21 April 2026
There’s been little to separate Northwood School and Durban High School on the rugby field in recent seasons. Collisions have been fierce, margins razor-thin, and results often decided by moments rather than dominance. On Saturday, on Reece-Edwards Field, it was the Knights who finally found the edge, edging out School 17-14 in a gripping contest that went down to the final play.
For Northwood, it was more than just a win. It was a breakthrough.
“We’ve been waiting for that one for a while,” a relieved coach Jacques Deen said afterwards, pausing amid a stream of congratulatory handshakes from jubilant supporters. “The last three years, it has been tight, including a 7-7 draw here.
“Today, the boys stuck to what they needed to do. We said from the beginning that we’re going to put pressure on them and keep the ball away from them. From a tackle and defensive point of view, we did a good job. All systems worked nicely.”
The hosts set the tone early. Their intent was clear: play in the right areas, build pressure, and force errors. It worked. A succession of penalties allowed them to kick to the corners, and, from one such opportunity in the 13th minute, they struck. After sustained pressure, Kevin van Volenstee was driven over in the left-hand corner. Ludi van der Walt then judged a tough conversion superbly to give the Knights a 7-0 lead.
That breakthrough loosened the contest. Having absorbed the early pressure, DHS began to find their rhythm. As Northwood had done, they also forced penalties. Their decision-making differed, however. Instead of kicking to the corners, they opted to take points.
Tanwil Onkers opened their account in the 18th minute with a penalty from inside the Northwood 22. When another opportunity presented itself eight minutes later, again within range of the try line, DHS stuck to their plan. Onkers slotted a second, trimming the deficit to a single point.
Northwood responded through the boot of Van der Walt, nudging their lead out to four, but Onkers had the final say of the half, landing his third penalty on the stroke of halftime to leave the Knights clinging to a slender 10-9 advantage.
The second half was a grind. Handling errors and defensive pressure disrupted any rhythm, and DHS, unusually, struggled to impose themselves. Yet, as is so often the case, a spark can change everything.
From the sideline, forwards’ coach Ronnie Uys urged the players to lift their intensity. The response came midway through the half. A clever chip ahead opened up space, and right wing Richard Gyamfi won the chase to his kick to dot down in the corner, nudging School into a 14-10 lead.
For a side that had spent much of the match on the back foot, it felt like the decisive blow. But Northwood wasn’t finished.
Returning to their blueprint, they worked their way into DHS territory, again using penalties to set up attacking lineouts. With time ticking away, they earned one last opportunity. From close range, they drove with purpose, and, fittingly, it was Van Volenstee who emerged with the ball to score his second try. Van der Walt’s conversion pushed the Knights back in front, 17-14, with just minutes remaining.
Still, there was time for one final twist.
DHS threw everything at Northwood in the closing stages, camping on the home side’s try line in search of a match-winning score. The Knights, though, produced a defensive stand of immense courage.
“I asked them a simple thing,” Deen said. “Put your bodies on the line. Do everything that you can do. You’re not just representing yourself, but your families, your school, that one important person in your life. They showed it today.”
It came down to centimetres.
A gap opened, and DHS substitute Sterling Padi surged through, only for the cover defence to scramble back. As he stretched for the line, the ball spilled forward in contact. Knock-on. Chance gone.
Moments later, the final whistle sounded, and Reece-Edwards Field was flooded by celebrating Northwood supporters. Arms were raised, voices lifted, and a long-awaited result was secured.
It was a victory built on clarity of plan, executed with discipline, and sealed with heart.
“The good thing is that we had a lot of Grade 11s on the field,” Deen added. “We brought Tristan Parkinson and Jamie Wimble on later. Those boys became men today. It’s not every day you beat DHS. They’re a powerhouse.”
For Northwood, it was the end of a frustrating run in this fixture. For DHS, it was a reminder of how fine the margins are.
For those who watched, it was simply another chapter in a rivalry that continues to deliver.
While their 1st XV went down, DHS enjoyed much the better of the rugby results, which underlined their improving depth. In recent seasons, perhaps, if one were to be critical, they lacked depth. That no longer appears to be the case.
DHS won the u16A, u15A, and u14A matches and was ruthlessly dominant in the four u14 games.
Results
1st: Northwood 17-14 DHS
2nd: Northwood 12-40 DHS
3rd: Northwood 21-42 DHS
4th: Northwood 10-28 DHS|
5th: Northwood 24-10 DHS
6th: Northwood 34-15 DHS
7th: Northwood 26-31 DHS
16A: Northwood 8-17 DHS
16B: Northwood 0-29 DHS
16C: Northwood 31-14 DHS
16D: Northwood 0-22 DHS
15A: Northwood 0-22 DHS
15B: Northwood 14-50 DHS
15C: Northwood 0-25 DHS
15D: Northwood 10-27 DHS
14A: Northwood 0-47 DHS
14B: Northwood 0-50 DHS
14C: Northwood 0-40 DHS
14D: Northwood 0-50 DHS
HOCKEY
On the Astro, Northwood and DHS put on a show on Friday night, with the Horseflies twice taking the lead, only for the Knights to level shortly after that. Eventually, though, Josh van Biljon scored a third for DHS, and Northwood was unable to find a response.
It was a cracking game and a big win for DHS, who were without the influential Christopher Abrahams. By claiming a hard-fought win, they remained the only big-name team in South Africa with an unbeaten record. That will be put to the stiffest of tests at the Standard Bank Hibbert Shield in Gqeberha this coming weekend, where they’ll be joined by Clifton College and Westville Boys’ High.
It was a tough loss for Northwood, but it says a lot about their 1st XI that most teams have benchmarked themselves against the Knights. That’s what happens when you score the biggest result of 2026, a 4-2 win over SACS at the Founders Festival.
Northwood enjoyed the better of the u16 matches, while DHS held the advantage at u14 level, where Northwood claimed the A team win.
Results
1st: Northwood 2-3 DHS
2nd: Northwood 2-1 DHS
3rd: Northwood 0-0 DHS
4th: Northwood 2-4 DHS
16A: Northwood 3-1 DHS
16B: Northwood 0-0 DHS
16C: Northwood 1-1 DHS
16D: Northwood 2-0 DHS
16E: Northwood 3-0 DHS
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