Schools Rugby

Monty’s Magical SACS

Published

8 years ago

23rd June 2017

Keo

SACS, South Africa’s oldest rugby school, have reached a national high ranking of four in 2017 – and at the heart of SACS’s rugby turnaround has been the Percy Montgomery SACS Rugby Foundation, started seven years ago.

Montgomery, born in Namibia, was a boarder at SACS from the age of eight. It was effectively home and in his biography, which I wrote, he dedicated a chapter to how SACS shaped his career and shaped so much about him as a person.

SACS, under the coaching of Nick Maurer, have lost just once in 2017, and their season includes wins against Paarl Gymnasium and Boland Landbou. The Schools is ranked fourth nationally and second in the the BestMed Western Cape Premier Division.

SACS has the distinction of producing the first ever Springbok name recorded in Ben Duff and also the first to 100 Tests in Montgomery. SACS and Bishops also played the first ever match at Newlands.

Here’s an extract from Montgomery’s biography on the influence of SACS on Springbok Rugby’s first centurion.

There are two stories that quintessentially define Percy Montgomery’s schooling career at SACS.

The first is less than charitable and it is of a young standard four (grade six) Montgomery being hung out of a second-storey window by a teacher who, to quote the man, was going to ‘shake your brains from your arse into your head’. The second and more significant one is of a teenager who lived for first and second break and couldn’t wait to get onto the practice field to kick and pass a rugby ball, and if he wasn’t on a rugby field, he was in the pool, swimming or playing water polo.

Montgomery, then and now, understood the distance from the pass to the tackle more than he appreciated nouns and adjectives and whatever they taught in mathematics back then. He loved drawing and painting and excelled at art, but he was not a scholar by definition, never wanted to be and has never pretended to be one. But he was a good rugby player in his U9 year and by the time he left SACS 10 years later, he was the best schoolboy fullback in South Africa.

Springbok fullback of the 1960s, HO de Villiers, guided Montgomery’s schoolboy talent from the age of 16. I would have said he ‘coached’ him but HO prefers to use the term ‘guide’ because he says there was very little coaching of a player who would get better with experience but would not be any better than he already was at 16 because someone taught him how to kick, catch and pass a ball.

‘I didn’t walk in and teach him how to play,’ recalls De Villiers. ‘There wasn’t a great deal to teach Percy and all I could offer him were insights gained from having played Test rugby and from having been around a bit longer.’

Simon Perkin, deputy headmaster of SACS and 1st XV coach during the Montgomery era, asked HO to have a look at the ‘boy wonder’ because Perkin was convinced Montgomery was the best rugby player he had seen at SACS. De Villiers started with a simple exercise in contact practice sessions in which he would position himself behind Montgomery and play the practice as if he was the fullback. De Villiers says Montgomery ran and he hobbled, but the purpose of it all was to understand Montgomery’s feel for the game and to study his natural appreciation of how to use the width of the pitch and how he read the play of the opposing flyhalf.

‘Monty was instinctive in a lot of what he did and that is a gift some have and others never get. I told him that he was playing fullback and I was playing fullback, and decision-making was what defined a fullback, so every time at training, in defence or on attack, both of us would have to play the moment as we saw it. I wanted to get a sense of his appreciation of depth, space and field position and I had to put myself in the same position to read the play and react at the same time. I told him that if one of us went right and the other went left then one of us was getting it wrong and it didn’t mean it was him. On most occasions, we took a similar option and there were times when he went right and I went left and I thought I’d taken the wrong decision.

‘What I spoke to him about in the beginning was decision-making – of understanding the qualities or limitations of his team-mates and of backing himself to have a go. If he stuffed it up, but in his heart he felt it was on, then it was not necessarily the wrong decision, but the wrong execution. I knew I could impart knowledge that I had gained through experience and because of his age, that was one thing he didn’t have. He didn’t play in particularly strong SACS teams yet he always excelled and his influence won many games.

‘We worked on him dominating the opposition flyhalf because of superior positioning on defence and how he could turn the flyhalf’s clearances into an advantage for his own team. Most flyhalves were right footed and because of this they would kick onto Percy’s strongest foot, which is his left. It was important for him to watch the ball onto the boot of the flyhalf, and not the flyhalf himself, because that half a second was worth the critical metre a fullback gets when anticipating where the ball would go.

‘Percy was also one of the quickest players and I thought that he could be as much a success on the left wing as he was at fullback. I’d have loved to see him on the wing playing alongside André Joubert at fullback, with Percy then having moved to fullback when André retired. It never happened that way but I always thought Percy would have gained enormous benefit from André and that André would have enjoyed having a specialist fullback among his wingers.

‘Some believed flyhalf was Percy’s best position, but my view was he would be too restricted at flyhalf and he was a greater danger at fullback or wing where he could roam. The fact that he has played flyhalf, centre, wing and fullback for the Springboks shows his versatility but 15 always was the number he coveted and history will judge him as one of South Africa’s finest 15s, who got there because of natural talent and an incredible determination to succeed.

‘Percy’s longevity is because of his discipline in training and his willingness to listen and learn. During those 1st XV school days, he was like a sponge, taking in whatever information I shared and I made sure it was a two-way thing because an old dog can always learn a few things from a young one. I challenged him to show me a few things and I think that encouraged him to think about the game even more. Some would say I coached him, but I never saw it like that. He was a boy in need of an older pal, with a bit more life experience and I think that’s the role I played for him.

‘He adored his parents and he talked a lot about his father’s rugby days in Namibia and about his dad’s advice about rugby, but naturally as a boarder who only saw his parents during holidays, he missed the interaction any boy would have with his dad on a day-to-day basis. The last thing I ever wanted to be was a surrogate parent or a substitute for a father and fortunately Percy never saw our relationship like that. If anything, I was more like an older mate and he treated me like that from the age of 16 and has never stopped treating me in this way.

‘When he first became professional, I managed his affairs, but quickly realised he needed a specialist in that field but we’ve never lost touch. I’d leave a message on his voicemail before every Test, which would be in keeping with what I used to say to the 16-year-old SACS laaitie, and he would always get back to me after the game with a thank you and, if needed, a short discussion about what worked or perhaps didn’t. As two guys who live for rugby, we instantly had a connection and that has never changed.’

Montgomery’s recollection of working with De Villiers is of the respect he and the other players got from him on the training field, and that he was always a buddy more than a master in a school where tradition dictates that older blokes and coaches aren’t mates, but educators.

‘He was amazing to work with because he never preached or spoke about when he was a Springbok. I can’t ever remember him speaking about himself and he really didn’t have to because everyone I knew who had seen HO play spoke about how good he was. I just liked him and felt I could speak to him and that he would never judge what I had to say.

‘When we trained I could ask him questions without feeling stupid and he would give me a rugby explanation if he felt I could have done something better or why my execution of a kick, pass, tackle or move was poor. I knew I was lucky to have a mentor like that but I was as lucky to have a school master in Simon Perkin who allowed the relationship to develop and was never threatened by HO’s influence at training.’

Perkin still teaches at SACS and his classroom has all the standard high-school trappings of chairs, desks and that wonderful smell of wood, but it could also be a rugby museum to Montgomery with his exploits in the SACS No 15 jersey equally prominent in the wall-to-wall classroom display alongside Montgomery, the Springbok. The walls boast newspaper clippings of the brilliant schoolboy Percival Montgomery and one particular match report is of the influence of Montgomery in trouncing Jan van Riebeeck, coincidentally the school attended by Montgomery Senior. There are provincial reports of Montgomery and there are the more obvious ones of Montgomery the World Cup-winning hero, and there are pictures, many of them. There are also gifts of Springbok memorabilia – from Montgomery to Perkin and from Montgomery to SACS.

‘He does anything and everything for the school and he does it without us asking,’ says Perkin. ‘He donates signed Bok kit to help the school raise funds and when in Cape Town, he has always phoned to say hello and see if the school needs him to do a fundraiser or donate anything that can help us. When he was playing for Western Province and had already made the Springbok side, I once asked him to come down and work with the U14C team because they were in need of a boost and I thought that having the Springbok fullback, who just happened to be a SACS old boy, helping out at training would motivate them and show we cared about them as much as we did the U14A team. Monty only asked what time he had to be there and on what afternoon.

‘Whenever he has been in town with the Springboks, he has made an effort to connect with the school and in 1998 when he was on tour with the Springboks in England, he even took the train from London to watch SACS’ 1st XV play a tour game two hours outside London. He sat in the stands, popped into the change room and said hello to everyone afterwards, got back on the train and returned to London to be with the Boks. You can only imagine what that did for the schoolboys because he had come on his own accord when he heard SACS were on tour.’

Other SACS old boys make the wall, with Western Province trio Paul Delport, Ross Skeate (now with Toulon) and Isma-eel Dollie’s achievements honoured, but the walls in this classroom belong to Montgomery.

‘This is it,’ says Perkin. ‘This is Monty’s old class, although he will tell you his class was outside on the Memorial Field and he won’t be wrong because all he ever wanted to do was to be on the field kicking and training. He liked art and design and in 1992, when SACS hosted an arts festival, it was Monty’s painting that was chosen as the programme cover. He enjoyed being creative but academics was not his strength, as I am sure he has told you.’

Montgomery has never pretended to be anything he is not. A giant among academics? He laughs when asked about schoolbooks and exams.

‘I was definitely Perkie’s A student and whenever I e-mail him, I remind him of that in the way I say goodbye. It usually goes: “Your number-one A student, Monty”. I know he gets the humour in it because he used to get it at school when I used to tell him the same thing whenever he had to speak to me about my grades. I always found sport easier than academics and I had greater interest in a ball than a book. I wasn’t a lazy student, but being in a classroom was not something I found easy. I just wanted to play rugby, run, swim and play water polo. We had a crazy water polo coach in Alan Footman and some of my fondest school memories are water polo tours and sessions in which Footie killed us in the pool.

‘However, rugby was always the priority for me. In matric, I made the WP Schools waterpolo team and I asked Footie if he thought I had a chance of making SA Schools. He said yes, but I had to choose between the water polo national trials and going on tour to England with the SACS 1st XV. I had never been overseas and Footie told me I’d probably never get to go on another overseas rugby tour. He suggested I take the rugby tour at the expense of the water polo national trials.’

Footman, at the 2008 SACS Old Boys reunion, reminded Montgomery of the advice, given that for the last 14 years he spent nearly as much time touring overseas with rugby teams as he did at home, before finally settling in Cape Town in 2008 to play out his final year with WP and the Stormers.

‘I dreamed of playing for Western Province at Newlands and of the SACS blue and white being the WP blue and white. My ambition was to play for the Springboks but to get there, I first had to play for Province and I used to love going to Newlands as a schoolboy, watching the rugby and getting lost in my own world where I was playing for Western Province and not a schoolboy on the side of the field. Those were great days, taking the walk down from SACS to Newlands to watch Province play.

‘Perkie always used to say my favourite subjects were first and second break because I could go on the field and practise my kicking and be in my own world and he was right. I loved the Memorial Field and I used to run Newlands Forest most mornings before the other guys in the boarding house were even awake, get back to the boarding house, sneak a carton of milk, down it, have a shower and be ready for first break’s kicking. If they had given grades for sport, for getting up early and for dreaming big about being a Springbok, then I would have been top of the class.’

Montgomery, the most capped Springbok of all time, the most capped Test fullback in the history of the game, Tri-Nations and World Cup winner, is SACS’ most famous modern rugby son, but Perkin will tell you Montgomery is also the school’s most humble celebrity. Humility is the word everyone uses to describe Montgomery, and schoolmasters, housemasters, coaches and old school class-mates all just say he was a popular kid but he was a normal kid, who loved sport and wasn’t that keen on being in a classroom. They all remember him as a boy with strong values and simple tastes.

‘If you gave him a ball to play with, he was at his happiest and that is how we remember him at SACS,’ says Perkin, who also talks of Montgomery’s loyalty to a school whose members were family. ‘This is where he spent his entire youth and the connection between Monty and the school must be how most kids would relate to life at home because when most kids went home in the afternoon, Monty went to Memorial Field to train and then to have fun. He only went home for holidays and as he got older and toured with schools and provincial sporting teams, those holidays at home either got shorter or on occasions didn’t happen. I know he loved going home to Namibia because of his close bond with his parents, but SACS was his home for more than 10 years and I think that is why he is so comfortable coming back here and why he always wants to give so much back to the school. He certainly is not your average past pupil.’

Perkin adores Montgomery, as a dad to a son and an older brother to a younger sibling. He never speaks of them being mates and the relationship will always have the respect of schoolmaster and pupil. Montgomery’s work ethic is singled out, as is his loyalty to people. Perkin gives one example of Montgomery’s loyalty and appreciation to those who have helped him throughout his career, describing the evening Montgomery was selected for the SA Schools team in 1992.

‘The WP Schools team arrived back from Craven Week and Monty was to spend the evening at the home of team-mate and friend Johan van Schalkwyk in Oranjezicht in the City Bowl. I got a message from Johan’s dad asking me to be at the house as Monty needed to see me urgently. He didn’t know what was so important but he asked if I could be there by the time he got back from the airport, at midnight. When I got there, Monty and the Van Schalkwyk family were already there, waiting for me to celebrate his selection for the SA Schools team. He wouldn’t open the bottle of champagne unless I, as his school coach, was there to share the moment. He thanked me for supporting him and for always believing in him. I was overwhelmed that he would involve me in what was his celebration and he has never lost that quality of always being prepared to honour anyone he feels has played a part in his development or success.’

Montgomery played more than 60 games for SACS’ lst XV in three successive seasons, which Perkin believes is a school record, although the inconsistent keeping of documents for records, appearances and points scored means it can’t be verified. Perkin also can’t guarantee Montgomery is the school’s most prolific point-scorer as Anton Chait, who would play flyhalf for WP in the 1990s, was an outstanding schoolboy goal kicker and a SACS points machine.

‘SACS have had some wonderful players over the years. Peter Kirsten [who played cricket for South Africa and rugby for the Junior Springboks] is the most prominent of our flyhalves and Anton Chait was a big star for SACS,’ says Perkin. ‘But Monty has been the most successful rugby player in the school’s history because he played SA Schools for two successive years and only Warren Kruger, in 1975, had made the SA Schools side.’

In 1992 and 1993, Montgomery scored half of the 1st XV’s points, played for WP Schools and SA Schools, with the SA Schools match against a Nampak Academy XV at Newlands in 1992 the apex of his schools rugby career.

‘We were the main curtain-raiser to the Bok match against the Wallabies, who had won the World Cup the year before, and the atmosphere at Newlands was incredible. I scored my first-ever try at Newlands and the only disappointment was that we played in white jerseys and black shorts and the Academy team, which was like an SA Schools B team, played in green and gold. We were told it had to do with politics and we weren’t allowed to play in green and gold as the national schools team. We won and the occasion is still one of the most memorable of my career.’

It was also the only time Montgomery’s mother and father saw him play a live schools game and it so nearly didn’t happen. The SACS Old Boys had raised the funds to sponsor return flights from Namibia and accommodation for the Montgomerys, but they couldn’t get match tickets because the Wallabies were in town. Newspaper reports changed that and Hugh Wiley, head of sponsorship at Norwich Union (WP team sponsor), ensured the Montgomerys would be their guests at the curtain-raiser and Test match. Montgomery scored one of three tries in a 15-13 win that also featured the mercurial talents of Herschelle Gibbs, who’s now an international cricketer, at flyhalf. Montgomery is still of the opinion that he hasn’t seen a schoolboy flyhalf as good since playing against and alongside Gibbs.

‘He could kick the ball for miles and because of the distance of his kicks, it made it very difficult to play against him and I don’t remember us winning much against Bishops when he was there,’ says Montgomery. ‘As a fullback, I had it easier when he was at flyhalf for the SA Schools team. He was also bloody naughty and when the pranks were played or a few rules were broken, you always knew Herschelle would be in there somewhere. He never took himself seriously and back then, among schoolboys, that was just perfect.’

If Gibbs was the superstar at Bishops, then Montgomery held a similar status at SACS, although he says no individual was ever allowed to get ahead of himself, even though it was not in his nature to behave like he was better than any other player.

‘If any guy thought they had made it, the other guys would quickly cut him down to size. Boarding school teaches you to always clean up, it gives you discipline and it also creates an environment that doesn’t tolerate individuals. It didn’t matter if I had scored the winning points or made the SA Schools team, my responsibilities and duties remained the same. The team ethos always came before the desires of any individual.’

Montgomery talks up the virtues of boarding school, suggests his 12-year-old son, Nicholas, could do with the experience and then admits it is unlikely to ever happen.

‘I would never get his mother [Tasmin Tobitt] to agree to it and in any case, I am too close to him and wouldn’t want him away from us.’

Montgomery was a boarder at SACS in Newlands from standard two (grade four), but it was a situation forced on his parents through circumstance and ideally they would have wanted him at home.

‘I know why my parents sent me to boarding school and the experience shaped my character, so if the circumstances were similar and I felt Nicholas would benefit more in that environment then I would have no fear sending him to boarding school, based on my own experience.’

Montgomery, on his return to Cape Town in 2008, enrolled Nicholas at SACS, but not as a boarder, as their Camps Bay home is a 20-minute drive from the school.

‘To be able to send Nicholas to SACS is special for me,’ says Montgomery. ‘And what will make it even more enjoyable is being able to watch him develop and to be able to share some of my memories with him because he will be in a position to relate to the place and the traditions. Who knows, maybe Perkie will even teach him.’

Despite the plaudits for SACS’ boarding school environ-ment and the school itself, Montgomery admits his first year, as an eight-year-old, was painful and that it is difficult to articulate the loneliness and the confusion in understanding how the absence of a traditional home life was actually a good thing. In that first year, he often felt nauseous and home sick and he craved those afternoons at the rugby field watching his dad play or coach, and most of all, he longed for the freedom of doing as he pleased as a six- and seven-year-old in Namibia. Rugby days there were days of being treated and of treats.

Montgomery Senior and Monty speak of the bond there has always been between the two, but a long-distance relationship comes with restrictions and neither father nor son can talk of intimacy during the decade Monty was in Cape Town as a schoolboy and Montgomery Senior was in Namibia. It is why Monty is so determined to make up that time post-rugby.

‘I want to get closer to my family and I also want to make more of an effort with old school friends. I seem to have been on the road since I was eight years old, but being back in Cape Town with Taz, Nicholas and [daughter] Taneal, and having my folks an hour’s drive away in Hermanus, makes me feel settled and content. I am desperate to make up for lost time, especially with my mom and dad, and I will always want to give back to a school that gave me so much.’

It is at SACS that Montgomery was taught discipline and to work hard, and while you can sense the hurt and humiliation when he tells of being hung out of a window by a school teacher and embarrassed in front of his class-mates, the tears of a young boy lessened as the teenager thrived and triumphed. Montgomery, despite times of loneliness in his first few years, never talks of feeling neglected.

‘My parents were a phone call away and in the boarding house people cared about us and there were always invites from class-mates to spend the weekends at their homes. I missed my home, but I never felt unloved and the more I got involved with sport, the less time I had to feel lonely.’

SACS junior-school headmaster, Stuart Anderson, who retired at the end of 2008, described Montgomery as an honest and well-liked boy. Anderson, like those who taught Montgomery at junior school, can’t recall anything out of the ordinary, other than the obvious sporting talent that saw Montgomery play for the U13A cricket side and captain the U13A rugby team. Montgomery doesn’t tell any remarkable junior-school stories either. He missed the normality of home life and of doing things without constant supervision. But in time, he would learn to miss SACS more than Namibia, especially as he prospered in his rugby and water polo, and most holidays were spent on tour with the rugby team.

Montgomery calls himself ‘a boy in blue and white for life’. He has played professional rugby in Wales and France and spent two years playing for the Sharks, in KwaZulu-Natal, on his return to South Africa in 2005. But in his heart, the only rugby home he knows is in the suburb of Newlands.

Montgomery is the only SACS Bok Test player since Cecil Moss played in 1948. The tradition Montgomery refers to was born when SACS, then the South African College (SAC), played the first-ever match at Newlands against Bishops. The 2nd XVs had the honour and the second match, between the 1st XVs, followed. SACS also gave Western Province their blue and white hoops, a playing strip they had gained by default and not design.

Sir Henry Juta, in the history of SACS, is quoted as saying that SACS’ players initially turned out in whatever each man fancied or possessed, but when they played Bishops, who always dress in dark blue, this prompted a change and SACS’ players decided they too wanted a uniformed strip. Rugby historian Paul Dobson writes that SACS’ players had to take what was available from an Adderley Street supplier, Porter Hodgson’s. The only jerseys he had in stock, in two sizes, were those with blue and white hoops and they became SACS’ official colours. Western Province, winners of the Currie Cup in 1892, wore SACS jerseys because their captain Ben Duff was a SACS man and they have worn the blue and white hoops ever since.

When Montgomery was at school, he was taught about those who helped shape the tradition of SACS and of the exploits of those who would play for South Africa in various sports. Among the famous stories is that of Billy Millar, who survived typhoid fever as a baby, went to SAC and ran away at 16 to join the Cycling Corps in the Anglo-Boer War. He nearly lost an arm and to strengthen himself, took up boxing and walking and became the Cape Colony amateur heavyweight champion. Millar played for South Africa in 1906. Tom Hepburn is another famous name because he kicked the conversion in South Africa’s first-ever Test win in 1891.

But the most remarkable story of SACS rugby is that after producing the first Springbok selection in 1891, when Ben Duff was alphabetically listed as the first South African national team player against the British Isles, the school would 117 years later produce the first Springbok to win 100 Test caps in Percival Montgomery.

– This is an edited extract from Monty by Mark Keohane

KEO News Wire

Markus Muller: Stormers snap up SA’s top schoolboy rugby midfielder

Published

7 months ago

29th May 2025

Keo

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images

The two most talked about schoolboy midfielders in South African rugby have made their post-matric moves—and the biggest winner is unquestionably the DHL Stormers with the signing of rugby golden boy Markus Muller. The Lions have pounced on Grey College’s Ethan Adams. The duo headline rugby’s Class of 2025..

Muller, the captain of Paarl Gim for the upcoming season, is not just the best schoolboy centre in the country—he’s been the standout midfielder across all schools for the last two years. With over 50 tries and try assists to his name, including more than 20 tries this season alone (four hat-tricks, three braces), the No 13 jersey in the SA Schools team seems his for the taking.

And here’s why Muller just hit the professional jackpot: He joins a Stormers backline that boasts Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, two of the most gifted Springboks of the modern era. Whether playing inside or outside of this generational duo, Muller will be learning and linking with the best.

Cape Town Strikes Gold Again with Markus Muller

The Stormers didn’t just get Muller. The Western Cape conveyor belt is buzzing, and head coach John Dobson is keeping the local flavour strong with a serious intake of regional talent.

Joining Muller in Cape Town next year are:

Quintin Potgieter (Paarl Gim, loose forward)
Alutha Wesi (Rondebosch, loose forward)
Randall-John Davids (Rondebosch, centre)
Matt van der Merwe (Rondebosch, prop)
Jordan Steenkamp (Paul Roos, wing)
Altus Rabe (Paul Roos, hooker)
Gert Kemp (Paul Roos, loose forward)
Yaqeen Ahmed (Wynberg, flyhalf)
Jayden Brits (Boland Landbou, scrumhalf)
AJ Meyer (Grey College, lock)

MULLER STARS FOR PAARL GIM IN 2025

Dobson’s message is clear: build from within, strengthen the Western Province schools-to-Stormers pathway, and back the region’s talent.

“This speaks to our aim of harnessing the talent we have on our doorstep,” Dobson said. “We want our fans to see their players, from their communities, making it with the Stormers.”

Dobson also emphasized that while the focus is local, the Stormers remain alert to top-tier prospects from outside the region.

“We will make strategic acquisitions from around the country if they can make a big difference.”

The Battle of the Midfield Stars: Muller vs Adams

While Muller heads to the coast, Ethan Adams, the powerful outside centre from Grey College, is heading north to join the Lions. Adams, originally from Kareedouw in the Eastern Cape, has also starred in the SA Schools setup and was a standout at last year’s U18 Craven Week.

Both players will be tracked closely in their rookie professional seasons—but it’s Muller’s opportunity to slot into a backline with established Boks and gamebreakers that has him leading the headlines.

The Stormers Development Dream

Muller follows in the footsteps of a who’s who of Western Province-developed stars. Names like Damian Willemse, Salmaan Moerat, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, JD Schickerling, and Suleiman Hartzenberg all came through the Western Province pathway.

Now it’s Muller’s turn.

Our Verdict: The Stormers didn’t just sign a schoolboy star. They signed the schoolboy star—Markus Muller. And with Willemse and Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the mix, Cape Town may have just locked in its next great midfielder.

YOU TUBE’S TRIBUTE VIDEOS AND SHORTS OF PAARL GIM SCHOOLS SENSATION MARKUS MULLER

MULLER LEAD STORY ON SA RUGBY MAGAZINE

Schools Rugby

Stats show rugby still way too white in South Africa

Published

7 years ago

19th February 2019

Keo

The lie is that rugby is transforming at schools level when you consider the statistical return of Springboks among the country’s elite rugby schools.

The Rapport newspaper’s report on the effects of professionalism on schools rugby was revealing in that 44% of the Springboks selected since 1996 came from just 25 schools. The most startling statistic was that of the 131 players who became Springboks from these schools, 119 were white!It is still a game dominated by the country’s minority.

There has to be a continued focus on this for it to ever change.

Transformation is about opportunity and clearly this isn’t happening in too many schools that focus so intensely on rugby as the premier sport. I was shocked at how few black and coloured Springboks came from the 25 elite school feeders to the Springboks.

It is also equally depressing how few black and coloured coaches we have in South African professional rugby.

Super Rugby is again an all-white affair when it comes to head coaches. There has to be an emphasis on changing this. It simply can’t continue to be so white-dominated. There was a 100-year history of black rugby before unity and yet there is so little to show for this history in the professional arena.

Black coaches struggle to get an opportunity in the professional ranks. White players retire and are coaching professionally within two or three years. It is so skewed. Too many continue to defend the status quo. It must be challenged every day of the week.

Rugby can’t be the game of the people when a minority still controls it.

And it is this minority that keeps on insisting the game is changing and transforming.

The fabric of the South African professional game remains white. The numbers don’t lie. There has been an improvement in playing squad numbers, but they are nowhere near what they should be.

In a previous column, I lamented the situation and the absolute disregard from within regions to even come close to a 50% split.

When you assess the numbers of black and coloured players selected during the opening weekend of Super Rugby, it is obvious that the Springbok World Cup squad won’t be split racially 50% black and 50% white.

This was rugby’s promise to the government in 2011 when the racial make-up of the World Cup squad was white-dominated. The problem is not with the Springboks but with the Super Rugby regions.

Every Super Rugby coach must make it a priority when it comes to black player selection. They have to give Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus the biggest possible pool of players.

This year should only be about doing what is best for the Springboks’ World Cup prospects.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work this way in South African rugby.

There have been huge improvements in communication between the national coach and regional coaches, but in a World Cup year there should be intent from each region that every sacrifice will be made to accommodate the preparations of the Springboks to send a fully transformed squad to the tournament – a transformed squad that is good enough to have a chance of glory.

*This article was first published in the Cape Times. Keohane, a former Springboks Communications Manager and multiple award-winning sports writer, is head of Independent Media Sport.

Schools Rugby

SA Schools predominantly WP

Published

7 years ago

20th July 2018

Ollie Keohane

10 of the 30 squad members of the SA Schools side come from Western Province, who beat the Sharks 47-8 in the unofficial Craven Week final.

Coached by Sean Erasmus, the side will get their Aon U18 International Series started at Boland Landbou, then move on to Stellenberg to face France, concluding their tournament in Newlands at SACS.

Notably, former Bok centre Brendan Venter’s son, Brendan Junior has been included (from WP), as has referee Marius Jonker’s son Rynhardt Jonker (from the Sharks).

“I am very happy with the quality of the players in the squad,” said Erasmus.

“All of the players performed well at Craven Week, and they showed that they can play an exciting brand of rugby. I was particularly impressed with the resilience and character they showed during the week and I am very excited to work with them.

“The experience and leadership that the players such as Adrian, Celimpilo and Banele will bring is also good as they will set the pace and intensity at training.

SA Schools squad:

Forwards (18)

Jacobus Agenbag (prop), Free State/Grey College

Adrian Alberts (lock), Western Province/Paarl Boys High

Dewald Donald (prop), Blue Bulls/Affies

Tristan Dullisear (flank), Golden Lions/Monument

Jacques Goosen (hooker), Border/Selborne College

Celimpilo Gumede (No 8), Sharks/Durban High School

Hanru Jacobs (prop), Western Province/Paul Roos Gymnasium

Jean-Jacques Kotze (hooker), Western Province/Paul Roos Gymnasium

De Wet Marais (flank), Free State/Grey College

Mihlali Mgolodela (flank), Western Province/Rondebosch Boys High

Keketso Morabe (No 8), Griffons/Welkom Gimnasium

Banele Mthenjane (prop), Pumas/Nelspruit

Lunga Ncube (lock), Sharks/Glenwood

Evan Roos (No 8), Western Province/Paarl Boys High

Sibusiso Sangweni (lock), Sharks/Kearsney College

Jarrod Taylor (flank), Border/Selborne College

Uzile Tele (flank), Border/Hudson Park High

Emile van Heerden (lock), Western Province XV/Paarl Boys High

Backs (12)

Lionel April (flyhalf), Boland/Hermanus High

Thomas Bursey (scrumhalf), Border/Selborne College

Jurich Claasens (scrumhalf), Blue Bulls/Garsfontein

Darren Hendricks (fullback), Western Province/Boland Landbou

Stravino Jacobs (wing), Western Province/Paarl Gymnasium

Rynhardt Jonker (centre), Sharks/Glenwood

Muzilikazi Manyike (centre), Golden Lions/Jeppe Boys High

Juan Mostert (flyhalf), Western Province/Paul Roos Gymnasium

Brendan Venter (centre), Western Province/Paul Roos Gymnasium

Wyclef Vlitoor (wing), Free State/Grey College

Sibabalwe Xamlashe (fullback), Border/Selborne College

Mnombo Zwelindaba (centre), Border/Selborne College

Aon U18 International Series fixtures:

Friday, August 10 (at Boland Landbou)

14:15 – England vs France

16:00 – SA Schools vs Wales

Tuesday, August 14 (at Stellenberg)

14:15 – Wales vs England

16:00 – SA Schools vs France

Saturday, August 18 (at SACS)

12:15 – France vs Wales

14:05 – SA Schools vs England

Schools Rugby

Coca Cola Craven Week – WP take all the schools’ glory

Published

7 years ago

14th July 2018

Keo

Hosts Western Province were supreme in the Coca Cola Craven and Academy Week final day, being crowned unofficial champions in both festivals.

South Africa’s premier schools rugby week concluded with a thumping WP 47-8 against Kwazulu-Natal’s young Sharks. Province ended the week unbeaten in their three matches. The WP also finished the Academy Week undefeated. The hosts were particularly harsh in hammering Free State 73-0. The WP XV completed a wonderful day for the province in beating the Bulls 20-16.

Paarl Boys High hosted the week.

U18 Craven Week day five results (Saturday, 13 July):

SWD 48-14 Pumas

Griquas 24-15 Limpopo Blue Bulls

Western Province XV 20-16 Blue Bulls

Eastern Province 21-10 Leopards

Border 33-17 Free State

Blue Bulls XV 29-17 Golden Lions XV

Golden Lions 51-12 Boland

NWU Valke 19-22 Griffons

Sharks 8-47 Western Province

SARugby Mag report on WP 47-8 win against KZN

Coca-Cola Academy Week Day 5 results:

Sharks 24-10 Golden Lions

Griquas 27-31 Eastern Province CD

Blue Bulls CD 33-22 Western Province CD

Leopards 19-8 Griquas CD

Border 17-38 Blue Bulls

Boland 20-8 Golden Lions XV

Griffons CD 8-10 Sharks CD

Pumas CD 10-10 Valke CD

SWD 45-12 Valke

Eastern Province 22-13 Griffons

Limpopo Blue Bulls 25-0 Pumas

Border CD 20-19 SA LSEN

Zimbabwe 27-6 Namibia

Western Province 73-0 Free State

SA Rugby Mag report on WP 73-0 win against Free State

Schools Rugby

Coca Cola Craven week day 4 wrap

Published

7 years ago

12th July 2018

Ollie Keohane

Fixtures and results from day four of Craven Week and Academy Week at Paarl Boys’ High’s Brug Street field via sarugbymag.co.za

Craven Week

Leopards 17 Griquas 6
SWD 38 Golden Lions XV 24
Western Province XV 28 Valke 6
Boland 19 Blue Bulls 17
Sharks 29 Free State 20

Academy Week

Limpopo 25 Western Province CD 14
Griquas CD 26 Pumas CD 26
Griffons 15 Golden Lions CD 6
Griffons CD 17 Border CD 8
Golden Lions 21 Eastern Province 21
SWD 45 Eastern Province CD 15
Free State 29 Blue Bulls 18

Schools Rugby

Coca Cola Craven Week day 3 wrap: Blue Bulls win big, Province edge Lions

Published

7 years ago

11th July 2018

Ollie Keohane

Western Province were able to hold off the Lions to secure a 13-5 win in the first unofficial semi final, while the Blue Bulls XV put 55 points past the Limpopo Blue Bulls.

Fixtures and results from day three of Craven Week and Academy Week at Paarl Boys’ High’s Brug Street field via sarugbymag.co.za.

Craven Week

Blue Bulls XV 55 Limpopo Blue Bulls 5
Pumas 45 Eastern Province 29
Border 52 Griffons 12
Western Province 13 Golden Lions 5

Academy Week

Valke 25 Border 22
Sharks CD 29 Leopards 14
Western Province 67 Sharks 14
SA LSEN 26 Valke CD 22
Namibia 18 Griffons CD 15
Zimbabwe 44 Blue Bulls CD 19
Boland 41 Pumas 24

Schools Rugby

Coca Cola Craven Week Day 2 wrap: Free State bully young Bulls

Published

7 years ago

10th July 2018

Ollie Keohane

Fixtures and results from day two of the Coca Cola U18 Craven Week and Academy Week at Paarl Boys’ High’s Brug Street field, via sarugbymag.co.za

Craven Week

Golden Lions XV 15 Western Province XV 57
Valke 63 Leopards 24
Boland 61 Griquas 14
KwaZulu-Natal 46 SWD 28

Free State 38 vs Blue Bulls 21

Academy Week

Griquas CD 13 Griffons CD 17
Pumas CD 8 Border CD 15
Eastern Province CD 34 Limpopo 10
Golden Lions CD 25 Western Province CD 23
SWD 29 Griffons 20
Golden Lions 28 vs Free State 36
Blue Bulls 26 vs Eastern Province 7

Schools Rugby

U18 Craven Week wrap: Big wins for WP & Lions on Day 1

Published

7 years ago

9th July 2018

Ollie Keohane

Western Province and the Lions were rampant on Day one of the Coca Cola Craven Week.

All results from day one of Craven Week and Academy Week at Paarl Boys’ High’s Brug Street field. Via sarugbymag.co.za

Craven Week

Griffons 51 Blue Bulls XV 17
Border 68 Limpopo 17
Golden Lions 46 Eastern Province 25
Western Province 72 Pumas 10

Academy Week

Sharks CD 27 Blue Bulls CD 27
Namibia 41 Valke CD 8
Zimbabwe 29 SA LSEN 27
Griquas 36 Valke 39
Border 31 Leopards 18
Boland 21 Sharks 43
Western Province 57 Pumas 28

Read SA Rugby Mag’s report on the Lions vs EP thriller and WP’s walloping of the Pumas

Schools Rugby

Kaplan hails Paul Roos team ‘once in a generation’

Published

8 years ago

19th May 2018

Keo

South Africa’s most experienced Test referee Jonathan Kaplan is also among the most respected authorities on schoolboy rugby. Kaplan, on his Twitter feed, described this season’s Paul Roos side as a ‘once in a generation’ team.

Paul Roos, unbeaten in 11 matches, smashed Paarl Boys High 44-8, just a fortnight after hammering Paarl Gim 32-13 at Paarl Gim.

Kaplan, who has refereed 165 different schools First XV’s, emphasised the quality of this year’s team when he said he hadn’t seen anything like it for a decade. Kaplan still referees a Schools match every Saturday.

Paarl Boys High have been the most dominant team in South Africa for the past three years, but this season the cycle was broken with defeat against Grey College and the whipping at Stellenbosch against Paul Roos.

Grey Kollege also kept their unbeaten status with a come from behind late surge to score two tries in the final five minutes and beat Affies. Grey raced to a 22-0 lead and Affies were outstanding in clawing back the deficit to lead 28-27 going into the final few minutes. Grey then scored twice to win 39-28.

Paul Roos and Grey College are without question the leading two teams in South Africa this season, with Paarl Gim and Glenwood and (probably) Paarl Boys completing the top 5.

Paul Roos will travel to Grey College in Bloemfontein on August 18 for the most anticipated Schools match of the season.

Glenwood are also unbeaten in KZN and were dominant at the Kearsney and Wildeklawer festivals. They recently beat Affies and at the weekend scored their most impressive win of the year with a 49-22 dismantling of the traditional powerhouse Monument.

Glenwood plays Grey College on August 4.

Boland Landbou, in the Western Cape, beat Bishops 24-14, Rondebosch were too strong for Durbanville High 30-15, Stellenberg downed SACS 25-22 at Newlands, scoring a converted try in the last five minutes. Paalr Gim also beat Oakdale 47-38.

Selected results on SARugby Magazine’s Schools’ Section

Western Cape

Worcester Gym 25 Bellville 29
Milnerton 7 vs Brackenfell 22
DF Malan 33 De Kuilen 5
Drostdy 25 Outeniqua 18

KwaZulu-Natal

Clifton 27 Northwood 41
DHS 45 vs Maritzburg College 30

Noordvaal

Ben Vorster 21 Helpmekaar 36
EG Jansen 15 Garsfontein 57
Eldoraigne 37 Zwartkop 24
Florida 20 Pietersburg 29
St Stithians 31 Jeppe 47
Menlopark 39 Nelspruit 12
St David’s 22 St Benedicts 19
St John’s 28 Pretoria Boys’ High 15

Eastern Cape

Cambridge 10 St Andrew’s 19
Dale 41 Grens 19
Hudson Park 37 vs Queen’s 22

Free State

Welkom Gim 20 Hentie Cilliers 20
Wilgerivier 18 Kroonstad 12
Diamantveld 57 Upington 24

Photo: Thys Lombard/Paul Roos Facebook

Schools Rugby

Schools Wrap: Paul Roos powerful, while Wynberg pip Grey

Published

8 years ago

14th May 2018

Ollie Keohane

Paul Roos continued what has been a powerful 2018 season thus far, putting Bishops away 44-21. Wynberg, who appear to be the premier Southern Suburbs side this season edged Grey High 36-33 while Grey College were emphatic in smashing Selborne 62-24.

All the school results from around the country via sarugbymag.co.za

Visit their site for match reports on the schools clashes

WEEKEND’S RESULTS

Western Cape

Bishops 21 Paul Roos 44
Boland Landbou 20 Framesby 34
Paarl Gim 69 Rondebosch 28
SACS 17 Durbanville 13
Stellenberg 22 Outeniqua 31
Wynberg 36 Grey High 33
Brackenfell 20 Bellville 26

KwaZulu-Natal

DHS 60 Westville 10
Kearsney 6 Maritzburg 3 (abandoned due to lightning)
Michaelhouse vs Northwood (cancelled)

Noordvaal

Monument 26 Waterkloof 28
Pretoria Boys’ 23 Hilton 27
Menlopark vs Glenwood (cancelled)
St Stithians 31 Parktown 22
KES 26 St Benedict’s 24
St Alban’s 30 St John’s 12
Transvalia 23 Helpmekaar 20
Garsfontein 46 Middleburg 29
Nelspruit 34 EG Jansen 28

Eastern Cape

Dale 29 Queen’s 10
Selborne 24 Grey College 62
Kingswood 36 Union 15
Hudson Park 40 Pearson 25
St Andrew’s 43 Daniel Pienaar 7

Free State

Diamandtveld 22 Noord-Kaap 16
Welkom Gim 52 Kroonstad 7

KEO News Wire

Grey College end Boshaai’s unbeaten run & Paul Roos power past Paarl Gim

Published

8 years ago

5th May 2018

Keo

Grey College and Paul Roos made claim to South Africa’s top schoolboy rugby ranking with comprehensive wins in Paarl.

Grey College ended Paarl Boys High’s three season unbeaten record against South African teams. The visitors, thanks to a late two try surge, won 34-20. Grey led 26-10 before Boshaai fought back to make it a six point game. Then class of Grey showed with the strong finish.

Paul Roos, who have been sensational this season, were brilliant in beating Paarl Gim 32-13 in Paarl. Gim were also unbeaten.

Paul Roos are unbeaten in seven matches.

Glenwood edged Affies 37-33 in another interprovincial premier contest.

Wynberg Boys High continued their fine form with a 27-25 home win against Boland Landbou and Bishops triumphed against SACS 19-7 in South African Rugby’s oldest schools derby match.

Schools Rugby

Schools Wrap: Grey College and Paul Roos emphatic in winning

Published

8 years ago

30th April 2018

Ollie Keohane

Most of SA’s top schools were in action this weekend at either the Wildeklawer Festival in Kimberley or the Grey High Festival in Port Elizabeth. Grey College and Paul Roos were the two stand out teams. Paarl Boys High also had to fight to stay unbeaten in coming from 14-5 down to beat Affies 19-14.

Grey College on Friday put 45 points past HTS Drotsdy and on Monday accounted for Monument 36-21. Paul Roos were in demolition mode as they swatted aside Menlopark 68-25 on Saturday and on Monday whipped Waterkloof 63-12.

Paarl Gim also remained unbeaten with a thrilling 34-31 win against Monument on Saturday and 24-7 against Welkom Gim on Monday.

Paarl Boys High, unbeaten in South Africa against South African opposition for the past three years, hammered Waterkloof 53-10 early in the tournament. But on Monday late afternoon they had it tough against Affies. Boshaai produced a very strong last quarter to turn a 14-5 deficit into a 19-14 win.

Affies started the festival with a 38-14 win against Boland Landbou.

Glenwood were also in good form at Wildeklawer while at the Grey High Festival it was Selborne who made a huge impression.

Scoring breakdown courtesy of sarugbymagazine.co.za

Wildeklawer Festival (Kimberly)

Day 1 results:

Grey College (45) – Tries: Jan-Hendrik Wessels (2), Werner Gouws (2), Lesley Botha, De Wet Marias, Zander du Plessis. Conversions: Du Plessis (6).
HTS Drostdy (5) – Try: Cohen Jasper.

Affies (38) – Tries: Dieter Crafford, Dewald Donald, Janco Uys, George Oosthuizen, Stephin Alberts, Jason Scheepers. Conversions: Regardt Roets (4).
Boland Landbou (14) – Tries: Bertus Baard, Sebastian de Klerk. Conversions: Gavin Mills (2).

Day 2 results:

Paarl Boys’ (53) – Tries: Louwan Horn (3), Kian Meadon (2), Carlu Uys, Quan Horn, Adrian Alberts. Conversions: Meadon (5). Penalty: Meadon.
Waterkloof (10) – Tries: Boipelo Kgatlhanye, Eckhardt Boshoff.

EG Jansen (31) – Tries: Kyle Potgieter, Wesley Noeth, Tylon Kotze. Conversions: Aurelio Philander (3), Potgieter. Penalty: Philander.
Outeniqua (34) – Tries: Herschelle Otto, Matthew Thorne, Ruan Barnard, Eldon Lotz, Jaco Gerber. Conversions: Darren Fortuin (3). Penalty: Fortuin.

Glenwood (52) – Tries: Conan le Fleur (3), Aaron Le Rue (2), Jaden Hendrikse, Ruan Olivier, Rynhardt Jonker Conversions: Hendrikse (6).
Stellenberg (13) – Tries: Dylan de Leeuw, Tyrone Rose. Penalty: Nivan Petersen.

Welkom Gimnasium (31) – Tries: Keke Morabe (3), Ryan Davids, Keith van Aswegen. Conversions: Davids (3).
SARU Invitational (10) – Try: Storm Hanekom. Conversion: Lionel April. Penalty: April.

Paul Roos Gimnasium (68) – Tries: Remy Engelbrecht (3), Regan van der Westhuizen, Mink Scharink, Tiaan Pretorius, Kade Wolhuter, Cade Croy, Robbie Rodgers, JJ Kotze. Conversions: Kade Wolhuter (8), Juan Mostert.
Menlopark (25) – Tries: Jaco Britz (2), Bernard van der Linde. Conversions: Van der Linde (2). Penalty: Van der Linde.

Paarl Gimnasium (34) – Tries: Delarey Nel, Hendri Siebert, Stephan du Toit, Mark Etzebeth, Dawid Kellerman. Conversions: Charl Janson (3). Penalty: Janson.
Monument (31) – Tries: Dean Lategan, Morne Brandon, Tristan Dullisear, Henco van Wyk, Ruben Westraad. Conversions: Byron-Lee Wentink (3).)

Oakdale Landbou (56) – Tries: Janco Klinck (3), Henco Beukes (2), Trevino Gordon (2), Hendrik Victor. Conversions: Jan-Daniël Strydom (8).
Noord-Kaap (24) – Tries: Edwill Speelman, Godwill Romain, Nolan Coetzee, Tiaan Swanepoel. Conversions: Elzandro Fredericks (2).

Grey High Festival (Port Elizabeth)

Day 1 results:

Woodridge 10 Otto Du Plessis 10
Grey Unicorns 26 Ithembelihle 10
Hudson Park 39 Louis Botha 24
St Alban’s 22 Muir 17
Parktown 26 Daniel Pienaar 19
Kingswood 56 St David’s 5
Marlow 20 Graeme 5
Queen’s 21 St Stithians 17
Garsfontein 32 Nico Malan 17
St Andrew’s 31 DHS 15
Jeppe 12 Dale 10
Selborne 29 KES 3
Grey High 38 St John’s 3

For a full wrap and review visit SA Rugby Magazine: Schools

Schools Rugby

Paul Roos, Monument & Boland Landbou in stunning wins

Published

8 years ago

21st April 2018

Keo

All of Paul Roos, Monument and Boland Landbou produced stunning performances in Saturday’s national school’s rugby.

Monument advanced to the final of the Tuks series with a 68-31 thrashing of Garsfontein and Paul Roos thumped Grey High 43-8 in Stellenbosch.

Boland Landbou were lethal in beating Rondebosch Boys High 67-12.

Paarl Gim, despite a late fightback from SACS, also prevailed 54-38 and Wynberg Boys High came close to a shock win against Paarl Boys High. The latter, still unbeaten against South African teams in the last three years, won 32-28.

Affies beat KES 12-3 and Jeppe beat Westville 59-32.

Western Province

Paul Roos 43 Grey High 8
Wynberg 28 Paarl Boys’ 32

Paarl Gim 56 SACS 38

Stellenberg 74 Parel Vallei 10
Bishops 66 Tygerberg 5
Boland Landbou 67 Rondebosch 12

KwaZulu-Natal

Maritzburg 18 Hilton 29
Glenwood 58 Kearsney 5
DHS 27 Michaelhouse 14

Schools Rugby

Schools Rugby: Paul Roos power past SACS; Boshaai & Landbou, Grey & Gim also strong

Published

8 years ago

14th April 2018

Keo

Paul Roos were destructive in smashing SACS in Stellenbosch, scoring five tries in the last 15 minutes to complete a crushing 70-21 triumph. Paarl Boys High beat Outeniqua 21-10, Paarl Gim eased past Affies 41-21 and Boland Landbou hammered Brackenfell High 68-24.

Grey College scored 60 points for the third successive match in beating Waterkloof 60-15. Stellenberg crushed Strand 76-0 and Oakdale won a 71 point thriller 37-34 against Drostdy.

Wynberg were impressive in beating Rondebosch Boys High 31-19 away from home.

SACS have in the last few years run Paul Roos close, losing by four and three points respectively, but this year the class gap was again evident.

Paarl Boys High, South Africa’s No 1 ranked school for the last three years, continued their winning way against South African opposition with a powerful performance against Outeniqua. Paarl Boys High, in 2017, lost in New Zealand to Christchurch Boys High and last week lost in Paarl against the Jaguares U18s from Argentina. They exacted revenge on the Kiwis in beating Christchurch Boys High at the World Schools Festival.

In Gauteng, Jeppe beat KES and Monument had a comfortable win. Ben Vorster, EG Jansen and Garsfontein were also on the winnig side, while Transvalia shut out Kempton Park 38-0 and Parktown edged St Benedict’s 14-13.

Grey High were massive in dismantling Daniel Pienaar 71-12.

In KZN, Maritzburg College won 15-14 against Pretoria Boys High.

Wynberg beat Rondebosch 31-19

Eastern Cape

Daniel Pienaar 12 Grey High 71

Free State

Grey College 60 Waterkloof 15

KwaZulu-Natal

Northwood 27 DHS 50
Westville 7 Glenwood 40
Maritzburg 15 Pretoria Boys’ 14

Gauteng

Affies 21 Paarl Gym 41
Ben Vorster 50 Oos-Moot 52
Centurion 40 Frikkie Meyer 17
Eldoraigne 25 EG Jansen 52
Garsfontein 74 Pietersburg 3
Monument 40 Middelburg 7
KES 21 Jeppe 24
Transvalia 38 Kempton Park 0
Rustenberg 56 Nelspruit 29
ST Benedict’s 13 Parktown 14
Wonderboom 31 Klerksdorp 17

Western Cape

Boland 68 Brackenfell 24
Durbanville 52 DF Malan 6
Drosdty 34 Oakdale 37

Paul Roos 70 SACS 21
Rondebosch 19 Wynberg 31
Strand 0 Stellenberg 76

*All national schools results visit SARugbyMag

Schools Rugby

World Schools Festival comes to an emphatic end

Published

8 years ago

7th April 2018

Ollie Keohane

PAARL, 7 April 2018 – The weeklong Oakland World Schools Festival came to an emphatic end with a sold-out Paarl Boishaai’s Brug Street Stadium being treated to high-quality and entertaining schoolboy rugby on Saturday.

The festival lived up to its aspirations of creating camaraderie among rugby-loving schoolboys from around the world sharing knowledge and experiences.

The tournament featured 10 of the top schools in South Africa and 10 of the best school teams from around the world.

The final day was characterised by tight battles, the odd runaway victory and edge-of-your seat entertaining rugby.

The final schoolboy game of the day between Paarl Boys’ High School and Christchurch Boys’ High provided the hosts an opportunity to exact revenge on the New Zealand side.

Christchurch Boys’ High spoilt Boishaai’s spotless record in New Zealand last year, when they beat the South Africans 38-36.

Revenge was sweet for the South African side, and while the score line may suggest they found easy access across the advantage line, it was anything but a walk in the park.

Boishaai brought the curtain down on the celebrations claiming a 28-7 victory over the touring side and gave the ardent local supporters much to cheer about.

The South African sides walked away with the inaugural Oakland Cup trophy, a Ryder Cup-style contest between South Africa and the Rest of the World.

The home sides will have the bragging rights for the next year after beating the Rest of the World 36-4.

Carinat Sports Marketing Managing Director and ex-Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer announced the tournament would return in 2019 from March 24 to 29 and the venue would be revealed in due course.

“The festival surpassed all expectations and it was a humbling experience to see rugby-loving countries, from the giants to the so-called minnows, share our passion for the game,” Meyer said.

Paarl Boys’ High vs Christchurch Boys’ High (New Zealand):

Scorers:

Paarl Boishaai 25 (8): Tries: Ewan Roos (2), Vian van der Sandt, Cullan van der Merwe. Conversion: Trent Sirvetsen. Penalty: Trent Sirvetsen.

Christchurch Boys’ High 7 (0): Try: Max Hughes. Conversion: Ollie Lewis.

Affies vs AP Dragons (Pacific Islands)

Scorers:

Affies 17 (10): Tries: Heinrich Bischoff, David Jacobsz, Eric Sherman. Conversion: Regardt

Roets.AP Dragons 5 (5): Drie: Uta Fale.

Grey College vs Hartpury College (England)

Scorers:

Grey College 60 (31): Tries: Ian Small-Smith (3), Ross Braude (2), Werner Gouws, Lesley Botha, Joubert Schoeman, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Zander du Plessis. Conversions: Du Plessis (5).

Hartpury College 0.

Paarl Gimnasium vs Unión Argentina U18 (Argentina)

Scorers:

Paarl Gimnasium 38 (23): Tries: Stravino Jacobs, Van Eeden Hanekom, Dean Nieuwoudt, Hein Strauss. Drop goal: Charl Janson. Conversions: Janson (3). Penalties: Janson (3).

Jaguares 36 (5): Tries: Nicolas Roger Farias, Totas Vanni, Rustias Salustierra, Mannuel Berstein, Juan-Manuel Gonzales, Martin Avellaneda. Conversions: Roger Farias (3)

Hilton College vs Rhinos Rugby (United States)

Scorers:

Hilton 78 (29): Tries: Ruan Wilmans (2), Gareth Schreuder, Roger Ellis, Robert Mattison, Joseph Elphick (3), Patrick McVeigh, Jared Venter, Siyabonga Xulu. Doelskoppe: Schreuder (7), Bryce Trodd (2). Strafdoel: Schreuder.

Rhinos Rugby 19 (12): Tries: Latu Kolopeaua, Ethan Howard, Moses Sepvona. Doelskoppe: Austin Kikuchi (2).

Schools Rugby

Grey College clobber Christchurch Boys’ High and Boshaai lose to Argentina

Published

8 years ago

5th April 2018

Ollie Keohane

Day two of the the World Schools festivals saw some enormous scores, most notably Grey College’s 66-28 thumping of Christchurch Boys High and Paarl Gim’s 84-0 romping of USA’s Rhinos, while hosts Paarl Boys were downed 19-10 by a strong Jaguares side in their first loss on home turf in three years, putting a bit of a dampener on their 150th celebrations.

Action galore on day two of rugby fest

PAARL, 4 April 2018 – The second day of the Oakland World Schools Festival tilted towards equilibrium as the international teams launched a comeback in the latter part of the programme.

The South African one-way traffic from the day before flowed into the early matches on Wednesday with the overseas sides suffering defeats early on in the day.

The South Africans extended their lead in the “Oakland Cup”, a Ryder Cup-style contest between South Africa and the Rest of the World.

The format ensures that each match counts, where two points will count towards a win and a draw is worth one point.

The home sides lead the competition 16-4 so far in the tournament.

The week-long festival features some of the most promising schoolboy talents from around the globe.

The South African sides did not quite have it their way with two international sides beating two of South Africa’s top rugby schools.

Hosts Paarl Boys’ High School suffered their first defeat on home soil in three years when they suffered a 19-10 defeat to Argentina.

The match ultimately came down to Argentina flyhalf Exequiel Alegra-Chedied’s boot as he converted their only try while slotting three penalties.

It was only the second South African defeat of the tournament after Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool bowed their knee to Hartpury College from Gloucestershire, England.

The English side was full of value as they secured a 26-15 victory over Affies scoring four tries to the two by the Pretoria school side.

Piers Hamer, Bailey Wahs, Joe Howard and Josh Phipps scored a five-pointer each with Dan Cole converting three.

Affies’ points came courtesy of tries by Stephan Alberts and Jason Scheepers with Regardt Roets slotting a conversion kick and a penalty.

Grey College brought the second day to an emphatic end with Grey College beating Christchurch Boys’ High 66-28 in a mouth-watering encounter.

The match was the best advertisement of what schoolboy rugby is all about with both teams playing with reckless abandon producing high-quality action.

It was wall-to-wall action with Grey College racing to a 26-0 lead within 13 minutes with Franco Smith, Ian Small-Smith and De Wet Marais each crossing the whitewash.

Christchurch mounted a fight-back with George Harding, Cullen Moody and Ryan Barnes scoring for the visitors.

Fleet-footed Grey outside centre Wyclef Vitoor with possibly the try of the tournament so far when he stepped his way over the advantage for his five-pointer before Marais scored his hat-trick shortly before the break.

The New Zealand side fought gallantly but they could not keep up with the skill and the pace Grey produced on the night.

The bleeding stopped by the third match when the Africa Pacific Dragons provided some serious resistance against Hilton College.

The Dragons, with a few South African players in their midst, lay down the challenge with a haka before the start of the match before going down 35-24 in a close match.

Made up of schoolboys from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, and local players, the Dragons were the first international team to take a lead in any of the matches so far during the tournament.

The match could have gone any way with one point separating the sides with 12 minutes to go in the match.

Niaan Taljaard’s hat-trick try in the 64th minute and a penalty conversion courtesy of Gareth Schreuder clinched the victory for the team from the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

In the opening match of the day, Glenwood High School raced to a half-century of points to beat the Italian All-Stars 53-10.

Scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse was one of the star performers on the day scoring a five-pointer while converting five of his team’s seven tries and kicking two penalties.

The second match was a one-sided affair as Paarl Gimnasium went on a rampage against American side, Rhinos Rugby, scoring 84 unanswered points which included 12 tries.

Flyhalf Jurie Matthee made a massive contribution to the score line with his metronomic boot converting all tries including his own five-pointer.

Grey College vs Christchurch Boys’ High

Scorers:

Grey College 66 (45): Tries: De Wet Marais (3), Franco Smith, Ian Small-Smith (2), Wyclef Vitoor (2), Werner Gouws, George Coetzee. Conversions: Zander du Plessis (8)

Christchurch Boys’ High 28 (21): Tries: George Harding, Cullen Moody, Ryan Barnes, Corbon Harding. Conversion: Moody (4).

Paarl Boys’ High vs Argentina

Scorers:

Paarl Boys’ High 10 (10): Tries: Trent Sivertsen, Javier Farmer.

Argentina 19 (13): Try: Joaquin Oviedo. Conversion: Exequiel Alegra-Chedied. Penalties: Alegra-Chedied (3).

Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool vs Hartpury College

Scorers:

Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool 15 (5): Tries: Stephan Alberts, Jason Scheepers. Conversion: Regardt Roets. Penalty: Roets.

Hartpury College 26 (12): Tries: Piers Hamer, Bailey Wahs, Joe Howard, Josh Phipps. Conversion: Dan Cole (3).

Hilton College vs AP Dragons

Scorers:

Hilton College 35 (8): Tries: Mark Armstrong, Niaan Taljaard (3). Conversions: Gareth Schreuder (3). Penalties: Gareth Schreuder (3)

AP Dragons 24 (12): Tries: Kingi Herewini, Oliver Hilton-Jones, Joe Lesa, Andrew Edwards. Conversions: Herewini (2).

Paarl Gimnasium vs Rhinos Rugby

Scorers:

Paarl Gimnasium 84 (42): Tries: Juan Wilson, Marco van Rhyn, Jurie Matthee, Stephan du Toit (2), Jacques Moller (2), Dirk Visser, Rikus Brand, Juan Wilson, Tiaan Visser, Gerhard van Niekerk. Conversions: Matthee (12)

Rhinos Rugby 0 (0)

Glenwood High School vs Italian All Stars:

Scorers:

Glenwood High School 53 (27): Tries: Thabison Mdletshe, Aaron le Roux, Siyanda Cele, Jaeden Hendrikse, Conan Le Fleur, George Luzoko, Carlo Cloete. Conversions: Jaden Hendrikse (5), Rynhardt Jonker. Penalties: Jaden Hendrikse (2)

Italian All Stars 10 (10): Tries: Nicola Rizzotti, Heinrich van der Watt.

Join us for the festival and see rugby’s #FutureHeroes in action!

Tickets available on www.computicket.com

Prices vary from R55 for adults, R35 for school pupils between the ages of 10 and 18, and children under the age of 10 are charged R15 per person per day. Four-day rugby passes are priced at R190, R110 and R35 for adults, school pupils and children respectively.

About the Oakland World Schools Festival

The Oakland World Schools Festival embodies the spirit of rugby and traditional values and is the best global gathering of schoolboy talent.

The Festival will be an annual tournament hosting 20 of the best rugby schools from across the world consisting of Top 10 sides from South Africa and 10 of the best schools from around the globe.

The Oakland World Schools Festival is made possible thanks to title sponsor Oakland Dairies and official partners PUMA, Cell C, Tag Heuer and Distell. Hyundai, Caltex/FreshStop, Rhino, South African Breweries, PPS, Deep Heat and Coca-Cola are official suppliers to the tournament. The festival entertainment is brought to you by our entertainment partner Bok Radio.

Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer is the official timekeeper of the tournament.

Follow our social media platforms to keep updated with new information:

Facebook: @worldschoolsfestival
Twitter: @worldschoolfest (#FutureHeroes)

For more information visit our website: www.worldschoolsfestival.com

Live streaming on www.netwerk24.com

Remaining Matches

Day 3: Friday 6 April

13.00 – 14.15 Match 1 Oakdale (SA) vSaint Ignatius (USA)

14.30 – 15.45 Match 2 Glenwood (SA) v Namibia XV (Namibia)

16.00 – 17.15 Match 3 Outeniqua (SA) v Italian All*Stars (Italy)

17.30 – 18.45 Match 4 Monument (SA) v) Napier Boys‘ High (NZ)

19.00 – 20.15 Match 5 Boland (SA) v Cavaliers Rugby (Australia)