As third-term rugby leads toward its business end, the pressure on some of schoolboy rugby’s best coaches is hitting season highs.
1. Tjaart van der Walt – Monument
He has had some great cup-run times with Monnas in the past (and Garsies before that), but their inconsistency along the journey has always drawn attention. This year has proven it again. The Witbulle have shown they can mix it with the best in SA, yet so far into the third term, they have simply failed to launch. The result is that the Witbulle, who are traditionally a top 10 rugby 1st XV, are in free-fall.
2. Justin van Winkel / Nic Groom – Wynberg
It’s a fairytale start that has turned into a bit of a nightmare. Wynberg’s unbeaten start to the season, which included a generational win against Boishaai on Brugstraat, has given way to a five-game losing streak that has seen them concede over 40-points per game on average. Compounding matters is the age-old school rugby coach’s worst nightmare – the perception of a terrific squad at his disposal without the achievements to match it. Berg sent seven to Craven Week and three to Academy Week, and after that, five were picked for the SA Schools line-ups. This strongly suggests that their 1st XV squad has quality written all over it.
3. Derek Heiberg – Glenwood
The unbeaten 2018 season was no mean feat and turned out to be a career-defining one for Glenwood’s man at the helm. However, post-Covid has proven to be as tough as it gets with inconsistency being at the forefront. Although a young 2024 first team with prospects of a very bright 2025 ahead, in a difficult profession, it’s proven to be extra challenging. The Grasshoppers are on an 8-match losing streak now and stopping Maritzburg College from breaking a double drought dating back to 2005, seems like a huge ask on Goldstones.
4. Johan du Plessis / Sylvester Booysen – Garsfontein
The duo built massive credits in 2023 by reaching dizzying heights as part of the success story that is Garsies rugby. However, a season on, it has been tough to extract the same results from what on paper looks like an amazing squad. It might seem foolish to bet against the Bere to reclaim the Noordvaal Premier League Cup, but they now face an outside possibility of not making the playoffs.
5. Sean Erasmus – HJS Paarl Boys’ High
He’s one of the highest-profile coaches in SBR, and during his last spell, he could have arrived at a Rugby Committee meeting, demanded a 10-year contract extension, and it would probably have been signed off within the hour. That’s how popular he was due to some standout achievements. However, that same high standard saw that his successor could not win over the die-hards and failed to get a contract extension, and it’s the same high standard that’s being used to judge him now. Boishaai has a young squad who look likely to set SA on fire in 2025, but 2024 has been average by the standard set. Winning the Paarl Interskole remains the yardstick. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most pressurized jobs in SA perennially.
6. Wes Chetty – Bishops
In an incredibly difficult rugby period for Bishops, this acknowledged talented head coach has successfully sidestepped being blamed for things going pear-shaped – which is unusual in SBR circles. Nevertheless, this does not stop the expectations of improvement. Bishops face the prospect of being Grand Slain in the Southern Suburbs – losing all six matches. If one goes back to 2010, this has happened to SACS a few times and Wynberg once but not Bishops.
7. Abre Minnie – Outeniqua
The Western Cape school rugby landscape has changed, and it currently does not work in The Kwaggas’ favor. They don’t enjoy the benefits of high-profile matches against the three Winelands giants. So, they have had to make the most of what they have (possibly better times to come). It has not been easy. Massive defeats to Grey College and Oakdale in their two biggest matches of the season, plus conceding 50+ to Waterkloof, defined the lows. Naturally, in SBR, the questions that follow are: is it time for a coaching change?
8. Allan Miles – Selborne
This idea that as time went on, Selborne would grow stronger in relation to its Border rivals and seek new competitive rivals elsewhere has just not materialized. Instead, Selborne rugby seems to be approaching a crisis point. They have now lost five of the last six to Queen’s. If some of the dramas that legendary coach Kev Smith faced in better times are anything to go by, one can only sympathize with what the current coach must deal with.
9. Stefan Lourens – Noordheuwel
Nories has made great strides in recent times. In rugby circles, their brand name is growing. In spite of this success, they face the prospect of elimination from the Noordvaal Premier League Cup before the playoffs, which, even though the competition is hot, would be a step backward in their progress path, as they have a good team this year.
10. Pieter Rossouw – Paarl Gim
Arguably the top-rated coach in SBR, it’s a bit surprising, but he has his fair share of Gim detractors. There is no getting around that in any given season, this remains one of the toughest assignments in SBR on the planet. Like his fellow coach at HJS, so much rides on the Paarl Interskole match. The biggest in the world, but also immense in the expectations that come with securing a win in a derby that is about as predictable in outcome as flicking a coin.
11. Matt King / Robbi Kempson – Grey High
Similar to Selborne, Grey were expected to become a bigger force to contend with in their region. Instead, it has been a hectic period with potentially more difficult times to come in 2025. Matt is still brand new, but Robbi joined Grey with conditions attached to his availability due to SuperSport commitments. So, it’s been a marriage with a difference, and it is fair to say that based on results, it has not yet worked as intended.
@ForeverHorseFly I believe only schools like Grey attract talented players good enough to play first team. Felix, Ethan Adams and Pieter Van der Merwe are from the Eastern Cape, Philip McLaren is from Welkom, Xander Smit is from Parys/Vaal, Liam Santos is from the Boland and Pretorius Ekeji is from Bethlehem but I can’t tell you for sure if they were recruited or not (I suspect they were). There is also no difference between a bursary beneficiary that comes in at grade 8 and one in grade 10 because you’re spending money to be competitive. Paul Roos did it Dylan de Leeuw and recently Nazier Issacs who is currently at Maritzberg College, Grey did it with Merwe Oliver, Paschal Ekeji and FC du Plessis who came in at grade 10 but makes no difference between them and all the others that came in when they were 13/14
@Snelvuur (Comment #36)
@Snelvuur (Comment #36)<br
There is no doubt that the big 5 that I refer to (Roos, Gim, HJS, Affies & Grey) are phenomenal schools in all aspects, not only in sport but in all aspects of schooling, some schools offer more variety of sports more than others. For example some schools offer basketball, football, waterpolo, mountainbiking, golf, surfing & others don't. Some of these schools might offer the sport but they only have 5-7 teams whereby another school would have 10-12 teams in that chosen sport. This all affects the numbers of the rugby sides & dilutes the teams. This might not make any difference to the rugby results, however, to maintain a top 5 rugby playing school in the country for the past 20 years, cannot be easy, but for the other schools to try & stay competitive with them is even more difficult. Lastly we need to factor in Afrikaans speakers in this conversation because for these boys, rugby just means more. I know that is generalising as there are a lot of English speaking boys that attend these so called Afrikaans schools, however, coming from an English speaker like myself its the truth. Rugby just means more & I have no issue with that at all.
@yesnomaybe (Comment #35)
I hear what you say about money and the “numbers game”, but I think you are completely discounting other factors. Compare PRG and Wynberg, for example. PRG has 1300 boys and Wynberg 1000 boys. In other words, Wynberg has 77% of the number of boys PRG has. Despite this, Wynberg only fields 19 rugby teams compared to PRG’s 29 (65.5%). There is thus an underrepresentation even when considering the number of boys in the school. Hockey, on the other hand is somewhat overrepresented in Wynberg comparatively (17 teams in PRG vs 15 in Wynberg, i.e., 88%). So it’s not just a numbers game, but also prioritisation. Should Wynberg’s prioritisation and relative overrepresentation in hockey not result in a positive set of results according to your logic? Well, that certainly wasn’t the case – whereas they managed to win one rugby game, they lost every hockey game against PRG. And it’s definitely not just a “money game” to stay at the top. Garsfontein’s struggles this year despite their significant investment are testament to this. Sure, money helps and numbers help, but these are not the be-all and end-all. It’s also about creating a strong rugby and sporting culture of excellence throughout. And that’s what the “blueblood” schools do better than the rest on a consistent basis. A good example of this can be found in PRG’s “lean years” in the 2010s when they didn’t “buy” any players. Despite this, four Springboks have emerged from this group to date – Herschel Jantjies, Edwill vdM, Damian Willemse and Ben-Jason Dixon. It’s not just about the talent you get through the door, but also how you develop them.
@ForeverHorseFly (Comment #33)
They all recruit and provide study assistance, either directly or indirectly. But you need to want to go there.
Not sure that they recruit en masse from distant shores
How do we define what a recruit is? If a player has been with a school since grade 8 are they still considered a recruit irregardless of which province they came from? Arent all grade 8 recruits then in that case whether its for rugby or otherwise seeing as kids have to choose a high school after grade 7? Most of the players you’ve mentioned have been at DHS since grade 8 and it was always a special group, even as u16 in 2022, you could see the potential and the coaching by Engeldow this year has definitely helped them realise that potential and theyve been a really good side…yes there are a few players that came in post grade 8, but we did lose some talent along the way as well.
I’ve often wondered if the perennial top five rugby schools offer bursaries to some of their grade 8 intakes annually or not or is all that talent just naturally attracted to the schools with no effort on the side of the school to bring those players in? Maybe someone can answer
@yesnomaybe (Comment #26)
Also just to note that SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd does not in fact operate a ranking system in the way you seem to suggest. It’s Beet, and SASS, and BHP and real rugby lovers across the country who make lists, and talk and compare and set up competitions like Noord Suid and Wildeklawer…all essentially for the love of the game. In Noordvaal there is the NV Cup, but it doesn’t sound like you are bemoaning those school teams…
But I’m wondering what you are actually accusing ‘whoever’ of? Because Wynberg seems to have gotten a great deal with the WP team selections at CW / AW and of course as we all can see, with the SA Schools selection Wynberg is supposedly now the best school in SA, and nobody needed a ranking system to establish that.
@yesnomaybe (Comment #26)
I feel that your point regarding mental health is very valid…the pressure starts much earlier for these lads. But I don’t think there is less anxiety and pressure in the NFL Draft system for indivuduals, no way. Theoretically it means that the teams who ended in lower positions the previous season, they get to pick first. But the process goes in rounds, and you see how many swops, trades, deals etc etc get done. So, far from being a level playing field, it’s a big hustle.
But even so, this might/could apply to the ‘amateur’ Varsity Cup players moving into Pro local teams (only the 4 URC teams essentially), so I don’t see how that is a valid point when comparing to school boy rugby and high schools’ recruiting.
@yesnomaybe (Comment #26)
So Grey Kollege uses current teachers as coaches …in fact the first team coach teaches at the school and is also the housemaster of Murry house
As for the numbers Wynberg has 1000 boys its not a small school
@yesnomaybe (Comment #28)
So, calling your bullshit is now being defensive? Just answer the questions and stop being evasive.
@yesnomaybe (Comment #26)
You have been moaning and whining about rugby budgets for so long now, but never provide any substantiation.
Until Eikestad Primary school vacated the west wing of PRG, we hardly had 600 boys, but still had more than 20 rugby teams, plenty hockey teams etc., and Wynberg could not accommodate all teams.
What is Wynberg’s rugby budget? How many pupils at HJS? No-one changes their budgets for rankings. Maybe we must stop attributing points to tries and kicks, then no-one can win or lose. Now that Craven week/SA Schools are no longer purely about talent…..what next?
I hate to say it, but 90% of it is about the money. Because its the money that will bring success in the form of coaches, recruitments, facilities, etc.
We have to look at other sports that have been professional for much longer than rugby, look at the English premier football league, how many teams actually stand a chance to win the league. Occasionally you get a side that performs phenomenally but then within a year or 2 its back to normal with the same teams/schools at the top.
Tier 1 school, yes they are, but you will find that they have the biggest rugby budgets. Ticket to success, huge Old Boys Union / Russian Oligarch & away you go, its the same in club rugby, Money will buy you success.
WRT Depth -Then you have the numbers game, Grey Bloem, Affies, Paul Roos have far more boys than majority of the other schools that they play against so hats off to the other schools Like Gim, HJS that are up there with far less scholars to choose from. To see top rugby coaches leave the Pro ranks or clubs to coach schoolboys shows you where the money is. It would be awesome to find out from these so called Tier 1 schools how many boys that play A side actually pay school fees, however, I doubt that would ever happen.
Solution – I don’t know, as long as their is a ranking system in this country, then poaching, bursaries will only get more out of hand. The pressure unfortunately end up on a 14 year olds shoulders because now his folks are relying on him to produce every week. We talk about mental health on the increase but now as a 14 year old he is expected to be a machine every week & dare him have a bad day. The Americans still have the best system which obviously would never work here although I reckon could work in the Pro Ranks with the draft, whereby the lowest ranked side gets first pick etc.
@Deon (Comment #20)
True SA school rugby blue bloods:
Grey Bloem
Paul Roos
Paarl Boys
Paarl Gim
Affies Pta
Maritzburg College
SCHOOLBOY RUGBY IS A PRO'S GAME!
It’s both exciting and scary to realise what it takes to compete at top level.
Tier 1 schools. @Beet do You perhaps know which schools has already made significant changes for the season to come in regards to coaching staff amd why?
@Farmer (Comment #18)
Oh dear! I thought he was in the final year of a three year contract. Whatever it is I’m almost certain that the headmaster will extend/ renew his deal. This Headmaster is not a sports mad person so rugby and sport facilities are definitely not very high on his priority list, sadly. Grey has about 1 500 boys across the Junior and High schools but it is one of the few schools not to have an indoor sports facility. If Kempson continues at Grey he will have no excuses regarding results next year. All the age group teams have come through under his watch. Hopefully they will do better next year.
That’s true, Grey College’s Julian Cosmo played 3rd team rugby as a lock in 2023. He signed with the Bulls for next year.
@Running_Rugby1861 (Comment #15)
Something that struck me about the PRG-Bishops game over the weekend was the fact that no Bishops boys stuck around to watch the first team game. That is dramatically different from 10 years ago. And I know the results aren’t great currently, but to me the bigger cultural issue is that guys aren’t bothering to stick around to support each other. Maybe it’s different for the Triple Crown games.
@Raps (Comment #19)
You can recruit a great first team, second and maybe third etc, but one can never recruit the depth of a true, thorough blood/ blue blood rugby school like Affies and some of the Winelands teams etc., where boys go from afar as they want to actually go to the school and not “to the first team”. There are only 4 true blue blood rugby SCHOOLS in SA, and their first teams feature numbers 2-5 on most long time rankings. Bo blink en onder blink.
Recruitment is one of the first steps of being a good side but coaching is arguably the most important one. DHS is arguably the best in KZN currently and have loads of recruits. Simka, Stamper, Nero, AKA Boqwana, Madikane, Basson, Jackson, Unaye, Cedras and Jordan Van Wyk are all from Eastern Cape and Western Cape respectively plus they got Teddy Dlamini from Glenwood as well but what makes them the best is that they’re coached exceptionally well and to top it off they play good stuff as well. No doubt Westville have some talented players but individual brilliance can only take you so far
@Archie (Comment #14)
What i heard is Kempston has a 5 year delal next year is year 4 so when the 0/16 group is grade 12 he said results will flow in lets hope on that.
@SB Rugby (Comment #13)
Yeah its Marais Viljoen who are in line for the drop with Valia or Middies the most likely to get the promotion at this stage. Nories are safe by a long way. What I was leading to is that Nories might not be part of the NVC post season.
Its an extra great compo this year and in true cup style peaking at the right time is vital but since making the playoffs isn’t a guaranteed for a few 1st XVs that have the talent and motivation to win it, these next few weeks are crucial as well.
@Archie (Comment #14)
I’ve always believed that the best schoolboy coaches are teachers ,if they are from that same specific school all the better its not necessarily a bad thing if he is an old boy also….Kempson for all the clout he has as a former Bok are neither,and to be honest he doesn’t have the best track reckord as a coach,I’m sure there are excellent coaches within the Grey high faculty that will make a success as first team coach ….It has been the success recipe at Grey college for generations and there is a very good reason for it….
To be perfect honest. Bishops need a change of management at 1st team level. We have the right people just a broken puzzle.
It’s easy to avoid blame when you play 13 matches on a weekend and all 13 lose.
But one thing that has happened is we pick and go far to much at 1st XV level. Also please play players in their correct position.
COMMENT 12 GREY HIGH
From what I know there are many parents and Old Greys who are very disappointed with him and the way the team has been playing. The leading try scorer is their hooker. I’ve hardly seen the ball get to the wings. We lost our third straight match to Framesby last week and also lost to Dale who are very average .
We hope that a full time rugby coach with an empathy for young men will be appointed soon!
@beet I stand to be corrected & have not seen the overall logs of the Noord Vaal cup in a while but surely noordheuwel is safe from relegation? must 5 or 6 place overall?
Hey Beet
Respectfully you’re wrong about the rugby environment at Grey High.
Things really looking up.
Last of the old guard years will be 2025, only one bursary boy in the Grey 1st XV that played against Grey Bloem on Saturday (zero recruitment when current grade 11’s and 12’s were in grade 8.)
Some changes coming to Grey’s fixtures too.
Robbi has the support of the Grey rugby fraternity
@Raps (Comment #10)
I guess opinions can differ.
I produced a list of coaches who I felt had a season to remember in 2024 and Jabz is on it. The KZN league isn’t an easy one to simply recruit and expect to do well in anymore. It really felt like Westville had a good time in 2024. The overall form was an improvement and the brand of rugby was so entertaining to watch. Lineout work is vital to success and admittedly if there is a bone to pick with Ville, its with this setpiece but even here I have an opinion that part of the reason a school has a Director of Rugby is to use his technical skills and networking to sort that jazz out.
Big questions have to be asked of Njabulo Zulu at Westville. Team is stacked with recruits but constantly fails to deliver. Monnas, Glenwood, Menlo and Graeme are all in trouble in years to come in my opinion.
@Farmer (Comment #7)
Grey High will be a force once again soon. 16A and 15A both very strong
@Farmer (Comment #6)
I know about the tournament didn’t know Grey high will attend ,apologies mate 👍👍👍
Global Schools Challenge
@Smallies (Comment #5)
Grey Bloem is hosting an tournament and Grey PE will be playing there will help lots to set them up for next season also some nice new fxtures for them next year.
@Farmer (Comment #4)
Grey PE isnt hosting the Des tournaments.. unless they are attending one that I dont know about if they are then my apologies
Im also talking about Grey PE.
@Farmer (Comment #2)
At the risk of sounding like an asshole ….this is Grey High in PE Beet is talking about not Grey Kollege …
Grey will have a good team next year 0/16 are solid top 10 team couple of 1st team stays behind things looking good for next year and with the Grey Des tournament they going to sort lots out.
Johan en Sylvester weet wat hulle doen,Garsies is gelukkig om hulle as afrigters te hê.