DHS vs KES rugby, hockey reports, results, 9 May 2025

12 August 2025

The Durban High School (DHS) 1st XV closed out a remarkable 2025 season in style on Saturday, producing a commanding 52-19 victory over King Edward VII School (KES) on Van Heerden’s Field to put the seal on a superb campaign.

The win took School‘s record to 15 victories from 17 outings – with defeats against only one-loss Paarl Gimnasium and unbeaten Westville Boys’ High – and extended their unbeaten streak on their main field to three full seasons. Among those players who ran out in the blue and gold for the last time were three-year 1st XV stalwarts captain Daniel Ikotela, Zenkosi Mthiyane, and Zingce Simka, and that trio never tasted defeat on Van Heerden’s, not even in Sevens.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing from the outset, though. Just five minutes in, KES landed the first blow when captain Sam Bruwer powered over, with fullback Indibabale Mboniswa converting. The early setback only seemed to spark DHS into life, however.

The visitors worked tirelessly to slow down the Horseflies’ tempo, contesting the breakdowns fiercely. But when they forced a knock-on deep in their own territory, DHS responded with a crushing scrum penalty to regain possession. They dominated the set piece throughout the contest, exerting massive pressure on KES.

Forward’s coach Ronnie Uys will have been especially pleased. Two of his starting front rowers, who were so destructive – hooker Okuhle Mbanjwa and tighthead Omphiwe Kola – will be back next year, and their dominance at the coalface was telling.

From that scrum platform, DHS finally broke through in the 15th minute when centre Ama Mataboge sliced through under the uprights. Flyhalf Jordan van Wyk slotted the first of six successful conversions to level the scores. Four minutes later, Mataboge struck again, hitting a short ball at pace to crash over for his brace.

By now, DHS was in full stride. Fullback Cilermo Carolus dazzled with a dummy and acceleration to score from 30 metres out, before Richard Gyamfi‘s pace outflanked the defence for try number four. At 28-7 up at halftime, the Blue Typhoon was rolling downhill.

KES, to their credit, refused to fold, and Mboniswa crossed early in the second half after a clever tap-and-go from scrumhalf Regan McGurk. But School’s relentlessness eventually wore the visitors down. Lock Zion Smith charged over, then Mthiyane scorched clear for a try he finished with a flamboyant dive beneath the posts.

With the game beyond doubt, DHS emptied the bench, giving their matric leavers a final run in front of the home faithful, and further tries accrued from Peneleo Shakwane and Jaydon Roberts to push the total beyond 50.

For KES, McGurk was a standout. His quick thinking around the fringes earned him a try and directly set up Mboniswa’s score. His service was sharp, his energy infectious, and he was a constant nuisance to the DHS defenders.

Afterwards, DHS head coach Peter Engledow reflected on the performance and the season: “This has been an incredible group. It’s been a privilege coaching them,” he said. “To put 50 on KES and finish the season like this is special.”

He revealed that DHS had framed their final three games – away to Jeppe (24-10), away to Northwood (36-5), and home to KES – as a Rugby World Cup-style knockout run: “We said, let’s treat it like a quarterfinal, semi-final, and final. We wanted to win the final, especially for the matric boys.”

While Engledow felt the forwards had consistently laid a solid foundation in 2025, he admitted the backline hadn’t fully fired until the last two matches. “Last weekend under the lights at Northwood, everything clicked. The boys were outstanding,” he said.

Central to DHS’s success was Ikotela’s leadership. Ronnie Uys’s words to the lead-by-example flank were telling: “Daniel, I don’t think I’ve seen someone with so much passion taking a team into battle.”

Engledow added: “He leads by example, he’s proud, and he’s become an incredible young man. His future is bright – lucky the university that signs him.”

Under Engledow’s tenure, DHS rugby has thrived, supported by a committed coaching group and a school leadership that understands the bigger picture. “We get great backing from the Headmaster and Director of Sport. The coaches align, work for each other, and the system is strong. I want results, but I also want schoolboy rugby to be a learning experience, not just winning at all costs,” the coach said.

If 2025 is anything to go by, the Blue Typhoon’s storm is far from over.

DHS added victories in the u16A, u15A, and u14A games to their records on Saturday and dominated at the upper end of the various age groups. KES did well lower down, but, overall, School’s improving depth shone through in 2025, which bodes well for them for the future.

Results

1st: DHS 52-19 KES
2nd: DHS 33-21 KES
3rd: DHS 18-7 KES
4th: DHS 17-5 KES
5th: DHS 7-12 KES
6th: DHS 20-24 KES