EG Jansen may have gone down to Garsfontein in the Noordvaal Cup final of 2023 (41-22) but what an outstanding season effort by the boys from Boksburg to turn their season into such a success story.
After claiming the NWU Skolesportreeks cup title during April, Jansies proved to be one of the surprise package 1st XVs in the country in 2023 as they held off the challenges in a very competitive Noordvaal Cup premier league, to finish second on the log and go on to make the final.
Highly rated, technically astute head coach Regardt Botha, a Ben Vorster old boy (Class of 1995), has had a long history with EG dating back to 2004 when he first joined. He has been the 1st XV head coach in two spells, the first being from 2008 until 2016 and then again after the 2018 season when he along with ace Director of Rugby Rudi Dames were headhunted. Regardt was brought back into the fold after, following the two miserable 1st XV rugby seasons of 2017 and 2018. EG basically went from being a Top 10 team for four seasons in a row under Regardt and passionate Anton Lubbe’s guidance, which included the school’s one and only Noordvaal Cup title in 2013; to struggling to compete at the top level and finishing very low down the national ranking in 2017 and 2018.
Interestingly Menlopark hit one of their highs in 2018 while Regardt was there.
Making the achievements of 2023 so special for the Jansies was that for this year’s senior players in the first team, which regularly consisted 10 grade-12 starters playing alongside the 5 grade-11’s, they had only won two games during their junior career at school. They worked extremely hard to improve and showed a never-say-die attitude to produce a Cinderella story in its own right.
“I am really proud of the character the boys showed during this year. They are a very special bunch of players.”
EG Jansen 2013 – 2023 results
@kantako: Dis waar – EG Jansen o.14 het laaste geëindig in 2019.
Monnas het HTS Middelburg in die o.14-finaal gewen. Lg het Helpmekaar in die semifinaal geklop.
Dis twee verhale.
EG Jansen het ontwikkel, maar HTS Middelburg het verswak en is nou al weer gerelegeer – werklik hartseer.
Net so tragies is dat Menlo o.14 in 2019 net-net teen Monnas in die semifinaal verloor het.
@kantako: Twee baie goeie coaches!
Baie geluk Regardt en Rudi. Dit is n mooi berig om te lees, veral as jy dink die matriekgroep was seker die swakste O/14 span in die Virsekerbeker in 2019.
@PRondersteuner: Dankie, waardeer dit baie!
@PRondersteuner: Baie dankie! Ek dra die boodskap oor!
@PRondersteuner: Jy maak op vir sekere ander PR manne se gebrabbel.
@PRondersteuner: ek dink jy som dit baie goed op….
@Rugbyman: Ek dink julle doen uitstekende werk by Garsfontein. Garsfontein kon netsowel besluit het hulle sal een van die “also-rans” wees en maar net saamspeel, maar hulle het nie. As dit dan sou beteken om te scout en vir spelers geleenthede gee wat hulle nie sommer sou kry nie, dan is dit so. Garsfontein is reeds ‘n skool waarvan almal praat en waarheen ouers hul kinders wil stuur. Hoekom doen Grey, Affies, Monnas, PRG, Gim, Boishaai, ens so goed? Omdat hulle net koop? Nee. Die kinders WIL na daardie skole toe gaan. Daar is baie stories van seuns wat o14d speel en in matriek provinsiaal speel.
Sterkte vorentoe vir julle. Ek hoop julle kan een of ander tyd bietjie Kaap toe toer.
@VaskopVleuel: Ek sien nie waar @Djou: enige ras genoem het of enige indikasie gegee het dat hy verwys na die aantal nie-blanke seuns in ‘n span nie. Dis seker DIE swakste kommentaar op hierdie blog vandat dit begin het. Nee man. Hier praat ons van skole rugby en seuns. Ons los maar die ras praatjies vir die koerante.
@Kaya 85: If there is one post I am going to miss, it is your weekly predictions and side comments. En joy the off season and let us support the Boks with the same passion we supported our schools.
Ps: By the way, our research eventually lead to the establishment of structures which will improve the way certain issues are dealt with.
@VaskopVleuel: Sies man, jy behoort jou te skaam vir daardie opmerking. Dit is idioties en wys in werklikheid wie jy is.
Laat ek jou egter reghelp.
As jy mooi lees – wat jy duidelik nie gedoen het nie – sou jy gemerk het Deon het gepraat van ploeg met eie kalwers, met ander woorde seuns wat uit die onmiddellike omgewing kom. Ek en andere het hom reggehelp dat Monnas en EG meer seuns uit die Kaap het – met ander woorde buite die onmiddellike omgewing – as Garsfontein.
@VaskopVleuel: Nogal interessant dat jy dit noem. Jy maak ‘n baie belangrike punt. Ek voel dieselfde as jy. Dis kinders waarvan gepraat word. Mense op die blog etiketeer dan kinders wat totaal verkeerd is.
Jy weet, heel jaar al lees ek van ons “Bolandse” kinders. Ek het net stil gebly, want eks so gatvol daarvoor dat mense hulle die reg toe eien om sulke goed te sê as dit oor Garsfontein gaan. Jy het en andere het ook stil gebly. Nou skielik moan jy? Nou, omdat dit nie oor Garsfontein gaan nie sien jy dit as racial profiling? Mense aanvaar dieselfde van ons seuns en dis nie waar nie, almal kom nie vd Boland af nie. Al vir jare word dit van ons skool se kinders gesê!
Dis belangrik om te verstaan dat skole met koshuise kinders het van regoor die land. Maak nie saak van die velkleur nie, dit is kinders. Dis hoe ons kinders hanteer, soos kinders. Jy is reg oor die profiling. Dit moet stop. Ons het byvoorbeeld kinders in ons span gehad van Tzaneen, Bethlehem, Springbok, Grabouw ensovoorts. So ook het ander skole kinders van regoor die land.
Ons sien nie kleur nie, ons sien mense! Ons lei die toekoms van ons land op en probeer ‘n positiewe bydrae te maak in al ons kinders. As afrigter probeer ek AL die seuns meer te leer as net rugby. Ek wil beter mense van hulle maak.
Ter opsomming is jy reg. Die verwysings moet stop! Ek hoop van die manne hier lees dit en verstaan dit. As jy anoniem (of liewer jy dink jy is) agter ‘n keyboard sit gee dit jou nie onbepaalde mag om te sê wat jy wil nie.
@Djou: Dit is vir my sleg dat jy ‘n nie-blanke seun in ‘n rugbyspan span sien en aanvaar hy kom van die kaap af. Racial-profiling op sy beste… Secunda, Rustenburg en Krugersdorp het ook nie-blanke kinders wat rugby speel.
@tzavosky: I vote Tzavosky WR president!
@Vleis: enjoy it…keep the flag flying and give us the inside info
@Kaya 85: I’m visiting my son in London for two weeks in October. Our initial plan was to attend the quarter finals in Paris, thereby having a 90% chance of seeing the Boks in action (the 10% is Scotland!). But most people had the same idea and we couldn’t get tickets.
Plenty of tickets available for the other side of the draw, which brings me to how skew the draw is this year in relation to rankings. When I become President of World Rugby, I’ll introduce a few basic rules for the draw:
1. None of the 4 BIL home unions in the same pool.
2. Neither of the 4 Championship teams either.
3. Nor any Pacific Islands team (which includes NZ).
4. As far as possible also not any continental European team (5 this year).
5. The same for South American teams.
6. Namibia never in the same pool as SA (no one likes to bully his little brother).
7. Althouh it doesn’t apply this year, also not the “Cold War” teams (as we call them) – USA, Canada, Russia and Japan.
That will make the RWC far more interesting, and I’ve checked it out, its easy to achieve.
@Kaya 85: Lekker Kaya. I depart tomorrow evening for France…and my main hope is the same as yours – i.e.refs don’t muck it up and players aren’t sent off for a marginal decisions! To be fair to the refs, the current laws are placing them in a very difficult position.
@Kaya 85: ahhhhhhhhhhhhh😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Hope to catch u at a game or two, bring the banter and opinions and inside gossip…nothing better than talking rugby around the fire, with a cool beverage in hand…but if I can’t have that at least I’ve got you guys…love your passion Smallies, Anker, Vleis, Hopper, Djou, Wonder, Deon, Rainier, OudAffie, BHP, and all the keyboard Legends of SBR…Thanks Beet for an awesome platform.
Gentlemen, as the school season has concluded, let me be the first to wish you all a fantastic World Cup…can’t wait, hoping to see every game, including Romania, Portugal, certainly Namibia…the Pacific Islanders who could wreak havoc potentially…and our rivals from North and South of the equator. Hope there won’t be too many red cards or cr@p refereeing…hope Boks can stay humble and focused, and win over millions more fans around the globe. We are truly blessed with this Springbok team, they could rewrite history…but if not, let’s hope that rugby is the winner as Doc used to say.
EG het bo hul vermoëns gespeel – en well done daarmee.
Met meer seuns uit die Kaap as enige ander skool in Gauteng, behalwe Monnas wat 6 gehad het.
En dis OK! Hulle het die kans gekry om Cravenweek te speel wat hulle nie elders sou kry nie.
EG gaan volgende jaar weer ‘n sterk agterlyn hê.
Paar tegniese foute in die artikel, maar dit doen nie afbreuk aan EG se herrysing nie.
En Deon, gee maar die staande ovasie met hoed onder arm vir jouself want jou feite is WEER verkeerd.
@Deon: virseker nie almal homegrown nie meeste kom waarskynlik nie uit Boksburg uit nie ….maar dit maak nie saak nie Jansen gee hulle geleentheid om te speel ,selde as Garsfontein ,en Boishaai en Gim en PRG en Grey en elke ander skool wat n redelike rugby program het ,of dink jy regtig PRG se seuns kom slegs uit Stellenbosch uit,was julle hero laasjaar Jorenzo nie hoeka n talent uit Namibiee nie?
Knap gedaan EG Jansen, staande ovasie met my hoed onder my arm. Anders as Garsfontein ploeg julle met julle eie kalwers en op eie stoom en sonder om naam en ‘n hele dorp in die Boland/WP te koop. Integriteit, ruggraat……. Steek nou net ook vir Stoffberg aan asseblief, ons het ‘n Renaissance in die Oos-Rand nodig. #stoffies77
Amazing. I also loved the way they played this year. Very strong, hardworking pack, and good, honest, positive rugby. Exceptional coaching for sure. And then there were some top talented players, I’m thinking the fullback, the left wing, the outside centre who might have been played at flyhalf a few times, …the flank, and the hardworking tight 5. Just a very very good, no nonsense team, with an enterprising approach. Would like to know more about their astute recruiting. Well done boys and well done coaching staff.