11 April 2023
The Maritzburg College 1st XV, fresh off a strong showing at the Noord-Suid Festival, took their talents to the John’s College Easter Rugby Festival, proudly sponsored by Standard Bank, to help the Johannesburg school celebrate its 125th anniversary.
College 1st XV coach Tim Orchard told Pinnacle Schools on Tuesday it was a tough challenge to play so many matches in quick succession – five in 11 days, including three in five days over Easter – but the boys rose to the challenge, recording convincing wins over a Lions Invitational XV (50-5) and Nelspruit (43-19), before finishing with an excellent victory over Jeppe (26-20) on Monday, whom many had thought looked like the best side at the event.
The red, white and black might have started the season with two narrow defeats (20-27 vs Michaelhouse and 7-14 vs DHS), but they’re gathering steam at a rapid rate and, right now, they’re playing some excellent rugby.
A 24-37 loss to Grey College at the Noord-Suid Festival was a third defeat, but it has proved to be a catalyst, with College showing in that reversal that they can hang with, and make life extremely uncomfortable for, the top dogs. That performance showed the team to be well-balanced, with feisty performances from the pack and backline alike really rattling Grey.
On the back of that huge effort, some players were given a rest against the Lions Invitational XV, but playing a composite line-up was maybe just what College needed after the intensity of two very tough outings in Pretoria (they beat Noordheuwel 47-45 in their first match).
Nelspruit presented a very physical challenge, Orchard said, especially in the first half of their Saturday clash, but College weathered the storm and ultimately were decisive winners.
“Really, really tough”
Against Jeppe, he said College enjoyed some lucky breaks. But industry, teamwork and talent tend to combine to make some teams “luckier” than others. It was “really, really tough”, Orchard said, and “a good effort from the boys”.
Also, he said, Maritzburg College enjoys good leadership in the 1st rugby team, with Head Boy and captain Sasha Kadira setting the example, but he is, also, very well backed up by a number of players who gained huge experience as members of the 2022 1st XV.
Orchard said College’s new Director of Rugby, Hendré Marnitz, has brought a fresh perspective on the game to the school. There is renewed vigour and College is aiming to play a faster-paced brand of rugby. It certainly appears to be working, with the 1st XV, under-16 A and under-14 A teams all posting perfect records at festivals played over the Easter period.
There are some bumps and bruises in the 1st team’s squad after the side’s recent exertions, and possibly one or two players might miss this coming weekend’s clash against Clifton in Durban, but the excitement within the camp about what the boys have achieved, and about what they feel they can achieve over the course of the rest of the season, is building.
These are intriguing times for College rugby and especially the 1st XV. For so many years, they were the dominant force in KwaZulu-Natal, indeed among the best in South Africa, but others then began to take on that mantle in the province, most notably Glenwood. But rugby at Maritzburg College is clearly in a good space now, and the depth within each age group, especially, is impressive.
Encouraging signs
Director of Rugby Hendré Marnitz still needs to be afforded time to properly put his stamp on the rugby programme, but the early signs are encouraging. Sometimes a new perspective is needed to penetrate the bubbles that we live in to help raise the bar.
Something else, too, that is working in College’s favour, although it might not necessarily show in the results just yet, is the standard of the game in KZN at present. Results from Easter festivals around the country have shown the game in the province to be in excellent health, and that bodes well for each of the leading boys’ schools; to compete, let alone win, their standard of play is going to have to be top drawer.
The other leading KZN boys’ schools also have plenty to offer on the rugby field this season, and some of them might prove to be better than Maritzburg College this year, but there is something satisfying about seeing an old powerhouse showing signs of its former dominance, especially as their great rivals, DHS, show similar signs of improvement and excellence.
The bottom line is rugby is in a very healthy state in KZN, and one of the big reasons for that is the good things happening at the home of the red, white and black.
Leave a Reply