15 March 2026
Unrelenting. That’s a one-word description for the approach of both the Durban High School (DHS) and Michaelhouse 1st XVs in Saturday’s clash on Van Heerden’s Field, which was played in front of a packed crowd.
DHS is a tough out at the best of times, but Van Heerden’s is an almost impregnable fortress, yet ‘House pushed School all the way. The contest finished 26-20 in the Horseflies‘ favour, but with the visitors camped on the DHS try line at the final whistle. There was little to separate the sides.
DHS coach Peter Engledow shared his thoughts on the game: “I don’t think we played the conditions well, and we didn’t make use of the territorial advantage that we thought we would have in the second half. That’s why we went against the wind in the first.
“But they’re youngsters, it’s the first game of the season, and we have a lot to work on,” he said, in a matter-of-fact manner.
Typical of a first game of the season, both teams lost possession in contact all too often. “In the first 15 minutes, I think we lost three balls in the contact zone,” Engledow said. “There was a lot of ball knocked on. We played so much rugby in our own half, it was unbelievable.
“But then, there were moments of brilliance, some nice tries, and the boys from both sides were trying their best. That’s rugby.”
He said there are basics that his side will need to work on: “We didn’t have good shape, we didn’t have a good set piece and flow. It’s the first game of the season.”
The issues DHS faced were similar to the issues Michaelhouse faced, he added: They were like us. They weren’t good enough. Too many mistakes, not enough clarity in where they were going.”
Engledow and his charges will need to iron out some of those errors this week. They face a trip to Hilton College on the coming weekend, and, with Hilton buoyed by a 39-35 win over Westville Boys’ High, a massive challenge awaits.
It was a good day for DHS overall. Their depth has improved. Go back three or four years, and they won A-team matches, maybe B-team games, but now they’re also winning the C and D team contests.
Michaelhouse’s depth has been among the best in KZN in recent years, too, so Saturday’s results – 15 wins for DHS and five for Michaelhouse – caught the eye.
Results
1st: DHS 26-20 Michaelhouse
2nd: DHS 35-14 Michaelhouse
3rd: DHS 19-7 Michaelhouse
4th: DHS 23-18 Michaelhouse
5th: DHS 16-14 Michaelhouse
6th: DHS 21-22 Michaelhouse
7th: DHS 5-82 Michaelhouse
16A: DHS 20-12 Michaelhouse
16B: DHS 38-14 Michaelhouse
16C: DHS 31-19 Michaelhouse
16D: DHS 19-14 Michaelhouse
16E: DHS 12-52 Michaelhouse
15A: DHS 49-0 Michaelhouse
15B: DHS 67-0 Michaelhouse
15C: DHS 52-12 Michaelhouse
15D: DHS 19-33 Michaelhouse
14A: DHS 52-6 Michaelhouse
14B: DHS 62-0 Michaelhouse
14C: DHS 63-0 Michaelhouse
14D: DHS 7-84 Michaelhouse
HOCKEY
The Michaelhouse 1st XI came away from The Coliseum with a hard-fought 1-1 draw on Saturday. DHS, though, won the other three open age group matches.
The hosts also took victory in the u16A and u16B contests, but ‘House showed good depth to grab wins in the other three u16 matches. Victory in the u14A game went to DHS after an entertaining clash.
Results
1st: DHS 1-1 Michaelhouse
2nd: DHS 2-0 Michaelhouse
3rd: DHS 3-1 Michaelhouse
4th: DHS 7-2 Michaelhouse
16A: DHS 3-1 Michaelhouse
16B: DHS 4-0 Michaelhouse
16C: DHS 1-4 Michaelhouse
16D: DHS 0-8 Michaelhouse
16E: DHS 0-1 Michaelhouse
14A: DHS 4-2 Michaelhouse
14B: DHS 0-1 Michaelhouse
14C: DHS 1-0 Michaelhouse
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