Michaelhouse vs Hilton, reports, results, YT highlights, 3 May

5 May 2025

RUGBY

After a hard-hitting clash, Hilton College emerged with a narrow 25-20 win over Michaelhouse in the riveting 209th edition of their storied rivalry at Baileys, in Balgowan, on Saturday.

With Meadows still recovering from flooding, Baileys hosted the 1st XV clash for the first time since the mid-1900s. Remarkably, the recent trend of the away team triumphing continued. One has to go back to 2022 for the last time that the home team won.

From the first whistle, it was intense. Hilton, brimming with purpose, set an early tone through their forward pack. Off a lineout near the Michaelhouse 10-metre line, they executed a textbook rolling maul that rumbled all the way to the 22. Quick hands moved the ball wide, and fullback James Peattie sliced through a gap to score in the corner.

Michaelhouse, spurred on by a vociferous home crowd, responded with grit. Their forwards began to find a rhythm, hammering away with hard and direct carries.

(YouTube highlights courtesy of SuperSport Schools Plus on YouTube)

While early handling errors stifled ‘House‘s momentum, Hilton’s offside infringements gave flyhalf Stefan Moolman opportunities to keep the scoreboard ticking. He did just that, slotting two penalties to nudge the home team into a 6-5 lead.

That advantage grew when, after a fluid attack down, Michaelhouse laid siege to the Hilton try line and Alex Arde bashed his way over near the uprights. Moolman added the extras, and the hosts were 13-5 to the good after 20 minutes. The Balgowan faithful were in full voice.

But Hilton, calm and composed, turned to their most reliable weapon: the rolling maul. Deep in Michaelhouse territory, they probed with precision, sucking in the visitors’ defenders. Then, quick hands from Zander Vorster and captain Liyema Nela put Tristan Uys into a gap and he made the dive for five. Nela added the extras and only one point separated the sides.

A short while later, Hilton was over the whitewash again. Opting against an easy three, André Boshoff took a quick tap from a penalty and caught the defence napping. With Nela adding the easy conversion, the visitors led 19-13.

In the second half, successive breaks by fullback Alex Jankowitz and centre William Ridl pierced the Hilton line, and the home team’s relentless pressure eventually told when Nicolas Salamousas crashed over.

But cometh the hour, cometh the captain. With the game in the balance, Nela coolly slotted two late penalties to put Hilton five points clear at 25-20.

With time running out, Michaelhouse forced their way back down into the visiting side’s 22. The match, fittingly, ended in a physical stand-off near the try line. But Hilton held firm, forced a turnover, and when the ball was booted to touch, the final whistle sparked scenes of exhaustion, from both sides, and elation for Hilton.

The Hilton 1st and 2nd XV claimed narrow victories, but Michaelhouse won from the 3rd XV to the 7ths, with Hilton edging it in a low-scoring 8th XV clash.

‘House enjoyed the edge in the u16 age group, with their u16As scoring a handsome win, and they won three of the four U15 matches, although the u15A honours went to Hilton.

The u14 game were split 2-2, but Hilton picked up the u14A win.