25 March 2025
Article by Marlowe Bloem.
After an emphatic victory over Maritzburg College on home soil, Durban High School (DHS) hit the road on Saturday, making the journey to Balgowan to take on Michaelhouse.
The hosts, still smarting from a narrow 13-15 loss to Northwood in Durban, were eager to turn their fortunes around.
DHS, despite losing most of the stars from their formidable 2024 squad, appears determined to retain their status as KwaZulu-Natal’s best in 2025. For Michaelhouse, it has been a frustrating start to the season, with another close loss to Helpmekaar Kollege, in their opener, compounding their woes. Saturday’s encounter would prove to be yet another tough outing for the home side.
The match, played on Meadows, began with Michaelhouse dictating the pace. DHS struggled to find their rhythm early on, with uncharacteristic handling errors and a lack of urgency costing them dearly.
A well-executed kick chase from the hosts pressured DHS into conceding a penalty, and Stefan Moolman made no mistake, slotting it over from 32 metres out, to put the home team into an early 3-0 lead.
Michaelhouse continued to pile on the pressure, executing a textbook backline move that left DHS scrambling. Slick handling and intelligent dummy running freed up winger Laird Hamilton-Brown, who finished expertly in the left corner. Moolman’s conversion attempt drifted wide, but the hosts soon earned another shot at goal when DHS was caught offside. The flyhalf stepped up again, this time nailing the penalty from 26 metres out, extending Michaelhouse’s lead to 11-0 after just 13 minutes.
DHS, however, is nothing if not resilient. Flyhalf Jordan van Wyk got his side on the board with a booming penalty from 42 metres out. Moolman responded in kind, launching a monster kick from halfway to maintain Michaelhouse’s 11-point cushion.
The visitors were slowly finding their feet, bringing the game into the home side’s half and upping the intensity on defence. A DHS lineout overthrow fell fortuitously into the hands of Daniel Ikotela, who reacted swiftly to gain ground. DHS shifted the ball wide, but handling let them down at the crucial moment, with a certain try going begging.
Undeterred, they kept up the pressure and, moments later, capitalised through Zingce Simka, who crashed over near the uprights. Van Wyk converted, and suddenly, DHS was within four.
As halftime loomed, the visitors struck again. Damian Swart dived over for a crucial score, with Van Wyk adding the extras to give DHS the lead for the first time. But right on the whistle, Moolman showcased his kicking prowess once more, drilling another penalty from the halfway line to send the teams into the break level at 17-17.
DHS wasted no time after the restart, executing a perfect rolling maul from a five-metre lineout to send Ikotela over. Michaelhouse responded in kind, with Oliver Guy dotting down after a quick tap from Dan Aissing. At 22-22, it was anyone’s game.
With 20 minutes left, DHS edged ahead through another Van Wyk penalty. As the rain began to fall, the visitors tightened their grip, working their way deep into Michaelhouse territory. A no-arms tackle gifted Van Wyk another three points, extending the lead to six.
Just as the game reached its climax, the lightning alarm sounded, forcing an early end. The result stood, sealing a hard-fought 28-22 win for DHS in a thrilling contest.
The Durban boys enjoyed the better of the open age group clashes, but Michaelhouse shaded the u16 games, with the schools sharing a 21-21 draw in the meeting of the A teams.
School took the u15A win, but the other games went ‘House‘s way. DHS reigned supreme at u14 level.
RESULTS
1st: Michaelhouse 22-28 DHS
2nd: Michaelhouse 20-35 DHS
3rd: Michaelhouse 24-26 DHS
4th: Michaelhouse 26-28 DHS
5th: Michaelhouse 43-3 DHS
6th: Michaelhouse 48-19 DHS
16A: Michaelhouse 21-21 DHS
16B: Michaelhouse 12-33 DHS
16C: Michaelhouse 29-0 DHS
16D: Michaelhouse 14-12 DHS
16E: Michaelhouse 50-0 DHS
15A: Michaelhouse 21-32 DHS
15B: Michaelhouse 13-12 DHS
15C: Michaelhouse 33-8 DHS
15D: Michaelhouse 53-0 DHS
15E: Michaelhouse 53-5 DHS
14A: Michaelhouse 0-14 DHS
14B: Michaelhouse 7-54 DHS
14C: Michaelhouse 0-60 DHS
14D: Michaelhouse 5-29 DHS
HOCKEY
Two goals from Josh Mungherera helped the DHS 1st XI to an impressive 4-1 win over a Michaelhouse team that has made an encouraging start to the season.
The visitors also picked up wins in the u16A and u14A matches, while Michaelhouse’s depth stood out in the u16 age group.
RESULTS
1st: Michaelhouse 1-4 DHS
2nd: Michaelhouse 4-0 DHS
3rd: Michaelhouse 2-0 DHS
4th: Michaelhouse 2-1 Hilton
16A: Michaelhouse 2-3 DHS
16B: Michaelhouse 3-2 DHS
16C: Michaelhouse 2-8 DHS
16D: Michaelhouse 0-5 DHS
16E: Michaelhouse 0-3 DHS
14A: Michaelhouse 1-5 DHS
14B: Michaelhouse 1-0 DHS
14C: Michaelhouse 0-0 DHS
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