18 August 2026
Glenwood High provided an ideal stage for the opening round of the Clover High School Sevens Series on Saturday, with the 2025 national champion, Westville Boys’ High, and national runner-up, Northwood School, among the teams in action.
Their toughest challenges came from Durban High School (DHS) and the hosts, Glenwood, in both the u17 and u15 competitions.
Although it was the first competitive outing of the season for some of the sides, the standard was high, with teams producing exciting, attacking rugby, backed by impressive fitness and skill to cope with the relentless demands of Sevens.
The U17 title came down to a thrilling final between Westville and DHS on Dixon’s Field. It painted a pretty picture: a lush green and soft playing surface, which also contributed to a good viewing experience for the supporters who lined Glenwood’s primary rugby main field.
Westville dominated Pool A before accounting comfortably for Northwood 2 and Glenwood in the knockout stages. DHS was equally impressive, cruising through Pool C before beating St Charles in the Cup quarterfinals and then overcoming Northwood 26-17 after falling behind 0-12 in the semi-finals.
There was almost nothing between the two finalists. DHS scored a try to bring them within two points right on the final whistle, but the conversion kick missed, and Westville claimed a nerve-shredding 26-24 victory.
Westville may have lost some of the outstanding playmakers who helped them to victory at last year’s Champ of Champs in Potchefstroom, but they showed they remain a formidable Sevens outfit. Their cohesion, intensity, and execution were impressive, particularly when they turned over possession.
DHS, though, made life difficult for the champions. The Horseflies were particularly effective when competing for kick-offs, giving themselves opportunities to attack from good field position.
That should make the third KZN round of the series, which takes place at Van Heerden’s Field in two weeks, especially intriguing. Beating DHS on their home ground will be a tough proposition.
The two-day event will also likely include some additional teams in action, which will dial up the demands on the sides that were in action at Glenwood.
Northwood will be among the contenders at DHS. They topped Pool D after beating Michaelhouse and St Charles before blanking Westville 2 in the Cup quarterfinals.
They then got on top of DHS early in their semi-final showdown, but the Horseflies stayed composed and responded superbly. They tightened their defence, applied pressure, and turned that defensive effort into points to book their place in the final.
Glenwood was the other semi-finalist, but was well beaten by Westville with a place in the title game on the line, going down 5-26.
The home side was also pushed hard by Northwood 2 in Pool B, eventually winning 12-5, before beating Howick High in the quarterfinals.
Howick High was one of the day’s surprise packages. They claimed an impressive 10-7 victory over Hoërskool Pionier in a Pool A encounter before producing their best performance of the tournament in the Plate semi-finals, where they defeated Northwood 2 31-19.
St Charles ended Howick’s run with an emphatic 38-7 victory in the Plate final, but Howick had made a good impression in their first tilt at the Clover High School Sevens Series.
Michaelhouse claimed the Bowl, edging out Pionier 21-14, after scoring first in extra time. Their clash had finished 14-14 when the team from Vryheid ran in a long-range try just before the final whistle.
The hosts also enjoyed success, with Glenwood 2 claiming the Shield after a convincing 42-7 win over Umlazi, whose participation added further value to the High School Sevens Series.
The U15 competition followed a similar pattern to the U17s, with DHS and Westville emerging as the standouts. The draw, though, resulted in them facing off in the semi-finals, and DHS won a hard-fought clash 17-12 to advance to the final.
They faced Glenwood, who had beaten Maritzburg College 21-14 in the other semi-final, but enjoyed a comfortable canter to the title, cruising to a 47-0 victory.
It was an impressive showing from DHS, which fielded three teams in the U15 competition. DHS 2 went down 14-19 to St Charles in the Plate semi-finals, while DHS 3 beat Westville’s Griffins (Westville 2) 19-7 in the Bowl final.
Northwood claimed the Plate, defeating St Charles 26-5.
The Clover High School Sevens Series heads to Hoërskool Pionier in Vryheid on the coming weekend. The following weekend, Lilyfontein hosts a round in East London while DHS stages a two-day event in Durban on 28 and 29 August.
Results
U17
Pool A
Westville 54-5 Pionier
Howick 10-7 Pionier
Westville 41-5 Howick
Pool B
Northwood 2 64-0 Umlazi
Glenwood 40-0 Umlazi
Glenwood 12-5 Northwood 2
Pool C
DHS 45-7 Griffins
Griffins 26-12 Glenwood 2
DHS 49-5 Glenwood 2
Pool D
Northwood 26-7 Michaelhouse
Northwood 26-12 St Charles
St Charles 54-14 Michaelhouse
Cup Quarterfinals
Westville 33-7 Northwood 2
Glenwood 43-5 Howick
DHS 44-9 St Charles
Northwood 31-0 Griffins
Bowl Semi-finals
Pionier 45-0 Umlazi
Michaelhouse 43-14 Glenwood 2
Plate Semi-finals
Howick 31-19 Northwood 2
St Charles 33-15 Griffons
Cup Semi-finals
Westville 26-5 Glenwood
DHS 26-17 Northwood
Shield Final
Glenwood 2 42-7 Umlazi
Bowl Final
Michaelhouse 21-14 Pionier (AET)
Plate Final
St Charles 38-7 Howick
Cup Final
Westville 26-24 DHS
U15 Competition
Pool A
DHS 64-0 Glenwood 2
Glenwood 2 45-0 Umlazi
DHS 50-0 Umlazi
Pool B
Northwood 17-7 DHS 3
Westville 24-7 Northwood
Westville 26-14 DHS 3
Pool C
Glenwood 41-0 Northwood 2
St Charles 37-0 Northwood 2
Glenwood 12-10 St Charles
Pool D
DHS 2 37-0 Griffins
Maritzburg College 17-14 DHS 2
Maritzburg College 22-21 Griffins
Cup Quarterfinals
DHS 36-5 Northwood
Westville 59-7 Glenwood 2
Glenwood 14-7 DHS 2
Maritzburg College 14-7 St Charles
Bowl Semi-finals
DHS 3 36-0 Umlazi
Griffins 35-7 Northwood 2
Plate Semi-finals
Northwood 26-0 Glenwood
St Charles 19-14 DHS 2
Cup Semi-finals
DHS 17-12 Westville
Glenwood 21-14 Maritzburg College
Bowl Final
DHS 3 19-7 Griffons
Plate Final
Northwood 26-5 St Charles
Cup Final
DHS 47-0 Glenwood