16 December 2025
There were some surprise selections – not undeserved, mind you – when Schools Water Polo South Africa announced SA u16 and SA 18 boys’ and girls’ teams to represent the country at the Australia Youth Water Polo Championships, to be held in Brisbane from 8-13 April 2026.
u18
The boys’ line-up includes three players who starred in the u16 age group at the recent Inter-Provincial Tournament in Johannesburg – Kearsney College‘s Max Mills, Noah Reiback, of Rondebosch Boys’ High, and Luca Orgill, of SACS.
In an edge-of-the-seat, stirring final, Mills was to the fore when KZN edged out Western Province in a penalty shootout to lift the provincial crown at St David’s Marist Inanda.
Kearsney is very well represented, with Thomas Aylward, the KZN u19 captain and winner of the Best Utility Player Award at the IPT, also cracking the nod, along with Thomas Francke.
KZN also provides Jamie Nicolau to the squad. He became Clifton College‘s latest in a long line of water polo players to earn their national colours. He is, however – with the visit to Australia Youth Water Polo Championships being the first in South Africa’s history after the 50th IPT – the first player from his school to achieve that feat.
Kearsney’s three selections is matched by Bishops, who had Michael Mafunda, Matt Fenn, and Tim Young included in the squad.
Affies, with Ettiene van der Merwe and Ruan Engelbrecht, and St David’s Marist Inanda, with Cooper Haworth and Dylan Wiggill, have two players each selected.
The non-travelling reserves include Hilton College‘s Bradley van Loggerenberg, who was a member of KZN’s IPT-winning u16 side, Clifton’s Daniel Nothard, another top performer from that outstanding team, and KZN u19 goalkeeper, Elliot Springate, of Michaelhouse.
u16
The u16 boys’ squad includes six KZN players – two from Clifton, two from Kearsney, and two from Hilton, and all were members of the IPT champion, KZN u15 team.
The Clifton pair is Josh Watson, and and Max Fowlds, while Kearsney’s reps are Dru Mills, the brother of Max, and Cristiano Sandri. Hilton’s Casey Marks and Lincoln Burger complete the KZN contingent.
Rondebosch Boys’ High and SACS, with three selections each had the most players included in the squad.
The non-travelling reserves include another Clifton player, Cruz Champman, along with Northwood‘s Finn Mallett, and Mitchell Rodgers, from Michaelhouse.
Jarred Appelgryn, a Clifton old boy, and coach of the KZN u15 side, was named an assistant coach of the SA u16 team.
SA SQUADS
u18 Boys
Benjamin Bigara (SACS, Western Province), Cooper Haworth (St David’s Marist Inanda, Central Gauteng), Dylan Wiggill (GK, St David’s Marist Inanda, Central Gauteng), Ettiene van der Merwe (Affies, Northern Gauteng), Jamie Nicolau (Clifton, KwaZulu-Natal), Luca Orgill (SACS, Western Province), Matthew Fenn (Bishops, Western Province), Max Mills (Kearsney, KwaZulu-Natal), Michael Mafunda (GK, Bishops, Western Province), Noah Reiback (Rondebosch Boys’ High, Western Province), Ruan Engelbrecht (Affies, Northern Gauteng), Thomas Aylward (Kearsney, KwaZulu-Natal), Thomas Francke (Kearsney, KwaZulu-Natal), Timothy Young (Bishops, Western Province).
Non-travelling reserves
Adam Brown (Reddam House Constantia, Western Province), Blake Morton (St Stithians, Central Gauteng), Bradley van Loggerenberg (Hilton College, KwaZulu-Natal), Dane Paterson (Grey High, Nelson Mandela Bay), Daniel Nothard (Clifton, KwaZulu-Natal), Elliot Springate (GK, Michaelhouse, KwaZulu-Natal), Ethan Baty (St Benedict’s, Central Gauteng), Fu-Nam Chen (St John’s, Central Gauteng), James Swart (Paarl Gimnasium, Western Province), Kian Sing (GK, St Stithians, Central Gauteng), Luca Whitehead (Glenwood House, Eden).
Management
Travis Theron – Team Manager (Western Province)
Jon-Marc De Carvalho – Head Coach (Central Gauteng)
Juan-Claud Tribbelhorn – Assistant Coach (Northern Gauteng)
u16 Boys
Adam Maggott (SACS, Western Province), Blake Galpin (Rondebosch, Western Province), Casey Marks (u15) (Hilton College, KwaZulu-Natal), Cristiano Sandri (u15) (Kearsney, KwaZulu-Natal), Christopher Davidson (KES, Central Gauteng), Dru Mills (u15) (Kearsney, KwaZulu-Natal), Josh Damstra (GK, SACS, Western Province), Josh Watson (u15) (Clifton, KwaZulu-Natal), Lincoln Burger (Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal), Max Fowlds (GK, Clifton, KwaZulu-Natal), Nathan Corlett (Rondebosch, Western Province), Ross Briers-Danks (Rondebosch, Western Province), Thomas van Oerle (St Andrew’s College, Nelson Mandela Bay), Timothy Barbeau (St Benedict’s, Central Gauteng), Zazi Mkandawire (SACS, Western Province).
Non-travelling reserves
Andrew Sonqishe (Bishops, Western Province), Connor Kruger (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), Cruz Chapman (Clifton, KwaZulu-Natal), Finn Mallett (Northwood, KwaZulu-Natal), Jasper Korver (St Andrew’s College, Nelson Mandela Bay), Leo Bruinders (St John’s College, Central Gauteng), Lukah Charalambous (SACS, Western Province), Mitchell Rodgers (Michaelhouse, KwaZulu-Natal), Thomas Melling-Williams (SACS, Western Province), Yakub Fakir (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province).
Management
Ferdinand Postma – Team Manager (Northern Gauteng)
Nicholas Tinkler – Head Coach (Central Gauteng)
Cameron Laurenson – Assistant Coach (Boland)
Jarred Appelgryn – Assistant Coach (KwaZulu-Natal)
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