The KZN private school holidays are over, so on April 20th, a rare full weekend of five domestic fixtures awaits the top league.
Here are some interesting points about the PMB/Midlands games:
- Four out of the five interschool matches are inland, which is quite rare. It will likely stretch the Midlands Referee Society to the limit. However, heavyweights Danie Joubert, Kevin Wood, and Struan Cowrie should be on hand to officiate the big matches.
- It is unlikely to be easy, but the first teams traveling to Sleepy Hollow and beyond will all fancy their chances of returning East with victories.
- There are some long streaks in place in these fixtures.
The match of the weekend has to be Maritzburg College versus Durban High School at Goldstones. KZN has a horribly broken-up season, so a good number of schools won’t play each other in 2024. In the countback, this match may decide the provincial championship, although at this stage, several schools are still in contention.
The surprising stat here is that in six matches dating back to 2017, DHS has won four and lost two. This includes winning the last two encounters.
Last Saturday, Northwood gave the Horseflies a bit of a “skrik!” They were perhaps lucky to leave the Reece-Edwards with a 7-7 draw. So the guess is that coach Peter Engledow will be working very hard with the boys to inject more urgency and creative energy into the playing patterns, which have looked very dull and predictable of late.
College recovered nicely from their own subdued effort at Glenwood to express themselves during the convincing home win against Pretoria Boys’ High. In the midfield, Nkululeko Sithole has always been a bit of a contact-seeking bruiser at 12, and the change which saw the tactical opportunist Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein move to 13 proved to be effective at exploiting space. The combination seemed to give MC two very different types of attacking threats to complement the other assets they possess.
Northwood last beat Michaelhouse in 2019, and they will sense an opportunity to get a win at Balgowan. The Knights’ attack is spearheaded by fast and creative flyhalf Siyanda Nkosi, who would probably receive many votes in a KZN Player of the Season poll. Making the team potent is the good balance between forwards and backs.
Michaelhouse will have to shake off those cobwebs after a long holiday. It has been three weeks since they last played, that is three times the length of the Northwood gap between matches. It is difficult to see where House can gain an upper hand in this match. It might boil down to making fewer mistakes coupled with better discipline in the technical contact aspects of the match. The interesting selection is possibly at 13, where House has two really good U17 talents in the form of Rourke O’Sullivan and William Ridl.
Kearsney’s last win against Hilton was in 2017, and their last win on Gilfillan was in 2014. They will travel up Town Hill sensing that this is one of the best chances in a while to beat their hosts. After a difficult Easter, the One-Stripe/s will be eager to get another win on their record. They have a decent enough team, but the challenge is scoring points. In their five more challenging matches this year, they have only averaged 10 points per game. There are various ways to overcome this limitation: better cohesion, clever schemes, or quicker play, but ultimately they have to become more clinical in the red zone. Connor McIntyre (7) and Cameron Veenstra (backline Jack of all trades) have been two very dependable KC players.
The obvious difficulty for Kearsney is Hilton’s organisation, and one just knows that head coach Brad M-H would have done his homework in great detail, so they will be well-prepared. They may not have a pack that is dominant or a line that turns heads, but they are improving, and they tend to be consistent. Hilton wing Rukudzo Madinga has been the man this season. Their young halves Zander Vorster and Liyema Nela have also shown good maturity, particularly in executing the tactical kicking strategy.
Clifton’s hosts St Charles made a bright start to the season by beating a very credible Milnerton and then giving Bishops a good run for their money down in the Cape. The Easter form didn’t quite live up to the same billing. They welcome CC, who have beaten them in PMB but have not done so in over a decade.
Slowly but surely, Clifton has been improving. Although they are a private school, they, along with “sister school” Durban Girls’ College, follow a different set of holidays. This allowed them to play Glenwood last Saturday. Perhaps not the result they hoped for in that match, but it should give them match fitness and a syncing edge for the SCC game, one they will target as winnable.
In the only Durban fixture, its Westville versus Glenwood on Bowden’s. Over the last 10 years, Westville don’t have a great record against Glenwood but who can forget the great win they got in this fixture on the same ground in 2022. That 22-7 was a bit of an unexpected outcome for the Griffin/s. This year Westville are very much the favourites to record a win against the young, watch this space in 2025 Hoppers team. The nice thing is neither team seems to want to be labelled as conservative. The expectation for spectators is entertainment. Both will make attempts at producing positive plays and it the execution percentages are high, it could turn out to be a memorable match.
| TEAM | MARITZBURG COLLEGE | TEAM | DURBAN HS | ||
| 1 | Rambo Kubheka | u18 | 1 | Unaye Mndau | u18 |
| 2 | Siyabonga Nyathi | u18 | 2 | Mahle Sithole | u18 |
| 3 | Aiden Botha | u18 | 3 | Bongani Dlamini | u18 |
| 4 | Mumbere Vyambwera | u17 | 4 | Sibusiso Mahlangu | u18 |
| 5 | Jake Jansen | u18 | 5 | Thando Luthuli | u18 |
| 6 | Struan Oosthuisen | u18 | 6 | Dale Hendrikse | u19 |
| 7 | Naz Isaacs | u18 | 7 | Bradley le Grange | u17 |
| 8 | Imivuyo Kemka | u18 | 8 | Khanyisa Stamper | u18 |
| 9 | Rayke Maartens | u18 | 9 | Marcwin Nero | u18 |
| 10 | James Slevin | u18 | 10 | Allston Cedras | u19 |
| 11 | Lee-Rynne Sinkfontein | u17 | 11 | Zenkosi Mthiyane | u18 |
| 12 | Nkululeko Sithole | u18 | 12 | Duncan Basson | u18 |
| 13 | Swelihle Mbatha | u18 | 13 | Hlumelo Madikane | u19 |
| 14 | Langelihle Makhathini | u18 | 14 | Adriano Jackson | u18 |
| 15 | Luyanda Kunene | u19 | 15 | Jordan van Wyk | u17 |
| Coach | TIM ORCHARD | Coach | PETER ENGLEDOW | ||
| TEAM | MICHAELHOUSE | TEAM | NORTHWOOD | ||
| 1 | Aphiwe Shelembe | u18 | 1 | Sphe Ntshangase | |
| 2 | Oliver Davis | u17 | 2 | Werner van Nieuwenhuizen | |
| 3 | Thomas Peach | u17 | 3 | Reuben Vos | |
| 4 | Alexander Arde | u17 | 4 | Kwezi Kunene | |
| 5 | Dominic Sesink-Clee | u17 | 5 | Chad Howe | |
| 6 | Rilety Gehren | u18 | 6 | Ethan Macey | |
| 7 | Robert Combrinck | u18 | 7 | Lian Terblanche | |
| 8 | Carlyle Hawkins | u18 | 8 | Titus Cesonis | |
| 9 | Jack Hughes | u18 | 9 | Graeham de Swardt | |
| 10 | Luke Davidson | u18 | 10 | Savio Stevens | |
| 11 | William Ridl | u17 | 11 | Aphiwe Buthelezi | |
| 12 | Tom Baguley | u18 | 12 | Bongane Khumalo | |
| 13 | Rourke o’Sullivan | u17 | 13 | Thomas Lindsay | |
| 14 | Aya Mkhokeli | u18 | 14 | Joshua Thondhlana | |
| 15 | Stefan Moolman | u17 | 15 | Siyanda Nkosi | |
| Coach | JAMES FLEMING | Coach | JACQUES DEEN | ||
| TEAM | HILTON | TEAM | KEARSNEY | ||
| 1 | Oliver Proudfoot | u18 | 1 | Kudawashe Kachambwa | u18 |
| 2 | Josh Grant | u17 | 2 | Blake Kruger | u18 |
| 3 | Ben le Roux | u18 | 3 | Anele Cele | u18 |
| 4 | Stewart Falconer | u17 | 4 | Heinrich Fourie | u18 |
| 5 | Kieran Hunter | u19 | 5 | Simo Mnqokoyi | u17 |
| 6 | Ross Brown | u18 | 6 | Seth Brown | u18 |
| 7 | Jacques Olivier | u17 | 7 | Connor McIntyre | u18 |
| 8 | Hanu Pieterse | u18 | 8 | Cullum Steer | u18 |
| 9 | Zander Voster | u17 | 9 | Murray Weyer | u18 |
| 10 | Liyema Nela | u17 | 10 | Doan Nel | u17 |
| 11 | Requilme Adonis | u17 | 11 | Daniel Eagar | u18 |
| 12 | Daniel Sweeney | u18 | 12 | Jarred van Staaden | u18 |
| 13 | Khazimla Makali | u17 | 13 | Lindokuhle Mpungose | u18 |
| 14 | Rukudzo Madinga | u18 | 14 | Valentino Lenge | u18 |
| 15 | Ivan Jjuuko | u18 | 15 | Cameron Veenstra | u18 |
| TEAM | WESTVILLE | TEAM | GLENWOOD | ||
| 1 | Akhona Maseko | u18 | 1 | Lonwabo Nkaltshana | u18 |
| 2 | Chris Cloete | u18 | 2 | Martin Jr van Wyngaardt | u18 |
| 3 | Bandlie Mncwango | u17 | 3 | Uze Xaba | u17 |
| 4 | Moustapher Gcina | u18 | 4 | Michael Ize-iyamu | U18 |
| 5 | Rhys Mitchell | u19 | 5 | Tylo Madaat | u17 |
| 6 | Brandon Eke | u17 | 6 | Mkhululi Mhlongo | u18 |
| 7 | Seth Gwyn | u18 | 7 | Tyler Conyngham | u17 |
| 8 | David Humphreys | u17 | 8 | Jordan Hargreaves | u18 |
| 9 | Ryan Pistor | u18 | 9 | Lian Lochnar | u17 |
| 10 | Unathi Mlotshwa | u18 | 10 | Juan Viljoen | u17 |
| 11 | Jadrian Afrikaner | u17 | 11 | Mvelo Ndwalane | u17 |
| 12 | Blake Allbon | u18 | 12 | Sisiphiwo Dwayi | u18 |
| 13 | Michael Satade | u18 | 13 | Lizwe Mtetwa | u17 |
| 14 | Evan Moolman | u18 | 14 | Sthabiso Dube | u17 |
| 15 | Jadewill Koopman | u17 | 15 | Lesedi Khumalo | u17 |
| Coach | NJABULO ZULU | u18 | Coach | DEREK HEIBERG |
@beet (Comment #15)
As a Glenwood supporter, I’m super proud of the team. Completely outplayed by Westville pre-season to giving them a scare on the weekend, massive improvement and massive Glenwood character. I wasn’t there but the Glenwood supporters said the team could have let it go and lose by 40 points plus BUT they fought hard. Probably on one CW rep in the squad (hooker) against a team of stars. The 2nd’s winning was a great result too. U16’s had a big loss, so maybe a couple more years of pain BUT the U15A and B winning, C team a 2 point loss and D’s a draw. U14A,B, & C all with close loses and D a win. For me this shows a growth in depth and the light at the end of the tunnel. All of this vs a school with much more buying power. The Green Machine will be back!
NW MHS
Seems similar to the Westville:Glenwood game and the MBC:DHS game. All within 1-2 points in the end with some epic comebacks in the 2nd half. Shows how close these teams can be on a day.
For Northwood sake, I hope the injuries are shortlived, as there are some big games still ahead and this is a year they could claim a few big scalps on the day.
It was very hot in Westville. The home team backs are on fire at the moment. Showed up big time in the first half and Westville led 20-3 at the break.
Hats off to Glenwood. They used their opportunities so well in the second half. Penalties and a turnover at kickoff, all led to good field positions and from their 4 tries which included a penalty try that maybe should not have been given because there was an extra Westville defender very close a try being scored was not a certainty.
Westville secured the match when Ryan Pistor who is always good at improvising can up with a good deception and scored on the blindside. I’m sure I’ve seen him do the exact same move before??? His u17 opponent Lian Lochnar got a lot of praise and deservedly so. Very effective player with a decent boot. CW not a foregone conclusion. Maybe he can still impress the right peopleand make a late run for one of the two slots.
In the end Westville
The AI camera at House hit a new low. Shadows cast by the trees on the “Bush” end caused havoc. The match looked like a night match without floodlights in parts.
Seemed like MHS played well. Built up a good lead.
Really sad news is that their best player Carlyle Hawkins may be out for the season (shoulder). Real pity. If so, a real pity. He has been one of the KZN players of the season so far.
I watched the HC vs KC game. Unusually high scoring match which tells you that defences were not great. Also lots for unforced errors by both team esp in the first half. I think KC will look back at it as a big chance blown. HC were not great at scrums and their normally reliable lineout also didn’t function too well. HC receiving kickoffs below standard as well. HC forwards not dominant in open play either. But they capitalised on mistakes and came up with clever plays. THe HC backs did well on attack in general. Also took their kicks. HC grew the lead significantly before half time but KC came right back in the match, then did it again when HC pulled away a second time. In the end they could not haul HC in a third time. Maybe the biggest problem was that KC tried to be adventurous in their own third of the field when it would have been better to play for position. Before the EG game, KC’s defence was reasonably good. Now its a weakness. The big positive is they scored 37 points when prior to this HC match, they struggled to score.
But the supporter pressure on KC will grow significantly now because many had hoped for an much improved season results wise and now it looks as though it might be an 8th place finish in the province if a few other matches do not go their way. Also not helping that it what should be a weak year for HC, they are producing worthy overachieving results again.
It looked like there were injuries on both sides. For the Sharks CW, the concussion to Rukudzo Madinga is bad timing. Heading into trials there are a few other wings hitting form, so hopefully he stays in the reckoning.
@Henkies (Comment #11)
Yeah lots of character by the DHS team. The last try was excellent.
Two attacking lineouts towards the end cost MC dearly.
Looks like some bumper games in KZN. DHS v College was a rollercoaster – DHS looked well out of it at 6-18 down at halftime before showing their grit and clawing their way back to take the lead with 3 min to go. Some amazing play by both sides, the last DHS try from near their own try line was a gem. A tough defeat for College after looking well set for a win but these sort of matches make the rivalry so special.
@beet (Comment #8)
2….3…..Green Machine!!! Come on boys, nothing to lose…
@House Rugga (Comment #4)
Brilliant site that, I’m inspired to do one for Glenwood without the schools permission. Lot’s of effort has gone into that, well done! I’ve been asking the Glenwood management for years to do something like that PLUS do a full list of internationals etc, it’s not hard. Go to the board in the tuckshop and type it into Excel….Pat Lambie your last Bok?
Wvl vs Gwd
Injury to Ross Calvert and Jeshua Ferreira not considered means captain Chris Cloete,the leading 6 in KZN, shifts to hooker where he has covered quite a bit during matches this season, including last week vs Jeppe. Important because CC is probably being looked at as 2 backup for the Sharks CW team. While there isn’t any faulting his general play, his specialist lineout throw-in skills will be tested. Brandon Eke comes it at flank to complete the changes. The backline that performed well against Jeppe stays intact.
For Gwd a big chance for young flyhalf Juan Viljoen playing in front of two CW coaches, to show that he is worth a closer look in the weeks to come.
HC vs KC
Hanu Pieterse provides a big boost for HC with his return. In the frontrow Josh Grant is in ahead of Dylan Neill. With hooker being an undecided position in KZN, this is a great opportunity for Grant to make the jersey his own and press for a one up on the u17 Academy Week team, where he already a strong contender for selection.
For KC Murray Weyer has been given the nod at 9, while his two main rivals for the position are the half pairing for the 2nd XV.
MHS vs NW
MHS has gone for Rourke o’Sullivan at 13 so William Ridl starts at 11. On paper its a very good MHS backline. In the pack, the T5 are young and offers NW a good opportunity to dominate the fwd exchanges. Two younger brothers of recent 1st XV starters come in – Oliver Davis (hooker) and Alex Arde (lock). It seems like MHS are keen on the value of quality lineout ball.
For NW the devastating news is that two of their most dependable players are out. Captain Vuyo Gwiji (backrow) and Kwenzo Dlamini (wing). This has resulted in reshuffles of both the pack and backline to accommodate best fit and run on with the strongest possible team.
MC vs DHS
Swelihle Mbatha returns so Sinkfontein who was quite impressive against PBHS returns to the wing, otherwise a fairly strong MC team.
The DHS bombshell is that Aka Boqwana does not start this match. Aka has been one of the players of the season in the province so a big surprise here. In comes Adriano Jackson who has a golden opportunity to show he deserves to retain a starting place and make a last gasp bid for CW selection. Daniel Ikotela is also out injured so it presents a chance for experienced Dale Hendrikse.
KZN PREDICTIONS THIS WEEKEND
– Maritzburg College by 3 (DHS are favorites here i’d say, but I suspect a huge upset!)
– Hilton by 26 (Kearsney are better Year-on-year, but still below the top 3. Hilton are capable of putting up some big scores (as shown already))
– Westville by 8 (Glenwood have improved, but Westville are still a lot stronger)
– MHS by 3 (My gut tells me Northwood by 4, but see House taking this).
Check the rest of my weeks predictions below:
https://www.mhsrugby.com/schoolboyrugbyfixtures
@Skywalker (Comment #2)
Sadly I agree on the Ville game and at home BUT funnier things have happened. That Westville pack in KERF pictures looks huge! Something Glenwood always used to have even in the dark mid 90’s, massive props. Agree on Northwood, riding a confidence wave and your pack looks massive too.
Predictions:
MBC – DHS: DHS to bounce back and win by 5
NW – MHouse: NW to get a hard fought win by 4
KC – Hilton: Hilton to win by 10
CC – SCC: No idea. CC more competitive and will see this as a chance to win, but SCC started so well. SCC at home to win by 7
Westville – Glenwood: Westville need to win this one to stay in contention and show they are a top team. This Glenwood team is young and I dont think has the pack of Westville. Westville may be drained though after travel to JHB and playing Jeppe. Westville to win by 9
@Beet
Nice.