Westville Boys’ 1st XV remain on course for several grand achievements in 2025, thanks to a pulsating 33–28 home win over strong local rivals, Durban High School.
The high-scoring match doesn’t do justice to the defensive efforts from both schools. Relentless pressure on both sides paved the way for crucial errors — some of which led to the most memorable tries of the game, as boys sometimes caved under the intensity of the occasion.
Westville made their biggest impact on either side of halftime, turning a narrow 13–11 lead into a 27–11 advantage by crossing for their second and third tries. DHS, who had scored a single five-pointer in the first half, responded admirably with three more tries to snatch the lead at 28–27. With momentum on their side, they looked the stronger of the two teams as the match entered its final minutes.
However, while Westville succeeded with all their conversions, DHS only managed to land one — and in the end, that proved telling. Westville kept their composure and closed the game out with two more penalties. A real thriller, played in front of a full house at Bowden’s Field.
Beyond being a hard-fought interschools derby between two of South Africa’s top schoolboy rugby sides for 2025, the match carried added significance in terms of bragging rights. The victory has increased Westville’s chances of going down in the history books as KZN’s best 1st XV for the year. DHS earned that honour in 2024, following a stellar season. For Westville, it appears one has to go all the way back to 2004 to find their last taste of top provincial glory.
The win also keeps Westville on course to finish inside the national Top 10 rankings — a feat they have not achieved since 2013.
But without doubt, the big one remains the piece of immortality that comes with the rare achievement of an unbeaten season. In this millennium, it seems only Michaelhouse (2015) and Glenwood (2018) have managed that milestone in KZN. It’s a similarly elusive feat on the national stage, where only the top dogs — like the great Grey College — and a select few others crowned SA’s number one ranked team have been able to pull it off.
KZN Champions (unconfirmed)
| YEAR | WINNERS |
| 2000 | Maritzburg College |
| 2001 | Maritzburg College |
| 2002 | Maritzburg College |
| 2003 | Maritzburg College |
| 2004 | Westville |
| 2005 | Maritzburg College |
| 2006 | Glenwood/Kearsney/Maritzburg College |
| 2007 | Glenwood |
| 2008 | Glenwood/Michaelhouse |
| 2009 | Glenwood |
| 2010 | Glenwood |
| 2011 | Glenwood |
| 2012 | Michaelhouse |
| 2013 | Kearsney |
| 2014 | Glenwood |
| 2015 | Michaelhouse |
| 2016 | Glenwood |
| 2017 | * |
| 2018 | Glenwood/Hilton |
| 2019 | Glenwood |
| 2020 | Covid |
| 2021 | Covid |
| 2022 | Hilton |
| 2023 | Michaelhouse |
| 2024 | Durban HS |
| 2025 |
* 2017 was too difficult to determine
Great write up and stats thanks Beet. Were Hilton not also unbeaten in 2018?