Former Glenwood teacher, the iconic/legendary Toppy Hortop is still a rugby coach at the school, years after he retired from teaching. Toppy first joined Glenwood way way back in 1971 and coached the 1st XV for many years. These days he helps coach the 5th and 6th XV but can be seen at the school even on days when he’s not coaching, helping out where he can. What a great guy! Toppy completes the old boy experience for so many who return to visit their alma mater.
Former Bok loosehead prop Heinke van der Merwe is currently the 1st XV assistant coach at Glenwood. The interesting part is that after making millions as a pro rugby player at Top 14 Club Stade Francais and then Leinster in Ireland following a good spell at the Lions, Heinke returned to SA after he retired and needed a career. So he followed his father’s advice became a school teacher just like his father once was. In spite of being a Monnas old boy and having choice about where settle, he chose KZN as his place of residence because his wife has family there.
Glenwood are best remembered for being ahead of their time as far as being a rugby academy is concerned. A number of their players have gone on to do amazing things with Springbok Jaden Hendrikse being the most successful in terms of higher honours.
However Glenwood has also been the stay over for a number of very successful schoolboy rugby coaches.
Derek Heiberg is the current Director of Rugby and 1st XV Head Coach, having made a name for himself at College Rovers, a local rugby club where he has won consecutive titles since 2016 and even led them to the finals of the club rugby national champs.
Others who have excelled at Glenwood and gone on to achieve elsewhere include:
Sean Erasmus – former Glenwood Head Coach and now HJS Paarl Boys’ High Head Coach
Rudi Dames – former Glenwood Head Coach, Pretoria Boys’ High Director of Rugby and now EG Jansen Director of Rugby.
Jeremy McLaren – former Glenwood Head Coach, Westville Head Coach and now Northwood Director of Rugby
Jacques Deen – now Northwood Head Coach
Ruan Jacobs – now the Affies Head Coach
Philip Molnar – now the Boland Landbou Head Coach
Jose dos Santos – now St Charles Head of Rugby
Class of 2001 GOB Torsten Sorensen – is a current Glenwood age group and was a former coach Former Northwood Head Coach and Westville 1st XV Assistant Coach before that.
Glenwood headmaster Pierre Jacobs is a former Queen’s College Head Coach
John Duncan on the Glenwood staff is also a former Queen’s College Head Coach.
Much Respect
@Kantman: Yeah last season Reinhard Gerber was Ben Vorster head coach as well. He has since gone back to Germany.
The CFO asks the CEO.
What happens if we invest in developing our people and they leave us ?
CEO answers.
What happen if we dont and they stay ?
Well done on Glenwood for developing a list of coaches who have all gone on to make careers for themselves in solid rugby positions.
Warren Whiteley for Glenwood OB, and Springbok captain is also applying his trade as a coach.
@Grasshopper: Sorry Jeremy 3rd, Rudi 4th
For me Toppy takes the GOAT award, I believe he did 30 seasons as 1st coach broken up over the years. He is only second to Skonk in legendary status in KZN. He coached me at Varsity & at school, not just a teacher & a coach but a good friend. He really taught the boys under his stewardship about life & life lessons. An absolutely brilliant English teacher too. I heard a brilliant scrum half in his days at St Henry’s Marist Brothers Durban. Something significant at the school should be named after him, even renaming Dixon’s to Hortop’s would be ok with me. Sean Erasmus is 2nd, changing the team into a well coached & drilled side, from mid pack in KZN to top. With it came professional focus & investment which was new to school rugby at the time. Rudi 3rd, probably for arguably the best season ever at the school, the unbeaten 2018 side.
Impressive group of coaches this