March 2026
Garsies vs Jeppe has become a March regular. The Bere have won all three previous meetings, but each was tight—by 4, 6 and 8 points. Jeppe’s 10 returning 1st XV players boost their hopes, but Garsies remain one of the country’s top sides.
| TEAM | GARSFONTEIN | TEAM | JEPPE | ||
| 1 | Andre van Wyk | u17 | 1 | Joshua Hamman | |
| 2 | Justin Blom | u19 | 2 | Mehlatse Memeza | |
| 3 | Matt Kleingeld | u18 | 3 | Aluwani Ndlovu | |
| 4 | JJ Fourie | u18 | 4 | Blake Esbend | |
| 5 | SW Potgieter | u17 | 5 | Glodi Tshipamba | |
| 6 | Stefan vd Vyver | u18 | 6 | Kuhle Shitlangu | |
| 7 | Derik Potgieter | u18 | 7 | Ross Schuurman | |
| 8 | Lourenz de Jager | u18 | 8 | Mihle Dyakala | |
| 9 | Dian van Aswegen | u18 | 9 | Luxon Zwane | |
| 10 | Joshua Gouws | u18 | 10 | Ndzalama Mbhalati | |
| 11 | Neil de Kock | u18 | 11 | Lethabo Mashao | |
| 12 | Keagan Knighton | u18 | 12 | Phano Letsie | |
| 13 | Levi Jordaan | u18 | 13 | Joel Akilo | |
| 14 | Drewyn Baron | u18 | 14 | Ndimphiwe Mjiji | |
| 15 | Lemarc Henry | u17 | 15 | Dalitso Milanzi | |
| 16 | Ruben Lombard | u17 | 16 | Chase Sadlet | |
| 17 | Brendon Branford | u18 | 17 | Kwazi Nyoka | |
| 18 | JP Meintjes | u18 | 18 | Mervedi Ndomba | |
| 19 | Jeandré Tredoux | u18 | 19 | Thando Msimang | |
| 20 | Dean Wilbers | u17 | 20 | Kai Joubert | |
| 21 | Ruan Fluks | u17 | 21 | Andre Harmse | |
| 22 | Yuvrah George | u18 | 22 | Luthando Maranxa | |
| 23 | Eukan Meyers | u18 | 23 | Matuma Mamabolo | |
| Coach | SYVESTER BOOYSEN | Coach | DRICKUS VENTER |
@Die_Ramshoring (Comment #67)
Eks baie ver van die span en ken geen van die afrigters of verwikkelings daar nie. My seun gee my so nou en dan nuus as hy iets hoor maar my main source van gebeure is maar hier op die blog. Wie hulle nou daar het vir lynstane het egter sy hande vol. Dis iets wat die Bere moet uit sort.
@Grizzly (Comment #64)
Is daar al ‘n plaasvervanger vir die leemte wat Andries Bekker gaan laat?
Hoekom sal jy so sê? Hulle het Saterdag baie ver gewen. Hulle het aanbeweeg.
@Grizzly (Comment #64)
Ek gaan nou nie name noem nie.
Maar ek dink Monnas is spyt hulle het nie meer vir Tjaart nie.
@Rainier (Comment #62)
Moes die woord gaan Google. Waar in die Ooste? Menlo? 😂Dis maar so. Die Bere sal hom op die ken vat. Jeppe gaan nog mooi kaarte deurmekaar krap die seisoen.
@Rainier (Comment #62)
Ek dink almal besef ‘n 1e wedstryd van die seisoen kan lelike piesang skille oplewer (vra maar vir Gim). Affies self was baie naby aan ‘n Waterkloof “piesangskil”. Gewoonlik staan die PTA manne darem saam as daar gespeel word teen enige iemand suid van Jukskei, so ek dink darem nie daar was enige (ernstige) schadenfreude nie.
Erens in die Ooste is daar bietjie schadenfreude.
@Tang (Comment #60)
Thanks. Yes in the reviews 3 things stand out for me. Line outs, conditioning and conditions. It’s very early days and I remember last season Gim drew with Rondbosch first game and turn out to be a monster team. So I still have high hopes for this team.
TOP NOTCH SEASON OPENER.
I went to the game but did not take my phone with me so I couldn’t post scores. What a fantastic game of schoolboy rugby. Both teams were top notch! Jeppe looked very good and deservedly came back into the game and secured the win. Garsies looked very good in the first half and first 15 minutes of the second half. A few injuries and conditioning caught up with them. Jeppe capitalized on the Garsies handling errors and scored some very good counter attacking tries. Overall, both teams can hold their heads high. It was a very physical season opener and the skill and intensity from both teams was exceptional.
@Turnover (Comment #58)
Oom Blackie hulle is so 2 jaar terug weg nuwe mense is ook heel nice. Dalk maar net op n af naweek gevang.
Is Oom Blackie nie meer daar nie? Hulle diens was altyd puik? Jeppe wen geen verassing – hulle sit baie in hul rugga
Daar is niks vreemd aan wat na bewering by Hoërskool Garsfontein gebeur het nie. Wanneer die rolle tussen ’n Direkteur van Rugby en ’n Hoofafrigter begin vervaag, is botsings byna onvermydelik. Dit gebeur in baie groot rugbyprogramme waar strukture al hoe meer professioneel raak en verantwoordelikhede begin oorvleuel.
Die interessante deel gaan wees hoe dit Menlo se rugbyprogram ’n werklike vonk gaan gee. Goeie afrigters bring nie net taktiek nie, hulle bring stelsels en netwerke, nie noodwendig kultuur nie.
Met die sterk rugbykorridor rondom die Atterbury Groep kan dit dinge baie interessant maak in Pretoria se skolerugby.
As enigiets, kan dit net nog ’n laag van kompetisie en intrige by die Pretoria-skole rugbytoneel voeg. 🏉
H
Jy verdien dit, dit is verskil tussen Garsies en Affies….Affies Ouers bestel alles op Uber Eats, leer daaruit en eet vgl keer “tou” very 😆 🤣
H
Was bitter teleurgesteld in die verversing en snoepie storie Saterdag. Moet eers in n halfuur tou staan om te bestel en dan om die hoekie gaan wag vir nog n halfuur vir n kerrie en rys. Hele 2de span game in n tou gestaan.
Dit is vir my n groter worry as die lynstane
@Mate (Comment #50)
Ek hoor wat jy sê, maar laasjaar het die onder 15 span (16 die jaar) n wen gehad met n telling van 17-0 en het waarskynlik n beter seisoen gehad laasjaar as wat hulle onder 14 gehad het. Daardie 88-0 was ook heel waarskynlik n Jeppe span wat baie anders gelyk het as wat hy huidiglik lyk. Ek dink ook nie Jeppe se juniors kan meer gesien word as van die sogenaamde “klein honde” nie. Glo dinge sal beter begin gaan voor die toere vir al die spanne in Maart/April
@Garsieoldboy (Comment #49)
Die lynstane kom nou al jare.Dan wat Duppie betref ek dink jys in die kol. Verder sal Bantjies se hand van dissipliene ook gemis word as dit n issue is of kan raak. Kom ons gee al die nuwe mense n kans om hulle voete te vind, dis early days. Ek dink nog steeds hulle kan top 5 seisoen he.
@Mate (Comment #50)
Dankie Spear. Miskien is die kondisionering die groot probleem huidiglik. Dis baie early days. Ek het ook toe ek die halftyd telling sien gedink hys gemaklik in die sakkie. Kom ons kyk as hulle fiks is.
@Garsieoldboy (Comment #49)
Ek hoop maar jy is reg.
Die 0/15’s was okay maar ek dink die 0/14’s en 0/16’s sou op die dag groot pakkies slae gevat het teen die groot honde.
Time will tell
Hoe gaan mens van 88-0 wen na n verloor in 2 jaar?
@Mate (Comment #48)
Ek verskil van jou ten opsigte van die juniorspanne wat baie werk kort. Die onder 14 spannetjie is nie so goed soos die vorige 2 jare se spanne nie maar Jeppe se onder 14 span is baie sterk so n 8 punte verskil is darem nie te sleg nie. Die onder 15 span het baie gemaklik gewen met 2 drieë deur Jeppe aan die einde van die wedstryd om die telling beter te laat lyk. Die onder 16 span het bitter sterk begin en toe gaan lê wat Jeppe toegelaat het om terug te kom en te domineer, iets wat mens nie van daai onder 16s gewoonlik sal verwag nie hulle is n uitserse goeie en goed afgerigte span. Die b,c en d spanne by al die juniors en seniors het ook gewen. So glad nie nodig vir slapelose nagte oor die toekoms nie
@Grizzly (Comment #46)
Skies as ek inchip hier maar ek glo nie dit is net doom en gloom vir julle. Garsfontein kon net sowel gewen het, was eintlik gerieflik voor tot halfpad deur 2de helfte, en selfs tot in 65ste minuut. Ek het gevoel gekry hulle nog nie werklik fiks. Hele paar het gekramp in laaste 10 minute.
Baie sterk geskrum en agtelyn mooi voluit gehardloop. De Kock het 3 mooi driee gedruk, veral die 1ste twee baie spoed gewys.
Ek het so baie verwag van die 15 maar hy was baie stil, het n goeie aangee gemaak vir de Kock se 3de drie, maar verder gelyk of hy bietjie lyf wegsteek, dalk n ligte besering. Met Gouws se balverspreiding kan die 15 amok maak as hy net besiger raak.
Ek dink nie daar hoef slapelose nagte te wees behalwe vir die toekoms, die juniorspanne kort baie aandag
@Grizzly (Comment #46)
Wat ek wel vir jou kan sê is dat die kinders hulle lyf oor en oor op die spel sou sit vir Duppie. Ek is nie seker of daar al daardie tipe vertroue en samehorigheid geskep is tussen die span en nuwe afrigtings korps nie. Soos ek gesê het gaan daar hard gewerk moet word aan die lynstane. 2,4 en 6 was almal laasjaar al deel van die span met 4 en 6 wat die hoof “lineout jumpers” was verlede jaar so dit kan nie n geval wees van nie mekaar ken nie. Dan is die skrums ook nie so dominerend soos verlede jaar nie met 2 relatiewe nuwe stutte, sal nog beter word met ervaring. Agterlyn nog nie gevuur soos hulle kan nie, maar dit was nat en glad so verstaanbaar. Dink die agterlyn gaan die jaar moet opstaan en wys want ek dink dis waar ons sterkpunte lê. Min spanne in die land wat n Yuvrah George op die bank kan hê en n 11 wat in sy plek speel en hom baie goed van sy taak kwyt. As ons aan die klein goedjies kan werk en die lynstane kan reg kry sal ons baie kompeterend wees die seisoen.
@Garsieoldboy (Comment #29)
Kan jy vir my n annalise gee van die game en meer belangrik het jy die gevoel gekry die ontwrigting einde laas jaar speel n rol? Jy hoef nie feite te gee nie jou gut gevoel is genoeg vir my. Spear het n goeie opsomming gegee en die spelers wat hy uit gelig het, het ek geweet sal gevaarlik wees. Die Bere se lynstane sukkel nou al jare en is onaanvaarbaar. Dis iets wat af gerig kan word. 2 en 4 al laas jaar daar. Ek het nog steeds groot hoop vir die span die jaar.
@Mate (Comment #40)
Thank you Mate.
The 5, Glodi, was the Academy Week lock last year. He is also a 1st team basketball player. You may not believe me, but he is actually more passionate about basketball than he is about rugby. In all honesty, unfortunately for him, he is a much better rugby player and I am glad to hear he put in a big performance today. He played really well against KES as well last seasons back end.
I am also pleasantly impressed by the u14 score. I hope they can kick on. Obviously the immediate future is the highest priority, so I am very encouraged by that U16A score and the work Spilhaus is doing. Looks like 2nds very agonizingly short. My homework now is to try and find out the make up of that 2nd Team, how many grade 11s are in it. The bench today according this team sheet Beet has presented has 4 Grade 11 names I recognize, and then of course the 3 that started, looks good.
@Vleis (Comment #43)
I am not sure where he is but I miss him
@Mate (Comment #42)
Yep, some things will always remain a mystery – e.g. why did Dup leave; Stonehenge; where Mr T has lived in the past few years!
@Vleis (Comment #41)
Lekker Vleis
I tried to get the real reasons for Rugbyman’s departure there but it was as if an omerta was sworn
That’s a brilliant result for Jeppe, away from home.
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It sounds like Jeppe have a team with great talent, were well prepared and played with grit…but…I wonder if the change in coaching staff hurt Garsies a little? I see that Menlo have had two huge wins so far.
@wanza_15 (Comment #38)
If I have to pick a man of the match it must be the tall nr 5, he was everywhere
The pack played as a unit, carried well and hardly missed a first time tackle
The captain, nr 12 was the standout back to me and the 10 very solid.
Backline players very solid on defense in the 2nd half
Overall the whole team impressed me especially their physique
I am going to be watching those u/14’s this season, holy crap they were good today
@wanza_15 (Comment #36)
I know its a family secret who coaches the u14s but he won today ….. can tell you for free how broken he was after the 88 nil rugby lesson two years ago …. I am super happy for the kids who were in that u14 team and now have won today
@Mate (Comment #30)
@Mate you are going to have to tell us who of the Jeppe guys played well!!? Or what you feel like Jeppe did well today
Please🙂
@Djou but this win in the 1st XV game is massive for us … I mean the Bere are the Noordvaal champs 🫶🫶🫶🫶🕺🕺🕺🕺……. winning away from home against such a juggernaught is the defining moment for the 2026 season
I was also quite surprised at the U16A win @Ringo
But yeah, Spilhaus handles the U16s now which is a genius move in my opinion.
@Djou (Comment #32)
The problem is I do not trust AI on my personal phone … I use it all the time for work but for talking sh*t I prefer broken English
@Kaya 85 (Comment #33)
Mr Spilhuas…..what a legend
@Ringo (Comment #31)
Wow what a turnaround….who is coaching?
@Ringo (Comment #31)
You are funny – language gets better with AI😄😄.
So glad for Jeppe, sounds weird, but I am. Tough luck for Garsies!
I know my drunk opinions from KZN mean nothing to Jeppe……..but the u16a results is the biggest turnaround ever they lost 88 nil in 14 now win ….Die Bere are odenlik folk forgive me for my broken Afrikaans … I suck at English🙆🏾♂️🙆🏾♂️🙆🏾♂️😜
The Jeppe boys sang and cheered for 70 minutes and the players never gave up.
Very well conditioned for so early in the season.
Some real athletes in this Jeppe team.
Tough luck Garsies, you just ran out of steam.
Hard to single out Jeppe players, they were all superb.
For Garsies their nr 2 immense and the 4, 10 , 12 and 11 very good
Well done Jeppe.
Bere gaan HARD moet werk aan lynstane die week anders gaan dit n lang seisoen word.
Great stuff Jeppe! Great win!
Stellenberberg 20 Gim 19
@Mate (Comment #25)
Baie geluk Jeppe.
Jeppe scored in the dying munites under the sticks and then hold up Garsies on their tryline to win 29-26
Halftime
Gars 19-10 Jeppe
Jeppe u/16A 29-28 Garsfontein
Never looked like Garsfontein could win this
Garsfontein 2nds 30-24 Jeppe 2 nds
@Mate (Comment #20)
Dankie vir die scores.
U15A
Garsfontein 36-15 Jeppe
Jeppe u/14 A win convincingly 25-17
Some big ball carrying forwards and very talented playmakers amongst the backs
@Kaya 85 (Comment #11)
Yup! Jeppe has a knack for recruiting boys from MP, it’s KES that typically go for the EC boys & the “Saints schools” often going across the Limpopo River.
@wanza_15 (Comment #8)
The latest Jeppe player to get a crack at 1st team rugby as an u16 was Khuthadzo Rasivhaga in 2022, it was against Parktown if my memory serves me correct.
& you are right in saying Jeppe & all-boys schools in general being strict about u16s playing opens rugby especially with BokSmart nailing down on this quite hard particularly with front rowers.
With that being said, I stand to be corrected, u16s can get a go at 1st team rugby for as long as there are no u19 boys on the field at that given time or on the teamsheet. I know there should be no more than a 2 year age gap between all boys on the field of play unless this rule has been further updated. I remember two guys in my year (Kyle Meadows & Jaden Collaros [Who funny enough went on to play ahead of the 2018 starting 9 in 2019 when that guy was in matric]) being groomed to be capped against St John’s in 2018, our u16 year, but couldn’t due to there being an u19 on both teams that day so they sat the rest of the match out on the bench.
Spot on Kaya & Vleis.
I myself attended Bedfordview Primary and played soccer religiously.
Going to Jeppe actually ended that dream in its tracks, as it began to take shape, story for another day. There were about 15 of us who went to Jeppe from my 2012 Grade 7 class, I think we were the most that year. Jeppe Prep had about 13, and the same give or take for Hurlyvale and Dunvegan, a little less Leicester Road but they were there – these schools all range between 4 and 13km from Jeppe. The “South” boys that took public transport accounted for about 10, they all used to take the bus together up to Ghandi Square and then connect to the South from there (Glenvista, Winchester, and a couple Soweto).
But then an U14A team is made up of anything between 4 and 6 scholarship boys, they come from far wide, but there isn’t 1 area/province Jeppe focuses on sourcing rugby talent from, though a lot have come from MP and Vaal. We get guys from Krugersdorp, Free State, EC, and Limpopo, really is a mix. This team have a lot of Xhosa sounding names, so maybe there has recently been a focus on Eastern Cape, but I really don’t know. For hockey, there is definitely a focused area – Kimbereley.
@Mate (Comment #13)
You back in SA Mr T – I thought that you were in Aus, or was it Mauritius?
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Yes, my son’s primary school (Dainfern) did not play rugby when he finished in 2011; however, they started a few years later and now a lot of Soutie primary schools play rugby. That has helped improve the standard of the Soutie high schools, but a bigger factor, in my opinion, that has improved the standard at schools like Jeppe, KES, DHS, etc is the amount of talented non-white players that are now playing such excellent and passionate rugby. This was not the case 20 years ago.
@Mate (Comment #13)
Most of those schools were Soccer/Cricket hotbeds but since about the 2007 RWC win, maybe 2010-12 started introducing rugby slowly but surely, starting with grade 7, then 6-7, not sure exactly right now,…. been sleepwalking thru life last few years…Kaya awake now.
@Kaya 85 (Comment #11)
Thanks Kaya
Wasn’t aware that most of these primary schools play rugby. That is fantastic
It’s about time the english schools start snotklapping the afrikaans powerhouses
See you in Jacqueline street tomorrow
On another note, at’24 GK week I remember being totally bowled over, stumped and gobsmacked by the electric Yuvrah George, who I see is on the bench Saturday for Bere.
@Mate (Comment #9)
Lol…not at all. Hurleyvale, Dunvegan, Bedfordview, Leicester Road, Linksfield, Jeppe Prep, Kensington Ridge, Malvern + schools from Alberton, Soweto, South JHB too….when Jeppe has picked up recruits, e.g. U13 CW or U16GK, Wanza correct me if I’m wrong, it’s often Mpumalanga or Vaal lads.
@wanza_15 (Comment #1)
I’m coming…what time u leaving
Which primary schools are the main feeders for Jeppe? Is it mainly from the Eastern Cape?
@theblackandwhite (Comment #4)
He must be U19 yes, Jeppe became very strict about that rule that U16s must not come anywhere near the 1st XV match day squad. They can at the very best perhaps train with the 1st XV, but never play.
I don’t know what happened to Kuhle after the KES game really. As you say, he quite literally disappeared, not a utterance about him, I am interested to see how he has grown – he must have been frustrated to not be able to kick on from his man of the match performance that day.
Watch out for number 18 Merverdi coming off the bench, a freak of nature that plays with a reckless abandon, Grant Khomo last year; when I say I predicted the team 95% accurately, one mistake I made thinking Blake Esbend no longer was at Jeppe or playing rugby, was having Mervedi at the 4.
For all the good things I see on this teamsheet, one small concern that for me counts a lot in rugby games is that the halfback pairing have never played 15s together, whereas the Garsies 10 is returning. Our halfbacks were part of a 7s team that we sent to a tournament towards the end of last year, but a completely different dynamic the 15s game will be.
Mbhalati kicks very well as you allude to. Even in game, he tends to like to pull the rabbit out the hat and find eager runners. He needs to continue to have that arrogance and ownership to his game that he had at u16 if you know what I mean, he must not shy away now..
@Tang (Comment #5)
I don’t know exactly when or if I just succumbed to Wanza’s hyping but the game suddenly have new meaning for me ito the winner will go on to have a great 26 season. It’s like the team that will loose won’t have the season they would have if this game wasn’t played. If that makes any sense.Seeing that it’s not streamed if you do go i will appreciate if you can just keep us posted on the score now and then.
@Grizzly (Comment #2)
Will keep an eye definitely. “JJ Fourie” sounds like a good old fashioned tough as nails lock lol
I’m starting to think it will be worthwhile popping past Garsfontein at around 13:30 tomorrow afternoon.
@wanza_15 (Comment #1)
Very happy for him, what happened to him after the KES game? He was playing good rugby and then all of a sudden we didn’t see him again.
I can’t believe Mjiji is still in the side, feels like he has been in the team for a very long time. I remember him playing at 6 during the 2024 season. I am assuming he is u19 Wanza? Or did he get a crack in that 1st team as an under 16.
I look forward to seeing Mbhalati at 10, he was a very good age group flyhalf – hopefully he makes the step up in the seniors.
On paper it does look like a good side.
@Grizzly (Comment #2)
Don’t forget the 15 Lemarc Henry. A huge prospect for the future.
@wanza_15 (Comment #1)
Look out for 2,4 and 10.Nr 10 JG imo ended best 10 in SA last season. The nearest to Henry Hannibal you will ever see.
I really need to get a life because this is 95% of what I predicted. There is just the 1 name I have never heard of (7 Ross)
I am pleasantly shocked at 4. Blake Esbend and 6. Kuhle Shitlangu
Kuhle, the charge down and run away try hero at KES last year I thought was in matric in 2025!
And then Blake Esbend is a big boy (at least by Joburg English school standards) and was in the u16 Grant Khomo team back in 2024, and then I heard or saw nothing about him since. I thought he had quit rugby or had been badly injured or even that he might have left the school. Then thats 11 returnees Mr Beet 🙂.
@PietPompies, @Wonder, I am falling on my sword! Smash and grab on Die Garsies Bere! JEPPE, BY, 11!
SS Schools, disappointingly look like they don’t have the game scheduled for streaming, might have to make the trip to Pretoria myself!