This is a sensitive topic, and the stance on it has been made clear before. In light of KES’s 0-102 defeat to Paarl Gim at the Noord-Suid tournament, it seems there is a consensus that there will be no immediate pressure to appoint a full-time head coach or Director of Rugby. One result does not alter KES Rugby’s long-term vision, which remains rooted in the school’s ethos as an all-round institution of excellence.
KES should not make decisions based on a single outcome. The aim is not to become a rugby-only school but to continue offering a well-rounded education alongside strong sports programmes. While attending events like the Grey High Festival has been considered, such tournaments could provide valuable competition against schools that align with the values KES Rugby strives to uphold.
The key is balance. The school is not rushing into appointing full-time officials, but will instead continue to support its players and coaches, ensuring the team remains competitive while staying true to the school’s ethos. This result will not define the path forward; the focus is on learning, adapting, and striving for excellence without being swayed by short-term setbacks.
@brentsw3 (Comment #19)
KES are ranked 16th overall over the past 14 years which is fair. My beloved Glenwood has fallen from grace due to nearby schools having more dosh, recruiting in primary school & generally more competition for talent. https://schoolboyrugby.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Overall-Rankings-2010-2024v2.png
@SB Rugby (Comment #4)
I meant generally speaking. Not specifically the 1st team and not this years 1st team. If you take a look at KES’s ranking across all age groups, over the last 15 seasons, you will find sides ranked in the Top 20 more often than not (1sts through to U14s).
@Skywalker (Comment #17)
Northwood has an awesome team,I would be excited if I was you for that test.
Paarl Gim I see beat Monument 66:16 today. Clearly an incredible team. Unfortunately for NW we face them this year. To add spice, Northwoods ex Headmaster is now the Head at PG. Maybe he will spare us haha. Nw faced Paarl Boys High 2 years ago and fought bravely, even scoring a try or two and last year faced the brilliant Jeppe team and DHS twice, both of whom were top 10 schools last year…But on current form this PG team must surely be the biggest challenge they have ever faced. A great opportunity for them but how long can they keep fighting seems to be the only answer right now. The Paarl derby will be one to watch for sure.
CHANGE AND ADJUST WITH THE TIMES
What I read here could even be close to the possible future of Kearsneys Easter Festival for the open sides. It would make a lot of financial sense for most schools and parents alike which could drive down.
@RuggaFreak (Comment #14)
Nice, good to hear. Example: Tyrone Peacock in 1995 jumped 2,16cm in u16, that record still stands. The 100m records all still stand, same with long jump and triple jump….
@Grasshopper (Comment #9)
Eastern Cape has a prestigious athletics competition among the model c boy schoolsl and the boys from the coeds called the Hirsch shield. 100+ years and still going strong.
@yesnomaybe (Comment #7)
But then what are we teaching these boys? To quit and its okay to quit whenever the going gets tough ? I think you play on no matter the result at high school level. KES was close to score a few times even though they were 80 points down, you keep going no matter how down you are, that’s life.
@buitestaander (Comment #3)
Times changed unfortunately. Schools are adopting massive sporting strategies to stay relevant.
These sporting events places massive national focus on schools and the ill-prepared will unfortunately be dealt massive reputational blows.
KES has some of the best sporting facilities in the province, there is no reason to be not prepared.
KES will have to accept these challenges and prepare as a host but also as a sport leader in the city/province.
DieHardParent
@theblackandwhite (Comment #10)
Weird hey. 92 to 96 were our worst rugby years, so if you did play us, you would have won. In 96 I think we played 19 games and won 2. Got hammered by Maritzburg College, although they had a few SA Schools players. The schools are so similar in terms of affluence and area, just weird…
@Grasshopper (Comment #9)I was at@Grasshopper (Comment #9)
@Grasshopper (Comment #9)
Similar years for us then, I was Jeppe between 93 and 97. We never had fixtures against Glenwood in much unless it was a festival, always wondered why as we played both DHS and Northwood when I was at school. I played against Glenwood rugby at the Easter Festival in 96 and I played cricket against Glenwood at some cricket festival at College in 97.
@theblackandwhite (Comment #8)
That’s interesting to know, I was not aware. I was at Glenwood 92 to 96, very much in the midst of when athletics was big. We had regular meets in KZN and then went up to Joburg to compete. In fact Glenwood won the Durban & Districts athletics 8 years in a row and we did the ‘double’ swimming and athletics a few times. Most of the records from then still stand now. Athletics has unfortunately become a 1st term just those interested do it, like a team of 10. I do wish it came back bigger, like the Pretoria Afrikaans schools do it.
@Grasshopper (Comment #6)
Ahtletics was not a very big sport at Jeppe, third term sports were also not compulsory. So you had most of the rowers who took on pre-season in the third term – then the vast majority of the Jeppe catchment areas in those day (I am led to believe is still the case) is from big soccer communities. Back in the 80’s and 90’s there used to be a club soccer league called the Caltex Colts and Jeppe boys contributed a lot to those leagues – Parktown were in the same boat. Oddly enough they have still got that league and Jeppe still contributes heavily to that league now – the top 30/40 soccer players don’t even play soccer at Jeppe now as they are all playing those leagues. So, Jeppe often had like 3 or 4 boys per age group doing the entire athletic program between them. KES and Boys High were both very good at athletics when I was at school, after I left I know that Affies joined the English school league in Athletics – I would imagine that they are pretty competitive.
Unfortunately these things can happen when you play against a top side, you have to start well, if you don’t, which is exactly what happened, it becomes an uphill battle, confidence is lost & everything seems to click for the team dominating.
Why oh why in a festival match or any match at schoolboy level do you have to see a 100 points being scored & worst of all live on channel 216.
The rule in all schools at any age group should be when there is a 50 or even 60 point difference between the teams, the ref needs to blow early. No one cares if its still the 1st half, no one wants to watch a match that’s not competitive. Even the parents of the winning side are not really interested. Both teams are not learning anything, one team wants to go home & the other side are fighting with each other about who wants to score next. Sometimes we forget that the majority of these boys will not go on & play pro rugby, they are playing cos they love the game, how many of those KES boys still love the game after that score. There are no bonus points at stake. Please officials catch a wake up & don’t ruin the game that we all love.
@theblackandwhite (Comment #5)
Spot on! Like WildeKlawer but for English medium schools ex Model C, hosted at a different school each year and yes stay in the BE. Maybe just A to D teams, 1st to 4ths, to ensure manageable numbers. One of my best memories was the Pentagular athletics event hosted by KES, I stayed with a PBHS family. KES, DHS, College, Glenwood & PBHS….not sure why Jeppe wasn’t there. So North (KES, Jeppe, PBHS, Parktown) vs South (DHS, Glenwood, Westville & Northwood)….
@Grasshopper (Comment #2)
I would love to see a festival like that once per year in the holidays, each age group from A-D team or however deep the schools go.
Each age group hosted by a specific school and all he boys stay in the BE, it would be a great experience for those kids. I have no doubt that most of the games would be very close in most years and with only once per year it would cut the travel costs for a lot of the kids going back and forth between the two provinces 3/4 times a season.
@brentsw3 (Comment #1)
With all due respect KES is an exceptional school without a doubt, however you referring to 2023 …… One result should not determine an entire season but facts are clear KES WAS top 20 contender
CONTEXT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT
KES is a great school, and will remain a great school. The outcome of a rugby match should never identify a school. The main function of a school is to develop a learner holistically. KES is doing exactly that.
Sadly, the reaction on the score of 102-0 once again shows that the importance of rugby is over-emphasized in SA schools. Each and every school should firstly clarify: “what is the main goal that is driving our extra-mural program?”. What do we want to achieve through our extra-mural program? As an educator, but also as a rugby fanatic, I have no doubt that there is an unhealthy focus on successes and unchiements in rugby. We are not doing the boys a favour. Rugby should never be more that just one of the numerous activities and events through which schools empower learners holistically to be able to face the challenges of life. That is what schools should do. Rugby should be one of the instruments through which the boys can learn the lessons of life. Prepare as good as you can. Play as hard as you can. Enjoy the game as much as you can. Enjoy being part of a team. Understand your responsibilities as a member of a team. Be a team player. Have fun. Serve your school as good as you can. Be proud of your school and your team, because you have done your best. “For when the Great Scorer comes to write against your name, it is not about whether you have won or lost, but how you have played the game”.
Rugby is important to the boys. It is important to our schools. Sadly, often too important. Rugby will remain important. Consequently, principals and SGB’s have the responsibility to provide context. For the vast majority of boys who play rugby, grade 12 is where it all ends. Then real life kicks in, and rugby becomes just a small part of life. Rugby, like many other things, should prepare learners for life after school. If it is a life in rugby, it is great. If not, he must be prepared for what life might demands. Winning is important, but winning is not everything. Context. Context.
That is the right decision, KES are not suddenly poor. They are an overall sporting powerhouse, hockey, basketball, waterpolo, cricket, athletics, soccer etc. Rugby is just one sport & if we are honest they are not really a Top 10 school, maybe near 10 in a great year but generally between 20 and 30. The traditional English boys schools have always been there, think Grey PE, SACS, Wynberg, Rondebosch, DHS, Glenwood, PBHS etc, usually 20 to 40. With the exodus of people from Jozi to the Cape, they taking top sporting talent with them and pooling it in Paarl, Stellenbosch, northern suburbs. Genuinely, as I’ve said many times, Joburg traditional English schools should play KZN traditional English Schools. Imagine a league or tourno with KES, PBHS, Jeppe, Parktown, St Johns, St Stithians, M College, DHS, Westville, Glenwood, Northwood, Kearsney, Hilton & Michaelhouse, 7 games a day and 3 games each over a week or more. ALL these schools have similar ethos & similar strength. Grey Bloem, Affies, Paul Roos, Paarl Gim and Paarl Boys have stepped up to another league….
I will once again refer to the national rankings (as imperfect as they may be, they our only point of reference) as posted on saschoolsports.co.za end of the 2023 season… U14s ranked 20th, U15s ranked 13th, U16s ranked 13th and 1sts ranked 8th… that would suggest KES are very much a Top 20 contender…I really don’t think now is the time for panic. A little introspection? Definitely. Today’s fixture against SACS will be interesting. Lets see how the boys bounce back…