12 May 2026
After the emotion and intensity of a dramatic derby victory over Michaelhouse a week earlier, there was always the possibility of a flat performance from Hilton College on Saturday.
They started on the back foot, but soon delivered a polished display on Gilfillan Field at the Sharks Schools Rugby Day to beat Glenwood High 42-7 and extend their unbeaten run to eight matches.
For a brief period, though, the Green Machine threatened to make life uncomfortable for the home side.
They exploded out of the blocks with intent, carrying hard and asking serious questions of the Hilton defence through their midfield combination, but Hilton weathered the early storm with composure before gradually tightening their grip on the contest.
“It was difficult to get the guys up after the highs of last week,” Hilton coach Brad Macleod-Henderson admitted afterwards. “But we rolled up our sleeves and did enough to get over the line. There’s more performance left in us that we need to try and find before next week,” he added, referring to a trip to Pretoria Boys High.
The visitors’ aggressive start particularly impressed the Hilton mentor. “They started well,” he said. “Their 12 and 13 punched some holes in our defence. They ran hard. They got over the gain-line.
“Maybe we were a little bit passive, but luckily we rectified that in the second half and we were able to get away to a fairly easy win.”
Once Hilton settled, their superior structure and accuracy began to tell.
As has so often been the case during their outstanding season, the foundation was laid up front. Hilton’s set pieces functioned smoothly throughout, allowing the backs to play with confidence and keeping Glenwood pinned in unfavourable areas of the field.
“I thought our lineouts, scrums, and kickoffs were very good today,” Macleod-Henderson said. “That laid the platform for us to play in the right areas.”
Another key contributor was flyhalf Nico Davel, who stepped confidently into the pivot role again in the absence of the injured John Grubb. Davel controlled proceedings calmly, kicked intelligently, and continued the momentum he built with his match-winning penalty against Michaelhouse the previous weekend.
The good news for Hilton supporters, though, is that Grubb’s absence is not expected to be a lengthy one, and he should be back in action against the Candies.
Scores
Hilton College 42 (17) – Tries: Callan Kenmuir, Ruan Mulder, Zander Muller, Mholi Khuzwayo, Guy Fender. Conversions: Nico Davel (4). Penalty: Nico Davel (3)
Glenwood High 7 (7) – Try: Joshua Kopp. Conversion: Elgenio Oerson.
Hilton won all of their Sharks Schools Rugby Day games against Glenwood, with only the u14A match being a close one, but competition between the schools behind the A teams was keen, although the results favoured Hilton. They won 12 matches to Glenwood’s three.
Results
1st: Hilton 42-7 Glenwood
2nd: Hilton 10-12 Glenwood
3rd: Hilton 26-7 Glenwood
4th: Hilton 16-7 Glenwood
5th: Hilton 20-14 Glenwood
6th: Hilton 19-10 Glenwood
16A: Hilton 53-7 Glenwood
16B: Hilton 22-19 Glenwood
16C: Hilton 15-10 Glenwood
16D: Hilton 31-12 Glenwood
15A: Hilton 42-0 Glenwood
15B: Hilton 19-7 Glenwood
15C: Hilton 20-10 Glenwood
15D: Hilton 17-19 Glenwood
14A: Hilton 26-19 Glenwood
14B: Hilton 35-7 Glenwood
14C: Hilton 19-35 Glenwood
HOCKEY
At the 3 Schools Astro, the Glenwood 1st XI came out firing and stunned Hilton by racing into a 2-0 lead in the first chukka, with Ithani Doyi and skipper, Murray Wicks, netting for the home side.
Hilton sucked up those setbacks, however, and showed impressive composure to claw their way back into the contest and take control of proceedings. A hat-trick from Ben Wilson, and further goals from Nicandro Padayachee and Oyena Zulu – all of whom have been named in the KZN Inland u18A squad – took Hilton out to a comfortable 5-2 lead over the next three chukkas.
Glenwood was beaten, but they kept fighting to the end and were rewarded with another Murray Wicks’ goal just before the final whistle, making the final score in an entertaining game Glenwood 3-5 Hilton.
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