With many of the province’s private schools still enjoying a break, Bowden’s Field crackled with intensity on Saturday as Westville Boys’ High and Northwood renewed a rivalry that has delivered rich entertainment and outstanding rugby in recent seasons.
Their King Price Derby clash also carried extra intrigue as the sides had met in the 2025 Champion of Champions High Schools Sevens Series final, and both headed into Saturday’s showdown in red-hot form.
Over Easter, Westville was extraordinary in an 83-0 thrashing of Framesby at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF), and that was highlighted by the fact that the Gqeberha school won their other two matches in Botha’s Hill. The Griffins also beat Helpmekaar 33-17 and cruised to a 41-3 win over Milnerton High.
Northwood was extremely impressive at the KES Easter Festival, overrunning Marlow Landbou 47-7 before powering to a 52-21 defeat of St Andrew’s College.
Recent clashes between Westville and Northwood, though, have been far closer. In 2025, Westville went unbeaten, but they were pushed to the brink on Reece-Edwards Field, winning an attritional battle 16-14. In 2024, Northwood also won away, scoring a heart-stopping 30-27 win on Bowden’s.
On Saturday, both teams crossed for five tries – with Ezra Karosilin, Rorke Stirk, Ngcali-Ka-Reve Nonxuba, Levi Allan, and Lwandle Makhanya dotting down for Westville, and Zak Vrey, Andile Thwala, Tinayeishe Ruwana, Sphe Mlongo, and Nala Shabangu replying for Northwood.
The difference in the end was the goal-kicking of Westville’s flyhalf, Jade-Will Koopman. “Sensational,” said the Griffins’ coach, Zander Erasmus, when describing the no. 10’s five-out-of-five conversion record.
Westville came steaming out of the gate and quickly went up by two converted tries, with two of their leading lights, 8th-man Lwandle Makhanya and hooker Rorke Stirk, to the fore. Stirk crossed for the Griffins’ second, while Makhanya’s five-pointer came later in the contest.
Northwood, with trademark grit, fought back with two tries of their own, and it was game on.
Westville coach Zander Erasmus reflected on a contest that ebbed and flowed throughout.
“It’s always tough playing them,” he said. “We started really well, going 14-0 up, and I thought our forwards laid a very good platform.
“But they clawed their way back. It was 14-10 at one stage, and then we managed to score again.”
By the break, the home side had opened up a 28-15 advantage, but Northwood was far from finished. In the first half, Westville’s tactical kicking game, aimed at turning the Knights and testing them aerially, proved effective, yet the visitors responded in kind after halftime.
“We kicked a lot on them, making them turn,” Erasmus explained. “In the second half, they did the same to us. They backed their forwards and scored a nice maul try.”
It was up front, though, where the contest became a stop-start arm wrestle. Scrum penalties disrupted the flow, but neither side took a backward step physically.
“Both teams showed they wanted to attack and be dominant through their packs,” Erasmus commented.
The contest went down to the wire, and it took a defensive stand to secure a 35-29 victory for Westville, who were a man down in the last 10 minutes.
Having won a penalty, Northwood kicked to set up a lineout in the home side’s 22. They aimed to set up a rolling maul and drive their way over the Westville try line. Instead, they were driven back, and Westville won a put-in. Then, the final whistle blew.
“All in all, it was a lekker game for the neutral,” Erasmus said. “End-to-end, high-tempo rugby, played in a really good spirit. A classic local derby.”
The result reinforces Westville’s status as one of the province’s benchmark sides. Yet, in defeat, Northwood sent a clear message: they remain a formidable outfit, capable of going toe-to-toe with – and beating – any team in KwaZulu-Natal.
Overall, the results went Westville’s way, with the Griffins’ record including wins in the 2nd, u16A, u15A, and u14A games. As a proud rugby-playing school, Northwood will feel stung by Westville’s dominance. At the very least, though, the Knights will take another crack at Westville on Saturday, 9 May, at the Sharks Schools Rugby Day, at Hilton College.
Results
1st: Westville 35-29 Northwood
2nd: Westville 26-5 Northwood
3rd: Westville 17-17 Northwood
4th: Westville 5-35 Northwood
5th: Westville 12-22 Northwood
6th: Westville 14-7 Northwood
7th: Westville 50-0 Northwood
16A: Westville 24-0 Northwood
16B: Westville 39-7 Northwood
16C: Westville 21-0 Northwood
16D: Westville 45-0 Northwood
15A: Westville 20-7 Northwood
15B: Westville 33-0 Northwood
15C: Westville 41-6 Northwood
15D: Westville 55-5 Northwood
15E: Westville 5-29 KZN Development
15F: Westville 29-24 KZN Development
14A: Westville 17-12 Northwood
14B: Westville 52-5 Northwood
14C: Westville 24-0 Northwood
14D: Westville 36-10 Northwood
14E: Westville 28-26 KZN Development
14F: Westville 46-5 KZN Development
HOCKEY
The most headline-grabbing result of the hockey season thus far belongs to Northwood, who handed SACS an unexpected loss at the Founders Festival, and they did so emphatically, scoring a 4-2 win.
On Friday night, though, they played second fiddle to a resurgent Westville side, who, after a difficult start to the season, took a step forward at the Belgotex Sport Coastal Cup, then improved upon that with an unbeaten four out of four record at the KES Easter Festival, where Northwood won three of four, losing only to a high-flying King Edward VII side by a 1-2 margin.
There was little to separate the sides on Friday, with Westville taking the lead in the third chukka before a frenetic final chukka produced four goals – two each – resulting in a 3-2 win for coach Harold Siyaya’s boys.
Northwood, though, scored a 2-1 win in the U16A match, which was, to most, an upset; Westville has a particularly strong u16 age group. The spoils were shared in the u14A match.
Overall, Westville won 10 matches, with five of those wins coming from their u16s, while Northwood picked up four victories.
Results
1st: Westville 3-2 Northwood
2nd: Westville 0-1 Northwood
3rd: Westville 2-1 Northwood
4th: Westville 2-3 Northwood
16A: Westville 1-2 Northwood
16B: Westville 1-0 Northwood
16C: Westville 3-1 Northwood
16D: Westville 3-1 Northwood
16E: Westville 3-1 Northwood
16F: Westville 1-0 Northwood
16G: Westville 0-2 Northwood
14A: Westville 2-2 Northwood
14B: Westville 3-0 Northwood
14C: Westville 2-1 Northwood
14D: Westville 3-0 Northwood
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