Five Sharks make SA Schools, two make SA Schools A

28 June 2024

The South African Schools side to take on the SA Schools A team on Thursday, 4 July, will be fronted by Maritzburg College front-rankers, Phiwayinkosi Kubheka and Aiden Botha. They were named as the starting loosehead and tighthead props when the squads were announced on Friday.

It’s a second year in succession in the SA Schools side for College captain Kubheka, while Botha, who ran out for the Sharks in 2023, earned a green and gold jumper this time around.

The SA Schools side also includes hooker Mahle Sithole, of DHS, on the bench, along with Vuyo Gwiji, of Northwood, and Westville Boys’ High‘s Zekhethelo Siyaya.

Last year, the Sharks also supplied three front-rankers to the SA Schools’ side, all of them props: Kubheka, Simphiwe Ngobese, of DHS, and Glenwood’s Lithemba Mfupi.

For Gwiji and Siyaya, attaining SA Schools colours has been quite some achievement because both have had to overcome injuries this season and haven’t appeared as often as they would have wanted. As the saying goes, though, form is temporary, class is permanent.

Aka Boqwana will run out at fullback for the SA Schools A side, while his DHS team-mate Zingce Simka will wear the no.12 jersey.

Grey College has two starters in the SA Schools side and two among the replacements. They have a further starter in the SA Schools A side, and another on the bench.

Wynberg Boys’ High features strongly, with two starters and a reserve in the SA Schools team, plus another replacement in the SA Schools A side. That’s exactly the same contribution that Paul Roos Gimnasium has made to the national squads, too.

King Edward VII has two starters and one on the bench in the SA Schools team, including the hooker and captain Esethu Mnebelele, who packs down alongside Rambo Kubheka for a second successive year.

Janco Purchase (Affies) and Riley Norton (Paul Roos) also made SA Schools in 2023.

SQUADS

SA Schools: 15 Alzeadon Felix (Grey College, Free State), 14 Kuthadzo Rasivhaga (Jeppe High School for Boys, Golden Lions), 13 Pieter van der Merwe (Grey College, Free State), 12 Janco Purchase (Affies, Blue Bulls), 11 Cheswill Jooste (Noordheuwel, Golden Lions), 10 Yaqeen Ahmed (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), 9 Adeeb Borraine (Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province), 8 Aden da Costa (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), 7 Josh Neill (Rondebosch Boys’ High, Western Province), 6 Kebotile Maake (King Edward VII, Golden Lions), 5 Riley Norton (Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province), 4 James Schnetler (Garsfontein, Blue Bulls), 3 Aiden Botha (Maritzburg College, Sharks), 2 Esethu Mnebelele (King Edward VII, Golden Lions – captain), 1 Phiwayinkosi Khubeka (Maritzburg College, Sharks). Replacements: 16 Mahle Sithole (Durban High School, Sharks), 17 Oliver Reid (Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province), 18 Cruz Davey (Paarl Boys’ High, Western Province), 19 AJ Meyer (Grey College, Free State), 20 Vuyo Gwiji (Northwood, Sharks), 21 Ellie Meyer (Outeniqua, South Western Districts), 22 Vusi Moyo (King Edward VII, Golden Lions), 23 Ethan Adams (Grey College, Free State), 24 Cecil Parsons (Voortrekker, Griffons), 25 Torren February (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), 26 Zekhe Siyaya (Westville Boys’ High, Sharks).

SA Schools A: 15 Aka Boqwana (Durban High School, Sharks), 14 Ntsako Ndlovu (Pretoria Boys’ High, Blue Bulls), 13 Markus Muller (Paarl Gimnasium, Western Province), 12 Zingce Simka (Durban High School, Sharks), 11 Junaid Stuart (Garsfontein, Blue Bulls), 10 Luan Giliomee (Charlie Hofmeyr, Boland), 9 Hendré Schoeman (Affies, Blue Bulls), 8 Reuben Kruger (Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province), 7 Sipho Nonyalela (Kingswood College, Eastern Province), 6 Briint Davids (Milnerton, Western Province), 5 JD Hattingh (Affies, Blue Bulls – captain), 4 Tom Barnard (Rondebosch Boys’ High, Western Province), 3 Duwan Potgieter (EG Jansen, Valke), 2 Liam Van Wyk (Grey College, Free State), 1 Jordan Jooste (Paarl Boys’ High, Western Province). Replacements: 16 Xabiso Mkiva (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), 17 André Poulton (Jeppe High School for Boys, Golden Lions), 18 Luquobo Makwedini (Rondebosch Boys’ High, Western Province), 19 Ruan Viviers (Boland Landbou, Western Province), 20 Risima Khosa (Jeppe High School for Boys, Golden Lions), 21 Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar (EG Jansen, Valke), 22 Philip McLaren (Grey College, Free State), 23 Viaan Mentoor (Paarl Boys’ High, Western Province), 24 Kurt Coetzee (Oakdale Landbou, South Western Districts), 25 Gcina Puzi (Selborne College, Border), 26 Gregan Jansen (Duineveld, Griqualand West).