24 June 2025
The scenic KZN Midlands provided a beautiful backdrop on Saturday afternoon as Hilton College edged their oldest and fiercest rivals, Michaelhouse, 29-20 in front of a packed Gilfillan Field in the return leg of their annual derby.
That result saw Hilton complete a season’s double over ‘House, having also claimed the honours earlier in the year in Balgowan, where they won 25-20.
It was a performance built on a sound foundation laid by the forward pack, tidy service from Benoit Rey, at scrumhalf, and the composed leadership of captain and flyhalf Liyema Nela (see feature photo), who produced a masterclass in game management and contributed 19 of his team’s points.
“It was a tough game, as Hilton/Michaelhouse always is,” Hilton coach Brad Macleod-Henderson said afterwards. “We got off to a good start and, luckily, those first 10 points were enough to get us over the line in the end.”
Indeed, it was Hilton who struck first, and they never trailed. They applied scoreboard pressure almost immediately when Nela split the uprights only two minutes into the contest. He struck the ball sweetly throughout.
With Michaelhouse pinned inside their 22, Hilton pounced on an opportunity 11 minutes in when big lock André Boshoff ran hard and direct off a tap penalty and dotted down near the poles. Nela added the extras, and the hosts were 10-0 up before ‘House had settled into the game.
Michaelhouse responded with enterprise, winning field position and hammering away at the Hilton line, but the hosts showed great discipline and determination in defence. The visitors were ultimately forced to settle for a penalty, slotted by Stefan Moolman, rather than the try they had been pushing for.
With the pressure temporarily absorbed, Hilton turned to their flyhalf again. Nela, calm and confident, stepped into the pocket and coolly slotted a 25-metre drop goal to restore the momentum. “I don’t want to hype myself up,” he smiled afterwards, “but I think that drop kick put us on the front foot.”
Nela then added another three from the tee to make it 16-3 before Michaelhouse once more worked their way into the red zone. This time, their persistence was rewarded, with Rourke O’Sullivan crashing over in the left corner after a long spell of pressure. Moolman’s pinpoint touchline conversion closed the gap to 16-10 at the half.
If there was tension in the stands, there was coolness from the Hilton number 10 early in the second stanza. A long-range penalty made it 19-10 and reasserted his side’s grip on the match.
That grip tightened further when eighthman Zander Muller ran a lovely line off an inside ball from Nela and galloped in under the posts. With Nela converting, Hilton had stretched their advantage to 26-10 with just over 20 minutes to play.
But the game was far from done. Moolman’s boot again brought Michaelhouse back to within 13, before the try of the match reignited the contest.
Starting in the far-left corner of their own 22, Michaelhouse launched a thrilling counterattack, with wing Lwandle Nzama showing scintillating pace and vision to carve upfield. The ball was brought back to the right and after some enterprising interplay between the backs, fullback Alex Jankowitz finished in the opposite corner.
Moolman kept his cool with another excellent conversion, and suddenly the margin was just seven, with 10 minutes to play and the visitors surging.
Hilton, however, managed the closing stages expertly. They dominated territory, played sensible rugby in the right parts of the field, and chewed up valuable minutes.
Michaelhouse did have one last opportunity after the hooter when they set a lineout inside the Hilton 22, but the throw-in went awry and Muller, alert and composed, pounced on the loose ball. A ruck later, Nela stepped up once more, launching the ball high into the Hilton sky and over the touchline to seal a memorable victory.
“A little bit of relief and a lot of joy,” Macleod-Henderson said, describing the feeling after the final whistle. “Especially for the matrics, it means a lot. It almost gives them bragging rights for life.”
For Nela, in his final outing in white, it was a perfect swansong. “I haven’t had the greatest time off the tee,” he admitted, “but today, luckily, I brought it.”
He also brought leadership, intelligence, and a calm head when it mattered most – traits that set the tone for Hilton’s effort across the park.
“It’s amazing,” Nela said of the win and the support of the Hilton faithful. “It’s 600 of us. We even have a war cry, ‘‘There’s 600 of us and we’re back in the white’. It’s not only 15 people on the field. There are 600 on the field against 15. It’s a surreal feeling.”
The Hilton 2nd XV, beaten only once all season long, was held to a draw by Michaelhouse, and the visitors won the other five open age group games. They also dominated the u16 matches, going four for four.
‘House went three for four at u15 level, but Hilton won the A-team game, and that was repeated in the u14 age group, with Michaelhouse winning three of the four matches but not the A-team clash.
RESULTS
1st: Hilton 29-20 Michaelhouse
2nd: Hilton 24-24 Michaelhouse
3rd: Hilton 15-33 Michaelhouse
4th: Hilton 12-7 Michaelhouse
5th: Hilton 0-32 Michaelhouse
6th: Hilton 0-71 Michaelhouse
7th: Hilton 0-20 Michaelhouse
16A: Hilton 8-28 Michaelhouse
16B: Hilton 17-49 Michaelhouse
16C: Hilton 5-22 Michaelhouse
16D: Hilton 10-48 Michaelhouse
15A: Hilton 28-22 Michaelhouse
15B: Hilton 14-21 Michaelhouse
15C: Hilton 0-26 Michaelhouse
15D: Hilton 5-14 Michaelhouse
14A: Hilton 24-5 Michaelhouse
14B: Hilton 14-19 Michaelhouse
14C: Hilton 12-45 Michaelhouse
14D: Hilton 36-45 Michaelhouse
HOCKEY
On the Mansergh Astro, there was next to nothing to separate the Hilton and Michaelhouse 1st hockey teams. In an entertaining contest that was end-to-end throughout, Hilton claimed a hard-fought 3-2 win.
Ben Wilson struck twice from penalty corner variations, which were designed to bypass Michaelhouse’s first and second wave runners, while captain Xavier Enslin slotted from the penalty spot to score the winning goal.
Thandanani Zuma scored from a rebound for Michaelhouse to make it 1-1, and Gordon Deutscher swept home ‘House’s second to pull the visitors level at 2-2 in the second half.
Hilton enjoyed the better of the open age group matches and, while Michaelhouse won three of the five u16 games, Hilton took victory in the A and B team clashes.
Competition in the u14 age group was extremely tight, but Hilton picked up wins in all three matches.
RESULTS
1st: Hilton 3-2 Michaelhouse
2nd: Hilton 1-0 Michaelhouse
3rd: Hilton 2-1 Michaelhouse
4th: Hilton 0-0 Michaelhouse
5th: Hilton 4-2 Michaelhouse
16A: Hilton 2-1 Michaelhouse
16B: Hilton 1-0 Michaelhouse
16C: Hilton 2-3 Michaelhouse
16D: Hilton 0-1 Michaelhouse
16E: Hilton 1-3 Michaelhouse
14A: Hilton 2-1 Michaelhouse
14B: Hilton 2-1 Michaelhouse
14C: Hilton 3-1 Michaelhouse
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