Affies and Maritzburg College square off on the A-field in Pretoria. The match will be televised on DSTV channel 206 at 14h00.
The Affies team includes recently selected SA Representatives Cabous Eloff, Ruben van Heerden and Phillip Krause in the pack as well as flexible Eddie Fouche shifting from flyhalf to outside centre for this game.
Affies: 50
Tries: Christian Strydom 4, Louritz van der Schyff 2, Cabous Eloff, Pieter Coetzer.
Cons: Eddie Fouché 5.
Maritzburg College: 19
Tries: Simphiwe Mpanza 2, Kelton Thunder.
Cons: Ruben van Blerk 2.
Teams
Affies: 15 Pieter Coetzer, 14 Carel Koch, 13 Eddie Fouché, 12 Louritz van der Schyff, 11 Christian Strydom, 10 Ruan de Swardt, 9 Divan Henning, 8 Eduan Lubbe, 7 Phillip Krause, 6 Regardt du Plessis, 5 Henk Pretorius, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Niell Bezuidenhout, 2 Schalk Erasmus, 1 Cabous Eloff
Replacements: 16 Viaan Mong, 17 Jano Espag, 18 Willie van der Westhuizen, 19 Vic Meyer, 20 Lombaard Grobler, 21 Jack Hart, 22 Jacobus van Staden, 23 Arno van Wyk
Maritzburg College: 15 Matthew Kriel, 14 Xolisa Guma, 13 Simphiwe Mpanza, 12 Charl Frackers, 11 Kudzaishe Munangi, 10 Ruben van Blerk, 9 Corey Rattray, 8 Craig Glover, 7 Nicholas Odendaal, 6 Kelton Thunder, 5 Daniel Immelman, 4 Bjorn Olivier, 3 Andrew Reintges, 2 Samuel Swanepoel, 1 Matthew Smith
Replacements: 16 Austin Landman, 17 Matthew Smith, 18 Durang Atembe, 19 Jonathon Colenbrander, 20 Daniel Griffith, 21 Guy Rodseth
@beet: we might have a situation where De Villiers keeps out the younger better player because he is captain – ala Smit and Bismarck in 2011 – I hope not!
Just as long as HM doesn’t get any birdbrained idea about playing Frans Steyn in the midfield – please no
@Grasshopper: @Gungets Tuft: I’m sure Marx will make it if he stays injury free – I like the way the Lions are managing him. Brink might get his chance in the CC now that Whitley is with the Boks. Another one from the KES 2012 team playing for the Lions and very highly rated is Dylan Smith – with the lack of tightheads in SA he might leapfrog the other two
Good luck to Dan – I was at that KES – College game in 2012 and it was a horrible injury. Hope he still goes far in the game.
I’ve often been told by coaches that 13 is a difficult position to master defensively. Given his age and inexperience at both playing the position and playing at the highest level perhaps we shouldn’t be too harsh on Kriel’s defensive performance. I think in a much shorter time Kriel has shown far more promise that JJ Engelbrecht did in the same role.
I worry about de Villiers at 13 more now that he’s had to rush back from this long injury lay off to be fit for the RWC. He’s always looked far more comfortable at 12. But given the form that De Allende is in, it’s a tough choice to play him anywhere except 12.
@Gungets Tuft: Kyle Cooper 2 years ago was showing class, seems to have lost confidence and form. If he can regain it and perfect lineout throwing he is my man…….tough as teak!
@Grasshopper: Correct. I still think we will see Marx at a higher level than CC and S15. He’s a big strong boy and a good rugby player. We’ve not got any real standout hookers after Bismarck, Strauss seems to have lost form, I’m not convinced about the other CC guys at all. He needs to step up and focus, I don’t think it’s his height holding him back. But .. what do I know, I really am not a rugby analyst ..
@Gungets Tuft: Well that was Malcolm Marx wasn’t it? The much vaunted hooker. He could be the future at hooker for SA, but I still think he is too tall there. Cyle Brink is a player I really rated at the Under20 tourno he played, looked a solid player…
@beet: Agree, finally someone sees my point. To me the chance of making the Boks one day is motivation enough to push after school even harder, however we all know girls, booze and drugs can get hold of young men and take them off track. Sometime the boys have peaked at school. I remember playing Under21 and many of the big names in the 1st team didn’t even feature. Jesse is a great talent, I just think there are many others being overlooked…
@Roger: No, Dan was a centre – had just come off being named backline player of the tournament at the Grey PE Festival, went to Wildeklawer, did very well, then ran into the KES hooker and that was his school career over. It’s taken him a long time to get back to 100% fitness. I reckon Jesse’s success might be the motivation he needs. I always rated Dan, I still think he will come through. Springbok … we can only hope but it’s not as if SA is short of centre’s. He knows what he has to do.
Jesse always fullback. Had last played flyhalf in about U14.
Dan in the Bulls Currie Cup squad. Let’s see if he gets game time.
@Gungets Tuft: I think Jesse is an incredible player and a credit to College – well done
where is Dan these days – still knocking around at the Bulls? He might need to pull a William Small Smith and move on to get further recognition
I think HM will play Jesse off the bench at the WC with De Allende and De Villiers starting. I don’t see a way back for Jan Serfontein or Frans Steyn unless there are further injuries. His backline at the WC will be Du Preez, Pollard, Habana, De Allende, De Villiers, Pietersen and Le Roux with Reinach/Pienaar, Lambie and Kriel on the bench.
not too shabby either
@Gungets Tuft: heh GT – didn’t Dan play fullback in 2012 and was a shoo-in for SA schools and Jesse centre and made SA Schools out of the blue – or have I got the story all arse about face
@beet: Comes back to the club systems feeding the Unions. It’s not that we’re littered with examples of Springboks that never attended Craven Week, but there are enough of them to lead to the suspicion that the net has holes in it.
Your point of dedication can be emphasised. There’s a price to pay for a lightie just out of school to succeed at rugby (well, anything really – but sport has such as short window of top level participation). That price is everything that the average 19 year old looks for after school. The guys that completely focus on rugby are far and few between and can be found at Springbok training camps.
@BoishaaiPa: agree, but when they have played we haven’t looked as good, and if you decide to pick JDV , we are doomed
@Grasshopper: I tend to agree with you.
The likes of Viljoen, Joubert and Keyter all went to their CW as favourites to make SA Schools based their 1st XV form over 2 seasons, whereas Kriel wasn’t a name being mentioned a lot until his outstanding form at CW earned him a place in the SAS team.
The misconception is assuming that SBR is the final proving ground when it’s just a point in a journey to the top. Being better at school might earn a player a better initial junior contract but it’s no guarantee that he will stay better.
There is a lot to be said about character and the willingness to work extremely hard once out of the school environment, which a well-respected union recruiter once told me counts for 50% towards whether a young player succeeds in senior rugby or not. No union denies the role that luck plays as well. Injury is also a factor that sometimes gets overlooked.
Kriel’s rapid rise to the top is a combo of talent, dedication and also being in the right place at the right time.
A worry for me is that players develop at different speeds so if SA rugby unions starts focusing too much on looking after the top end school achievers it will be running the increased risk of allowing potentially better players down the line to either fall too far behind in their development or drop out altogether or head overseas at a faster rate than ever before due to a shortage of decent rugby opportunities.
@Gungets Tuft: I read those reviews, good on the kid. He is riding a wave and should keep going. Point is many brilliant players miss out because they don’t get the chance, he has been given a chance so seize it. At school level Keiter, EW Viljoen and Joubert were all better in my opinion…..
@Grasshopper: Or perhaps they chose the right parents, such as a mom who is a SA swimmer.
@Grasshopper: This has nothing to do with Payi. Green Hopper went on some burst of logic that claimed that because “his and his brothers presence in the College side didn’t help against GW , who thumped them”. It does invite a little scrutiny when that statement is made and turns out to be not a thumping but a squeek, and against a discredited player.
@Grasshopper: Seriously, did you really say that out loud. After his performances for the Springboks, and his ratings by local and foreign commentators. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/RugbyChampionship/NZ-scribe-rates-the-Springboks-20150727
Kriel has been fast tracked as he and Heyneke are great mates and he plays for the Bulls….he has taken his opportunity though so good on him..
@GreenBlooded: They always seem to forget Payi and co though…
@Gungets Tuft: I think Morne Joubert is as good as Jesse Kriel, in fact I think he actually might be better. He doesn’t have the same power but certainly has the guile. Hopefully he comes through in the next 5 years. Those Kriel’s must have been doing something exceptional in the gym to look like they did at school..
@beet: Muil was carrying flu I believe. Another forced change at lock didn’t help, the line outs were a mess. I don’t believe the outcome would have changed but the ability to get a few line outs close to the Affies line would have showed off the very good College rolling maul at least. Can’t argue with a 31 point difference though.
I watched this Affies – College game on Saturday.
I think the Affies coaches won’t be over the moon with the number of penalties they conceded esp at breakdowns. It might have cost them under different circumstances. Just about everything else was pleasing though. When I think of Affies 2015, I think of a pack containing star players who will dominate most opponents but on Saturday it was about 8 unselfish players up front who did the hard work and laid some outstanding attacking platforms. The Witbulle backs got very good frontfoot ball and capitalised. The distribution of 9 & 10 was good. I expected Eddie Fouche to be out of his depth at 13 but in typical Eddie fashion this season, he rose to the occasion. In just about all the Affies games I’ve watched, EF has stood out. It was very attractive traditional style rugby by Affies and the left wing Strydom had a super game.
For College, I wished their lineout work could have gone better. I kept asking myself where is Brad Muil. He has been a tower of strength in their lineout game and considering how effective the MC rolling maul has been this year, it was destroying to see them give away possession so cheaply at the set pieces. I also wished they could have closed down the spaces in midfield a lot quicker but easier said then done when up against a pack that forces defenders to start coming up off the back foot. Mpanza has been my fav College backline player mainly because of his footwork in tighter situations which allow him to get himself into halfgaps and sometimes even full ones. So often when schoolboys throw long passes they go astray, so when you see a player like van Blerk at 10 who can make extra long cut out passes with pin-point accuracy, it’s a skill and an attacking weapon that MC needs to build more creative plans around. I think van Blerk just needs to also work on a bit of a diversion before he makes the passes to keep defenders guessing. Up front Thunder is a menace and I think he had an influence on the penalty count in his team’s favour.
Oh no!! Siyabonga Tom………still haunting Glenwood 4 years later. 6 more to go by my prediction when the story broke.
@Green Hopper: In my rush of towing yesterday, these icy roads are my Krismuss, I abandoned my own logic.
Going back to the College vs Glenwood results when Jesse and Dan were playing 1sts.
2011 – lost 3-33 Away and 30-31 at home
2012 – drew 16-16 away, drew 27-27 at home.
So if we look at the teams for 2011 (when Jesse and Dan were 17 years old in Grade 11) who might have been the better players that should have made the Boks ahead of them. At fullback for Glenwood was the incumbent SA Schools player, for the second year in a row I believe. He has gone on, I actually saw him in a televised match soon after he “left school”, playing for a team by the name of Spring Rose in the Eastern Cape. He now calls himself Mphuma.
Track his progress here —> http://blog.schoolboyrugby.co.za/age-school-rugby-player-siyabonga-tom-see-green-white-green-white-green-white/
In 2012 I believe the Glenwood players have performed better, players like Marne Coetsee (2012 I believe) have indeed gone on to better things.
@McCulleys Workshop: Rumour has it he will start this coming Saturday against the Argies..He hasn’t made it to a world cup yet, this is his last chance. I think HM might play him in small batches for nostalgic reasons so he can at least be part of the whole thing. Come crunch time HM might have to make some difficult choices!
@BoishaaiPa: That’s the worry! HM may have a rush of blood to the head, and play Frans to ensure we give away 2/3 penalties a game and a yellow (I think he and Bismark are actually the same person). While I acknowledge JD’s contribution to the Boks, it may just be worth him retiring while he can still walk!
@Green Hopper: Everyone has their opinion, only difference is our teams doesn’t have to play! He is still young, we will see where he ends up eventually. Remember that the likes of Jan Serfontein and Frans Steyn is also in the mix.
@McCulleys Workshop: Perhaps he can even slot in at 9 and do both!..
@Gungets Tuft: I think there might be the likes of Bismarck, Brussouw and some other Grey boys that actually went unbeaten during their school years. I have a few Grey OB’s that did not loose a match from their u/14’s years right through to their matric year. I have one particular friend who started in Grey Primary and from u/7 right through to matric when he played for the Cherries he never lost one single rugby match he played in and that included Free State u/13 Craven Week. That must be some kind of record!..
@Gungets Tuft: @Green Hopper: @BoishaaiPa: GT – you have just solved the biggest problem facing HM, where to play Jessie. It has now become obvious – Butch & Stransky played 10 and we won the World Cup. Jessie has to play 10. I would drop Pollard, or play him on the wing, with Willie at scrum half and move Habana to Fullback.
@Gungets Tuft: its goes that , and I have said it many times, a team of players , is normally a better team than a side of supposedly superstars side , not the difference between side and team,
just a thought
If logical consequence was to be followed, and there are boys in the opposing GW side that were chosen and picked through the same area or Jessie, in the same representative sides, that are not at that high level yet .
But to suppose that because you are from College , logical Consequence, is that you will be in a winning Bok side, is illogical
@Green Hopper: OK then. So logical consequence has it that every player in a winning team is better than every player is a losing team. However it’s not logical that a boy picked for provincial honours from age 12, through SA Schools, SA U20, should be on line for Bok honours. I get it … but for a tow truck driver this is all hellovu mentally taxing so is it ok is I take your word for it and quote you in future?
but this one is just as good https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logical_consequence
@Gungets Tuft: yes Aunt Sally
@Green Hopper: Ohhhh .. you mean this logic —> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man
@Green Hopper: for that matter, if you read, I do think he is a great player but at 13 rather than 15, at 15 he is lost , and you need to bring him into the contact sooner, like he plays at 13, Willie to the wing and Lambie at 15, I always thought Lambie was better at 15 than 10 , simply the styles they play , and what needs to be achieved at the WC, they players in the present positions , well most , showed this weekend, that they can bring it on against the AB, but if we revert to JDV in the team, etc etc , we will revert o a style of rugby , simply because its in there nature, and we wont be as dominant as we have been over the last two games
@Gungets Tuft: mate lighten up , I was pulling you leg ,
I was drawing your logic along for you , if you say he was good, and was part of college, and he played for college and college LOST to Glenwood, then in parallel with your line of thinking , GW could only have beaten College with better players and hence they should have been selected over him,
its a form of simple logic, and to tease you , lighten up ,
@Green Hopper: Name the Glenwood players that you feel should have made it and haven’t. It’s not as if I picked the oke, he made SA schools, then the Bulls, now the Boks. So someone has seen talent since he made KZN at U12 and picked him. I think you’ve got a beef with the wrong oke.
I don’t know of a single Springbok who didn’t lose a match at school somewhere so legitimate claims to Bok honors are very few and far between by your standard.
I think you should go and read my comments again, you’ve misread something somewhere.
kriel, ??? listen his is talented and done, well, my sarcasm , was merely his and his brothers presence in the College side didn’t help against GW , who thumped them,
so if talent , as you mentioned through school, was to be selected and going on your logic, it would be safe to assume, that GW boys would have been better in the Bok side and thus Boks could have won 
just an observation off your logic , mate
@Green Hopper: You’re going to have to explain that in words of one syllable, sorry. I mentioned 3 boys (Stransky, James, Kriel), I’m not sure which of them you’re objecting to.
@BoishaaiPa: I disagree , I think the centre pair of the boks is possible the best in years, I think they need to move Willie to win and bring in Lambie at Fullback, and we need to fill the other wing , don’t know who has his hand up yet , but lets see, scrum half has to be FAF , leave Andre in , he will improve , in attack they are good, in defence they let through a few , BUT , they will improve , remembering they have been up against possible the two best sets or Backs in the world over the last two week, and looked really good so far , they are learning quickly , gelling and given a more temperate game against Argentina they can settle and look at the mistakes they have made at such a high level, if we bring in others like JD , who is only happy he can accelerate, form what I read, we will be lost
@GreenBlooded: was good mate, was cold and reminded me of 2008 and 2010 I think when GW hammered Affies, was great to see the GW win last year at Affies as well, lets see what they do to Affies down in Durban this weekend, they say there will be a cold front , so PMB is going to be particularly cold
@Gungets Tuft: funny funny , have to laugh at this, forgetting that in that Year the College boys lost to a way better GW side, those are the true boys that should be in the BOK side , please
To all our College friends a big word of thanks for excellent rugby on Saturday. Hats off to your boys for competing with such wonderful spirit. We hosted 2 U/15 boys – one spoke Afrikaans well and the other not so well
but they had such good manners and as always it was an absolute pleasure to have them around.
Affies always look forward to this derby as the two schools respect each other on and off the field.
We might have had North Siberian Winter but the day was filled with spirited rugby and warm memories. Thanks College as always a pleasure ….
@GreenBlooded: “North Siberian winter” – so is there truth in the rumour thataffies are changing their name from the Wit Bulle to the Polar Bears?
@Cappie: Thank Cappi
EISH!!! Punte vir (AHS) 761 – punte teen (MC) 139 !!!!!
One way traffic. Well done.
@GreenBlooded: I agree with you. It was really very cold. Nice competitive rugby though, especially the open teams, where all the games were very close, although the scores don’t always tell the same story. I watch the 7th teams, and the score was 6-3 to Affies with 5 minutes to play. Can you belief both teams opted for goals on penalties close to the end due to the fact that they could not break one another’s defences. Half time was still 0-0. Maritzburg scored the first try under the poles and converted. There was still time for yet another kick off, and Affies managed to retain the ball, and they were on the attack. Up and under landed 10m from Maritzburg goal line. Affies maintain the ball, inside pass to one of the Affies players go to ground and Maritzburg won the ball and kick downfield for a well-deserved win. Much entertaining!
Here is the full results of the days play:
http://www.affies.co.za/aflaaibare-items/
And I see Affies are travelling to Glenwood this weekend, same weekend that College host PBHS.
Simple request please – make sure the Affies buses go to Durban and not here to PMB by mistake – we’ve had ours now, thank you very much
@Rugger fan:
I was there – and the weather was nothing like English weather. More like frikken North Siberian winter on a bad day!!! We froze our @$$es of f in those concrete stands. Was nice to catch-up with Green-Hopper – it’s been a while.
@Playa: Brent Russell was a classic f***up..
@Gungets Tuft: That is exactly my worry. If the coach feels Willie is his best option, that’s fine. But rather bench young Kriel and play him in his best position instead of turning him into a utility back. Enough careers have died because of that.It would be a disaster to see this go the same route.
Well done to Affies. I only know of the College 7ths so far who managed to prevent the clean sweep (although I have not seen the age group results yet).
At least College took the hockey
I wasn’t there – but sounds more like England weather than South African …. hope there were no injuries in the wet and cold – glad to see high scores meaning that the ball was still thrown around – even in the slippery conditions? A good sign for attacking rugby being played.
On a lighter note..with a name like Kelton Thunder (my vote for the best SBR name of 2015)…the College captain hopefully used that to his advantage with the pretoria poppies.
@Gungets Tuft: Bottom line is he should play 15…JDV will come back..play Willie for 50 and bring on JK..kaboom!
@BoishaaiPa: I’m not a good enough rugby analyst to comment, I know his first choice has always been 15, so it’s a position he knows well. I reckon the worst thing that can happen is that he becomes a utility back. We’ve seen that ruin many good players, it’s on the way to ruining Lambie. There’s the whole Jean de Villiers ghost hanging over 13. We’re back to the end part of the Smit career where he wasn’t the best hooker but was the best combination of player/captain. Who know what’s going to happen next.
All I know is that Jesse is going to provide some stand-up-and-scream moments for the next many years.
@Vyfster:
My Bad. 19-19 about 8 minutes before HT and Affies scored twice in that time.
Those who had the good fortune to see HO de Villiers and Gysie Pienaar in their heydays will realize that Kriel has that same x factor and ability…that is my humble opinion.
@Gungets Tuft: My take on Kriel…I think he is an incredible attacking option for a team..I dont think 13 is his position. He should be played at 15…Willie had his time in my opinion….Kriel is our next 15 for years to come…he can run at angles from space and has vision…as demonstrated by yesterdays inside pass to Willie..that made the try..His defending lines at 13 is not good…he did ok…but I still think he should be at 15.
A SBR game is 70 min. It doesnt matter what you did for 20 or 30 or 60…it matters what you did for 70. Ask the Boks..for two weekends they were the best team for 60 minutes…unfortunatly the game is longer than that. Great sided close out a game. Learn from that.
@ Greenblooded
I agree that College didn’t do too badly in the first 25 minutes or so….they actually surprised me to come back to 19-19
i must however point out that the half-time score was 33-19 for Affies……and they coasted in the 2nd half, adding only 17 points (3 tries) to their HT score
affies was clearly far stronger, but well done to MC for fighting hard..
@Gungets Tuft:
You can see the Affies vs Jeppe results plus all the other schools Affies played against in 2015 on the following website – http://www.affiesrugby.co.za/2015-ander-spanne-uitslae.html
@the professor: Jesse has a rugby DNA, but that’s no surprise to those who watched him through the age groups and into senior rugby. Calm, thinking player who is maturing quickly.
We Collegians know the secret to Bok World Cup success – that’s a College man in the backline. Joel did it, Butch followed on, Jesse is providing the Red, Black and White gees now. It’s our story, and we’re sticking to it.
. As for Heyneke, he’s long been a supporter of Jesse, one can only hope that he keeps the faith with De Allende and Kriel, all Jesse can do is turn up and play when he’s asked to. He has certainly done that to date.
As for the rest of the season, next Saturday is another day, I know the boys will put their best on display. Hopefully it’s good enough, then the final match too. I have a lot of admiration for these boys. They’re far far from the biggest, but I think they’ve punched above their weight. But for a few points here and there what looks like an average season would look a lot better, but such is rugby and life. They’re all the wiser for it, there’s not a lot more we can ask for.
@Gungets Tuft:
I also don’t think the good Prof is giving the College first team any credit here. Despite being heavily outweighed, I though College put on a great display in the first 50 – holding the massive Affies team to 19-19 at halftime. I saw heaps of commitment, guts and inventive play resulting in some good tries and a great individual performance by Mpanza.
One can contain a massive physical disparity for only so long – 70 minutes was probably 15 or 20 minutes too long for that yesterday.
@Gungets Tuft: If I look online the Jeppe results page on their website as far as I can see only the U14a team won. Given their poor season(by their standards that is) Grey College must feel a shade anxious about their impending trip to College. College must surely fancy their chances against that proper South African rugby school from Bloemfontein. Lastly wasn’t your old boy, Jesse Kriel amazing yesterday? The best number 13 we have right now and I sincerely hope that Heineke
Meyer doesn’t bring back his “tried and trusted” foot soldiers in Jean de Villiers and Jacques Fourie come RWC time.
@the professor: Don’t have them all, but I think you’re over-reaching a little using 1996 (the first every derby against Affies) as your yardstick for “decline”. I think that history will show College never taking more than 1 or 2 matches from Affies on the day. The results I have from yesterday are ”
2nd 5 – 10
3rd 3 – 17
4th 5 – 15
5th 6 – 24
6th 3 – 20
7th 10 – 6
8th 0 – 15
U16A 5 – 43
U15A 0 – 29
U14A 3 – 20
Against a school as strong as Affies, while everyone hopes for parity, I don’t feel those results show utter dominance other than the 1sts and U16A. For the rest Affies would have known they had played rugby.
How would those results compare to other schools that have played Affies this year – say, for instance, Jeppe.
Looked like men against boys yesterday, in every sense of the word. Size, speed, strength, skill level and technical ability in the Affies XV showed College up in every department. Has anyone(Gungets tuft, rugged bugger, TJ…) able to post the down the line results by any chance. Gone are the days of 1996 when College won about 14 games and Affies 12 on the day……long gone!
Raining tries!
I think that it is on channel 210. I was really looking forward to settling in with a glass of quality red. Damn this load shedding. If College keep it under 20 then they will have done well.