There was shock all around on Thursday, 21 November when Rory Duncan the head coach of Grey High School in Port Elizabeth unexpectedly handed in his resignation.
Duncan is set to take up a the key position of Head of Rugby Matters at the Free State Cheetahs. He will have a hands on role in the junior rugby decision-making process and will coach the Free State under-21 team. He will also be head coach of the union’s Vodacom Cup team.
Duncan will go on an overseas rugby tour with the Grey PE stayers team shortly. This will be his last duty as head coach.
2014 is expected to be a big season for Grey, however it’s now uncertain what kind of impact the coach’s departure will have on the team in terms of preparation and performance next year.
@Woltrui: Pietasburg? Nei, meneer! Ek het julle nuwe camo outfit oorweeg, maar ek hou liewer by Beet se clown-pakkie!
@tzavosky: Jee Wiskars Mr Tzavosky. Your leotard avatar is still ……. Flippin ugly. Mr Beet didn’t have the time to change it yet? Maybe a nice Pietersburg High school avatar?
@Speartackle: By die CW ontmoet.
Lyk my die Neels is n man wat beweeg, soms met vreemde verbintenisse- geoordeel aan wat ek hier sien.
@tzavosky: My maggies Tsafendas, ken jy ook vir Neels?
@Speartackle: My magtig, wat praat julle nou! ‘n Bietjie met ou Neels gekuier langs die veld tydens CW in Polokwane. BHP, sê geluk daar, asb.
@Speartackle: Dit is al gedoen…Daar op Nelio de Sa se Rugby15 website. ..Grey het natuurlik formidabele span!..HJS sn is maar lig in vergelyking!..Ons is meer oor die geheel as die individu!
@BoishaaiPa: Weet jy wat sou bitter interessant wees? Om all time beste spanne van Grey, PR, Affies, Gim en HJS te kies maw n samestelling van old boys van se maar die 80’s af. Ek dink daar kan n paar wrede bulspanne gekies word
@Speartackle: Ja, het baie kritiek gekry vanaf verskeie oorde omdat hulle nie Wildeklawer toe gaan nie asook toe hulle nie beste span voorheen Sanex to gestuur het nie..Damned if you do, damned if you dont!…Dis die skool en die beheerliggaam se besluite wat hulle dink is die beste vir die skool en die res het niks daarmee uit te waai nie…Soveel soos wat ek dit sou geniet om hulle op WK te sien, sal ek hulle net soveel ondersteun met die Japan trippie!
@BoishaaiPa: Bly om te hoor HJS gaan hulle beste 30 Sanex toe stuur
@Speartackle: Ek kan nie onthou dat Ruan krieket gespeel het vir HJS nie..hy het in die somer aan Atletiek deelgeneem, behalwe as hy in so paar social games gespeel het. So ek het nooit die voorreg gehad om sy krieket talent te aanskou nie. Sal hom egter met balangstelling dophou volgende jaar. Ek is baie seker hy sal HJS se 1ste span kaptein ook wees..tensy die nuwe coach natuurlik ander planne het!
Ruan kon n krieketbal ver en hard slaan maar vra maar vir Neels wie het sy nommer gehad. Dit was amper n Steyn/Hafeez situasie.
@Speartackle: Yip, hy is al rukkie terug aangewys, gedink jy sou al gehoor het. Hy was goeie aanwins vir die skool. Ek onthou nog hoe ek hom en sy pa langs die krieketveld ontmoet het in begin 2010 nog voor die skole begin het by n krieket toernooi en hoe hy voorgestel was aan Freddie Kirsten en hy groot-oog na die Gr11’s en 12’s geloer het!..Nou is daai mannetjie die leier van die Blue Army!
@BOG: Ja hulle is opgehang…………..het mos gese ek drink nou net uit bottels
@BOG: Mr Bog, are you now trying to tell us that Bethlehem Boys are not transformable then?
@BoishaaiPa: Is Ruan hoofseun? Nie eers geweet. Sal vir Neels dadelik gelukwens. Ruan en myne was groot kompeteerders in die laerskool. Brits teen Schoemies was soos n klein Interskole. Uitstekende prestasie vir hom om uit Brits te kom en hoofseun van HJS te word. Een ding wat ek oor moet bieg is dat na CW laerskole het groot skole (insluitende meeste van hierdie verdragtekendes) na hom gevry behalwe HJS en hy het HJS gekies.. Ongelukkig sal ek volgende jaar HJS met bietjie meer entoesiasme moet volg.
@Speartackle: Gedog die glase is opgehang, maar wat ek hier sien, is regte “drinking talk”
@Speartackle: The one thing that Grey is known for, is its bilingualism and that both languages enjoy equal status. They even transform the language skills of boys who come from places like Vrede, where English is not a second language , but a foreign one. I can recall a Chinese boy several years ago- he was deputy head boy- and received one of the two prizes for bilingualism – one from the English classes and the other, from the Afrikaans classes
@Speartackle: Ja, sal glo die man was seker nie te gelukkig nie..ontduik seg jy?..al wat ek weet is dat n sekere persoon nooit by die biertent by Paarl Gim se 0/16 toernooi opgedaag het na herhaalde uitnodigings nie!..
Wat dink jy van HJS se hoofseun vir 2014?…Pappa is baie trots en seun doen goed!
@BoishaaiPa: Dit is nogal n teleurstelling, veral vir junior. Die blindederm was nou bietjie ontydig. Jy is in elk geval n mannetjie wat mens mos ontduik. Ek kan al aan n paar geleenthede dink waar jy skaars was. Wyn sou nice gewees het.
@Speartackle: Also a pity you wont make it down to the golf IPT on my home course next week. We have a few scores to settle over a couple of beers!..You need to be enlightened!
@Speartackle: Wrong Grey…Although I suspect you know that…
5 out of 5. Grey just showing once again they are the best in SA. Nice to see them touring the UK not only for rugby but to get used to the foreign language. Too many Greys leave Bloem with very little english vocabulary. Jannie and Bismarck can hardly put 2 english words together.
Well done Grey – flew the SA flag high!
Great start to the season ! Well done boys. Let’s hope all the guys on the injured list recover quickly.
Grey won against Monmouth 21-15.
Unbeaten!!! 5/5 on UK Tour…. the first in Grey history.
What a farewell present to Rory Duncan!!!!
@Mike: nice mike, Grey looking good,choose your guys new coach from that long line and then send the rest on to us at Selborne,we need help please.
I wasn’t at the game. But a few of the parents were. All reports were that Monmouth had a very useful side. Millfield won the game 23-21. Anything can happen on the day so let’s see what happens at 14:30 !
@Mike: Congrats to the Grey boys Mike. Were you at the game? I hear that Millfield had a very close game v Monmouth.
36-12 win against London Irish on a beautiful synthetic field yesterday. Particularly special win seeing as the game was played in front of a couple hundred Old Grey expats. The boys and the old Greys sang the school song together after the game. A couple of niggles and injuries heading in to the last game against Monmouth in Cardiff tomorrow.
@Playa: Yeah it is a pity. But it looks like some really good prospects have lines up asking for the job.
@Mike: Well done pansies! Looks like another great year ahead for Grey PE next year.Pity you guys are losing Rory Duncan.
3rd game won against Plymouth 33-0 in terrible conditions.
@Vleis: The second string side will play Plymouth today. Then interestingly, Millfield play Monmouth tomorrow. So that score will be a good gauge of how strong they are. We’ve heard they are quite a physical and aggressive team. We’ll put the strongest possible side against Monmouth on the 3rd of December.
@Mike: Please make sure that Grey puts out a decent team v Monmouth, or my Welsh nephews (who attend the latter) will have bragging rights for a long time!
@Vleis: Yes this side is only made up of u17 and u16 boys. No u18s or u19s. They still have 3 games left. Two of which will be very tough. Monmouth in Wales and London Irish u17. @beet: I watched the game tape. Was bitterly cold and a slippery field, but luckily no rain.
@Mike: Quite a high scoring game considering what conditions were probably like. Well done Grey High
@Speartackle: Both schools are in the West, so I guess that they must be very similar!
@McCulleys Workshop: When are you guys signing that charter?
@Speartackle: Spear, you’ve been taking your funny pills lately.
@Vleis: Ooh, so its like the Monument of the UK?
@Speartackle: That must’ve been an experience – two of the most violent sets of football fans in the UK.
Millfield is a posh, private school (they call them public schools in the UK) based in Somerset, which is very good at sport. They recruit many boys for their final two years of school – e.g. Robshaw (rugby) Billy Vunipola (rugby), Kieswetter (cricket), etc. Some famous British Lions attended Millfield – e.g. JPR Williams and Gareth Edwards.
@Vleis: Is Millfield near Millwall? The first and last time I ever watched a football game was West Ham vs Millwall at Upton Park. There was so much fighting before and after that game we had to flee into a house for safety.
@Mike: Great result Mike. Is this Grey u17 v Millfield u18? If so, that is an amazing result considering that this is out of season for Grey, in alien conditions and Millfield has only lost to a touring NZ team thus far this year.
@Mike: well done Grey, excellent result! This will certainly help with combos for next season!
Grey win second match against Millfield 37-35 in what I’m told was an absolute cracker of a game. The lead changed several times in the game with Grey coming back from being down close to the end of the match. A great result considering Millfield are well in to their season,ranked highly in the UK and have the Welsh u18 flyhalf in their side. Well done Grey boys !
@Queenian: couldn’t give you an exact date but I’m sure it will be as soon as the coaching staff get back from the UK.
@Mike: When are they going to release the fixtures for the Grey PE festival or have they.
@valke: Hampton is OK, but EG will smash them…
@beet: I agree. Tomorrow’s game will be a tough one , as well as the match against Monmouth who are a good Welsh side. @valke: Visit http://www.schoolsrugby.co.uk , they have a ranking system there too. Should give you a good idea. @Grasshopper: I’ve also heard they are quite strong, pity. But I think Grey are playing some decent teams coming up.
@Grasshopper: Any idea on the strenth of Hampton School in London ?
I see EG Jansen plays them on Saterday.
Wellington College would have been better….
@Mike: Eish the 61-5 just proves how difficult it is to get the strength vs strength right for school rugby tour matches. But somehow I think the Millfield game will be a true test for the Grey boys.
Grey win first game 61-5 against Abingdon School on a very muddy field in cold conditions, 0 degrees. Was mostly a second string team as the regular 1st XV Grey boys are being rested for the tough one against Millfield on the 27th. But a great effort !
@RBugger: Yes very good player. EP very lucky to hold onto him
Cheers Beet – That’s him, think he is blady good
@RBugger: CJ Velleman. Contracted to the EP Kings
Coaches come and go…………………rumour has it he may turn out for the Lions in Super XV
@Mike: A bit off topic, do you perhaps know where your captain of this year is going after school? Think he plays 6 – has he been contracted?
Well, Andrew coached the matrics of 2014 when they were u13 to an unbeaten season at grey junior with Tim Fraser, who has been the backline coach for the 1st Xv over the last year. Him and Tim Fraser have had an unbelievable record together as coaches. If he can make the step up, it will be great. What I know about him is that he is fantastic with the boys, but I’m sure someone will fill the technical role of 1st Xv rugby with Tim and Andrew if he is appointed.
@Mike: One of the names that might come up as a possible replacement is that of Andrewe Hayidakis
It is sad news for us and it will be a great loss for the 1st Xv, however, I still believe that this team and the boys are both mature enough and good enough rugby players to still have a great season. Let’s just hope whoever takes over is just as good or better than Rory.