| DATE | SCHOOL | SCHOOL | INFO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed.09Mar | Kempton Park | 25 | 24 | Klerksdorp | ||
| Fri.11Mar | Brandwag (Uitenhage) | <17> | <0> | Port Rex | Despatch Rugby Fest | |
| Sat.12Mar | Boland Landbou | 15 | 18 | Outeniqua | Boland Landbou Rugby Day | |
| Sat.12Mar | Stellenberg | 33 | 27 | Drostdy | Boland Landbou Rugby Day | |
| Sat.12Mar | Durbanville | <20> | <0> | Hermanus | Boland Landbou Rugby Day | |
| Sat.12Mar | Brackenfell | <5> | <0> | Hugenote | Boland Landbou Rugby Day | |
| Sat.12Mar | Augsburg | <10> | <5> | Milnerton | Boland Landbou Rugby Day | |
| Sat.12Mar | Brandwag (Uitenhage) | <40> | <0> | Westering | Despatch Rugby Fest | |
| Sat.12Mar | Diamantveld | 03 | 40 | Affies | Diamantveld Sportdag | |
| Sat.12Mar | Lilyfontein | 27 | 24 | Cathcart | Grens Rugby Festival | |
| Sat.12Mar | Hangklip | 88 | 00 | Beaconhurst | Grens Rugby Festival | |
| Sat.12Mar | Queen’s | 59 | 06 | Cambridge | Grens Rugby Festival | |
| Sat.12Mar | Stirling | 17 | 18 | Marlow | Grens Rugby Festival | |
| Sat.12Mar | Hudson Park | 10 | 08 | Dale | Grens Rugby Festival | |
| Sat.12Mar | Grens | 07 | 43 | Selborne | Grens Rugby Festival | |
| Sat.12Mar | Michaelhouse | <20> | <24> | Helpmekaar | Practice Match | |
| Sat.12Mar | Clifton | 22 | 07 | Richardsbay | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Pretoria BH | <0> | <31> | Garsfontein | Practice Match | |
| Sat.12Mar | Kearsney | 20 | 22 | Westville | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Northwood | 19 | 42 | Glenwood | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Kingswood | 17 | 12 | Graeme | ||
| Sat.12Mar | St Andrew’s | 18 | 03 | Nico Malan | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Daniel Pienaar | 29 | 43 | Muir | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Monument | 45 | 20 | Welkom Gim | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Hugenote (Springs) | 12 | 14 | Wesvalia | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Rustenburg | 26 | 20 | Noordheuwel | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Oos-Moot | 14 | 21 | Potch Volkskool | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Marais Viljoen | 24 | 31 | Lichtenburg | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Zwartkop | 38 | 08 | Oosterlig | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Heidelberg VS | 28 | 10 | Potch Gim | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Die Anker | 20 | 05 | Middelburg | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Jeugland | 03 | 47 | Montana | ||
| Sat.12Mar | EG Jansen | 33 | 35 | Nelspruit | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Eldoraigne | 42 | 33 | HTS Middelburg | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Waterkloof | 12 | 03 | Transvalia | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Dr Malan | 13 | 11 | Florida | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Secunda | 43 | 06 | John Vorster | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Alberton | 36 | 10 | Driehoek | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Voortrekker (Beth) | 36 | 22 | Durban HS | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Goudveld | 17 | 12 | Fichardtpark | Goudveld Sportdag | |
| Sat.12Mar | Witteberg | <19> | <19> | Sentraal | Goudveld Sportdag | |
| Sat.12Mar | Hentie Cilliers | 11 | 21 | Louis Botha | Goudveld Sportdag | |
| Sat.12Mar | Trio | 29 | 24 | Landboudal | ||
| Sat.12Mar | Jim Fouche | 16 | 20 | Noord-Kaap |
@jakes: You are absolutely correct… BUT…. I remember a view years ago when WK won against Affies 1st team. All the other teams lost badly, but our 1st team won. The headlines read WK beat AFFIES. That’s unfortunately the reality. 1st teams create the win/loss perception.
@Middies pa: sterkte daar vir julle ook. Stem saam die seisoen is nog jonk. EGJ het eintlik baie goeie span. Dis daai hantering op belangrike tye wat hul in steek laat. Hul het BAIE foute gemaak teen Nelspruit op belangrike tye As hul dit kan reg kry verder in seisoen, gaan dinge baie beter word.
@Cappie: you are right although season is still early. Also Die Anker(4th league) beating Marais Viljoen( 1st league) but that is just the 1st teams. All MV other teams won,some games very close. EGJ/Nelspruit very close in 1st teams as well, could have gone any way, but JNR teams a big difference. EGJ won all their other games especially under 16s win 43-0. So league does not exist only out of 1st teams.
@Cappie: Very good and interesting observations Cappie.
The Noordvaal Cup leagues are determined by the overall standard of each school’s teams from u14 to Open. But in terms of public interest just about all of it is focused on first team rugby so your post is merited for sure.
Just an observation in the Noordvaal Cup (whose looking for a new sponsor as Virseker has withdrawn – Maybe any news on a new sponsor?). Eldoraigne (3rd League) beating HTS Middelburg (1st league). With Lichtenburg (3rd league) over Marais Viljoen (1st league) it makes it two third league teams beating two first league teams in friendlies. Klerksdorp (also 3rd league) losing by one point against Kempton Park (2nd league). The Plate competition will be strong this year.
Rustenburg (2nd league) beats Noordheuwel (1st league), Nelspruit (2nd league) beats EG Jansen (1st league) which makes it four loses by 1st league teams against lower league teams in the Noordvaal.
Still early season I know.
A good win for Lichtenburg over Marais Viljoen after they lost against Jim Fouche last weekend.
@Steve K: I hear you. I also think Westville is the stronger team. On the day they did not convert their opportunities and Kearsney took their chances well, and did enough to get into a position to win the game. They had it in their hands and needed to have a bit more composure to close it out. I just felt they were a little unlucky at the end in not getting an upset win over what looks like the stronger team…certainly a team with better athletes.
@beet: yes Beet you are so right. Those winning the game in the last 2 minutes and then losing it again is tough. It is not good for the heart and the health😂😂.
@jakes: Die Anker speel goeie rugby. Daar is virseker ‘n nuwe ‘vibe’ by hulle. Dit was ‘n lekker harde wedstryd maar Die Anker het verdien om te wen. Hulle gaan goed doen hierdie jaar as hulle nie te veel beserings kry nie. Middies het nog bietjie speeltyd nodig, maar was baie goed met tye. Die seisoen is gelukkig nog lank.
Ek verstaan wat jy bedoel met gebrek aan beplanning op belangrike tye. Dit kom reg hoe meer hulle speel. Ek is seker EG sal terugkom met ‘n krag. Sterkte met die res van die seisoen.
@Jakkals: Not really. score should have been 36 – 20 to Westville. Westville left 14 points on the field that were theirs for the taking through missed conversions, penalties and a try that for all money was theirs if the ball was able to be grounded. Kearsney had no such chances and were lucky to come away with losing only by 2 points.
@jakes: Maybe its like the law of conservation of energy:
Oosrand talent can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be transferred from one Valke school to another.
So when EG isn’t strong in a particular season, it means that another Valke school is bound to be overachieving that same year.
@jakes: Join the club, the joys of being a supporter through thick and thin
So before yesterday, my last visit to the Scott at Kearsney was in 2020. That day Kearsney took the lead 24-17 for the first with about 13 min to play. Then right at very end, some box kick gone wrong and Northwood recover the ball for their fullback to go and score under the posts. Final score 24-24. So close to a win.
Yesterday Kearsney took the lead at 20-17 with about 2 min on the clock. They then gave away a penalty on halfway and didn’t give Westville a chance to recover the ball immediately so got marched back 10m. Westville had lost their place kicker to injury so had to go for the corner. Very good punt. Won the lineout. Launched a few tight assaults before their 6-flank got over for the winning try. 22-20. So like EG could not close off those games. Sandwiched in-between was another big home game in 2021. vs Michaelhouse. No crowds allowed. Lead 17-0 at one stage but ended up 17-26 behind after that, then narrowed it to 24-26 and another agonisingly close defeat.
Tough life hey. 
The team that is making waves so far this year is Die Anker from Brakpan. Wins against Marais Viljoen and Middelburg.
EG Jansen has a serious problem which needs attention. They take the lead in the last 3 minutes after brillant comebacks, just to end up loosing again in the last minute because they can not control the ball from the kick offs. Such a comeback just to lose again in the last minute due to poor planning from the kick off. It happened with their games in 2021 as well. Going to be a long season if they continue like this. On the other hand their under 16s looks very good.
@Jakkals: I watched the match while it was being live-streamed. I guess not the best start for Peter Engledow and Ronny Uys. BVHS produced the constructive play that gave them frontfoot platforms to attack and win penalties and that won the day in the end. DHS were marvelous at counter-attacking. Just before the penalty try right at the end it was 29-22 and based on the way DHS were playing they could have scored from inside their own 22.
I think the coaching staff would want more from the forwards in setpiece and broken play. Clearly they don’t need phase build up play to score points but they do need it to slow the opposition down, give them less ball, force them to exert more energy by tackling and defending etc. Also if your line can do damage living off scraps, imagine how lethal they could be off go-forward platforms.
@Jakkals: I get what you mean. One might have said the same about Westville if they had lost. Many little factors at play. You take your opportunities and/or you don’t. Maybe not the best second half but a memorable finish with the lead changing hands twice in the last couple of minutes. Instant satisfaction for Westville team and supporters just before and at the final whistle but I think when the Kearsney supporters get over the disappointment, they will realise there was so much to enjoy about the match, the player performances and lots of talking points and areas to improve on and possibly most importantly that there is definitely potential within the team to improve and provide more excitement.
@Wonder: The funny thing was Pretoria BH just-just gave me an official fixture list last weekend and their was no Garsies game listed, so it came as a surprise when during the week Garsies media announced they were playing PBHS on 12 Mar. I went back and asked PBHS for clarity and they said not an official match, just a practice.
Solid performance by Garsies against Pretoria BH. Not sure why the game is classified as a practice match.
Great result for Voortrekker Bethlehem. Anyone know how DHS are looling this year? Are they going to battle or was this just a shock result. Peter Engledow still there?
Kearsney were unlucky to lose to Westville.
Marlow 2nd 52
De Vos Malan 1st 0
EG Jansen teen Nelspruit ook die naweek.
Affies se wedstryde vir die Diamandveld Sportdag is op Affies se rugbyblog beskikbaar. Affiesrugby.co.za/blog
Gelofte Night Series Final: Hillcrest High vs Gelofte Skool. Some decent tier 2 Rugby
@Palma: Thanks Palma. On a bit of a sad note, the Border Society is stuggling to come to the party with a venue confirmation for this weekend’s Border Rugby Day. Hats off to the local schools who are working together to make it happen and to Grens who have offered to host all the Border Rugby Day schools as part of their festival
Selborne are playing Grens at the Grens rugby festival.
On the KZN front , I would think:
Glenwood to beat NW [NW have a very long season this year but I would think they don’t have the team or depth to really challenge the top teams this year…could be a long season. Also new coaching team etc. I hope they can compete well though, some good talent coming through to build with again)
Westville I think will beat Kearsney