18 June 2025
Westville Boys’ High, unbeaten and unrelenting in 2025, arrived in Balgowan on Saturday with a shot at recording the first unbeaten season by the school’s 1st XV in its 70-year history. However, a history of stumbles on Meadows served notice of the size of the task that stood between them and history.
Captain Liam Simpkins and his charges rose to the occasion, embracing the challenge, and with a scintillating second-half showing, which saw the visitors score the last 26 points of the game without reply, they powered their way to a 50-20 victory, which reaffirmed their place atop the KwaZulu-Natal schools’ rugby hierarchy.
While there were 30 points in it at the end, it was no walk in the park. Michaelhouse, buoyed by a lively home crowd and some brave moments in the first half, had pulled to within four points shortly after the break. But that only served to ignite the Griffin, who responded with precision and purpose.
From the outset, Westville signalled their intent. In the fourth minute, fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya, ever the livewire, shaped to kick inside his 22 but instead scythed through a gap, beating three defenders before being brought down at halfway.
Eighthman Sange Nkonki kept the move alive, Sean McGough linked well, and wing Ntobeko Sithole used Jade-Will Koopman as a decoy before cutting inside and racing clear to dot down under the sticks. Koopman’s boot made it 7-0.
Not long after, the visitors turned down a penalty in favour of a lineout, and it paid off handsomely. Lwandile Mlaba gathered the throw and popped to Brandon Eke cutting around the front for a clever score in the corner. Koopman nailed the tricky conversion.
A hammer blow followed in the 21st minute. A long kick into the Michaelhouse 22 produced a 50/22, and while the home side hesitated, thinking it was their ball, McGough acted fastest, threw the ball in to himself and scored unopposed. Another Koopman conversion made it 21-0.
To their credit, Michaelhouse responded. Capitalising on a rare Westville lineout error inside their own 22, tighthead prop Nicolas Salamousas pounced on an overthrow, bouncing off one tackle and dragging another over the line for the hosts’ first try. Stefan Moolman converted and added a long-range penalty to cut the gap to 21-10.
Then came a moment of brilliance from Michaelhouse captain William Ridl. From his own 10-metre line, he split a stretched Westville defence, chipped over the cover, and regathered just five metres out before offloading to scrumhalf Dan Aissing, who crossed despite Siyaya’s tackle.
However, Aissing’s exuberant post-try celebration drew a penalty from the restart. Siyaya, from halfway, calmly slotted the penalty to give Westville a 24-17 halftime lead.
A second Moolman penalty three minutes into the second stanza made it 24-20, and the contest was well and truly alive. But that was as close as ‘House would get.
From a quick tap near the try line, Westville pulled in the defenders before Simpkins, alert as ever, picked out Siyaya on the loop. He found McGough, who carved through for his second of the day. Koopman converted and it was 31-20.
Then, from a well-worked lineout, Westville initially drove but then spun play to the blindside. Koopman’s deft chip into the corner was chased down by centre Jadrian Afrikaner, who dotted down to extend the lead. For once, Koopman was off target with the conversion, but at 36-20, the momentum was decisively with the visitors.
Another sustained period of pressure followed. The Westville pack battered away at the line before the ball went wide. Simpkins fed Koopman, who spread it smartly to Avumile Lisa, and the winger dived over. Koopman made no mistake this time – 43-20.
Still not done, Westville capped it off in style. With two minutes left, they stole a Michaelhouse lineout. Simpkins sold a brilliant dummy, then cut back down the right touchline and kicked ahead. Michaelhouse fielded the ball and tried to attack, but Afrikaner read the play perfectly to snatch an intercept and score under the posts.
Koopman added the final two points. The whistle sounded. Fifty on the board. Statement made.
While Westville emphatically won the 1st XV game, Michaelhouse, every bit as emphatically, dominated the open age group, winning the other five matches.
It was all square – 2-2 – at u16 level, with the visitors scraping a two-point win in the u16A match. They won all four at u15 level, although the games were tightly contested. Michaelhouse took victory in the u14A match, but the other three u14 contests went firmly Westville’s way.
RESULTS
1st: Michaelhouse 20-50 Westville
2nd: Michaelhouse 37-28 Westville
3rd: Michaelhouse 54-7 Westville
4th: Michaelhouse 47-7 Westville
5th: Michaelhouse 46-0 Westville
6th: Michaelhouse 50-0 Westville
16A: Michaelhouse 19-21 Westville
16B: Michaelhouse 29-19 Westville
16C: Michaelhouse 19-21 Westville
16D: Michaelhouse 28-0 Westville
15A: Michaelhouse 8-24 Westville
15B: Michaelhouse 19-26 Westville
15C: Michaelhouse 17-21 Westville
15D: Michaelhouse 24-33 Westville
14A: Michaelhouse 24-19 Westville
14B: Michaelhouse 0-26 Westville
14C: Michaelhouse 13-47 Westville
14D: Michaelhouse 7-57 Westville
HOCKEY
The Michaelhouse 1st XI made quite the statement on the Punchbowl Astro, hammering Westville 6-0. It has been an excellent season for coach Nick Bérichon’s boys, and it’s once in a blue moon that Westville takes such a big defeat, which served to underline the progress that the ‘House 1st XI, and Michaelhouse hockey, in general, has made the past two seasons.
The home teams won all the open age group games and added the u16A victory. Westville, though, exhibited stronger u16 depth.
In a cracker of a game, Michaelhouse claimed a 5-3 win in the u14A clash, and Westville replied with wins in the B and C games.
RESULTS
1st: Michaelhouse 6-0 Westville
2nd: Michaelhouse 1-0 Westville
3rd: Michaelhouse 2-0 Westville
4th: Michaelhouse 1-0 Westville
16A: Michaelhouse 3-1 Westville
16B: Michaelhouse 2-2 Westville
16C: Michaelhouse 0-6 Westville
16D: Michaelhouse 0-5 Westville
16E: Michaelhouse 5th 0-4 Westville
16F: Michaelhouse u16E 1-2 Westville
14A: Michaelhouse 5-3 Westville
14B: Michaelhouse 0-4 Westville
14C: Michaelhouse 0-3 Westville
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