Count your sleeps until Jeppe versus KES on the Collard Field on 27 April 2024. One of the BIGGEST local derbies in SA schoolboy rugby. It is going to be epic complete with a few good one-on-one battles spread across the pitch. There has been such a good build up to the game this season. However before we get there, both schools have on-field business to take care of this Saturday and next for KES.
KES are in action against Parktown, who one suspects they will register a pretty big score against. Next week they stay in Houghton to meet a big Pretoria Boys’ High team who should offer the Red Army a decent challenge.
This weekend Jeppe has the tough assignment in the form of Westville.
There was preciously little to learn about Ville from last week’s 9-19 defeat to Durban High School in the rain. The weather prevented the match from coming close to being a showpiece. Westville do pack a bit of punch. They have not delivered a knock-out blow yet but their win against Monument showed that they can technically win the rounds on points through their ability to outsmart and outplay an opponent. Still the feeling is their backs are operating at between 60%-70% a good deal of the time and if they get that performance up above the 80%, they will pose a serious threat. Their Achilles is they are known for not looking after possession well enough. Chris Cloete at flank is the talisman. Scrummy Ryan Pistor is really good at reading situations and offering at times unorthodox solutions to complex situations. Unathi Mlotshwa is a natural and skilled athlete but can be temperamental due to being a confidence player as well. Outside centre Michael Satade is big and quick and an imposing threat when he’s used often.
Obviously nobody is going to forget that Jeppe beat Grey College in 2024. They are a great team to watch. Their forwards do plenty of hard grafting. The team gets a lot of production out of the boys. At no.8 Risima Khosa has been a solid go-to carrier and they find favour with a couple of others as well including big prop Andre Poulton. The glam is in their line. Tidy Matthew Coetzee is the classiest 10 in SA. McMillen Mongwana can offer power drives or be a useful distributor. Khuthadzo Rasivhaga is a professional dancer turned rugby player. His body movements and stepping plus his pace are awesome to behold. At fullback Sanele Simelane also isn’t short of hard to mark serves and angles of attack.
After Westville, there is no respite for Jeppe. They travel to Pretoria to face a highly rated Affies.
| TEAM | JEPPE | TEAM | WESTVILLE | ||
| 1 | Andre Poulton | 1 | Akhona Maseko | u18 | |
| 2 | Bonga Nxumalo | 2 | Ross Calvert | u18 | |
| 3 | Luca Trevisan | 3 | Bandlie Mncwango | u17 | |
| 4 | Nathan Boyder | 4 | Moustapher Gcina | u18 | |
| 5 | Luke Cannon | 5 | Rhys Mitchell | u19 | |
| 6 | Wanga Ndou | 6 | Chris Cloete | u18 | |
| 7 | Nathan Claassen | 7 | Seth Gwyn | u18 | |
| 8 | Risima Khosa | 8 | David Humphreys | u17 | |
| 9 | Talent Sithole | 9 | Ryan Pistor | u18 | |
| 10 | Nehemia Hollenbach | 10 | Unathi Mlotshwa | u18 | |
| 11 | Ndimphiwe Mjij | 11 | Jadrian Afrikaner | u17 | |
| 12 | McMillen Mongwana | 12 | Blake Allbon | u18 | |
| 13 | Khuthadzo Rasivhaga | 13 | Michael Satade | u18 | |
| 14 | Lindelani Nkambule | 14 | Evan Moolman | u18 | |
| 15 | Sanele Simelane | 15 | Jadewill Koopman | u17 | |
| Coach | DRICKUS VENTER | Coach | NJABULO ZULU | ||
| TEAM | KES | TEAM | PARKTOWN | ||
| 1 | Connor White | 1 | Manuel Motsi | ||
| 2 | Dylan Piek | 2 | Lethoko Mallane | ||
| 3 | Nathan Frank vd Merwe | 3 | Azola Peter | ||
| 4 | Chinedu Amadi | 4 | Disema Mofokeng | ||
| 5 | Thomas Beling | 5 | Kingsley Okonkwo | ||
| 6 | James Kabrowisky | 6 | Reval Meth | ||
| 7 | Sam Bruwer | 7 | Keith Ncube | ||
| 8 | Kebotile Maake | 8 | Mfunfo Nkosi | ||
| 9 | Regan McGurk | 9 | Thepiso Tladi | ||
| 10 | Vusi Moyo | 10 | Kelvin Kotey | ||
| 11 | Haniel Monkoti | 11 | Kabelo Jwili | ||
| 12 | Tristan Maugeri | 12 | Lisasa Mnukiso | ||
| 13 | Olunje Mehlomakulu | 13 | Calestin Felkers | ||
| 14 | Jarrell Mbuyi | 14 | Benjamin Nettleton | ||
| 15 | Mbuso Methula | 15 | Kgotso Tumahole | ||
| Coach | MARCO ENGELBRECHT | Coach |
@Ringo (Comment #32)
Thanks for the comments. We at Westville have always enjoyed the Jeppe Winter exchange, and love hosting you guys when you visit us. My son has formed great friendships over the years – so much so that he gets hosted by the same mates every time.
I must admit, I was very proud to see Westville honor the memory of Kaiden with the jersey presentation to your 2nd team just before 1st team game kick off. If you haven’t seen it, its worth a watch on Supersport Schools. Not many dry eyes in the house after that.
Respect to Jeppe Boys.
@Ringo (Comment #31)
Cheers! Was a very painful result. Will hopefully be a wake up call to those in charge. Well done on you result. And all the best against Affies.
@Griffin (Comment #28)
What a game on Saturday Westville were amazing you guys in KZN are blessed to have such fantastic schools…… I was truly amazed by the gesture of friendship and mutual respect that the Westville Boys and community showed to Jeppe …… I am one who often bemoans these new fixtures saying they are made up rivalries with no historic significance. Today I stand corrected….. Tens years into the Westville Fixture and I can trully say the Westville exchange is an amazing testimony to brilliance of the boys schools .. cross country, Table tennis, chess, Squash and hockey accross all the winter codes amazing…. in essence you only seem to get this in All boy schools and certain Afrikaans Coeds.. wish this could replicated for every child in school in SA this place would go places… Rugby and SA is little better today because of the work being done at these great schools such as Westville I think the improvement in Jeppe comes from associating with great schools such as Westville….. long may this fixture last and 31 years time when Westville celebrates its Centenary I hope Jeppe is there and celebrating the achievements of a fellow great school…… really top class day of SBR on Saturday your parents old boys and supporters were all excellent…. the war cries from both were superb …. and as a Jeppe old boy I can reiterate the sentiment shared by the boys *We love Westville ❤️ we do*
@Surgite (Comment #30)
Hardlines on the results on the Weekend I am sure Parktown will rise for us to hear the lion Roar again. The hockey is looking great as always and I am sure Parktown are among the favorites for the Aitken
@Ringo (Comment #23)
Surprisingly not! Madosh did play in the 2016 team but was prevented from playing SA schools for some reason. Can’t remember if it was because he was foreign born or if he got injured. Our SA schools player came the next year. A prop called Nkosikhona Masuku. Brilliant at school boy level and even played for the u21 Boks later on but never quite made it at the Lions for some reason. Now playing overseas, Romania the last I heard.
Haha, yes. No matter the score we always had our band and our voices. Always a great game against you guys. Likewise I will be rooting for you in your next few season deciding matches!
@OUD ANKER (Comment #27)
@Griffin (Comment #28) Westville is a brilliant team and I would not be surprised if your team is battling for top of KZN and best in SA honours next year especially…. think your fullback is special think over the last 10 years the score is 4-4 at first team level and down the line Westville might shade it 60 % to 40%. I know this fixture Like Affies is one of the new fixtures the boys love and is an enjoyable experience without all the old boy pressures…. in regard to Affies next week I know a win there would be brilliant ….. regarding Matt I heard he was not well after the Saints game on the weekend…. it is a big hole if we don’t have him ….. from the murmurs might be a stomach bag or something else ….. it was quite warm last weekend let’s hope is not the dreaded C word that would mean 21 days out ….. but the more important think is the well-being of the young man
Westville got the win last time we visited Jeppe – thanks to one or two brilliant performances from some of the backline players…
Not sure we have the same ‘X-factors’ this time around. Lets hope the result is not too one sided.
@wanza_15 (Comment #24)
Excellent posts from all the Jeppe and Parktown guys! These legends (Dalton etc) of the game and their high school stories make school boy rugby the unique beast that it is and shows that school boy rugby does not start and end in Paarl and Stellenbosch (my little jab!). You guys have 3 “test matches” in a row coming up, Westville, Affies and KES. Beating Affies next week end and you make history…
I see Coetzee not playing at 10 for Jeppe, nor Mndebele for KES…
@Ringo (Comment #23)
@wanza_15 (Comment #24)
The passion never fades.
49D
Athlone and Highlands Park, by 2013 in my grade 8 year were schools we were told to not even interact with for our own safety lol, nevermind play against them in sport.
Our history teacher used the James Dalton story as an example of a sit in when he was teaching us about the American revolution and the resistance by the workers lol.
The stories we heard about him is that he was a proper tough oke, the type that’d leave some afters on you when the ref turns his back and jogs away from the ruck. I’ve heard whispers too about this Moyle gentleman too? Brent first name?
Interesting the Teddy Bear picnic story. I imagined something similar when you made mention of it.. 2009 was a whalloping I’m aware, the biggest in the fixtures history. This year I think we have a real chance at the double against them, which would be nice obviously, but for me its all about the 20th, away at Affies. I sometimes need to check myself and remind myself that these are just school kids, but we need that 1st XV win over Affies..
@Surgite (Comment #21)
If I am not mistaken that SA schools player was Madosh Tambwe I mean imagine that backline that Parktown would have had with the Mpheku’s and Tambwe scary…. that 2015 Parktown win at KES was the stuff of legends….. think Parktown took over the KES open day that year and properly embarrassed them 😳 winning the hockey and rugby first team games ….. and as always the Parktown war cries are fire with the drums and band…. I always used to call Parktown the spelling bee champs ….. one of the lowest points for me in school was in 02 when we mispelled Jeppe after our half time school song at in game at Parktown and we were JEPE boys ….. and then we also lost that game *Arise* tomorrow people will be surprised I will be supporting Parktown 😉
K
Yeah we played Potch a lot in the early 2000s in fact they beat us quite often too we used catch a bus at 5 am to get to potch at 7 am… must say the potch trip was nice cause when you got there you got a jam filled fat cake and tea….our 3rds used to play Highlands North first as Wed fixture and that was always fun ….. on the Dalton story I wanted that portion to be told by someone else that he was not allowed to play hence my statement that the rest is History……Mr Quail was a disciplinarian and true educator at heart and suspended the star player before the biggest game of the season…. but the 2000s especially from 02 to 09 was a particularly bad patch in Jeppe rugby history….. but I guess in 90 years of a school like ours rugby you will have that ….. I might be mistaken but one of the reasons why we don’t have 100 years of Rugby history is that Jeppe was one of the last to convert from Soccer to Rugby in the 1920s and 1930s cause we used to completely dominate at soccer and the Red people and others completely jumped codes running from our domination on the soccer field 😉 but ja I only kid
All of these comments are very interesting to read. With regards to the Mpeku saga, the two boys were extraordinarily talented and were part of a very good crop of Parktown teams. Parktown produced their first SA schools player in 2017 and had the twins stayed they would have had another!
In the moment it seemed justified in stopping all fixtures against them. But in hindsight I think it may have been the wrong decision. Parktown would have had a very good chance at beating KES in 2016, making it twice in a row (after their first win in ages in 2015). And I do think that the disagreement led to ill will between the boys that passed through the schools during this time which is a great pity and should never have been allowed to happen.
The government schools of Joburg (and South Africa) are stronger when we stick together!
@Ringo (Comment #16)
I was actually unaware that you played those schools when you were at school, and I wonder why. Jeppe dropped the Athlone fixture in 1990, dropped Highlands North even before that and dropped Potch Boys in the late 90’s. I’m surprised that you played those schools.
@Ringo (Comment #15)
The school did go on strike for about 2 or 3 days. The game in question that Dalton was suspended for was the derby game, but it was also the centenary year fixture. Just to clarify that story though, the suspension was never rescinded and Dalton who very much was our talisman didn’t play in the centenary game – a game which we ultimately lost.
@Ringo (Comment #13)
I think I need to balance those feelings that you have towards KES and their antics at the particular game you mention. In the early 90’s Jeppe beat KES 21-0 which at the time was a record score between the two old foes. For years after that, the old boys used to bring carrots that they coloured black and white and used to throw those carrots at the KES supporters and old boys. In those days KES often felt Jeppe had a sense of superiority. Neither antics are right, but don’t forget there’s always a story!
Thanks for sharing these stories – bests for KES and Jeppe this year
I mean I personally miss Potchefstroom Boys and Highlands North as fixtures …When I was in school Athlone was already not playing rugby. Athlone Boys , Potch Boys and Highlands North are the norm unfortunately in post apartheid RSA and in 2009 we probably thought Jeppe was headed in that direction. Therefore the work that has been done in the last 15 years at Jeppe is proof that public private partnerships can work. With the right leadership things can be saved. Hope for RSA ….. Jeppe are the good guys and good news story where things seem to be following apart….. Rugby is a great sport I must say
@Kaya 85 (Comment #8)
Yeah the demise of Athlone rugby was a travesty and I have always thought the Red people from Houghton prefer the demise of their government school neighbors 🙄 since their God like superiority complex makes them prefer a relatively new relationship like a game against MC to their original traditional neighbors….. anyway when Bullet James Dalton was at Jeppe this might have been our centenary year or 91 the second last game of the season was against Athlone Boys and the then Headmaster Mr Quail “the original Batman” hence the batman chant when there is ten minutes left in a game ….. big fight in the game against Athlone proper Bez valley thugs stuff …. anyway the story went we won the game and the fight ….. but Mr Quail being the disciplinarian Suspended Dalton and Moyle from playing against Kes which caused a huge uproar cause the game the following weekend was Kes ….. anyway that resulted in a week long sit in apparently no boy went to a single class until the suspension was recinded….. for context Athlone started the fight….. but anyway the rest is history
@tzavosky (Comment #10)
I respect BV immensely my brother played for Jeppe 1st XV in 2007 and they played against Trevor Nyakane and those boys up there and I remember him saying those boys are as Hard as rock up there ….. I was just saying that I can imagine that BV looks at boys like our 8 and 13 and say 10 years ago these boys would have stayed in Tzaneen …… But it’s our good fortune that we have Khutadzo and Rasima and we like sourcing kids from all corners of the country and we hope to continue attracting kids from every corner of the country
@wanza_15 (Comment #9)
Sorry man just a really bad memory 😔 but in 2009 when KES were truly humiliating us I mean they were wining by a lot….their old boys put these Teddy bears in the in-goal and played out a picnic and chanted Jeppe can’t get past the halfway line hence their teddies are gonna enjoy the in-goal since our boys won’t be visiting it think they won that game 68 – 3 powered by their Dale College imports back then…. let’s just say they were less than gracious about winning that game…. hence the reason why when we won in 2010 it was so amazing…. Just my grief with KES has always been their sense of superiority…. in all honesty there isn’t much of a difference between Parktown, Kes and Jeppe ….. but if speak to KES people they think they are Grey College and we are Supatsela High from Yizo Yizo
@Kaya 85 (Comment #11)
Yes, 26-16 according to Beet’s records on the right.
@tzavosky (Comment #10)
Was it the same year that Ben Vorster beat KES at their festival…what a game that Wad…that openside was immense
@Ringo (Comment #4)
About us Tzaneen guys “having a chip on our shoulders”, it’s not really a big thing, man – we’re still basking in the glory of that 34-19 win over you guys at Ellispark in 2016 when you had the “big 3” on your team.
I clearly remember how the Jeppe supporters around us became ever so quiet as the game went on. Speaking of having a chip on my shoulder, of course!
@Ringo (Comment #5)
Ringo I had once asked you what the “Teddy Bear picnic” was in a previous thread. Guess you missed the message :”(
@Ringo (Comment #4)
KES always denied recruiting the Mpheku’s … they were adamant that the brothers came of their own volition, even releasing a public statement to that effect if my memory serves me. But they were helluva good players, and Parktown has only recently made their way back. Besides Jeppe v KES though, Jeppe’s major rivalry up to the 70s or 80s was with Athlone Boys High, who were even more notorious in the Bez Valley area.
I recall the Kennedy and Kelly Mpeku situation quite well, it was happening right under our noses.
It was interesting because that particular Parktown 2017 team that Kennedy would have been a part of had he stayed was actually not a bad team, nothing close to the one he was joining at KES, don’t get me wrong, but it would’ve definitely have had more than a punters chance on most other Saturdays.
I never know what to think of these things.. I know that 90% of people, myself included, probably lack some real context.
I also do know, as Ringo says, Parktown where really not happy with this, the fixture paused for 2 or 3 years even.
@Skywalker (Comment #2)
Short answer – everywhere. If I take my u14 year for example, 6/7 were on scholarship from around SA, maybe 4 or 5 were local guys from surrounding schools, Kensington/Bedfordview/Dunvegan/Hurlyvale, these tend to be physically capable gents, perhaps was already a relatively active child in Primary school, and typically these are the ones that have ties to Jeppe already through a grandfather, father or older brother, the pride already exists, Matthew Coetzee, as alluded to is in this category, but looking at this team, I can see a couple more – you just know them when you see them lol. And then maybe 3 or 4 I’d put in another category I can’t really define, something in between could come from the South maybe, or something.
But there is no 1 single pipeline, and so it is very difficult to predict how well a team will do and grow. It is also speaks somewhat to the inconsistencies on a yearly basis. This team could finish 6th and then next year we are 14th maybe, and then 21st and then back to 9th perhaps, and so on.. This is what the school has been trying to address – talent is one thing and you need it obviously, but there needs to exist structures, where we know that no matter what or who is playing, we can expect A, B and C from a Jeppe team, and they’ll be hard to beat.
A kid like Andre Pulton came to us from Kimberly as a talented cricketer and learnt rugby at Jeppe and in my humble opinion should be front and centre as the premier loosehead prop in SA schools rugby this year
@Skywalker (Comment #2)
The last of the very controversial poaching I heard off was when Kes lured the Mpheku Brothers to create that very potent 2017 team. The Mpheku’s were at Parktown and Kes really hurt Parktown at that time….. in general Jeppe tries to give opportunities to deserving boys from in and around the country we have a few boys from the EC/boarder qwalhwe week teams meaning rural schools….. Also a few from Tzaneen so Ben Vorster and Merensky may have a chip on their shoulders about missing these boys…. but also we have some boys who learnt their rugby at Jeppe take Matt Coetzee 3 years ago he was playing 3rd team rugby ….. as a kid who was 15 in grade 8 he was always behind his peers when he arrived at Jeppe coupled by the two missed covid years remember a lot of these kids missed u14 rugby ….. Rashima our Head boy and star number 8 was recruited by our number 13 Khuthadzu first team captain who loved and enjoyed Jeppe soo much after his first year there in 2020 that he got his mate Rashima to come in 2021….. we had that alot where boys tell their mates about how amazing Jeppe is that they are able to recruit them to join in grade 9 and 10….. Jeppe is very cosmopolitan like Joburg hence we have kids from everywhere
@Skywalker (Comment #2)
I can’t speak for Jeppe but of this year’s KES team, 14 were at the school in grade 8. The only boy who wasn’t there in grade 8 came from Bryanston High at the beginning of grade 10. He came because of rugby & athletics but who can blame him considering that Bryanston are in a far lower “league”. All of the boys in the KES team are local boys from Jhb, West Rand & East Rand.
Both Jeppe and KES have put out some really impressive teams in the last few years it seems. Where do most of the boys come from in terms of junior schools and is there an issue of poaching in JHB like has been reported in KZN?. Do they ‘top up’ teams or have they mostly been together since Grade 8? I never hear anything in terms of this issue in JHB. They could both be top 10 schools this year – so the pipelines must be very strong!
Don’t forget the blindside flank, looks class.