Graeme Set for Marlow Showdown at the Graeme Festival 2026

Hosts Graeme College, the proud all-boys school, take on Marlow Landbouskool in the headline fixture of the festival on Saturday, 20 March 2026.

It has all the makings of a cracker.

Graeme, under the guidance of Jonty van der Meulen, have built impressive momentum over the past few seasons. Their consistency and quality saw them come within touching distance of finishing as the top-ranked side in the Eastern Cape in 2025.

Marlow, by contrast, often face the challenge of fluctuating depth due to smaller student numbers. But this year feels different. With new coach Gerrit Myburgh at the helm, the 2026 outfit looks a special one, and they’ve already underlined that potential with a hard-fought 28–25 win over Fichardtpark High School in Bloemfontein.

This sets up a fascinating clash—Graeme’s structure and consistency against a Marlow side brimming with belief and firepower.

TEAM GRAEME TEAM MARLOW
1 Bagcine Njengele 1 Marcus September u17
2 Athi Manyati 2 Herman le Roux u18
3 Luyolo Mapalala 3 AJ Raubenheimer u17
4 Akho Tonjeni 4 AC du Toit u18
5 Andrew Muir 5 JG de Lange u17
6 Iviwe Mshubheki 6 CJ Botha u18
7 Nicholas Cock 7 GD Jordaan u18
8 Lidwala Maliti 8 Jethro Ruiters u17
9 Luke Doyle 9 Paul Klopper u18
10 Ibenathi Kondile 10 Cole Hurter u18
11 Elgin Fanton 11 Jurgens van Staden u18
12 Torres Fourie 12 Matthew Lieberum u17
13 Erin Nelson 13 Hanre Muller u17
14 Asakhe Ranuga 14 Nicolis Ras u17
15 Lucritia Magau 15 Herlu Schoeman u18
16 Hunter van Zyl 16 Luciano Solani
17 Olo Jaca 17 Zian Jacobs u18
18 Ethan de Wet 18 Willem de Klerk u18
19 Ben du Toit 19 LJ vd Vyfer
20 Ahlumile Maqungu 20 Sinqobile Siyengo
21 Athenkosi Mukume 21 Logan van Vuuren u18
22 Selunathi Mfundisi 22
23 Masi Maboza 23
Coach JONTY VAN DER MEULEN Coach GERRIT MYBURGH

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2 Comments

  1. avatar
    #2 RuggaFreak

    Graeme will take it with a good buffer.

    ReplyReply
    19 March, 2026 at 11:55
  2. avatar
    #1 Joffers

    Tough game as always. Graeme and Marlow are both small schools with each accommodating circa 300 to 250 boys respectively. Despite their size they perennially fight way above their weight class.

    ReplyReply
    19 March, 2026 at 09:44