20 May 2025
In the opening game of the Sharks High Schools’ Rugby Day, played on Hilton College‘s Weightman-Smith Field, St Charles College came out firing, but Clifton College showed plenty of grit and promise and battled their way back into the game before Saints stretched their lead with a strong second half showing.
St Charles was clinical in the early exchanges, using sharp offloads and quick hands to establish a 19-0 advantage within the opening 10 minutes.
Right wing Mathew Ludick was first to score after being released into space. Then, after a powerful run by Matthew Naudé, scrumhalf Agape Nyawo sold a neat dummy and darted in for five more. Moments later, a kind bounce from a tactical kick and a slip in a muddy spot by a Clifton defender allowed St Charles to regather and put flyhalf AJ Bosman away for their third.
It was a hammer blow, but Clifton didn’t drop their heads. Instead, they responded with some of their best rugby of the season.
Taking the game into Saints’ territory, they began to build phases and put pressure on the Pietermaritzburg side. After going close through lock Lukhanyiso Nala, who was held up over the line, they got their reward from the resulting five-metre scrum, with hardworking number eight Danyaal Motala crashing over.
The confidence flowed from there. Nala made a surging break before being brought down. He bounced up moments later to finish off the movement himself, powering through for Clifton’s second. With Adam Selikow adding both conversions, the halftime score read 19-14, and it was very much game on.
St Charles reasserted control after the break, adding four more tries to close out 47-14 win, but Clifton will take some positives out of the contest. After a disheartening start, they showed impressive character to snatch the momentum away from Saints.
Coach Craig Dwyer‘s young St Charles team, though, exerted their game plan after halftime and produced some fantastic running rugby.
Dwyer commented: “We wanted to start fast, and we did, but credit to Clifton, they made us work hard.”
In other matches played at Hilton, the St Charles u16A and u14A teams romped to convincing wins over Clifton, but the Durban school came out on top in a hard-fought u15A clash.
RESULTS
1st: Clifton 14-47 St Charles
16A: Clifton 14-53 St Charles
15A: Clifton 17-10 St Charles
14A: Clifton 5-47 St Charles
HOCKEY
Clifton enjoyed the better of the clashes on the Riverside Sports Club Astro, with both their 1st XI and 2nd XI recording 3-1 victories.
In the u16 matches, their A and B teams won 2-0. Clifton won the u14A game 2-1, but Saints scored a 3-1 win in the u14B match.
RESULTS
1st: Clifton 3-1 St Charles
2nd: Clifton 3-1 St Charles
16A: Clifton 2-0 St Charles
16B: Clifton 2-0 St Charles
14A: Clifton 2-1 St Charles
14B: Clifton 1-3 St Charles
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