Northwood vs DHS rugby report, hockey results, 2 August 2025

5 August 2025

Playing under lights on a cool Friday evening at Reece-Edwards Field, Durban High School (DHS) turned in a commanding performance to ease past Northwood 36-5 and continue their fine run of form in 2025.

It was a far cry from the sides’ nail-biting first meeting of the season, when DHS edged the Knights 22-19 after trailing 0-12 at halftime. This time, however, there was no second-half scramble, no anxious glances at the clock. Instead, Peter Engledow‘s charges delivered a disciplined, well-structured display that squeezed the life out of the contest by the 50-minute mark.

While the scoreboard moved slowly in the opening stanza, DHS’s control of territory and tempo never wavered. Their accuracy on the ball and efficiency at the breakdown forced Northwood onto the back foot for long periods, while their use of the width, especially down the left, paid handsome dividends.

After a quiet opening quarter, the visitors opened their account with a well-worked try, sparked from a lineout deep in Northwood’s 22. The movement swept from right to left, sucking in defenders with a driving maul, before quick hands freed up space for wing Zenkosi Mthiyane, who finished clinically in the corner. Flyhalf Jordan van Wyk added a fine conversion from the touchline.

School spent the bulk of the first half in Northwood’s territory, and while the Knights were gritty in defence, their inability to exit cleanly meant more and more pressure was applied. A penalty by fullback Cilermo Carolus made it 10-0, and DHS carried that lead into the break.

If the first 35 minutes had been a slow squeeze, the start of the second half was an unrelenting surge. DHS kept Northwood pinned deep in their half, and it was only a matter of time before the dam wall broke. After an eight-phase build-up, Okhule Mbanjwa charged over from close range and Van Wyk’s conversion made it 17-0.

Forced to play from deep, Northwood looked vulnerable. And when they did breach the DHS half, they were punished on the counter. A searing break up the left touchline led to a moment of inspiration: a sharp inside pass found captain Daniel Ikotela, who muscled over for DHS’s third try.

Though Van Wyk was denied the conversion for taking too long, the visitors were firmly in control at 22-0.

Moments later, scrumhalf Marcwin Nero added a fourth, rounding off another slick move down the left flank from a lineout near halfway. This time, Van Wyk slotted the extras and the score swelled to 29-0.

DHS wasn’t done yet. From a turnover near the Northwood 22, centre Nathan Aneke exploded down the left, outpacing the cover defence before angling in under the posts to finish with style. Van Wyk converted, and the Horseflies were flying high at 36-0.

To their credit, Northwood dug deep and refused to fold. A well-executed rolling maul brought them their reward in the closing stages, with Chulumanco Kholisa crashing over to give the home fans something to cheer.

Still, the result had long been decided. For DHS, it marked their 14th win of the season after a performance built on structure, physicality, and ruthless execution.

They have one more match to play against King Edward VII (KES), on Van Heerden’s Field, this coming Saturday. It would take a very special effort from the Johannesburg school to beat DHS on the Durban school’s home ground. The Horseflies will be favoured to record a 15th win.

The results skewed mostly in favour of DHS, who went unbeaten in the open age group. Northwood, though, won two of the three u16 games, including the clash of the A teams.

DHS scored a narrow win in the u15A match, won two other u15 games, and the C teams shared an exciting 22-22 draw.

At u14 level, School dominated.

Results

1st: Northwood 5-36 DHS
2nd: Northwood 17-35 DHS
3rd: Northwood 5-24 DHS
4th: Northwood 10-12 DHS
5th: Northwood 5-36 DHS

16A: Northwood 21-17 DHS
16B: Northwood 8-14 DHS
16C: Northwood 42-5 DHS

15A: Northwood 13-19 DHS
15B: Northwood 0-31 DHS
15zC: Northwood 22-22 DHS
15D: Northwood 5-60 DHS