29 March 2023
Easter is around the corner and the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, brought to you by Standard Bank, is a little over a week from kick off. We’ve decided to take a quick look at how the Festival’s KwaZulu-Natal participants have fared in their early season games, starting with the hosts, Kearsney, today.
They have enjoyed a good start to their 2023 campaign. Last year was not their best. There were some good results, but the maroon-clad boys from Botha’s Hill finished the season with a sub .500 record, which is not the norm.
A positive start
This year, though, has begun in a positive fashion. First up, they saw off Voortrekker Bethlehem with ease, running out 46-7 winners. And that was followed by another good win over Hentie Cilliers (Virginia), by a 45-17 margin.
Direct score comparisons really don’t reveal too much, unless there is a vast difference between them – including, of course, wins and losses – but it is worth noting that DHS, also unbeaten through three games, defeated Voortrekker 39-17 in Durban.
In their third match, Clifton gave Kearsney a hard fight on Stott Field, but the home team scored a 19-0 victory, which was characterised by a committed defensive effort that allowed Clifton to reach their try-line on a number of occasions, but it was a case of bend don’t break.
Pinnacle Schools was at that game, and one of the other things that stood out was the balance of the Kearsney team. They were solid all-round, with little suggestion of chinks in their armour either up front or at the back. And there was a sense of unity, that it was a proper 15-man effort.
It should be mentioned, too, that Kearsney scored three tries on that day, with one going to the right-wing Joe Verbaan and the other two to the left-wing Junior Dlamini. In other words, Kearsney made the ball do the work and got it out wide on the attack.
Fit and feisty
They’re not the biggest side, but they’re a fit and feisty outfit. They’ll need that fitness against Dale College, who are known for their running rugby. They meet in the opening high school match of the festival on Thursday, 6 April, at 09:00.
Dale College has played two matches thus far, sneaking a 22-20 win over Pearson High School, and racing to a big 62-15 runaway victory over Port Rex Technical High School.
Kearsney’s next outing, on Saturday, 8 April, at 13:00, will likely be a very different kind of challenge. Dr EG Jansen is usually blessed with size and an abrasive approach. They’ll, therefore, ask very different questions of the home team.
The school from Boksburg has also started their season with an impressive clean record. They overran Ligbron Akademie 57-14 in their opener, and then blanked Hoërskool Nelspruit 41-0.
Nelspruit is traditionally a strong rugby school. They’ve lost all three of their matches thus far in 2023, but the other defeats, against Hoërskool Transvalia and Hoërskool Secunda, both good rugby schools, were by scores of 32-27 and 15-0 respectively. And Secunda beat Hilton College 27-19, went down to Paul Roos Gimnasium 5-17, and drew with Bloemfontein’s Hoërskool Jim Fouché 31-31.
The point of it all is that Dr EG Jansen’s big win over Hoërskool Nelspruit was a bit of an eye-opener.
Most recently, EG Jansen registered a 33-24 win over Hoërskool Menlopark. Again, a win over quality opposition.
England’s best
Kearsney plays in the final match of the Festival on Monday, 10 April, at 15:40, against English powerhouse Hartpury College.
Hartpury competes in the Academy Colleges and Education (ACE) League, which is the leading under-18 programme for performance players in England. The various schools partner with top English clubs, with Hartpury paired with Gloucester Rugby.
Underlining their quality is this fact: since the ACE League began, Hartpury has claimed the title in 10 of its 12 years.
The College is also recognised for its outstanding record at producing players who go on to play professionally and internationally, so it will be worthwhile keeping a close eye on the talent in their ranks. The chances are some of the names one comes to learn at Easter will become more familiar in the coming years.
As hosts, Kearsney has not shied away from lining up tough matches. Each of their three opponents will challenge them in different ways and we’ll learn much about the Botha’s Hill Bunch by the end of the Festival.
FIXTURES
Thursday, 6 April
08:00 KZNRU Ibutho/Mark Godefroy u13 vs Umhlali Prep School
09:00 Kearsney College vs Dale College
10:20 Durban High School vs Worcester Gimnasium
11:40 Hoërskool Monument vs Hoërskool Framesby
13:00 Westville Boys’ High School vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap
14:20 Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen vs Hartpury College (UK)
15:40 Glenwood High School vs Hoër Landbouskool Marlow
Saturday, 8 April
08:00 KZNRU Ibutho/Mark Godefroy u13 vs Highbury Prep School
09:00 Hartpury College (UK) vs Westville Boys’ High School
10:20 Worcester Gimnasium vs Hoër Landbouskool Marlow
11:40 Glenwood High School vs Dale College
13:00 Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen vs Kearsney College
14:20 Durban High School vs Hoërskool Framesby
15:40 Hoërskool Monument vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap
Monday, 10 April
08:00 Westville Senior Primary School vs Hillcrest Primary School
09:00 Worcester Gimnasium vs Glenwood High School
10:20 Hoër Landbouskool Marlow vs Durban High School
11:40 Hoërskool Monument vs Dale College
13:00 Westville Boys’ High School vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
14:20 Hoërskool Framesby vs Hoërskool Noord-Kaap
15:40 Kearsney College vs Hartpury College (UK)
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