Maritzburg College takes on Westville at 19h30 on Friday, 28 February in the KFC Voortrekker Night Series. This is a 25-minute per half preseason game. Both coaches are still experimenting and missing a few key players due to summer sports commitments.
| Maritzburg College | Team in 2013 | Westville | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prentice | 2nd | 1 | Els | |
| 2 | Mazwi | 1st | 2 | Princen | |
| 3 | Chikwezvero | Zimbabwe | 3 | Thomas | |
| 4 | Jacobs | 1st | 4 | Thambiran | |
| 5 | Gold | 3rd | 5 | Warner | |
| 6 | Zulu | 2nd/3rd | 6 | Smit | |
| 7 | Stuart | 1st/2nd | 7 | Heystek | |
| 8 | Le Roux | 1st | 8 | Qume | |
| 9 | Trodd | 3rd | 9 | Young | |
| 10 | Van Der Linde | 2nd | 10 | Braithwaite | |
| 11 | Lithgow | 1st/2nd | 12 | W Smith | |
| 12 | Coetzee | 1st | 13 | Anderson | |
| 13 | Munangi | U16A | 11 | Pieters | |
| 14 | Tamahane | U16A | 14 | Ball | |
| 15 | Kriel | U16A | 15 | Buthelezi | |
| 16 | Daugherty | 2nd | 16 | Pieterse | |
| 17 | Olivier | U16A | 17 | Stoltz | |
| 18 | Dlamini | 2nd | 18 | Murphy | |
| 19 | Thunder | U16A | 19 | Muller | |
| 20 | Holder | 1st/2nd | 20 | Meilhon | |
| 21 | Guma | Boland | 21 | Kotze | |
| 22 | Edwards | 2nd | 22 | Pahla | |
| 23 | Whiteman | 3rd | 23 | B Smith |
@ Seabass- I believe the score was 38 -3 in favour of Westville. Your impressions would be appreciated.
@star: at least you didn’t say the coach is a NOB
look forward to the game, we will be underdone on match practice and have a few of our big polo boys missing but a crack against one of the top schools in SA ( my WOB bias ) is a big highlight!
@ Greenwood- The match is part of the Wartburg festival and I am sure that Westville will be wanting to get their final combinations in place and so will be close to the team to take on GW. People must also not underestimate this Clifton team. There is definitely more focus from their side this year( also the coach is a WOB
)
Star – where are you guys playing Clifton ? might pop in and have a look see – nothing happening at Glenwood except a few of the open sides have a game against who knows who
Are your 1st’s playing Clifton ?
@star: I did watch the 2nds. They played with more cohesion than the 1sts. I also think there are a few boys playing to get into the 1sts and they didn’t do their cause any harm.
Having said that, I watched College against Greytown last week and I think the Greytown team that played Westville was a weaker team. There had been a few changes that I could see. But a good win for the 2nds none the less.
Open trials are this afternoon – for those below 2nds I understand. I am sure some of these boys would like to get a crack against the 2nds to prove themselves but seems that wont happen.
Big 2 games coming up. I hope we get it right this weekend against Clifton before these games.
@ Westers- you seem a bit pessimistic about Westville this year. Remember we also were quite poor at Kingspark against Kearsney to finally hit our straps against Framesby. Were you able to watch the 2nd team play as I see they had a similar result against Greytown as the MC 1sts. I seem to remember that your boy is a year older than mine and so I am sure I will bump into you watching the opens this year. I believe they are having trials today.
@Greenwood: If the side Westville put out last week is close to their 1st side for the season they are in for a long, tough season. Fitness levels of some players was well below what one would expect at this time of the season. I think both sides will be underdone. It is a great pity for both that they are playing so early in the season.
It’s time one person or a small committee took control of setting the fixtures with each school giving their upfront requests for certain opposition to be accommodated on certain dates.
Westers & Hopper
I feel Glenwood may be underdone for the 15th – at least Westville 1sts
or pretty much close to that have had a couple of games and whilst some of the GM players were involved in the Porties Nite series but nothing near the full GM team played – IMO – Mixing & and matching at Porties is not enough especially against Westville at W’ville – we’ll see in 10 days time
@Westers: Agreed, the kids take the stuff in the off season and stop to ensure it’s out of their system by the season start…off season testing should be done..
@beet: I wonder how many KZN schools have done testing so far this year. It is late to now be testing with the start of season less than two weeks away.
@seabass: That’s interesting. The 1 year ban sounds like it is set in stone. Should there be a minimum punishment if a student is caught in possession of steriods but not tested? I’ve heard of cases when kids were caught in possession of recreational drugs and either suspended or expelled but I can’t recall if drug tests were done to confirm use of these substances.
@beet: just to add: all schools that are affiliated to SharkSmart have signed a declaration with SAIDS and have been obliged to do to conduct a workshop (done on Tuesday) and test accordingly. Furthermore,Discovery SharkSmart director Dr. Glen Hagemann said the sanction guideline for any pupil testing positive for a steroid was a year ban from all sport and possible expulsion. He added that the imposition of sanctions will be left to each school to administer, but that SAIDS would closely monitor these processes and the sanctions handed down.
@Bonthuis: I was told Kearsney had testing done just last week.
@Bonthuis: Glenwood have tons to do too before the Westville game, managed to just beat DHS with 70% of the 1st team….
Sounds like Westville have a fair amount of work to do before their first official game.
On the steroid issue, I like you’ll find it’s more prevalent than you think…where there’s smoke there’s fire. Especially for the forwards, only way to level the playing field if you want to get anywhere rugby. In reality the whole gym / steroid culture has become huge in KZN over the last 5 years, every second guy walking around is on steroids – taken off like a plague.
What testing, if any, is occurring in the off season that is the question??
@Tjoppa: yep, I’m aware of that but a 17 year old has not finished growing so to be gyming with heavy weights and taking supplements is not good for their bodies not matter how mature they are. Light gyming and exercises like clean & jerk are fine, under supervision of an expert…
@RugbyDad: 12 – 5 to College. 5 all at HT.
@Grasshopper: Quick chirp from Shirley “That is why he stopped. He was tired being forced to gym in the toddler’s section”
Hopper as a knowledgeable person surely you must know that all kids do not develop at the same time. So to accuse boys of cheating is simply not on. Bring proof or accept.
@Buffel: you are right it was a good tussle but I just got the impression that college wanted it more . A very vocal group of supporters also helped here – nice to see so many boys turning out to support on a Friday night. This is strange as Westville have always produced super motivated teams in the past – hope this is not the result of the very unpopular bringing in of players from the EC . Westville’s main problems were a very pedestrian front row and no good attacking ball from the line out . Lack of technique forced Westville to throw most of their ball to the # 2 jumper and this allowed college to counter very easily . Both college tries came as a result of this – overthrow from line out lead to the first try and lack of pillar/ post defenders allowed a good snipe to score the second one. Anyway early days yet so the official game should be a cracker !
@Pedantic: 120kg too is too much for 17 year olds, unless they weigh 120kg that is. Boys of this age should be able to bench their weight and I mean properly, down slowly to the chest and up. Not little jerky movements working their triceps instead and bouncing it off their chests with a spotter pulling it up. I find at this age their form and technique is all wrong….more damaging than anything. Rather do lighter weight properly and slowly…
@Buffel: What was the score?
A good tussle last night with some big hits as one can expect with a game between 2 of the more fancied teams in 2014. College came out on top in this one but a close run thing.
@Grasshopper: Correction, before you said that 17 year olds benching 120KG is abnormal – now you moved the goalposts
I think there are a fair amount of boys that can do 120KG. 160KG is of course ridiculous and I’m sure there aren’t any doing that.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, a 17 year old benching 160kg plus is abnormal and requires non human supplements…finish and klaar! I bodybuilded for 5 years in my 20’s and only once benched 150kg for 2 reps and I was 110kg at the time with 7% body fat…trust me these kids are on horse meds…
@Grasshopper: I do understand Ballie Strength, but things have changed in recent years.
The youngsters are blady strong nowadays
@Grasshopper: The boys that are trying to pull girls, for sure. The rugby players .. don’t you believe it. The buggers are strong, not massive (unlike the picture that sparked the Steroid story on this blog!!), but big, lean strong.
@Scrum Doctor: You would have thought that. One would hope that this is experimental as there are several players playing out of position, several not that fit and two imports who have yet to prove themselves. Sad that they are given a chance to prove themselves ahead of “home grown” talent.
@Gungets Tuft: usually assisted with supplements. There is this thing I call ‘ballie strength’ that I learnt about as an under21 playing against a club 3rd team pre-season. They had some 40 year olds in the side that ripped the ball away from me for fun and I was gym huge like Spies. Those muscles mean nothing on the rugga field, just water retention from creatine.
Gungets – mmm .. Thanks – have to think about it – about 120 bucks of fuel min !
@Grasshopper: Any rugby player worth the name now has a gym obsession. Most boys aged 16 – 19 have the same obsession, they just want to look buff for the girls. Walk the beach at the moment, most of the okes look like they have muscles in their poo they are so built. I was a lock at school, flank at club, now I look like an under-nourished water boy.
@Greenwood: 2 x 25 minute chukka’s I think.
Gungets – how long is the game ? might take a ride up and support
the Red white & blacks – but not if only 20 mins each way
@Gungets Tuft: All 3 Kriels also have a gym addition too, are they bodybuilders too?
@RBugger: Time will tell, and Matt will show you. I can only speak for attitude and drive, all three Kriel boys have that in spades.
@RBugger: Lots of players not available due to water polo and cricket.
Some serious experimentation in the Westville forwards. Glenwood is only a couple of weeks away so surely the team should be finalized already and working together .
Also, where is Goodsen – is this not the official starting line-up?
@Gungets Tuft: Thanks man – any good?
@RBugger: Yes. Matt, grade 11 this year.
@Beet: Hi Beet – is Kriel another of the brothers?