KZN

KZN move a step closer to “One School One Vote” at under-18 level…

A brand new ranking the player under-16 and under-18 trials method and format for 2016 was agreed on at the KZN High School Rugby AGM. The Tier-1 structure looks like it has been finalised. There are still some discussions and possible changes to the Tier-2 and Country Districts school pools to come.…

The KZNRU President Graham Mackenzie made interesting contributions at the KZN High Schools Rugby AGM.…

Talking schoolboy rugby in KZN, there’s belief amongst school officials that change is needed and in some cases it’s believed to be way overdue.

The AGM for high schools which takes place on Saturday 07 November 2016, is the time and place for school representatives who feel this way to come out, say exactly what’s bugging them about the current systems and/or personnel and then use their vote to help bring about meaningful change.…

George Campbell’s Noel Ingle has reason for a double celebration. He was recently named as the new Chairman of SA Schools after standing unopposed. However there was a strong possibility that he would have had to forfeit this national position. A requirement of the SA Schools post is that it’s Chairman has to hold office in his own region as well. Although Ingle is currently the Chairman of the KZNRU High Schools’ Association, the KZN Schools’ AGM which takes place on 07 November 2015 is where his fate would have been decided by the local high schools. This created quite a buzz in school rugby related circles around KZN up until last week when the nominations were made official and it was revealed that the highly regarded opponent expected to run against Ingle had decided not to challenge for the leadership position, thereby clearing the way for Ingle to be re-elected. …

From Clifton College:

We have great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Grant Bell as our Director of Rugby: Coaching from 1 January 2016. This is a new position in the school and will involve Mr Bell in the formulation of a unique Clifton coaching strategy and the development of our boys’ rugby skills from Under 8 to Under 19.…

Maritzburg College teacher Tim Orchard has been promoted and will effectively replace fellow MCOB Francois Lubbe in the 1st XV setup. Lubbe is leaving for Australia at the end of the 2015. Orchard will manage the forwards while another Old Boy and former 1st XV player Kevin Smith will continue in his dual role as 1st XV Head Coach and Director of Rugby.…

Just one season after acquiring the services of MCOB Francois Lubbe from Kearsney, Maritzburg College are in the market for a new 1st XV coach again. Lubbe is set to emigrate to Australia at the end of the year.…

Content from DHS website:

Durban High School announced that five of its learners have been selected for the South African Rugby Union (SARU) U16 Training Camp which will take place in Paarl in October.…

Current Afrikaans and History teacher Roland Norris has been appointed as Westville 1st XV Head Rugby coach for the next 3-year cycle with effect from 1 October 2015. He will be assisted by JoAsh van Aswegen.…

Brad Macloed-Henderson has been reappointed by Hilton while Michael Schwartz has been replaced after steering Michaelhouse to their first unbeaten season in over a century.…

There are lots of changes coming up for Westville in 2016. …

Email from a Michaelhouse parent / reader:…

Update: Thanks to the generosity of the parents of 4 players, all 22 KZN Schools squad members received blazers before Craven Week and were seen wearing these during the opening ceremony, which was broadcast on national television. Interestingly not a single one of the four players is linked with a move to the Sharks next year.…

Northwood didn’t officially have a player at Craven Week 2015 but they might be able to claim a share of Griffons prop Neo Mohapi.…

KwaZulu-Natal must surely be on course to set a new Academy Week record for the number of regular second team players in their 22-player squad. The initial count of 8 (6 Glenwood and 2 Westville) has been increased to 10 with the inclusion of two more 2nd XV players. …

From Working Words, Kearsney:
Photo by Tracey van den Aardweg

Kearsney ended their rugby season on a high beating Clifton 66-10 in a highly entertaining match in Botha’s Hill, coinciding with Founders’ weekend which attracted a good crowd on a perfect wintery afternoon.…

A lively match played itself out on a packed Goldstones ground with hosts Maritzburg College eventually winning 16-12 and claiming a unique double over Westville. …

Well today is the last opportunity for folks up at Michaelhouse to see their drone (quadcopter) in action. Thanks to a few students who skilfully man the remote controlled device, the Michaelhouse coaching staff have enjoyed the benefit of aerial footage of 1st XV matches for most of the season. This has been of value for analysing defensive and attacking patterns. No doubt other schools will follow in their footsteps in the coming seasons.…

The coldest part of winter is yet to come and even the shortest day of the year but for most KZN schools Saturday marks the end of the KZN inter-schools season.…

A message from the Michaelhouse Old Boys Club earlier this week mentioned that there has only been one unbeaten Michaelhouse 1st XV before and that was in 1910 1909. In other words the only in the school’s history team with a 100% winning record during a season.…

A talented and well-drilled Michaelhouse team moved to within one home game of an unbeaten season when they cleared the second last hurdle in the form of Maritzburg College with comparative ease, winning 34-8 on Goldstones.…

Showing character befitting of the school’s rich history, Hilton bounced back in impressive fashion after a poor start and pulled off a hard-fought win against Kearsney on Gilfillan Field. The final score of 24-10, does not quite tell the full story of how even the contest was right up to the last move of the match when Hilton turned over ball from a defensive position and ran in a try from 75m out to stretch their lead to more than the one score Kearsney were seeking for a draw.…

The KZN school rugby season draws closer to an end for most schools with all the high profile games taking place in and around Pietermaritzburg this weekend.

Maritzburg College vs Michaelhouse (live streaming starting at 14h30: https://t.co/wbSQvYPj4J)…

Westville Old Boy Grant Bell’s 1st XV rugby head coach contract expires at the end of the 2015 Westville regular season. The position is being advertised. From the Sunday Tribune:…

Well done to Northwood for organising a top class Old Boys Day  which brought in the crowd. The TV commentator deservedly praise Northwood for their beautiful lush green field. Northwood old boy and Springbok Warren Brosnihan had the privilege of having one of the school’s field named after him.…

Glenwood showed a lot of character and deserved a lot more out than they got out of the error-riddled match which visitors Monument won 21-8.…

On a cold afternoon in the Midlands, Maritzburg College held out to beat hosts Hilton 22-16 in a thrilling contest. The hard-earned victory came down to the superiority of the College forwards. In spite of having less ball and playing more of the game in their own half, Hilton had enterprising backline play at their disposal, so were never out of contention and even had their chance to snatch victory at the death.…

For most KZN schools, this is the start of the last month of 15-man rugby.…

It appeared to be business as usual for Kearsney as they recorded a comfortable 41-10 victory against their brother school St Stithians in Randburg on Saturday.…

There was a Monday bonus for Westville Boys High students that were present to witness their 1st XV beat Glenwood 18-17 in Saturday’s big Durban derby. Each student received a R15 tuckshop voucher from the school. Clearly the victory means a great deal to WBHS.…

The Durban rugby referees society’s law meeting today might turn out to be more interesting than usual. For Saturday’s high profile Glenwood – Westville inter-schools matches, two regular and experienced referees were allegedly bumped from their respective 1st XV and u15A match assignments …

Hilton compounded home team DHS’s misery by handing the Berea high school their fourth heavy defeat in five starts. The Midlands private school ran in 6 tries as part of a 41-10 victory in a night game on Van Heerden’s field.…

After a nail-biting finish which say Glenwood score an after the hooter winner against Westville during preseason Port Natal Series final in February, it was the highly motivated Westville who turned the tables and recorded a memorable 18-17 win against their hosts in Durban’s biggest inter-schools rugby rivalry.…