8 July 2023
Six members of the Sharks’ Craven Week team were named in the SA Schools and SA Schools A squads on Saturday. They included two Maritzburg College and two DHS boys, and one each from Glenwood and Northwood.
College’s Luyanda Kunene and Phiwayinkosi Kubheka, both in grade 11, were included in the starting XV of the SA Schools team.
Electricity
Kunene, who plays fullback for College, ran out on the wing for the Sharks, but the change of position did nothing to blunt the electricity he brings to the game with ball in hand. He caught the eye in a big way early in the season when he crossed for three tries against Grey College on 3 April. And the startling five-pointers didn’t stop there. They simply continued being scored.
Kubheka (in feature photo), meanwhile, will share the front row props’ duties with Grey College’s Jean Erasmus, a player he gave a torrid time when College and Grey met on 3 April.
Not only is Kubheka a force to be reckoned with in the set scrums, he’s also a skilful battering ram (strange as that sounds) around the rucks and mauls, which has given him a bit of a cult following, in a similar manner to Beast Mtawarira or Ollie le Roux, when they packed down for the Sharks.
Supremely skilled
Kubheka’s front row partner, tighthead prop Simphiwe Ngobese (right in feature photo), of DHS, will start on the SA Schools’ bench. A powerful presence in the set piece, Ngobese is also supremely skilled with the ball in hand: able to beat players with a brutal hand-off, by running over them, or by distributing the ball with accurate long passes.
Ngobese’s captain at DHS, Christian Everitt, was named in the SA Schools A side for a second year in succession. He’s a fantastic leader and a strong physical presence. He’s also outstanding at both lineout and scrum time. Everitt will wear the number 16 jersey.
Third Sharks’ front-ranker in SA Schools side
Meanwhile, a third Sharks’ front-ranker. Glenwood captain Lithemba Mfupi, was named in the SA Schools side. He, too, will start off of the bench. Mfupi, like Kubheka, is a strong scrummager and also a player that needs to be reckoned with as a ball-carrier.
The last of the Sharks’ players to crack the nod was Northwood flanker Vuyo Gwiji, who was originally named in the Sharks’ under-17 team to participate in the Academy Week. Injuries, though, resulted in his promotion and he grabbed his opportunity with both hands to earn selection to the SA Schools A side.
He’ll start the match between the SA Schools and SA Schools A teams on the bench. They meet on Thursday at 15:00 at Boland Landbou.
Just a quick note, too, on Michaelhouse’s Wandile Mlaba. He made the SA Schools A team in 2022, but he missed the 2023 Craven Week with torn knee ligaments.
Provincial representation
Western Province has the most players selected for the two SA Schools squads, with 14, followed by Free State with eight, the Golden Lions with seven, KZN with six, five from Eastern Province, three from the Blue Bulls, and one each from Boland, Border and South Western Districts.
SA Schools
15 JC Mars (Western Province, Paarl Boys’ High), 14 Luyanda Kunene (Sharks, Maritzburg College), 13 Demitre Erasmus (Blue Bulls, Garsfontein), 12 Janco Purchase (Blue Bulls, Affies), 11 Jameel de Jongh (Western Province, Paarl Boys’ High), 10 Ian van der Merwe (Free State, Grey College), 9 Haashim Pead (Western Province, Bishops), 8 JJ Theron (Free State, Grey College), 7 Batho Hlekani (Eastern Province, Graeme College), 6 Divan Fuller (Western Province, Paarl Boys’ High), 5 Ulrich van der Westhuizen (Golden Lions, Monument), 4 Jaco Grobbelaar (Free State, Fichardt Park), 3 Jean Erasmus (Free State, Grey College), 2 Siphosethu Mnebelele (Golden Lions, KES), 1 Phiwayinkosi Kubheka (Sharks, Maritzburg College)
16 Ruan Welman (Golden Lions, Helpmekaar), 17 Lithemba Mfupi (Sharks, Glenwood), 18 Simphiwe Ngobese (Sharks, DHS), 19 Riley Norton (WP, Paul Roos), 20 Xola Nyali (WP, Wynberg), 21 Christiaan van der Westhuizen (Free State, Grey College), 22 JT Kapank (Golden Lions, Noordheuwel), 23 Kyle Smith (WP, Paarl Gimnasium)
SA Schools A
15 JT Strydom (South Western Districts, Outeniqua), 14 Scott Nel (Western Province, Paarl Boys’ High), 13 Benito Goede (Free State, Grey College), 12 Pieter van der Merwe (Free State, Grey College), 11 Cheswill Jooste (Golden Lions, Noordheuwel), 10 Yaqeen Ahmed (Western Province, Wynberg), 9 Brooklyn Newman (Blue Bulls, Garsfontein), 8 Aidan Norris (Western Province, Bishops), 7 Matt Romao (Boland, HTS Drostdy), 6 De Wet Fourie (Eastern Province, Daniel Pienaar), 5 Zuko Poswa (Border, Selborne), 4 Danio Botha (Western Province, Paarl Gimnasium), 3 Herman Lubbe (Western Province, Stellenberg), 2 Imaani Pemba (Eastern Province, Grey High School), 1 Ranon Fouche (Free State, Grey College)
16 Christian Everitt (Sharks, DHS), 17 Sibabalwe Booi (Eastern Province, Ndzondelelo High School), 18 Ryan Jack (Western Province, Paul Roos), 19 Jacques Botha (Golden Lions, Monument), 20 Vuyo Gwiji (Sharks, Northwood), 21 Ceano Everson (Golden Lions, Monument), 22 Dominic Malgas (Eastern Province, Nico Malan), 23 Gilemo Mentoe (Western Province, Bishops)
SA Sevens
No players selected for the Commonwealth Youth Games Sevens team were considered for selection for SA Schools and SA Schools A. That includes three Sharks: Siya Nkosi (Northwood), Siya Ndlozi (Westville) and Hopewell Ntshangase (DHS).
Three from KZN in Commonwealth Youth Games Sevens team | Pinnacle Schools (pinnacle-schools.com)
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