20 August 2024
Durban High School (DHS) recently hosted its annual Rugby Dinner to celebrate a sensational year for the school, which included unbeaten seasons at home for the u14A, u14B, u16A, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st XVs.
The 2nd XV, in fact, was unbeaten all season long for a first time since 1939, while the u14B team was also undefeated.
The 1st XV, meanwhile, won 12, drew one and narrowly lost two games, and was one of the country’s toughest defensive units. It was only in their last game, a 24-20 win over highly rated Jeppe High School for Boys, that the Horseflies conceded 20 points. Their defensive excellence was reflected in four shutouts and an average of less than nine points against per game.
DHS also had a school record nine players selected for the Sharks’ Craven Week team, with Aka Boqwana and Mahle Sithole being chosen for the SA Schools team, and Zingce Simka cracking the nod for the SA Schools A side.
Thus, there was plenty to celebrate at the Rugby Dinner where East Coast Radio sports presenter Nick Tatham was the Master of Ceremonies and former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers was the guest speaker. They were joined in conversation by Greg Lomas, a DHS old boy and the director of the critically acclaimed “Chasing the Sun” and “Chasing the Sun 2“, which have provided remarkable insights into the Springboks for rugby lovers all around the world.
Together with Schalk Burger and Hanyani Shimange, De Villiers has turned the Boks Office podcast into the most listened to rugby podcast in the world and he showed why with a speech filled with sharp humour, interesting observations, and appreciation for rugby and the life lessons he has learned from it.
He offered encouragement to the DHS rugby players, noting that the sport might offer a small number of them a professional future, but the relationships built through rugby, and the lessons learned playing it, would serve them well in their future endeavours.
De Villiers, himself, is a wonderful example of tenacity and guts, even when matters don’t go according to plan. He played in four Rugby World Cups but was, very unfortunately, injured in each and every one and unable to complete any. Yet, he kept working his way back to the top level and he finished his career with 109 Test caps, 37 of them as the captain of the Springboks, by which time he had earned respect far and wide for his exploits on and off the field.
In fact, De Villiers was featured on a magnificent print that was auctioned that evening – one of only 10 like it ever produced – which featured seven Bok centurions: Percy Montgomery, John Smit, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, De Villiers, Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira and Eben Etzebeth, all of whom had signed it. And, as De Villiers pointed out, four of the seven were Sharks.
The DHS old boys did their bit when a table banded together to purchase the print for R60 000. That money will go towards supporting the school’s rugby programme, which was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best in KwaZulu-Natal in 2024, and one of the best to be found anywhere in South Africa. It’s amazing what can be achieved when people’s goals align.
A number of sponsors were presented with framed and signed jerseys, including Carey Mockridge, of Indlovu Construction; Stephan Beier, of the Beier Group; Max Oliva, of Spar; and ASP Rope Access, whose jersey was collected on behalf of Paul Henderson.
Gavin Varejes, always an active driver of DHS projects, was also recognised and presented with a gift.
That theme of support from the old boys and sponsors and how much it has benefitted the school ran through the event, and Headmaster Tony Pinheiro, CEO of the DHS Foundation Andrew Shedlock, and Chairman of the DHS Foundation Damian Judge, all lauded the alumni for their support, which has helped turn around a school which, they admitted, was not in a good state when Pinheiro took over the leadership reins in 2017.
That year, the 1st XV captain and Head Boy was Phendulani “Phepsi” Buthelezi, the latest Springbok produced by DHS, who scored a try on his debut in the green and gold against Portugal in July. Buthelezi, a proud old boy and strong supporter of the school, was in attendance and was also praised for his backing, which includes, so far, putting two boys through the school thanks to the Phepsi Buthelezi Scholarship Fund.
He was presented with a blazer by his good friend, fellow Shark and Springbok, and former Head Boy of Maritzburg College, Ntuthuko Mchunu, in acknowledgement of Buthelezi’s contributions to DHS.
In 2017, though, when Buthelezi led the school, DHS had only six senior rugby teams. Now, School has around 20, which, Tony Pinheiro pointed out, was important, because players in the lower teams are needed to challenge players in the frontline sides to become better. Without them, that doesn’t happen.
“It’s not the team with the best players that wins. It’s the players with the best team that wins,” he said.
The DHS Headmaster also showed off a new trophy, to be presented annually to the Supporter of the Year, which would be named in honour of one of the Horseflies’ most loyal supporters, the late Di Liebich.
Much like Springbok rugby has given South Africans hope, so, too, has rugby given DHS hope. The pride and the excellence that one sees on the field of play has carried over into cultural and academic activities.
One thinks of the Cambridge Assessment International Education on offer at the school and, more recently, the introduction of the Brave Generation Academy, a “highly personalised and flexible education that guides learners towards their passions in a dynamic and collaborative classroom“. They’re part of a forward-thinking and innovative approach to education, which is aligned with the rapid development of technology and the new opportunities it has created.
DHS is flying. In their Headmaster Tony Pinheiro and Director of Sport Nathan Pillay they have two taskmasters who are striving for ever-greater achievements, and what they’re doing is delivering benefits both on the field and elsewhere.
The key point, though, is that they’re doing it in concert with the school’s old boys, and they, truly, do deserve credit for their buy-in to the vision of Headmaster Pinheiro and his management, which has enabled a remarkable turnaround in double-quick time.
DHS is, once again, among the most respected boys’ high schools in South Africa and their outstanding rugby programme, under the guidance of Peter Engeldow, has a lot to do with that.
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