31 August 2026
Durban High School (DHS) dominated on home soil at the Clover High School Sevens Series, with their U15A and 1st teams both powering to Cup glory on the weekend.
The Horseflies had plenty to celebrate after two days of high-quality Sevens action, with the U15A side retaining their title for a third successive year before the 1st team emphatically completed the double on Saturday.
For the DHS 1st team, the road to the final included a repeat of the Glenwood High Sevens final against Westville Boys’ High, and this time the Horseflies turned the tables.
Westville had edged out DHS 26-24 at Glenwood two weeks earlier, but there was to be no repeat on Saturday.
It was tight in the first half, with DHS leading only 12-10 at the break, but they produced the kind of second-half surge that Westville had used to overcome Northwood 31-17 in their quarterfinal.
In the competition’s key clash, the Horseflies found another gear, while Westville showed signs of the fatigue brought about by playing their third tournament on successive weekends. DHS scored freely in the second stanza, pulling clear to secure a convincing 35-16 victory.
It set up a final against Glenwood High, who had benefited from a favourable draw on their way to the title decider. Glenwood had progressed comfortably from Pool D after facing Umlazi, Midlands, and the Griffins (Westville B). In the quarterfinals, they beat Northwood B 19-5 before surviving a much tighter semifinal against St Charles College.
Saints had produced one of the surprises of the U17 competition, beginning their campaign with a stunning 12-7 victory over Northwood in Pool C. That result helped propel them into a quarterfinal against Michaelhouse, and they won again, coming from behind to down the Balgowan boys 24-12.
Against Glenwood, St Charles refused to give an inch, and the teams traded blows throughout the semifinal. Glenwood, however, had the final say, scoring shortly before the hooter to snatch a 22-19 victory.
Saints looked gassed in the second half, and that may have had something to do with the fact that they ended their rugby season on 6 June while Glenwood continued playing until 8 August.
There was no stopping DHS in the final, however, as they booked their place at the Champion of Champions in Potchefstroom on 18 and 19 September
After eliminating Westville, the Horseflies carried a confidence into the final that was impossible to miss. Their success throughout the tournament had been founded on an aggressive defensive effort, forcing turnovers and then attacking with speed and purpose. They brought those qualities to bear in the title game.
Playing with freedom within a disciplined structure, they combined sharp individual skills with an impressive collective understanding, crossing for four tries and a 22-0 halftime lead.
When they scored again inside the second minute of the second half, the contest was effectively over, and the final score, 39-0, underlined DHS’s dominance.
On Friday, the DHS U15A side got the party started for the hosts.
Their most significant hurdle, apart from the final, was another semifinal against Westville. At the Glenwood Sevens, DHS had edged their rivals 17-12 at the same stage. This time, there was less uncertainty as School powered to a 31-14 victory.
The strength of DHS’s U15 age group was underlined when DHS A faced DHS B for the title, and they were given their toughest workout of the competition, scoring a hard-fought 24-19 win.
Before that narrow defeat, DHS U15 B had scored wins over Northwood U15A, St Charles U15A, Glenwood U15A, and Maritzburg College U15A.
In other phases of the U17 competition, Northwood claimed the Plate after beating Michaelhouse 36-19 in the final.
Northwood had seen off the Griffins in their semifinal, while Michaelhouse overcame Northwood B to reach the title decider.
Urban produced a thrilling comeback in the Bowl final, coming from behind to edge out Hoërskool Vryheid 26-24.
The Shield final was considerably less dramatic, with Midlands overwhelming Kuswag 50-0.
For DHS, it was a second double in three years. They also did the trick in 2024.
On their own fields, the Horseflies were simply too good.
RESULTS
U17
Pool A
DHS 46-0 HS Vryheid
Northwood B 24-12 HS Vryheid
DHS 65-5 Northwood B
Northwood B 10-0 BYE
DHS 10-0 BYE
HS Vryheid 10-0 BYE
Pool B
Westville 36-0 Urban
Michaelhouse 38-7 Pionier
Westville 10-5 Michaelhouse
Urban 26-12 Pionier
Westville 38-0 Pionier
Michaelhouse 41-7 Urban
Pool C
St Charles 12-7 Northwood
St Charles 61-0 Kuswag
Northwood 34-0 Kuswag
Kuswag 10-0 BYE
Northwood 10-0 BYE
St Charles 10-0 BYE
Pool D
Glenwood 54-0 Umlazi
Midlands 24-24 Griffins
Glenwood 36-7 Griffins
Midlands 40-0 Umlazi
Glenwood 28-5 Midlands
Griffins 52-0 Umlazi
Solitaire Playoff
Pionier 26-0 Umlazi
Cup Quarterfinals
DHS 35-0 Griffins
Westville 31-17 Northwood
St Charles 24-12 Michaelhouse
Glenwood 19-5 Northwood B
Bowl Semifinals
Urban 52-0 Kuswag
HS Vryheid 21-17 Midlands
Plate Semifinals
Northwood 45-12 Griffins
Michaelhouse 24-0 Northwood B
Cup Semifinals
DHS 36-15 Westville
Glenwood 22-19 St Charles
Shield Final
Midlands 50-0 Kuswag
Bowl Final
Urban 26-24 HS Vryheid
Plate Final
Northwood 35-19 Michaelhouse
Cup Final
DHS 39-0 Glenwood
U15 Section
Results
Pool A
DHS 45-0 Griffins
Glenwood B 22-19 Griffins
DHS 68-0 Glenwood B
Pool B
Westville 42-0 Northwood B
Michaelhouse 41-7 Northwood B
Westville 29-0 Michaelhouse
Pool C
DHS B 19-12 Northwood
DHS B 29-5 St Charles
Northwood 19-12 St Charles
Pool D
Glenwood 37-0 Kuswag
Maritzburg College 39-5 Kuswag
Maritzburg College 15-12 Glenwood
Cup Quarterfinals
DHS 47-0 Michaelhouse
Westville 78-0 Glenwood B
DHS B 19-10 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 12-7 Northwood
Bowl Semifinals
Griffins 28-14 Northwood B
St Charles 32-7 Kuswag
Plate Semifinals
Michaelhouse 21-12 Glenwood B
Glenwood 29-0 Northwood
Cup Semifinals
DHS 31-14 Westville
DHS B 34-7 Maritzburg College
Bowl Final
St Charles 19-12 Griffins
Plate Final
Michaelhouse 17-17 Glenwood
Cup Final
DHS 24-19 DHS B