilliant game though. EGJansen could hold their heads high. Glenwood was a top 3 school in 2018 as far as I could remember and EGJ had not such a good season laat year. A huge improvement. These days I am only a supporter so I do not know the boys but the nr 7 is massive and strong from what I have seen. I do feel that he goes in too high in loose scrums and malls at times therefor loosing the ball in tackles. They should work on that but otherwise he is a brilliant player.
@jakes: Jakes this was the game of the day. Jislikeit your Nr 7 is n yster.
Glenwood 27 EGJansen 26.Watched the game on the SSL live feed. Very dissapointing loss for EGJansen. EG Jansen had the game in the bag 26-20 at full time basically after a brilliant try by the hooker running like a wing and scoring a try. Then they tried to keep the ball with the forwards. It nearly worked but one forward went in too high, got tackled,knocked the ball. Turnaround by Glenwood. Scored a try and brilliant convertion. What a brilliant game. But really just thrown away at the end by EGJansen with a dissapointing knock and tackling and defense in the last minute. Hope this loss does not break their motivation for the rest of the festival.
@Oakdale supporter: I thought Framesby were lucky to end with a draw. Welkom is a well drilled and conditioned side.
@Thumper: thanks. I refer to piete as Piet Potgietersrust…
Good come-back from Framesby!! Draw Welkom Gim 25 all.
@mjyoung: KC lost 27-11 to PBHS!!
@Knight_CHS07: hi. Why is doubt regarding selborne game. Im far away in East Asia. Any scores available. On youtube it says day two….i thought it start today
The big downside for this year’s festival is that the weather forecast appears to be bad for all three match days. Hopefully it does not have too big a say particularly on the running rugby style of some teams.
Kearsney
I know over the years including this year people have suggested that KC pad their fixtures at the fest. If that was the intention this year, they might have got it very wrong. I imagine they will fancy their chances of beating Boys High first up but in Framesby and Welkom Gim who a few really good players in their squads as well as balanced attacks, I suspect it could turn out to be two uphill battles for the hosts.
Players to watch.
Talisman – prop Ox Carmody – his tight play and ball-carrying abilities will be extra valuable if the weather takes a turn for the worst.
Connor de Bruyn – a strong centre
Derick Marshall – a big strong fullback with a good boot
Pretoria BH
Without knowing their players, all I can think of to say at this stage is it’s a return to KZN for rugby head Paul Anthony who had a stint with the Shark which ended recently. Just about everyone who’s been coached or worked with Paul will vouch as fact that he is one of the finest guys around and has a manner about him that helps young players a lot. A very good fit for Boys’ High. Also worth remembering that making Boys’ High unique is they do not offer sports scholarships/bursaries, which has affected their competitiveness particularly as some of the Pretoria co-eds like have upped their game and attracted good players from the region that might under different circumstances have opted to go to PBHS.
Framesby
Their coach Louis Gerber led EP to a Craven Week title a few years back so he’s no slouch. This year he has the right team and so far the results have reflected their dominance.
Players to watch.
Juandre Liebenberg – the talented flyhalf has been in the limelight after his brief move to Boishaai which added to negativity at the time including the two Cape Town schools withdrawing from fixtures. Anyways moving on Lieb has proven his credentials as a top player this season and he’s not their only threat in the backline.
Brandon Wilkie – the inside centre cum flyhalf is another with huge potential. Not surprising he was also on the Boishaai radar for a while.
Christo Grobler – the openside flanker isn’t the kind of player you want to give any space.
Welkom Gim
They have plenty of returning players in their squad.
Players to watch.
Keke Morabe – as an SA Schools player he is obviously going to be high profile and a lot will be expected of him. He showed the goods last year at KERF.
Christo Steyn – I thought this blindside flank was good value last year at KERF and he was already a big boy then.
Keith van Aswegen – he has been SARU Elite Squad development and if his performance in the Griquas first match at CW last year is anything to go by, he has the potential to be devastating good on attack.
Selborne
The East Londoners come off a very physical match against Grey College where they gave a very good account of themselves and held Grey to much less than the 60 points per game they had been averaging before. It was 17 in fact and Selborne had a good share of possession. Not too many teams will be able to absorb the type of collisions they seem capable of thriving on. But perhaps the concern is that for all the ball they can retain, their back three do appear to be starved of quality possession and good running lines. And they have at least one really quick their wing – I could be mistaken I think his name is Lawula Bata.
Players to watch.
Anyway of the players Jacques Goosen (2) and Jarrod Taylor (7) need no introductions. They are both SA Schools players and proved their worth vs Grey College. Last year at Easter, they were just back into the Selborne setup having spent a few months at Grey College before decision like a handful of Selborne before them that there ain’t no place like home.
Rayden Masters – this no.8 has been one of my favourite players to watch this year. Good ball-carrier
Luyolo Peteni – I’m really keen to see what this loosehead has to offer around the park. He’s a go to first phase operator of note.
Noord-Kaap
I’ll have to comment after watching them. I haven’t even seen their team sheet to identify who’s back.
HTS Middelburg
As I’ve mentioned before the player that really stood out last year Juandre Odendaal, now offers the Jansies an exciting option in their backrow.
Drostdy
The technical school from Worcester in the Boland have three SARU Elite players in their back three Leetairo Claasen, Keane Galant, Roann Jansen so one expects them to setup attacks to take advantage of this. For me I’m just as interested to see how these players cope with defensive pressure. Their hooker Wynand du Plessis is also been tagged by SARU – he can also do duty as a flank.
Players to watch.
I cannot guarantee they will be the best three players in the team but personally the three I’m looking forward to watching the most are:
Benicio Kamfer – the loosehead was a flank last year and there is an explosive element about his play.
The two tall boys – Renier Viljoen (lock) and Gysbert du Preez (loose-forward). They have the dimensions of players who can succeed in junior rugby after school so it’s really a question of do they have the drive and the ability.
Glenwood
The Green Machine will be looking to find that high tempo form again before Wildeklawer. Glenwood are most threatening when they break up play or counter-attack. Teams are learning that you can’t wait for them to come to you, so they will perhaps need a few new tricks and maybe the onus will be on the forwards to be more of a presence at the breakdowns now. Anyway when are in sync they are a deadly XV.
Players to watch.
Joe Jonas – he’s had a quiet last two games but definitely a contender for my KZN player of the season.
Nico Steyn – a very talented scrumhalf with a good reading of play. The quick thinking 9 has the speed and creative ability to take advantage of situations.
Blaine Golden – he’s been outstanding this year. A 118kg unit with great hands and he can shift gears if need be. Perfect for schoolboy rugby. BTW he is a tighthead prop.
EG Jansen
Coach Rudi Dames is another one of the likeable guys around but you might not say it as he’s quite intense while in the coach’s area during a game. Lots of familiars for him at the festival. Glenwood and Pretoria BH are high schools where he head coached 1st XV and as a joke I wanted to say DHS has all the staff he once worked with.
Players to watch.
Kyle Potgieter – this flyhalf is unique in the sense that it’s rare to find a KZN Grant Khomo player no longer playing for a KZN school. KZN is generally the province that pulls in Grant Khomo players from other regions not exports them. Anyway his brother once moved from EG to Glenwood and he has journeyed in the opposite direction. Rugby wise he is actually a good player. He has good footwear and a bullet like long pass and a decent kicker. If he can take charge of his matches he will impress many people in the stands at KERF.
Franco Enslin – Franco’s brother Estian was a very good lock for EG (made my team of the tournament one year) who performed well as UJ Varsity Cup player so it will be interesting to see what Franco brings to the party.
Tylon Kotze – one of the bigger wings around. Has strength and pace. Was mentioned on a broadcast that he is being considered for an Australian rugby league contract. While rugby union in Aus is under the pump and financially constrained, League is thriving and it’s a surprise that more Saffa players are not seeing it as a viable option to earn a good living as a professional.
And obviously Odendaal
DHS
I’m not entirely sure what to expect from the Horseflies at this festival. They have a high percentage of players that started their high school careers elsewhere before joining DHS and while watching them at the Grey PE Festival, I wondered if this had an impact on the way they played when the going got tough. Hopefully it’s the committed and focussed DHS team who are enjoyable to watch at KERF. Looking at their fixtures there is nothing to suggest they can’t repeat their great success of last year at KERF by winning all three.
Players to watch.
Stoney Steenekamp – he’s a mercurial player. That’s his downfall. Otherwise in terms of ability and determination, he has the ability to be one of the top hookers in SA.
Kaid o’Neill – against Westville the prop showed that there was something in his overall game worth tracking, so it will be interesting to see if he can maintain that course.
Shakur la Douce – the flyhalf was outstanding last year. If DHS are to do well, I think he has to be A-game consistent.
Transvalia
Making their debut at KERF. Hopefully it all goes well for them as they have a Wildeklawer debut up next.
I haven’t watched five of the teams play in 2019 – Pretoria BH, Transvalia, HTS Middelburg, Noord-Kaap and Welkom Gim – so hard to comment on what to expect from them, other than going on their results so far. I have watched a number of the Welkom Gim players in 2018, I’m sure they have enough firepower in their team to do very well this year. Transvalia have sadly lost a number of good players which has impacted on their chances of having a follow-up good season to 2018. I noticed that one of HTS’s best players who stood out at KERF 2018 now plies his trade for a different Noordvaal regional powerhouse but even still they believe they have a better team than last year. Noord-Kaap beat Maritzburg College recently and Pretoria BH ran College close. Those may have been matches on the road for College but it does give an idea that neither Noord-Kaap nor PBHS will be pushovers.
I would say the three games I’m most excited about going in are:
Day 1 – Welkom Gim vs Framesby
Day 2 – Selborne vs Glenwood
Day 3 – Framesby vs Selborne
But there is huge potential in many of the other match ups to deliver the match of the festival.
@Herakles: Thanks for the info, I look forward to the game.
@McCulleys Workshop: Insofar as I know, Welkom Gimnasium and Framesby has never played each other, nor do they typically compete against the same rugby schools. This makes it difficult to predict the outcome of the game.
On recent form, both schools have had a good year. Framesby is still unbeaten with a number of big victories under the belt. Welkom Gim has only lost to Grey College(29-0).
On the SBR rankings of 2018, Framesby was placed 21st and Welkom Gim 23rd.
Welkom Gim has recently had a number of convincing victories, including one over Voortrekker(Betlehem) – scarcely minnows – on Saturday by 93-20. In the particular match the half-time score was 24-20 in favour of Welkom Gim. They then scored 69 points in 28 minutes before the game was stopped seven minutes from full time.
Watch their SA School No 8, Keke Morabe. The boy is still u/18 and an absolute monster! (I predict the next Duane Vermeulen is on his way.)
I really look forward to an entertaining match.
@plooi: I think Selborne / Framesby will be a big game, as will the Welkom / Framesby game.
Any predictions? As an unashamed Eastrander I hope the Glenwood game is where unheralded EG announces themselves for the season with an attractive brand of running rugby.
Signs are there, but with all the Noordvaal hype they have gone quietly unnoticed.
@Knight_CHS07: Hopefully all is forgiven and people have moved on. On reputation alone, this could be THE GAME OF THE FESTIVAL! 2018 Number 3 vs Number 5…mouthwatering stuff
@jakes: Jip.. Ek stem!
Die EG bom hy kom hy kom, hy gaan hard terug kom
@Beet,
Can’t help but wonder if the Selborne vs Glenwood fixture will take place. I hope it does though as it will be good for SBR