15 March 2023
Durban High School announced on Wednesday, 15 March, that School has become part of the Premier Interschools competition. It features “South Africa’s largest, most traditional and highest profile rugby rivalries”.
No prizes, then, for guessing which school DHS will face in a Premier Interschools clash on SuperSport. The obvious answer is Maritzburg College.
The two schools share a long traditional rivalry, which is, undoubtedly, one of the oldest and one of the best in the country.
Van Heerden’s, at DHS, will host the televised showdown, which will take place on 25 March, with kick off at 14:00
Maritzburg College, founded in 1863, is just three years older than Durban High School. In many ways, they are the mirror image of the other, but one is located in the KwaZulu-Natal capital city and the other one lies on the east coast.
Rugby rivalry
The rugby rivalry between the schools is well over a century old, but not quite as enduring as some might think. That’s because DHS played football for many years after the major schools in the region of Pietermaritzburg had selected rugby as their winter sport of choice.
It wasn’t until 1910, when Mr A.S “Madevu”Langley was appointed Headmaster of DHS, that School turned its focus to rugby from football. He simply dictated that it should be so.
Langley had previously played rugby at Maritzburg College in the 1st XV. He, then, oversaw its development as a coach. His attitude to football was highly unfavourable.
Head-to-head record
From that first meeting in 1910, College enjoyed a clear advantage, reeling off eight wins in succession. In 1914, however, DHS claimed its first victory, by a 5-0 margin in Durban. By the Second World War, the Durbanites led the series. However, in the mid-50s, Maritzburg College moved into the lead and continued to build on that advantage.
It should be pointed out that much of College’s success around that time was under the coaching of Skonk Nicholson. In his 35 seasons in charge of the 1st XV, College won 403 matches, drew 49 and lost only 52.
An interesting part of his story is that Nicholson’s school years were spent at DHS. He was Head Boy in 1935, captained both the 1st XI and 1st XV, and also captained the Natal Schools rugby team.
For the record, in Nicholson’s matric year, DHS beat College 3-0 in Durban. College, then, won 9-3 in Pietermaritzburg, later in the season.
Unknown quantities
In recent times, the fixture has become more of an unknown, with neither of the schools holding a distinct advantage. Now, with the uncertainty that comes from an early season clash, the question of which school has the edge adds to the intrigue that awaits on Van Heerden’s.
If you are unable to make it to the game, you can watch it on Channel 216 on SuperSport, or you can tune in on the SuperSport Schools app. If you don’t yet have it, you can download it from the Google Play Store.
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