KZN sides win; Glenwood edges Milnerton in remarkable contest

Hoërskool Rustenburg vs Hoërskool Durbanville

Hoërskool Rustenburg bounced back in style from a tough opening loss against Durban High School (DHS) to shock Hoërskool Durbanville 26-22 in the first game of Saturday’s Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival action on Stott Field.

The North West side, thumped 41-7 by DHS two days prior, showed grit, character, and no shortage of flair to outlast a Durbanville outfit that had dismantled Dale College 66-22 in their opener.

Durbanville made all the early running. Their pack, direct and disciplined, set the tone from the outset, and it wasn’t long before hooker Juan Smit was driven over from close range to open the scoring.

Rustenburg, though, weren’t intimidated. A strong maul of their own saw Tristan Myburgh cross the whitewash to level matters, only for Zay-Winn Januarie to strike back for Durbanville in near-identical fashion.

With the Cape side dominating both territory and possession, Rustenburg was forced to dig deep and their contesting at the breakdown played a huge role in keeping the side in the game. However, a long-range De Wet Viljoen penalty just before the break gave Durbies a 10-point lead at half-time, at 17-7.

After the break, Rustenburg turned the match on its head. Slick passing unlocked Durbanville’s defence and put scrumhalf Adriano George in for five. The Western Cape side replied through Ruan Vosloo, but Rusties had the bit between their teeth and were playing with greater belief.

Their hooker Xavier Steenkamp went over for a try, followed by wing Keathwyn Afrika, which nudged Rustenburg into the lead for the first time.

Durbanville threw everything at their opponents in the dying moments, but the boys in green and orange kept their cool and celebrated a stirring four-point victory.

Hoërskool Framesby vs Peterhouse

Hoërskool Framesby found their rhythm in the second match on Saturday, putting together a clinical performance to dispatch Zimbabwe’s Peterhouse 45-19.

After being blanked by Westville Boys’ High on Thursday, the Gqeberha side had a point to prove and they made it by running in seven tries to secure their first win of the festival.

Peterhouse struck first through flyhalf James Watt, who spotted a gap and didn’t need a second invitation. His converted try gave the Zimbabweans a 7-0 lead after 15 minutes and hinted at a closer contest than what followed.

Framesby’s reply was swift and emphatic. Fullback Wian Holtzhausen found space down the right to open their account, and from there, momentum shifted.

Captain Eden Calitz muscled over from a tap penalty five metres from the try line to edge his side ahead, before scrumhalf Mondre van Heerden, who delivered excellent service and good decision making, finished off a sparkling break by centre Calestin Felkers.

When Van Heerden sniped over for his second just before the break, Framesby had surged into a 26-7 lead, which left Peterhouse with a mountain to climb.

To their credit, the Marondera school kept taking it to Framesby. Munashe Masamha lit up the second half with a thrilling solo effort from deep, and Andrew Maringa added another to keep their hopes flickering.

But Framesby’s control at the set piece and ability to capitalise on errors kept them comfortably in front. Holtzhausen grabbed his second five-pointer midway through the half, before Jaco George crossed twice in the final quarter.

Glenwood vs Milnerton

In a match that had everything – electric running, bone-rattling defence, a drop goal, and a last-kick decider –Joshua Kopp held his nerve to land a penalty after the time had expired to lift Glenwood to a pulsating 37-34 win over Milnerton after a match that had delivered violent momentum swings.

The Green Machine looked home and dry after a blistering and impressively clinical start saw them race to a 29-0 lead in the first quarter, but Milnerton, as they so often do, refused to go quietly.

Kopp opened Glenwood’s account with an early penalty, before Sthabiso Dube flew over for five, which was followed by scrumhalf Lian Lochner finding space to add a second try for the Durban side.

When Lizwe Mtetwa read Milnerton’s play perfectly and plucked an interception out of the air, he ran in a try from 50 metres to extend Glenwood’s lead. Straight from the kickoff, the Cape Town boys suffered another bow when their wing Litha Tasana was sin-binned for tackling the receiving player in the air. Soon, flank Joshua Edwards bashed over to make it 29-0.

Milnerton, though, are the kings of the comeback. In 2024, they overturned a 3-33 deficit to shock Rondebosch, who went unbeaten at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festiva, 34-33, and they also came back from 10-28 down to beat Bishops 31-28. They almost pulled off another stunning comeback against the Green Machine.

It began with the dynamic Sellidon twins, Chadwin and Chadlin, who both went over for tries in quick succession. Another five-pointer, from Divine Ambrose, only added to Millies‘ belief that they could turn the match around. A penalty from Chadwin Sellidon made it 24 unanswered points and left Glenwood reeling at the break, just 29-24 ahead.

The second half was a tense arm-wrestle. Glenwood dominated territory early on but had little to show for it. Eventually, though, after sustained pressure and another yellow card handed to Chadlin Sellidon for a deliberate knock-on, Mvelo Ndwalane tacked on a try to extend Glenwood’s advantage to 34-24.

Milnerton, though, was still in the game, and Chadwin Sellidon produced a moment of magic to land the first drop goal of the festival. He followed that with a second try beneath the uprights, then added the conversion to level the scores at 34-34 with just minutes to play.

Glenwood, though, had the final say, with Kopp landing a last-gasp penalty to give Glenwood the win after they shared a thrilling 26-26 draw with Monument in their opener on Thursday.

Westville Boys’ High vs Dr EG Jansen

Westville Boys’ High, after an imposing 31-0 win over Framesby, followed up with a 36-5 defeat of Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen, which was highlighted by the Griffin controlling the contest because of their superior tactical kicking.

Jansies, who had edged out Kearsney College by five points in a tight opener, struggled to fire in the face of Westville’s relentless tactical pressure, with their pinpoint kicking game turning the Boksburg school time after time and forcing them to play from inside their 22.

It took Westville only 30 seconds to score and the try went the way of their dangerman, fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya, who broke away down the right touchline to score the fastest try of the festival.

Visit SuperSport Schools Plus on YouTube for highlights of the match

A clean lineout take and a well-constructed maul put Brandon Eke for a second try, but, to their credit, EG Jansen responded through flank Craig Lightfoot, who was driven off from close range. That, however, was as close at the Guateng boys got to the local side.

Westville’s tactical kicking, led by Siyaya, kept EG Jansen pinned in their half. He twice nailed 50/22s to set up his side to extend their advantage.

Avumile Lisa finished expertly out wide on the left for Westville’s third try, while Jade-Will Koopman stole the show before the break with a spectacular brace, including an exceptional second from a superb cross-kick, which required Koopman to snatch the ball out of the air and contort his body to dot down before it crossed the dead-ball line.

The second half saw a drop in tempo, but Westville continued to control proceedings. EG Jansen enjoyed decent possession, but Westville’s defence was unyielding. In the last 10 minutes, coach Zander Erasmus‘s charges added another try to their tally, with Phumula Xulu providing the finish.

Should Westville beat Rustenburg on Monday, and they will be heavily favoured to do so, it would mark only the second time that they have finished the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival unbeaten. They first managed the feat in 2023.

Kearsney College vs Dale College

Kearsney College returned to winning ways with a clinical 34-13 victory over Dale College in the penultimate match on Saturday, much to the delight of the large home crowd encircling Stott Field.

The One-Stripe wore black armbands in memory of old boy, Piers Quantrill, who unexpectedly passed away on Thursday. They delivered a fitting tribute to Quantrill, who was a regular vendor at Kearsney events, where he sold biltong, with an entertaining, winning performance.

After narrowly falling short against EG Jansen on Thursday, the hosts looked far more assured in their second outing, combining creative attacking kicks with solid phase play to put away a spirited but error-prone Dale outfit.

The tone was set early. Twice in the first half, Kearsney turned to the cross-kick to bring them points. First, it was wing, Lwandle Mkhize, who dotted down on the left flank after a perfectly weighted nudge. Then, not long after, Keanu Williamson timed his run to perfection to score out wide on the right.

Inga Mafanga kept Dale in the contest with a successful penalty, but momentum was firmly with the hosts. Just before the break, outside centre Doan Nel crashed over following sustained pressure, stretching the lead to 24-3.

Kearsney’s defence, which was leaky early on against EG Jansen, was far more structured this time around, while their forwards ensured quick ball and a solid platform.

Their control continued into the second half, with Nhlanhla Ndlovu adding a fourth try for the home side after capitalising on another incisive build-up. Then, Valentino Lenge made the dive for five.

To their credit, Dale showed heart until the end, and they were rewarded with two tries in quick succession. Loosehead prop Phawu Ludwaba was the first to breech the Kearsney defences, and lock Ebenezer Sarpong also found a way through to get the Eastern Cape side into double figures.

Durban High School vs Hoërskool Monument

In a powerhouse performance to close out day two, Durban High School (DHS) outmuscled Hoërskool Monument 32-17 to remain unbeaten at the festival.

Monnas forced their way over for a late consolation try to narrow the gap, but it was little more than a footnote in a contest bossed by the Horseflies from start to near-finish.

After their 41-7 hammering of Rustenburg on Thursday, DHS entered with confidence, and they wasted little time making a statement through a textbook driving maul, which led to their sturdy centre Zingce Simka crashing through two tackles for the first try of the contest. It was direct and physical, and it was classic DHS.

Monument struck back, though, through hard-running centre Juandré Ehlers, who sliced through after a rare foray into DHS territory.

It was 10-10 shortly before the break – with Jordan van Wyk slotting a penalty for DHS and Anthony Viljoen replying for Monument – but School had the final say in the half when Duhan du Plessis forced his way over for a try.