Rugbyfan has been out and about. He had a chance to catch up with some of folks from the various top Eastern Cape rugby school and got some feedback from them on what lies ahead in 2014.
Selborne
They say they will have a new team mostly but are quite confident and have some good boys coming through from the junior ranks had a word to Mr Gunn who says watch this space, so I would think Selborne are going to be on the up saw the squad doing some training and can tell you there some big boys there.
Dale
Could not find the coach but only had 30 minutes to spare so could not find out much the young teacher I chatted to who coaches Under 14’s seemed to be saying they were battling with boys that had not come back to Dale who played 1st team last year but would not give anymore detail, so I think Dale have a tough year ahead of them again.
Queens
Was in Queenstown yesterday and saw the squad doing training all looked good some very exciting looking backs but overall besides 1 or 2 boys size will be an issue the coaching staff are very positive and Mr Bolze recons they will be very competitive so that’s a good sign, could not get a answer on whether the story of another Zim kid being there was true or not.
Grey PE
Well all looks good in Mill Park in PE and I have seen training going on daily the boys are big and fast and this could be Grey PE year spoke to Mr Barnard who is head of sport and all he said was they will do there talking on the field.
Die Brandwag
Have gone past there training now quite a few times and one thing that strikes me is the size of the kids so I would say a good year is in front of them even if it is forward based rugby.
Danial Pienaar
Have been past there a few times but did not see much happening so I can not say but they also had a good Under16’s last year so they should be competitive.
Muir
Went past last Thursday and I must say after seen nothing happening this time last year things seem to be well on the go they basically have there whole backline back and have employed a full time rugby coach and have had the help of Jaco Van Shalkwyk who is a Paarl Gym old boy so I was quite impressed. Spoke to Mr Gouws who sounded very positive although he did state they were having a issue with boys who had being stolen as he put it but would not say anything more.
Framesby
Did not see any training going on last Thursday but spoke to one of there coaches who says they will be in a rebuilding phase after loosing a lot of key players who the team had centred around the last two years.
All in all looks like Grey PE will be the top team in this area this year and maybe somebody like Selborne or Queens might pull a few surprises but the general word out there is the school saying to the rest of SBR please leave our players alone.
As far as Under 16’s it looks like Selborne are the team to beat.
@Mike: Yes Mike, i also think Framesby will miss his big boot…..!! Maybe another young star will be produced by Louis Gerber, the headcoach….He always seems to make hero’s….I also see he is the EP Cravenweek head coach for the next three years…well deserved!! I few HUGE games for Framesby this year…..
Koos,Selborne en die Roos [tic tok]
@Mike: Grey should have the better of the EC schools this year will battle more with the away games like at the REC, Queens will have a very good backline so you never know.
@Playa: Muir will have a very good backline this year I think only one missing from last year pity they just lost one of there forwards to Pearson but should give most a good run for there money.
@zero47: Dru Naas is back at Queens he left DHS
@zero47: He could be, Im not sure.
@Playa andQC86, would that Marcel van der Walt be the one who went to Queens and played 1stXV in 97? QC seems to be overlooking a lot of past pupils who played firsts and are now coaching at other schools.
An example would be Dru Nass, should have never even went to DHS, after seeing the work he had done with the Hudson 1st XV
@QC86: Yeah, that’s him
The EC debies will be very competitive this year. But like I’ve said before, Graeme rugby day is the one to watch.
@Playa: Marcel van der Walt
@QC86: Yeah I am told he’s still there, his name escapes me. I managed to catch 2 of their games last year.
Though they didn’t have the results last year, you could see that there was a direction that the coach is looking at. With the bulk of those guys coming back, and them used to his style by now…only good things can come this year.
Though Dale didn’t have a good year, they beat Cambridge 33-17 at Border Rugby Day in March, and were lucky to get away with a 22-18 victory in the derby in June.Of the Colleges, QC had the biggest margin, winning 40-25, after Cambridge played all the rugby to only be 17-21 down at halftime, and then running out of steam when QC turned up the heat in the 2nd half.
@Playa: They had a very good coach last year,i hope he is still there,one of the most professional warmups before a game i have ever seen when they played Selborne and they were very unlucky to lose,one massive tackle from our hooker saved the day.
@QC86: Yep! One would do well not to underestimate them.
@Mike: Muir had some positive results last year, and we a large chunk of those boys coming back, they should be strong.Brave call on K-Day.Kingswood should stand their ground…especially with an experienced ex-Dalian in the side
They will be very strong in 2015/16 as their 2013 Under 15 side was incredible!
@Playa: second time i have heard their name come up.
@EC Guy: Framesby are always very competitive in the EC and are never a push over. I think the issue with them this year will be that for the past 2/3 years, they have based their entire game and game plan around Ernst Stapelberg, with him scoring most of their points in every game. They are now missing him and I’m not sure who will be able to fill that void he’s left.
@Playa: I’m going to say that Muir might also cause a few upsets this year. And I’m backing Kingswood to win K-Day.
This may come as a shock to some, but I reckon the dark horse of the Border region may just be Cambridge
Framesby can cause a few upsets this year…Nobody gives them a chance, but watch this space. Taking in consideration that they develop local talent through the age groups ( don’t have the luxury of hostels to recruit talent out of their area..)
I actually think Kingswood should have one of their better sides this year on paper. St Andrews are an unknown quantity but their center Robbie Ball is very very good.
@Mike: Agree the Graeme rugby day will show who is who.
Paul Roos plays Selborne on day 2 at Wildeklawer. Should be an interesting encounter with both schools featuring strong u/16 teams in 2013.
@QC86 Looking forward to a good Selborne season i believe , that, the talent in each position is there, and most players in this team would have had provincial experience over the years, and the combinations look good.i am sure this team will use there potential and give the ball air in the right areas .Will be great to have your views during the season.
@Grasshopper: Grassy eating humble pie is not to bad,it’s getting it in the face that’s not to cool.
@Mike: I think all schools do their talking on the field, it’s only bloggers, parents and Old Boys who do the talking. Never heard of a coach bigging up their side ever, they could eat humble pie…
Always interesting to read posts like this. I think that Graeme Rugby Day is a pretty good indicator of how things are. Good reply from Mr Barnard on Grey’s behalf. The talking should always be done on the field.
Glenwood play Dale and Framesby at Kearsney so will be looking out for their results. A real pity Glenwood are not playing Grey PE at their festival as that would have been an absolute cracker, two big schools with similar numbers and traditions up against each other. Both sides with 12 back from last year. However, we got Bishops and Jeppe, both looking good for this year. Seems Bishops have quite a few back too and love their running rugby too. I really do hope I can get to PE for this tourno…
@Queenian: i think Rugbyfan is been a bit kind on Selborne,they don’t have a front row,the pack i think will be small but will have nice loose forwards,backline will be young but could be the surprise package for us.Our problem lies at the coach,very nice guy, salt of the earth,but flip give some younger teacher a chance[10 years plus now],if this side plays this coaches only game plan that he knows and that is channel one, it is going to be a long season for us,but you know i can jump the fence back to Queens
Hey Rugbyfan did you not go past St Andrews or Kingswood?
Ye I think the ECape set up this will be exciting but do agree Grey PE will be the team to beat.
QC86 what do you think Selborne will be like.