| # | NAME | SCHOOL | NAME | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phiwo Khubeka | Maritzburg College | Lithemba Mfupi | Glenwood |
| 2 | Elbie Mouton | Christian Everitt | Durban HS | |
| 3 | Simphiwe Ngobese | Durban HS | Aiden Botha | Maritzburg College |
| 4 | Hanu Pieterse | Hilton | Liam Terblanche | Glenwood |
| 5 | Kuhle Mthimkulu | Maritzburg College | ||
| 6 | Devahn vd Walt | Kearsney | ||
| 7 | Akhona Kunene | Hilton | ||
| 8 | Wandile Mlaba | Michaelhouse | Sasha Kadira | Maritzburg College |
| 9 | Luke Watt | Hilton | Matthew Fick | St Charles |
| 10 | Chris Horak | Hilton | ||
| 12 | Sisa France | Kearsney | Zingce Simka | Durban HS |
| 13 | Campbell Ridl | Michaelhouse | Siya Ndlozi | Westville |
| B3 | Luyanda Kunene | Maritzburg College | Hopewell Ntshangase | Durban HS |
| 15 | Jaco Williams | Glenwood |
@BoishaaiPa: He is on and off, Zuki Tom. Played at Grey PE in grade 10, then moved to Glenwood in Grade 11. Robbie Kempson felt he was ‘too small’ for loose forward and wanted to convert him to a wing. I think he didn’t like that so probably sort a contract with the Sharks and hence a school to join. He played SA A U18 vs France last year.
@Grasshopper: Who is this guy you are talking about?..is he playing for Glenwood No 8 this year?..
@ForeverHorseFly: It was many moons ago and yes they specialise earlier, my 10 year old daughter is choosing netball (maybe because she’s 5foot6 already). But let’s be honest here, schools give out more rugby bursaries than any other sport, except for Westville who probably give out 25 just to ensure they have every provincial swimmer possible which should then also translate to decent waterpolo (clever). Glenwood in the 90s was poor to average in rugby, although we did beat DHS in 1996 when it was expected to be a 40 point plus win by DHS (the joys of a derby, form means nothing). I would prefer to be like that, average and rather back kids who join in grade 8 rather than recruit players in grade 10 and 11. I’m all about loyalty….
@Grasshopper: No one said anything about picking only rugby players for bursaries though, schools still award bursaries for other sports as well.
As for your example, how long ago was that? and how successful was that Glenwood vs the Glenwood of the last decade in rugby? Kids these days specialize early and its very rare to find true all rounders who excel at two or more sports and when you do, they might just choose the other sport and not rugby to focus on.
@ForeverHorseFly: Example, I arrived at Glenwood from the Bluff, where we never played rugby. 10 of us from the Bluff were partial bursary beneficiaries for other sports, mostly cricket, tennis, squash and athletics. Of those 10, 8 ended up playing 1st team rugby in matric. They were not even on the rugby radar until 2nd form where we were grouped together on size and pace, then given positions. There are great sportsman in other areas. Picking only rugby players for bursaries is not clever. Allrounders are key…
@Grasshopper: True but you have to bring in someone at grade 8 so why not the best at that level.
@ForeverHorseFly: Cool, just pointed out that heroes at U13 level don’t always end up being the heroes at U18 level due to huge physical development over 5 years…
@beet: I also think the u13 Craven Week is good thing as well in terms of encouring participation and identifying talent…it gives those kids something to play towards as an achievement at that level, and it doesn’t hurt that there’s a bursary in store as well.
I also like the KZN trials set up at that level where the kids in their regional teams(Durban, Pinetown, Midlands,Zululand etc) have a three day tournament hosted at College where every team plays each other and the finals teams are then selected afterwards. It works at that level and gives it a festival vibe.
@ICEMAN: Agreed, but is Kwagga Smith & Marco Van Staaden are not exactly giants either, I do know they play to the ball though. Not really seen Zuki play generally, he seems more a runner due to his pace and powerful legs, breaking the line. Kempson might have been right, centre or wing?
@beet: agree Beet – arriving with only the possibility of playing a few games before you are no longer eligible for CW means that you don’t necessarily buy into what a school is all about so how committed are you, if there is a niggle or an option to sit out during a VERY demanding schedule?!
In my opinion, he can be destructive at schoolboy level but the only way forward for him as a professional is moving to #2. Maybe Kempson logic was on-point (biting my tongue now) I have stood next to him, he’s an athlete but hardly a giant even by schoolboy standards. Mlaba from MHS is far more imposing
@Grasshopper: Okay my bad I thought he was closer to 1.7m than 1.8m
@beet: 95kg and 1,80cm doesn’t seem that small to be honest. He’s extremely quick too, would love to know his 20,40 and 60m times. There is a lot of raw power and speed to work with, I’m sure a club with decent coaches can find a role for him. I met Trokkie the other day in London, not a big guy at all….
@ICEMAN: Yeah apparently its Racing 92 in Paris, the club Siya Kolisi is expected to join after the RWC.
What was quite interesting is that Zuki Tom was once at Northwood for u14 then went to Grey HS. Things didn’t work out when Kempson tried to turn him into a wing and he looked for a way out. So it seemed Glenwood wasn’t really a school of choice he arrived at with a desire to be there as much as it was a place that offered him an escape from a situation that didn’t favour him and a chance to play in his preferred position.
My opinion is that as a small forward his workrate and speed around the park are going to have to be through the ceiling if he hopes to make it to become a successful pro.
@Grasshopper: So quite a few years ago I asked a very knowledgeable SARU official why they didn’t scrap u13 CW and have an u17 CW instead.
He was of the opinion that it would be great to have two regional u13 CWs to increase the participation.
He said that it was a great development opportunity.
I can’t say I know much about primary school rugby but it came across that having an u13 tournament creates a worthwhile tool for identifying players with potential and opportunities to get boys into high schools that would be of benefit to their growth as rugby players.
I guess this does not apply so much to the kids attending the well-established primary schools that high school scouts frequent but more so for those smaller out of the way schools and especially for those underprivileged kids who could benefit tremendously from the interest shown in them by a high school with a good rugby programme.
@Vleis: Agreed, very sad indeed but I think these professional clubs obviously have fitness clauses. They don’t want to fund medical costs and harbour a passenger for 2 years eg RG Snyman. A costly exercise indeed.
@Black and white: The teams are posted on The Sharks Facebook page
@Grasshopper: @ICEMAN: It’s very sad if u19s play with less intensity…and it’s perhaps a warning sign for future employers. You may never get to play with your best mates again, or experience the exhilaration of school war cries. Also, the passion of the supporters, the size of the crowds, the hype, etc are probably only exceeded at Bok level, or the latter stages of the URC. Finally, I’m told (but I’m not well informed on these matters) that the scouts attend school matches (especially festivals) more frequently than Craven Week in any case.
@Black and white: NOOOOOOO, they must stop this KZN schools thing at like U12/U13 level, it’s a waste of time and just hypes up boys that are probably just ahead in the puberty stakes. It sets expectations too high and is used in bargaining tools for bursaries.
@Skywalker: Yeah, heard he was in France doing trials for a side there. I also saw him on Insta doing sprint drills etc. Who knows, probably trying to stay injury free to ensure he lands the France deal. Couldn’t make KZN or SA Schools again but maybe SA u19/SAu20. For me, in form, he’s the best U20 No8 in the country, slices sides to bits!
@Skywalker: I have it on fairly good authority that Zuki is very close to signing a professional, overseas contract so may be looking after that. It is always going to be contentious but how motivated are boys at u19 level that can no longer make Craven Week. In my opinion I have seen more lacklustre performances from these guys than in previous years. There are always exceptions and I think Boesak from DHS and Fortune from MHS have been at 100% week in week out. Some of the others seem to be playing “under duress” #justathought
@Grasshopper: Zuki Tom has been so quiet this year. Any views? Has he been a bit injured or is he not starting games, I’m not sure? Seems like he lost his mojo at Grey. Should have come back to Northwood where his high school career began
. He was part of a strong u14 team with Lili Bester as well back in 2018. Hope he comes back to form and find his best position.
Well done to all the boys . Please can we get a post on the CW U13s and the U12 teams that was announced yesterday . Does anyone have info on those teams and boys etc . thanks
@Slam: Yep, Glenwood have a few too, William Van Vuuren (prop), Zuki Tom (No8), Renaldo Le Fleur (injured wing) & Likhona Mpufi (lock). I do wonder if there should be a limit on this by team, say 3. Westville also have Tebogo Mkomazi (8th man) & Tshegofatso Ramaloko (fullback)…
@Grasshopper: Few U19s in KZN this year – Siseko Man (DHS flank), Siyanda Dhlamini (DHS prop), Fortune Mpofu (House flank), Lokhona Finca (Westville centre) and Tshegofatso Ramaloko (Westville fullback)
@Ricardo12Volkies2012: he’s under 19 unfortunately.
Surprised not to see Deano Boesak in any of these teams. Haven’t seen a lotbof the other number 10s, but he did impress me.
@Bush: certainly not one eyed! 2-3 Wood!
@ForeverHorseFly: I’m completely aware of that, I coach & select here in the UK. Always politics involved. You should see the girls netball set-up here, insane! Professional & thousands of girls involved. Big tournaments & again huge selection politics. No conspiracy, Glenwood obviously plays well as a team with ‘lesser’ players
@ForeverHorseFly: I got your tongue and cheek, mine was the same. As poaching was always been a thing in KZN. Specially in Hoppers eyes and he has many
@Bush: The location thing was a tongue in cheek comment aimed at Grasshopper seeing how he always brings it up😂 however I’m curious as to which poaching problem you are referring to?
@Grasshopper: DHS beat both College and Michaelhouse but lost by 7 points against Northwood, 5 against Hilton and 3 points against Westville but also has one player just like Glenwood. There’s no conspiracy here, a team can win or lose to a team with better players at certain positions…KZN is competitive now, which is a good thing. We had 5 u16 KZN players last year and 1 this year, it will happen.
@beet: Glenwood lost to Westville & Northwood under 10 points, beat College & Kearsney. One player….hmmm
The u16 rankings on NextGenXV for last weekend
https://nextgenxv.com/2023-south-african-school-rugby-under-16-rankings/
@ForeverHorseFly: Not the location, it’s a poaching problem
@Grasshopper: If it helps, DHS also has one player in the u16 team…must be the location 😂
@Grasshopper: Ja, lots of history behind it.
Such as: Die koei het in die brand geloop, translated meaning: the cow walked in the fire. It means, sorry, no milk, so you will have your coffee black.😃
@Djou: thanks, I don’t know all the Afrikaans idioms, too many of them. Die geel baadjie aan hê! Dis ń feit soos n koei….
@Bush: top 5 in KZN? Hmmm, ok…
@Bush: incorrect. Good team picked, just find it weird that Glenwood got one player in the U16 team but has beaten quite a few of the local sides. The whole team could be House, I don’t really care. Glenwood to beat House, 2,3 Glenwood!
@Bush: 😀😀😀😀😇
@Djou: Even if GW was the only school in KZN, Hopper would be upset and never happy with the selection or results
Well done to all the boys and coaches. Great to see the strongest schools getting the bulk of the players. Looks like GW were duped this year, even though they aren’t in the top 5 in KZN. 2 3 House
@Grasshopper: Kantman’s comment means you are revealing something about yourself which should be hidden. In this case, I think he means bias!
@Slam: You right, big loss and Le Fleur at wing. The College loss was a complete blow out. Well done! I was quite happy with the A team results though, especially at College. U16A winning, so the future isn’t too bad. Only 4 returning players from the 1st team though, Lonwabo Nkalitshana, Bongani Dlamini, Kungawo Cookies Ncamazane & Sisiphiwo Dwayi. Decent front-row. One player in the KZN U16, means its going to be tough on depth again.
@Kantman: Not sure what that Afrikaans idiom means but thanks :-)
@Grasshopper: Plasket-Burne has been ok but I think Glenwood have missed Yabo Ndzamela big time this season. Also Zuki Tom hasn’t played that well imo. Expected a lot more from him!
@Grasshopper: Jou onderrok hang uit
@Kantman: hmmm, I still don’t think trials like this show what players have done across the season with dips and peaks in form, but yes in terms of crossing the T’s and dotting the ‘I’s and making it look very professional, yes well done…
Some good NW reps across the board, although no CW this year. Feel for NW Centre Keith Chirwa. Played KZN GK in 2021, was in the winning KZN AW team last year, and then broke his leg in the very first game of the season this year against Hilton. Very hard luck for him – he would have featured I’m sure.
KZN Sharks setting the bar for youth tournament selection. All the other unions would do well to follow their process. Well identified players, well planned trials, then immediate selection to start preparing the teams. Can anyone tell us what is happening at WP, Bulls or Lions?
@beet: Yep, but who is on the main committee? Tony Pinheiro? Who else? The real decision makers. Not one Glenwood coach, really?
@Grasshopper: its harder to bring that argument now because each of the tier 1 schools has a selector at u18 and u16 levels and no school has more than one selector per age group.
And you can build a bit of marketing around GK as its the u16A fest but AW is a “B” team festival, just that through innovation The Sharks Schools committee have made it more interesting by sending an u17 team which has a sort of “A” team feel about it.
CW where the main emphasis lies.
@Kaya 85: There is another ‘Invitational Side’ not posted here for Tier 2 schools…
Interesting that not a single player outside of the 9 schools…
@beet: nice write-up. Plasket-Burne? I’ve been told he’s been immense. Also the Glenwood hooker. Gamede in the Wildeklawer 15! Yikes….
@beet: Westville with 12 reps across the teams, hmmm. Northwood with key coaches. Glenwood with no key coaches. Feels a little biased towards a few schools. Glenwood’s U16A have beaten most local opposition yet 1 rep. Swings and roundabouts to those who used to whinge 10 years ago when Glenwood got the most reps…
Luca Veronessi (Kearsney) is a bit unlukcy I feel…. Haven’t watched all his games but have only seen him go forward at scrum time and some nice play in the loose too. He is just back from injury so that might have been an issue but thought he’d at least make the U18 Academy team….
@warriors7: Thank you for the feedback.
The quality of props in KZN is insane this year. The four players selected were my four favourites to claim the spots. 120kg+ u17 Phiwo Khubeka is hot property and certainly has a shot at SA Schools.
Of the guys not picked u17 LH Aphiwe Shelembe (MHS) has been just about my favourite player in KZN to watch these past few weekends. He is in really good form. U17 TH Teddy Dlamini (Glenwood) also had great moments in 2023. Considering both CW props from MC will be back next year along with these guys above and a few other quality players like Vos and Cele.
At hooker for me Elbie Mouton at MC has been the first choice. I though the battle for the other berth would come down to Devahn vdW (Kearsney) who is a nice aggressive player and excellent at getting over the tackled ball and making steals and Murray Brink (Hilton) who has looked like one of the more accurate lineout throwers around – definitely something that cannot be underestimated as bad lineout work can cost a game.
At lock Kuhle Mthimkulu is an outstanding lineout jumper. In a year where lineout work has not delivered a high % of success for most schools, having Kuhle is a big asset. I’m sure he’s on the SAS radar.
I liked u17 Jake Jansen of College at 4 but perhaps injury struck at the wrong time. Hanru Pieterse is a nice all-round player and has been good all season. The team needed a bit of second row bulk and Liam T of Glenwood certainly offers this.
In the backrow I have been hoping to see what Akhona Kunene (who for the first part of the season was hands down my favourite player to watch) or Sasha Kadira can do at openside, considering that Dwayne Mlaba will in all likelihood be a fixture at 8 and the two aforementioned have qualities which suggest they could perform well at 6.. With more of a specialist available at 6 in the form of Devahn, I guess there will be limited opportunity for the two no.8 to play there. I though Chris Cloete had a chance of making the team as the specialist opensider when I had Devahn as a 2. One of the players I expected to be picked was Dale Hendrikse of DHS who amongst other things would have filled the role of a tail jumper in the lineouts. Surprisingly he fell out of the running completely.
After the Affies match I was convinced Ockhuis of DHS would be the starting 9 for The Sharks. He has x-factor ability and everyone is looking for that bit of dynamic play in a scrumhalf these days as there are plenty of opportunities for a nippy player around the fringes. So his omission was a big surprise. He has fallen out of favour at DHS where he is now 2nd XV so perhaps that gives a big part of the answer why he’s not picked. Mr Cheeky Luke Watt is a good choice. Luke has had a good season and has been called on several times by Hilton to play flyhalf which he has done really well, so no doubt he will be backup 10 as well for KZN. I have mentioned it before, a uniqueness of the 2023 KZN season has been the number of boys who play 9-10. Watt, Murray Baker (MHS), Ryland Jones (Westville) and Roydan Maddat (Kearsney).
After Mthimkulu, flyhalf Horak was probably the easiest pick to make. There wasn’t much compo for this position with Murray Baker being the only other viable candidate. Since Horak is the only first choice goal-kicker in the squad, I thought the selectors would want to have the option of Ivan Lockem (also Hilton) on hand to call up as cover but it I heard today that Lockem opted to pursue his cricketing interests over the June/July holidays.
Campbell Ridl (Michaelhouse) at 13 was another predictable choice. Very good player. I had Siso France (Kearsney) at 12 ever since his standout match against House.
At centre the miss for me in terms of what he brings to the party was RD Engelbrecht. He’s a nice physical straighter. If the field in George is wet, he could be useful and Ridl who is quite quick could always shift out to wing if to make a place for RD. If I was doing HP during the season I would have loved to have tested him as a 12.
B3 can’t complain. Kunene, Ntshangase and Williams – x-factor off the charts – three players I love watching with ball in hand. Definitely the three I wanted to see picked. It seemed like a long shot because they are all fullbacks for their respective schools but so glad they get rewarded for what they do so well. And obviously their aerial ball skills and kicking out of hand will serve them well out on the wing.
A few players worth mention – Mnelisi Gamede (Glenwood) has been a form wing in recent weeks – so quick. Chijundu Okonta (Glenwood) maybe testimony to peaking at the right time because if he had the same form he had at the start of the season now, there is no ways any of the selectors could have looked past him. Wing Leo Muziva of Michaelhouse seems to have so much potential that doesn’t get tapped into. Siyanda Nkosi (Northwood) – useful versatile player.
Again I must take my hat off to everyone playing a part in the Craven Week selection process. I know this process is not an easy one and there is room for improvements like perhaps a reconsideration for a Saturday to be set aside for trials but I think KZN has been proactive and really working hard to come up with a system that is fair and works. And I think seeing two Westville coaches in the CW setup, yet only one Westville player in the team, speaks volumes about the integrity of the selection process. As always there will be opinions on who should have and how shouldn’t have been selection but all-in-all, this is a good CW squad IMO.
@Grasshopper: I’m saying don’t only look at the number of representatives from each school.
For a school marketing perspective a Craven Week players is worth at least 5x a Grant Khomo player and 20x an Academy Week player. However in KZN, with the increased emphasis on u17s, there is more value in having a player in 2024 who will be referenced as a Sharks AW player from the year before.
Hilton is doing something right
@Jakkals: Boesak is u19 this year
Where is Deano Boesak? Injured?
@beet: not sure I understand your question
Kane Plaskett-Burne, feel for you buddy….keep grafting, go overseas & make it big!
@Grasshopper: How do you come out in terms of weightings
Craven Week x20
Grant Khomo x4
Academy Week u17 & u17s in other AW team x3
Rest x1
Certainly Glenwood’s lowest representation for at least 15 years (5 reps across 4 teams). Westville (12), Hilton (13) Northwood (10), DHS (17) and College (14) with the spoils. Kearsney (7), Michaelhouse (11), St Charles (2) and Clifton (1) make up the numbers. Methinks Pinheiro had a few influencing words there….
Congrats to all those selected. A position breakdown would be great.