27 November 2023
Towards the end of a recent chat with DHS Director of Rugby, Peter Engledow, he concluded: “We are a little bit too serious about our sport sometimes,” referring to schools, in general. At a time when, too often, the results have become everything, it was a refreshing comment but consistent with the manner in which he has approached the game at the venerable institution.
Engeldow’s previous experience includes coaching in the UK, taking the reins of the Griquas Currie Cup team, and serving as the Director of Rugby at Paarl Boys’ High. In recent years, he has led the DHS rugby programme to heights that not so long ago looked out of the reach of the Durban school.
A remarkable and healthy transformation
The Horseflies’ proud history had been somewhat tarnished after a difficult period where, many openly admit, standards had fallen below what is expected. However, with Headmaster Tony Pinheiro and Director of Sport Nathan Pillay leading the way, DHS has undergone a remarkable and healthy transformation in just over half-a-decade, and that success has been very evident on the rugby field, too.
Throughout each of the age groups, DHS, in 2023, not only produced winning rugby, but also an attractive game that was among the best to be viewed anywhere in South Africa. And the rugby teams of DHS also rated among the best to be found in the country.
Better than you might realise
The results of the 1st XV were very good, maybe even better than some may have realised. DHS produced a record of played 18, won 12, lost six. However, despite playing some of the leading teams in the country, no defeat was by more than seven points. In other words, School was always within a converted try of turning that loss around.
Four of those losses were on other’s home grounds, narrow defeats that one imagines DHS would have been confident of reversing on Van Heerden Field, where they were unbeaten in 2023. They lost by one to Affies, by three to Hilton College, by four to Michaelhouse, and by three to Jeppe, with the opposition scoring late in the latter three to steal the win.
At the Absa Wildeklawer Festival in Kimberley, DHS went down 14-21 against Paul Roos, which was their largest defeat of the season.
One result that surely rankled coach Engledow and his staff was a 31-36 loss to Worcester Gimnasium at the Standard Bank Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival. Engeldow said he had warned his boys about a let-down following the Noord-Suid Festival, but the message didn’t stick, and a lesson was learned. Worcester Gim had a good team, but the season’s results revealed they were not quite on the level of DHS. Except they were, on that one day.
There’s a saying that it’s not what you say but how you say it that matters. In a similar manner, it was not so much about how DHS did on the field of play. It was about how they went about it. What emerged was some of the most entertaining, innovative and exciting play produced in South Africa in 2023.
Addressing the way in which the 1st XV, under the very able leadership of Christian Everitt, played the game, Engeldow said, when he started at DHS, he had to be quite dictatorial about the way he wanted things done. “I had to change the culture and had to change the way we train,” he explained.
Having worked on instilling that foundation, Engeldow said the players continue to adhere to certain standards and ways of doing things he established from the start, but there is a lot of freedom within the system, which encourages the DHS boys to embrace their flair.
Natural ability
“Their natural ability is not my coaching. That is them being able to do things that other boys aren’t able to do naturally,” he humbly said. The coaching staff focussed on teaching the players how to set up and position themselves, and helped them to recognise their options, he added.
Their combination of winning and attractive rugby caught the eye. What also stood out was the fierce pride, unity and teamwork of DHS sides, and those qualities were required in abundance in a KZN league that Engledow has repeatedly described as “very tough”.
DHS celebrates a year of rugby excellence | Pinnacle Schools (pinnacle-schools.com)
Questioned about the keys to the 1st XV’s success, Engeldow said the strong results were a consequence of various things, many of which did not involve a rugby ball.
“We spend a lot of time on team culture. We have been on camps where we don’t do any rugby at all. We do team building. We’ve used a mental coach for the last two seasons, maybe more a life coach/purpose coach.”
But it went beyond that. It was about focussing on each boy, finding out who they are, and helping them to achieve to their maximum ability, both on and off the field. That meant applying different approaches for different players, understanding what motivated them to be their best.
He shared the example of the Horseflies’ outstanding flyhalf Deano Boesak, who is a maestro on the field at pulling the strings from flyhalf, but a reserved young man off of it. An in-your-face hard-nosed approach would not have brought the best out of him, but a more encouraging approach certainly did. And before the season was over, Boesak had signed a professional contract with Western Province from next season.
Purpose
“We find out about their backgrounds, what challenges they face. Sometimes, it is not easy because you hear some tough things,” Engeldow explained. “It’s a hard life, but it’s nice for me because it gives me a lot of purpose in what I’ve been driven to do since I have been here.”
That statement, that it has given him a lot of purpose, rings true. Engeldow almost always radiates a sense of calm and focussed intent. There is a real sense that he has found his place, a common purpose with his coaching staff, and a commitment to the boys they take under their wing. Durban and DHS suit him.
Rugby, too, is his way of making a meaningful contribution to a country he loves, and it is a means of producing more than good rugby players. He wants to help mold good men who contribute to South African society.
The Memorial Pavilion at DHS: “Best view in the House” | Pinnacle Schools (pinnacle-schools.com)
“A platform…to create good young men”
Engeldow is “irritated” by issues he sees in South Africa, matters like corruption and poor education. He works to counter such things. “I’m hard on the boys,” he admitted. “I see rugby as a platform, because the boys love it, from which to instil discipline, good values and to create good young men.”
He spoke about listening to a coach who had produced an unbeaten team but who also said he would like to be judged on what he had achieved in 20 years’ time. That reflected his values, too, Engeldow reckoned. He wants to see his former players making a positive difference in South Africa [and elsewhere], and he wants to be available to them as father figure/mentor.
He said he wants to give his players a platform to do something special. Rugby, though, is only a part of the puzzle, he explained, and when he spoke about some of his players being heavily involved in the DHS production of “Grease” this year, his eyes lit up, his voice filled with pride.
When it came to play practices, those came first. “I said guys, please, you’ve got rugby next year, as well. Go and enjoy something different. Yes, you need to keep up with your rugby, but there are times that you can go early. You’re doing something that you will never forget in your school life.”
Five Sharks u19 picks reflect a healthy DHS | Pinnacle Schools (pinnacle-schools.com)
He tries, Engeldow added, to encourage his players to pursue other interests, like reading, but, he conceded, “Just like I was when I was a kid, teachers tell you those things and you just… it’s an age thing.”
There have been a number of reasons that DHS has engineered its remarkable turnaround, Engeldow said, identifying “The Old Boys and the Foundation, who support these kids. And, I think, it’s with Mr Pillay and the system, and allowing us to really specialise and spend time doing what we do.”
Some schools require their sports coaches to also teach classes during the day. At DHS, that is not the case, which is a big advantage, Engeldow admitted, and it’s tough on teachers who are required to do both. It allows him the time to interact with boys who might be struggling with their academics or other aspects of life, and support and find support for them.
“I’m not physically on a clock, where I’m teaching lessons and I’m worrying about the session this afternoon. I’ve got time.”
If someone in his position thinks he is only at the school to look after the rugby programme, that would be wrong, Engledow said. That would be a ticket to failure, he opined.
“I think if you’ve got a holistic approach, where you know that the academics is important, you know that secondary sport is important, summer sport, and that outside interests and family are all part of the whole puzzle, and you get it right, then you are going to produce a better rugby player and a better boy. That’s what’s key to me.”
Author’s comment
While the competition and the standards continue to ramp up on the sports fields, especially in rugby, with many schools investing plenty of resources into their sportsmen, including bursaries, it’s those who recognise the value of working to develop the boys in all aspects who are producing more sustained success.
There is no doubt that the approach in schools has become more professional, but in the professional realm there is also a focus on holistic health. If that aspect is carried over into schools, it is a good thing. There is a time for work, there is a time for play, there is a time for rest, there is a time for sport, and there is a time for academics and arts and culture.
Coaches, like Peter Engeldow, have recognised this and they will likely, one day, be remembered by some of their players for the impact that they made, not just on their rugby skills, but on them as men, and that would, beyond a shadow of a doubt, provide those coaches with a deserved sense of fulfilment.
DHS 2023 1st XV RESULTS
(Home team first)
DHS 39-17 Voortrekker Bethlehem
St Charles 14-52 DHS
DHS 14-7 Maritzburg College
Affies 25-24 DHS
Hoërskool Nelspruit 7-35 DHS
DHS 31-36 Worcester Gimnasium
DHS 31-10 Hoërskool Framesby
DHS 32-25 Marlow
DHS 24-20 Westville
DHS 26-7 Northwood
Paul Roos 21-14 DHS
HTS Drostdy 17-64 DHS
Hilton College 36-33 DHS
Michaelhouse 31-27 DHS
DHS 47-24 Kearsney College
DHS 43-19 Westville
DHS 27-5 Northwood
Jeppe 39-36 DHS
Leave a Reply