5 August 2025
(Feature photo courtesy of Justin Waldman Sports Photography)
There was heartbreak for Maritzburg College and jubilation for Pretoria Boys High on a drama-filled Saturday afternoon at Goldstone’s, where the Candies staged a sensational second-half comeback to claim a thrilling 31-27 victory – their first over the Red, Black and White since 2017.
It was meant to be a final flourish on home turf for College’s matrics, but instead, it turned into an agonising farewell as Boys High rallied from 15 points down to produce 19 unanswered second-half points and flip the script on a side that had beaten them by 17 in Pretoria earlier this season.
When Dom du Toit dotted down under the poles just five minutes after halftime, following a brilliant break down the right touchline by right wing Caleb Scheepers, College looked firmly in control, leading 27-12. The home side had ridden early momentum, scored some spectacular tries, and looked like they would cruise to a comfortable win.
But Boys High, who have suffered a number of agonisingly narrow defeats this season, weren’t about to fold. Instead, they dug deep, turned the tide, and rewrote the ending.
The opening salvos belonged to College. Amahle Hadebe opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes, with Du Toit adding the extras. Shortly thereafter, captain Wasi Vyambwera muscled his way over for a powerful score, showcasing exactly why he earned SA Schools colours. At 14-0 up inside 12 minutes, the hosts were flying.
Boys High responded through tighthead prop Jeffrey Singo, whose pick-and-go try was as opportunistic as it was powerful. Rheece Holman converted, but a Du Toit penalty pushed College 17-7 ahead.
Boys High came close to striking again soon after, but a forward pass near the try line halted a promising attack. However, their pressure eventually told before halftime when wing Ofentse Matlebjane crossed out wide. At the break, College led 17-12.
The second half began in spectacular fashion for the hosts. Du Toit’s penalty and converted try made it 27-12, and the match looked as if it was headed in a familiar direction. But the visitors, battle-hardened by narrow losses to the likes of Queen’s College, Kearsney College, Jeppe, and KES, showed steely resolve.
Once again, it was Singo who sparked something special. Running a superb line, the SA Schools’ A front-ranker was brought down just inside the College half but managed to fling an audacious offload out the back of his hand to centre Callum Nel, who stepped inside and raced away to score under the poles. Holman’s boot cut the deficit to eight.
Minutes later, lanky lock Pieter Lindeboom crashed over next to the posts and Holman’s conversion reduced the gap to one: 27-26.
Then, with the game hanging in the balance, Boys High launched a counterattack. Matlebjane found space down the right and hoisted a kick infield. A wicked bounce wrong-footed Hadebe, but with the try line begging, the visitors knocked on.
Still, Boys High weren’t done. A surging run by Banele Mashaba put them back on the front foot. After multiple phases, the flank got his reward, spinning over for the go-ahead try. Holman, though usually reliable, struck the upright with the conversion attempt. The lead was four.
With time almost up, College mounted one last desperate attack. A penalty and line-out five metres out gave them the platform they needed. They mauled. Boys High held. A scrum followed. College knocked on. One last scrum. Another knock-on. And then the final clearance.
The whistle sparked a wave of celebration as the Boys High players were engulfed by a jubilant sea of green and white. Their win on Goldstone’s had been a long time coming.
It was a good day for Maritzburg College overall, and it included a clean sweep of the open age group matches. The younger age groups were far more evenly contested, and Boys High pulled off a win over a very good College u14A team after the teams had shared a 24-24 draw in Pretoria in April.
Results
1st: Maritzburg College 27-31 PBHS
2nd: Maritzburg College 24-5 PBHS
3rd: Maritzburg College 10-7 PBHS
4th: Maritzburg College 26-10 PBHS
5th: Maritzburg College 10-7 PBHS
6th: Maritzburg College 17-5 Howick
7th: Maritzburg College 32-7 PBHS
8th: Maritzburg College 50-0 PBHS
9th: Maritzburg College 29-19 PBHS
16A: Maritzburg College 14-7 PBHS
16B: Maritzburg College 5-0 PBHS
16C: Maritzburg College 27-5 PBHS
16D: Maritzburg College 12-19 PBHS
16E: Maritzburg College 10-32 PBHS
15A: Maritzburg College 10-22 PBHS
15B: Maritzburg College 8-11 PBHS
15C: Maritzburg College 3-7 PBHS
15D: Maritzburg College 12-0 PBHS
15E: Maritzburg College 32-0 PBHS
15F: Maritzburg College 24-21 PBHS
14A: Maritzburg College 18-25 PBHS
14B: Maritzburg College 29-17 PBHS
14C: Maritzburg College 21-12 PBHS
14D: Maritzburg College 19-12 PBHS
14E: Maritzburg College 42-28 PBHS
14F: Maritzburg College 26-12 PBHS
HOCKEY
On Pape’s Astro, Kadin Jenkins, Ethan Fabre, Rory Schirge, and Matthew Smith were honoured for earning their 50th caps for the College 1st XI ahead of their clash with Pretoria Boys’ High.
The match started slowly, but the visitors struck from a penalty corner late in the third chukka to snatch the lead. A penalty stroke from Uyanda Dlamini, and Boys’ High’s excellent goalkeeper, Owen McMenamin, who was selected for SA Schools, kept out three late short corners to earn the visitors a share of the spoils.
Competition was tight, but College shaded the u16 and u14 results.
Results
1st: Maritzburg College 1-1 PBHS
2nd: Maritzburg College 0-2 PBHS
3rd: Maritzburg College 1-3 PBHS
4th: Maritzburg College 2-1 PBHS
5th: Maritzburg College 1-0 PBHS
16A: Maritzburg College 3-1 PBHS
16B: Maritzburg College 6-3 PBHS
16C: Maritzburg College 3-1 PBHS
16D: Maritzburg College 1-0 PBHS
16E: Maritzburg College 0-2 PBHS
16F: Maritzburg College 1-1 PBHS
16G: Maritzburg College 2-0 PBHS
14A: Maritzburg College 3-0 PBHS
14B: Maritzburg College 2-0 PBHS
14C: Maritzburg College 2-0 PBHS
14D: Maritzburg College 0-2 PBHS
14E: Maritzburg College 3-2 PBHS
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