20 April 2023
The winter season brings with it hockey and rugby derbies, which serve to warm up the cooling weather, and this coming weekend there will be plenty of excitement on sports fields inside and outside of KwaZulu-Natal.
Scroll down to find out more about your school’s weekend challenges…
Maritzburg College at Pretoria Boys’ High
In what is surely one of the largest derbies in the country, over 700 Maritzburg College boys will make the trip up to Pretoria for their annual showdown with Pretoria Boys’ High. Not only will rugby and hockey be on the schedule, but squash, table tennis, golf, cycling, chess, debating, public speaking and music will form part of the weekend’s festivities.
Rugby
The highlight of the weekend will be the 1st XV clash between two resurgent sides. Since a hard-fought loss to Grey College, the boys from the KZN capital have run up four victories on the trot, including a 26-20 win over Jeppe, who just last week handed a strong Monument team, which went unbeaten at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, a 30-24 defeat.
This past weekend, some of College’s leading lights were rested for their match against Clifton College. It remains to be seen if the additional recovery time will serve the side well.
Pretoria Boys’ High’s record includes a 35-31 victory over Durbanville, which in their previous game had scored a narrow 26-25 win over Paarl Boys’ High.
Both sides beat Nelspruit at the Saint John’s Easter Festival, with College winning 43-19 and PBHS registering a 31-24 victory. Past results mean nothing, though. If that was the case, Glenwood would surely have beaten Northwood last weekend on Dixons.
Hockey
Good luck deciding which school to bet on in the 1st XI hockey fixture: at Nomads, College beat Grey High 2-1, while PBHS lost 0-2 to the same opposition. However, PBHS beat Grey College 4-2, and College lost 0-3 to the boys from Bloem. Both College and PBHS lost to Wynberg, by margins of 0-2 and 1-4 respectively.
What College will be after in Pretoria is better finishing. They looked superb at times during their recent 1-2 loss to Clifton, moving the ball about the park with precision. They converted one penalty corner nicely, but also had some untidy routines, which meant missed opportunities to add to the scoreline.
Hockey- 1st XI – 22 April, 10:30
Rugby – 1st XV – 22 April, 14:00
DHS vs Northwood
In Durban, Northwood make a short trip to DHS for an intriguing clash between two schools that have enjoyed good results across all age groups in both rugby and hockey this season.
Hockey
On Friday evening at The Coliseum, a thrilling clash awaits between two very in-form hockey teams. DHS, led by SA under-21 star, Lerou Dithlakanyane, is a confident, skilful, and exciting team to watch.
This past week, they handily dealt with Westville’s always stern challenge, upping the tempo in the second half to strike twice and come away with a 2-0 win.
Northwood, meanwhile, has been on a hot streak. During the holidays, the Knights played 10 matches, won eight of them, drew one and lost one. Last weekend, they thumped Glenwood 7-0.
In their past 11 matches, then, Northwood has won nine times, drawn once and lost once, to Paul Roos (0-2). They’ve scored 36 times and conceded only three goals. Their results include wins over Saint John’s (3-0) and Grey College (2-0). They’re strong on defence and have a cutting edge up front, which is where some of the other teams are lacking.
Rugby
A great game is in the offing. And it should be the same when the 1st XVs clash on Van Heerden’s.
Last weekend, Northwood scored a first ever win on Dixons against Glenwood, and the face of the matter is they were good value for that win.
Throughout the contest, the scoring went blow-for-blow, but it was the Knights who finished the stronger of the two and came away with a treasured victory over the Green Machine.
DHS, meanwhile, handed Westville a 24-20 reversal, stopping the momentum of the Griffin, who had gone undefeated at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, including a win over England’s best, Hartpury College. Westville, meanwhile, edged out Northwood 23-22 on 25 March.
There should not be much in it. And the Knights should by buoyed by their historic success on Dixons. KZN schoolboy rugby is in a very healthy state, and almost any team could upset another on any given day.
Friday and Saturday at DHS, though, will be about much more than the 1st teams in hockey and rugby. There is quality throughout the ranks and some of the best age group sides in the province will be put to the test. Entertainment guaranteed!
Hockey – 1st XI – 21 April, 18:15
Rugby – 1st XV – 22 April, 14:20
Michaelhouse vs Glenwood
Rugby
On the subject of entertainment, the aforementioned Green Machine will be in action on Meadows at Michaelhouse this weekend. They’ll be champing at the bit to get back on the winning trail, knowing, too, that a victory would end ‘House’s unbeaten season.
In their first game of the season, against the always tough Helpmekaar, Michaelhouse showed considerable character to twice overcome 14-point deficits to claim a 24-24 draw. Then, that character was to the fore, again, as they scored at the death to snatch a 27-20 win over Maritzburg College.
And character was again written large all over their Sevens team’s success at the Rugby School International Sevens at the end of March, where they overcame being reduced to only five players in the final to lift the title.
Michaelhouse lift International Sevens title at Rugby School
Since then, they went undefeated at the Saint Stithian’s Easter Festival, beating Saint Andrew’s College (29-22), Clifton College (37-19), and Saint Alban’s College (40-10). A far tougher examination awaits them this weekend.
Glenwood also posted a clean record over the Eastern holidays, beating Marlow (22-10), Dale College (19-7) and Worcester Gimnasium (57-8) at Kearsney.
That last victory was sensational, and they began their most recent game against Northwood in a similar fashion, being irresistible as they crossed for the first try of the contest. But they lost their way a little after that. Still, Glenwood has shown that when they’re on song they’re a nasty match-up.
Michaelhouse rugby looks strong through all age groups this year. At the Skonk Nicholson Festival, hosted by Maritzburg College, both their under-16 and under-14 sides performed well against some renowned rugby schools.
Later in the holidays, the Michaelhouse under-15 side looked good in a 26-12 win over Saint Andrew’s College on Baileys, later in the holidays.
Glenwood’s under-14s, meanwhile, went three for three at the Glenwood Rugby Festival during the holidays, beating Wesvalia 29-14, Rustenburg 50-0, and Montana 52-13. Last weekend, though, Northwood, which appears to have a very strong under-14 age group in all sports, stopped them, recording a 33-10 win.
Hockey
On the hockey front, it has been season of tribulation for Glenwood thus far. There is much work needed to be done, and Michaelhouse should go into the weekend’s fixtures confident of a positive set of results.
Hockey – 1st XI – 22 April, 10:45
Rugby – 1st XV – 22 April, 15:00
Westville vs Kearsney
Rugby
Westville will be the venue for a showdown with their near neighbours, but fierce rivals, Kearsney College.
Coach “Jabz” Zulu’s charges have been in impressive form this season, but the Westville 1st XV was stopped last weekend by DHS, going down by four points after passing through the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival with an unbeaten record for the first time.
The Griffin downed Noord-Kaap (31-19), Hartpury College (14-9) and Dr EG Jansen (22-10) and exhibited a very physical approach up front, which meshed well with the side’s hard-running and skilful backs. In tighthead prop, Bryce Stockton, they had the biggest player at the festival, and he poses a serious question to any team taking on Westville at scrum time.
In the backline, the home side boasts an outstanding centre pairing of Likhona Finca and Siya Ndlozi, and Kearsney’s midfield defence will have to be on their game to keep the duo at bay.
The visitors from Botha’s Hill had mixed results at their own festival. They went down to Dale College (20-23), in a game they really should have won (they led 20-5 early in the second half), handed Dr EG Jansen their first loss of the season (17-12), and then came up just short against Hartpury College (24-26).
Kearsney are not the biggest, but they’re a hard-working team that are unrelenting in their defence, and good at getting the ball out wide on the attack, with their wings proving to be good finishers.
The question ahead of the game is one that could apply to the Michaelhouse vs Glenwood game, too: what impact will the extra game played (by Glenwood and Westville) have on Saturday’s match? It could cut both ways.
Hockey
On the hockey Astro, it looks like a clash of two teams still trying to find their identities. During the holiday, Westville participated in the Coastal Cup, where they delivered up-and-down performances. They were at their best in a 4-0 thrashing of Paarl Boys’ High, but they let themselves down in a 1-2 loss to Garsfontein.
Most recently, they went down to DHS, falling 0-2 at The Cauldron against a team that might just be the best in KZN. There are some schools, though, that would like to challenge that position, not least Northwood this weekend.
Kearsney had a busy Easter holiday, playing in the Founders Festival and KES Easter Festival, and producing mixed results.
It’s hard to get a good read on them. Exhibit one, their overall record: played 11, won 6, lost four, drawn one. Wins by 1-0 over Clifton and Grey College stand out as good results, but top sides, Paul Roos and Jeppe, comfortably dealt with them, scoring 4-0 and 5-1 wins respectively.
Anything is possible, but fireworks between two near rivals are likely.
Hockey – 1st XI – 22 April, 12:15
Rugby – 1st XV – 22 April, 15:15
Saint Charles College vs Hilton College
In Pietermaritzburg, Saint Charles welcome Hilton College for 16 hockey games, four of which will be played on Friday, and 11 rugby matches.
Rugby
It was a rough start to the season for the Saints’ 1st XV, with DHS and Pretoria Boys’ High (in their first match at the Saint John’s Easter Festival) handing them emphatic losses.
They turned matters around with a solid 31-9 win over Saint Benedict’s College before going down 7-18 to the hosts in a good battle on the last day.
Hilton, though, should be viewed as favourites on Old Orchards. They’ve scored some good wins this season already, including a 29-10 victory at Northwood, and a 32-30 squeaker over Noordheuwel, also at the Saint John’s Easter Festival.
Hockey
Both schools were in action at the Nomads Hockey Festival at Grey High School. The results of both suggest that work needs to be done on their finishing. Only once in the 10 games the two played did either manage three goals, and that came on the last day when Saints scored a solid 3-1 win over KES. Hilton beat the same opposition 2-0, in case you were wondering.
In matches against other common opponents, Saints lost 0-3 to Jeppe and Hilton went down 0-2; Saints drew 1-1 with Wynberg, as did Hilton; Hilton beat Saint John’s 2-1, while Saints drew 1-1; and Hilton drew 1-1 with Pretoria Boys’ High, while Saints lost 0-1.
It’s clear that there shouldn’t be much between the two schools on Saturday.
Hockey – 1st XI – 22 April, 12:30
Rugby – 1st XV – 22 April, 14:00
Clifton College vs Saint Andrew’s School (Bloemfontein)
Finally, Clifton welcomes Saint Andrew’s School to Durban for their annual get-together.
On Friday, they’ll meet in chess, golf, tennis and hockey. Of interest in the Saints’ golf line-up are Jano Stone, who recently won the Free State under-19 Championships, even though he is in grade 9, and Xander Thompson, who is the Free State champion in the under-15 age group.
Hockey
The hockey matches should favour the home team on the Riverside Astro. After a long drive from Bloemfontein, it will be a challenge for the Free State school to get themselves up for the challenge, and Clifton hockey looks to be in a good space in 2023. Saint Andrew’s, in recent seasons, has gone off the boil.
The Clifton 1st XI is, of course, coming off of a historic first ever win over Maritzburg College and the confidence gained from that win will stand them in good stead.
Meanwhile, the Clifton under-14 A team will be itching for another crack at Saint Andrew’s. When the teams met at Michaelhouse during the holidays, Saints ran out 3-0 winners as the talented Clifton team delivered a sub-standard showing.
Rugby
The rugby matches on Saturday could also be exactly what the Clifton 1st XV needs. They’re a good side which has played some strong opposition this season, so their record doesn’t look great. Make no mistake, though, they are a good challenge for most.
Clifton, rather unluckily, was handed a very tough draw at the Saint Stithian’s Easter Festival, where they faced Bishops, Michaelhouse and Kingswood College, which was as tough as it got. This past weekend, for long periods they enjoyed territorial advantage against Maritzburg College, but College’s ability to strike from long range made a huge difference in the game, which the Pietermaritzburg boys won 33-5.
Saint Andrew’s, usually, are middle of road opposition on the rugby field, and they’re still in search of a first win of 2023, having gone down to Aliwal North, Hentie Cilliers and Union High. One imagines Clifton will have too much firepower for the Bloemfonteiners.
Hockey – 1st XI – 21 April, 15:15
Rugby – 1st XV – 22 April, 12:15
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