1. Maritzburg College undercooked again?
Hopes that the change in headmaster would see a more favourable approach to a full pre-season did not materialise. Maritzburg College remain committed to balance for all the right reasons, but it inevitably makes the start of the season that much tougher to negotiate.
The Red, Black and White — in a different strip for the day — started well against a good Helpies team. They capitalised on early mistakes from the visitors to lead 7–0 and finished strongly with a two-try, 12-point haul, including a trademark Theo Boshoff (hooker) powerplay.
In between though, it was mainly Helpies.
The Lions-region outfit’s forward play was physical and effective, while their backs were clinical in their line-speed defence. However, with ball in hand they struggled to find sustained fluency. When it mattered though, they suddenly found vision, space and linking, moving their score from nil to 31.
There was no denying the pedigree of scrumhalf Shaye Lourens, even while battling new boot blisters. But the unexpected standout had to be fullback Xander van Niekerk, who had a hand in the first two tries of the match and scored two of his own in the second half.
For College, both props Alande Ngubane and Linamandla Mabanga looked as though they could become very useful contributors in the loose.
2. Comfortable start for Kearsney
As predicted, this was largely one-way traffic.
In a sense, St Charles may take some comfort from the fact that they do not have much interaction with KZN’s top tier in 2026, apart from the Maritzburg College fixture. Better days should lie ahead.
For Kearsney, however, it was a pleasing opening encounter. U17 Flyhalf Daniel Miskey looks like a very promising prospect, while outside him Keanu Williamson appears a genuine class act.
The surprise package player of the match was Thomas Aylward, who acquitted himself extremely well at outside centre — a role where some might have expected him to be tested more severely.
3. Hilton hold on amid more refereeing unhappiness
Being a referee is incredibly difficult these days. You have no friends and rarely receive praise for the many decisions you get right. Instead, one or two inevitable human errors define the narrative and linger far longer than they should.
There probably needs to be a culture shift around refereeing — one that starts with school leadership. Somewhere along the line people need to appreciate that officiating, particularly at amateur level, is not an easy job.
On the field, Hilton’s forwards performed strongly. One memorable feature was Ruan Mulder — son of Japie — putting in box kicks from the base of the breakdown despite playing at inside centre. Hilton’s percentage game kept the scoreboard moving.
Westville certainly did not exaggerate when they spoke about their attacking flair. Jade-Will Koopman was outstanding, while similarly built fullback Lux Sonkononkono, complete with a similar red scrumcap, was not far behind. Their backline stars delivered on expectation and this Ville side will be dangerous for anyone they face.
The surprise package player of the match though was John Grubb at flyhalf for Hilton. He was outstanding and, despite some huge efforts from the Hilton pack, may well have been the overall player of the match.
4. Michaelhouse scare DHS
Unfortunately, much of this match was difficult to follow due to poor streaming quality.
Michaelhouse clawed their way back from 21–10 down to 21–20 before DHS eventually closed the game out. Given expectations of a comfortable DHS victory, this was a very encouraging showing from House.
KES have acquired two of Westville’s finest gentleman and coaches — Jabz Zulu (rugby) and soon Pius Nkosi (cricket). Sad losses for the province, although the Reds have also given something back in the form of Marco Engelbrecht, who looks set to develop into a top coach for Michaelhouse.
Based on second-hand feedback, the surprise package performer was the tough and never-say-die “Chunky” Carmody. The returning House flyhalf — one of those players too good to leave out but sometimes difficult to position — was good value.
5. Northwood intensity too hot to handle
Northwood recorded a surprisingly comfortable victory over Glenwood.
The Green Machine offered early resistance, but the Knights were clearly in no mood to take prisoners. Their tempo and dominance in contact gradually wore Glenwood down, and once the teams changed ends the pressure began to tell.
Last year there were questions about whether fullback was Trevor van Vollenstee’s best position. As a senior this season he looked like a completely different player — a powerful presence who featured prominently in a lot of what Northwood did.
He delivered a strong and somewhat surprising performance. There is now going to be a fair deal of excitement about what he has to offer in the weeks and months to come.
@ForeverHorseFly (Comment #13)
All schools recruit at grade 8 level (since time began), it’s a natural point to do so. DHS just do it a bit earlier and put the kids into local primary schools with a pre-condition they must go to DHS. Yes, Glenwood recruited at this level BUT they don’t have the same buying power as some schools PLUS the pull to go there is lower now due to the decaying area and recent average results. Success breeds success. The competition for players is even stronger than it ever has been as more and more schools take a professional approach. Example Grey Bloem attract so many kids naturally that they have primary school provincial reps in their C team. DHS are just recruiting better quality at the moment and probably have more incentives to give away…PLUS built relationships with strong rugby playing primary schools……helps having a DHS OB in charge there…
@Grasshopper (Comment #11)
You naive if you think any A team at any school isnt recruited to some degree or another. This isnt a comparison between Glenwood of 10 years ago and now. To your own point Glenwood A teams did well in close loses to what you perceive to be a better Northwood school…you dont think those Glenwood players were recruited? Im sure there were recruited players even in the MHouse A teams who lost(remeber your own issue with Mhouse over a certain player). So to say that recruiting naturally boosts teams down the line isnt necessarily true. I mean even DHS when they were rebuilding their program years ago would have strong A teams but lower teams would take heavy losses, it takes more than just recruiting to have that strong lower team depth
@Skywalker (Comment #6)
Both boys have had a desire to leave Gwd since grade 9 so the fact Gwd held onto them take my hats off to them for that… Olsen is a very very good player definitely wouldn’t be playing him at 15 its a waste… Roscoe has shown at u16 Grant Khomo he is a prolific try scorer and very talented player oh wait he was playing wing… the fact of the matter after watching Roscoe since he was u12 he is super talented that could run himself out of alot of trouble…. However as you get older it becomes very important that as a 15 you can kick out as defensive lines become better… I Believe that Olsen gives them that answer he has a really good boot on him… the problem he will sit with is he a 12,13 or a 15??
@ForeverHorseFly (Comment #10)
Same story at Glenwood 10 years ago, where the E&F teams went unbeaten, BUT it certainly helps when the A team is recruited, naturally the other teams strength is boosted down the line….
@Skywalker (Comment #7)
Yeah the young teams looked very impressive and its always encouring to see not only the A teams winning but the lower teams as well which shows there is depth. If it’s just the A teams winning then the perception is around recruiting but when the b right up to D team are also winning big then it shows an overall healthy rugby program is being developed.
@Skywalker (Comment #7)
Yeah, Pinheiro is just applying the blueprint he did at Glenwood. Find money anywhere possible, recruit heavily and at all age levels, place them in local primary schools, hire the best two coaches not in the Winelands, ensure the teams are nationally representative to ensure highest chance of provincial and national selection. It really is simple. Glenwood got burnt for doing it, it’s now just standard practice unfortunately. I still think ALL teams should have proper age checks in place to a point where even bone density checks are done….it’s the wild west out there!
@ForeverHorseFly (Comment #4)
Yes, so we all must believe all the ages have been checked properly……still a huge problem in all of SA schools rugby, genuine age checks
@ForeverHorseFly (Comment #4)
The DHS rugby pipeline is formidable. I see the u14 age group won all 4 matches against M-house, and put a combined total of 195 points across the 4 teams, with House scoring a combined total of only 13! That is wild.The A,B and C all put 50 points on them, as in fact did the u15A and B, where House didnt even register a single point. That is a scary prospect for any opposition. I know Pineiro has ruffled feathers, and maybe some question the level or lengths of recuitment, but no one minds winning and he certainly knows how to make that possible. You got to give it to him and the team. Like Glenwood of old they may find that they start outclassing their KZN counterparts though and need to find more games out of province at this rate. NW on the other hand I heard from a mate no longer recruit outside of KZN! That feels like a noble but stupid thing to do. Anyway, enjoy the good times!
@Grasshopper (Comment #3)
Yes I thought Kopp at 10 looked dangerous at times. The wings had very little to do. I was looking out for Williams but agree he did not really get a chance to have any impact. Dont really know what to take from this game like i said. Was the NW defence really good, or was the Glenwood attack a bit weak? I think it will take a few games to see what the truth really is. I dont think NW are that much better and after they have faced Mhouse, DHS etc we will get a better sense. Wimble did stand out but also wasnt smashing guys back left and right. He got marked well and he passed a lot actually which i think was good. Worrying seeing our 7 flank come off the field. He was the second tallest guy we had! His replacement was nuggety and smaller, but if he is out i worry abut our pack.
Can’t understand the logic in playing Oersen and Williams not at 12 and 15 respectively.
Mind boggling.
@Grasshopper (Comment #3)
DHS had 2 u19 players so I have no idea where you getting “tons” from. In fact there were more u17s (5) in the team then there were u19s. Beet posted the team sheets and ages, all you had to do was look.
@Pamos (Comment #1)
Maybe it’s because DHS have tons of u19s, a year makes a huge difference. Glenwood looked poorly coached & agree the back line was the issue, players out of position. Rosco is wasted on the wing if the ball never gets there. The last try was lucky. Glenwood have the pack to compete & they just need to keep the ball upfront a bit more. Kopp at flyhalf was good. The real difference though was Wimble, like a modern day Bobby Skinstad, he was everywhere & physical. It’s going to be a very long season for Glenwood unless the coaching improves. I just thought what would Sean Erasmus or Rudi Dames do with this group, much more. On the day we lost most of the games BUT what was encouraging was most of the lower age groups were close. The return fixture the teams need to flip those results. Remember they are up against a school in a much wealthier area, better funded & with two of Glenwood’s best ex coaches in Jeremy McLaren & Jacques Deen. Losing their coach to DHS last year will take time to recover from. Well done Northwood, better on the day. I think the score flatters a bit….
While I am very happy to see NW beat Glenwood as they did, this opening weekend does leave me unsure how the year will go. Are glenwood really bad? Is NW as good as that? i think not. Are M-house stronger then people thought? Are Westville overhyped, or was it just a good day for Hilton with some luck? How will Kearsney go against one of the big teams? I feel we may only get a true handle in about a month from now.
Watching the DHS game vs watching the Northwood game was very different. Northwood vs Glenwood looked like junior school rugby, and DHS vs House was a proper 1st team game.
I think Glenwood got it wrong with regards to the position selection of some of the players. Much talked about Rosco Williams played wing and hardly got the ball, and Elgenio Oersen played fullback – both were caught out of position many times. Oersen played 12 for the GK week last year, and Rosco 15. You would think with Glenwood in a rebuilding or struggling stage, you’d want these players to play in their preferred position.
Glenwood’s forwards will always be up for the fight, but I think the backline let them down this weekend.