2 June 2026
(Feature photo, Anton Wannenburg/King Price Derby Series)
It was a tale of two halves on Van Heerden’s Field on Saturday, where Durban High School (DHS) produced a stirring second-half comeback to edge Westville Boys’ High 24-19 in a gripping King Price Derby Series encounter.
The victory kept intact School‘s unbeaten run on their home ground since May 2002.
For much of the opening stanza, however, it looked as if Westville might spoil the home side’s day.
DHS struggled to implement their game plan, and Westville’s dangerous backline punished their loose kicking. They counterattacked with purpose and precision, crossing for three excellent tries by Jadrian Afrikaner, Lwandile Mlaba, and Lux Sonkononkono.
The Horseflies were also under pressure at the set pieces. Their lineout malfunctioned and they battled to gain traction in the scrums, allowing Westville to dictate terms for long periods.
Yet, despite finding themselves under siege, DHS refused to break. They defended with typical determination, stayed in the fight, and ensured the deficit remained manageable heading into the second half. That resilience would prove to be decisive.
Whatever was said during the interval had the desired effect. A transformed DHS outfit emerged for the second 35 minutes. They stuck to their structures, played to their strengths, and steadily began to wrestle control away from Westville.
Central to the revival was fullback Tanwill Onkers. With nerves of steel, he punished Westville’s indiscretions, slotting penalty after penalty to keep School within touching distance. Four successful kicks steadily chipped away at the visitors’ advantage and reduced the gap to 19-12.
Momentum was shifting, and the turning point arrived through a moment of brilliance from right-wing Ama Mataboge.
A perfectly judged kick by scrumhalf Richaard Kriel hung invitingly in the air, and Mataboge set off in pursuit. Timing his run to perfection, he claimed possession before the defence could react. In one fluid movement, he burst clear and raced away to score beneath the uprights.
The Van Heerden’s crowd erupted.
Onkers added the conversion and, suddenly, the scores were level at 19-19.
With confidence surging through the home side and the visitors desperately trying to stem the tide, the contest headed towards a dramatic finish. It arrived in the final play of the game.
DHS captain Zion Smith stole a Westville lineout throw-in, giving his team one last opportunity to attack. Kriel received the ball on his 10-metre line, saw a gap and pinned his ears back, haring through it. Then, he cut out to the right and pushed the pedal to the metal. The Westville defenders were left grasping at air, and Kriel finished with a spectacular dive in the right-hand corner to seal a gusty come-from-behind victory.
The majority of the matches went the way of DHS, which underlined the steady and continuing growth of the depth of their rugby programme. Over recent seasons, they’ve won the A and B team games, but those C and D side matches that they once lost have now become wins more often than not.
Results
1st: DHS 24-19 Westville
2nd: DHS 43-7 Westville
3rd: DHS 50-0 Westville
4th: DHS 57-3 Westville
5th: DHS 36-0 Westville
6th: DHS 40-12 Westville
16A: DHS 19-15 Westville
16B: DHS 21-12 Westville
16C: DHS 25-12 Westville
16D: DHS 19-17 Westville
15A: DHS 28-7 Westville
15B: DHS 20-7 Westville
15C: DHS 28-0 Westville
15D: DHS 10-45 Westville
15E: DHS 16-29 Westville
14A: DHS 31-3 Westville
14B: DHS 53-7 Westville
14C: DHS 26-0 Westville
14D: DHS 12-55 Westville
14E: DHS 7-57 Westville
HOCKEY
At The Coliseum, Westville came out of the blocks strongly to snatch a 1-0 lead after a goalmouth scramble.
They dug in and hung onto that lead until the fourth quarter when DHS levelled from a PC variation, with Sandi Mazubuko deflecting the ball into the net. Jesse van Wyk then struck the Horseflies’ second last quarter goal, lifting them to a 2-1 victory.
While the open age group went DHS’s way, four wins to nil, Westville won five of six at u16 level, with the other game ending in a draw.
DHS won the u14A match comfortably, but the schools finished with two wins apiece in the age group.
Results
1st: DHS 2-1 Westville
2nd: DHS 3-1 Westville
3rd: DHS 1-0 Westville
4th: DHS 4-2 Westville
16A: DHS 2-3 Westville
16B: DHS 0-2 Westville
16C: DHS 1-6 Westville
16D: DHS 2-2 Westville
16E: DHS 3-2 Westville
14A: DHS 3-0 Westville
14B: DHS 0-3 Westville
14C: DHS 1-3 Westville
14D: DHS 3-0 Westville