2 September 2026
The stage is set for another intriguing edition of the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, with some of South Africa’s leading schools preparing to converge on Durban from 17 to 20 September.
Sixteen teams will be in action, nine from KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and seven from beyond its borders.
The KZN contingent comprises the hosts Clifton College, Clifton 2, Durban High School (DHS), Kearsney College, Michaelhouse, Maritzburg College, Westville Boys’ High, Hilton College, and Northwood, while the visitors are Reddam House Constantia, Selborne College, Paul Roos Gimnasium, St John’s College, Affies, SACS, and King Edward VII (KES).
For the first time, the tournament will also feature standalone primary school competitions, with Clifton, Durban Preparatory High School (DPHS), Umhlali, Highbury, and Chelsea Prep joining the action.
There is plenty at stake for the KZN schools. The province has established itself as a force at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament, but that success has not always translated into dominance when the country’s strongest schools meet in tournaments.
With KZN blessed with an enviable depth of coaching talent, the Clifton tournament provides another opportunity for the province’s leading teams to measure themselves against the best from elsewhere in South Africa.
And, if recent history is anything to go by, the competition is likely to be decided by fine margins.
The defending champions are Hilton College, who ended a long wait for a KZN winner in 2025 when they edged out St John’s College 10-8 in the final.
It was the first time a KZN school had lifted the trophy since Clifton defeated Westville in the 2019 final.
After that home team success, the tournament was not held in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Then St John’s claimed back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, with Paul Roos finishing as the runner-up on both occasions, losing 7-8 in 2021 before going down 7-13 the following year.
SACS then took over, beating Paul Roos 7-6 in the 2023 final before successfully defending the title in 2024 with an 8-7 victory over St John’s.
Last year’s tournament changed that sequence, with Hilton producing when it mattered most. They will have to do it again without several of the players who helped them to the title, though, including the outstanding Tristan Uys.
Hilton remains firmly in contention. Sixth at the SAC Shield early in 2026, they were beaten by just one goal by Clifton in the playoffs. They also finished sixth at the KES Water Polo Tournament, the second-best performance by a KZN side behind Kearsney.
The draw has produced four fascinating pools.
Pool A brings together Clifton, DHS, Reddam House Constantia, and Selborne College.
The hosts will enter the tournament with confidence after a strong build-up. Under the guidance of Pierre le Roux, the most experienced South African international water polo player of all time, Clifton should be among the fittest teams in the competition.
They will also have the advantage of playing at home, where they have traditionally excelled, and the superb facility and support from the Clifton crowd will serve to boost their challenge.
Clifton, Reddam, and Selborne all reached the quarterfinals last year, although only the hosts progressed further. Clifton dispatched SACS 11-6 to reach the semifinals, while Hilton beat Reddam, and Kearsney defeated Selborne. DHS edged Affies 12-11 in the cross pool playoffs, on their way to a ninth-place finish.
Those results might suggest a pecking order, but with the margins between the teams often so narrow, little can safely be assumed.
Pool B includes Kearsney, Michaelhouse, Paul Roos, and the tournament’s only newcomer, Clifton 2.
Kearsney appears the obvious favourite after reaching the semifinals last year, although Michaelhouse’s improvement in recent seasons makes them an intriguing opponent. They lost to eventual runners-up St John’s in the quarterfinals before finishing seventh with an 11-7 victory over Reddam.
Paul Roos, meanwhile, has a proud history at Clifton but missed the quarterfinals last year and finished only 11th at the SAC Shield earlier this year. They have plenty to prove.
Then there is Clifton 2. The second team is an unknown quantity, but playing at home and without the pressure carried by the established contenders could make them a dangerous side to underestimate.
Pool C is headed by St John’s, with Affies, Maritzburg College, and Westville joining them.
St John’s has been a fixture near the top of the tournament and, after reaching last year’s final, will again be among the teams expected to challenge for the title.
Affies’ 11th-place finish in 2025 doesn’t tell the full story. They lost 5-6 to St John’s in the group stages and beat Westville 8-6, before a 9-10 defeat to DHS left them outside the quarterfinals. The margins were tiny, and a little more fortune could have produced a very different finish.
Maritzburg College’s programme continues to develop, while Westville remains difficult to predict. The Griffins are capable of competing with the best when they find their rhythm, but consistency has been an issue.
Finally, Pool D brings together Hilton, Northwood, SACS, and KES.
SACS may no longer be the dominant force that won successive titles in 2023 and 2024, but they remain one of the country’s most reliable tournament teams. Fourth-place finishes at both the SAC Shield and KES Water Polo Tournament underline their ability to compete.
KES endured a difficult 2025 Clifton tournament, finishing 15th. Even though they placed only 14th at their home event in March, they displayed encouraging signs, suggesting they could produce a more significant challenge.
Northwood may be the most intriguing side of all. The Knights have appeared close to breaking through to the next level for several seasons without quite putting everything together. Perhaps this is the year they do.
With the defending champions seeking to retain their crown and ambitious KZN sides looking to make their mark against a group of strong visitors arriving with their own designs on the trophy, the Clifton Water Polo Tournament promises four days of high-quality, tightly contested water polo.
At a tournament where the difference between success and disappointment can be measured in a single goal, there should be little room for error.
POOLS
Pool A: Clifton, DHS, Reddam, Selborne
Pool B: Kearsney, Michaelhouse, Paul Roos, Clifton 2
Pool C: Maritzburg College, Westville, St John’s, Affies
Pool D: Hilton, Northwood, SACS, KES
FIXTURES
Thursday, 17 September
Game 1, 11:20 – Kearsney vs Michaelhouse, Pool B
Game 2, 12:10 – Maritzburg College vs Westville, Pool C
Game 3, 13:00 – Hilton vs Northwood, Pool D
Game 4, 13:50 – Clifton Prep vs Umhlali
Game 5, 14:40 – Clifton vs DHS, Pool A
Game 6: 15:10 – Paul Roos vs Clifton 2, Pool B
Game 7: 16:00 – St John’s vs Affies, Pool C
Game 8: 16:50 – Selborne vs Reddam, Pool A
Game 9: 17:40 – SACS vs KES, Pool D
Friday, 18 September
Game 10, 07:00 – Kearsney vs Clifton 2, Pool B
Game 11, 07:50 – Clifton vs Reddam, Pool A
Game 12, 08:40 – Northwood vs SACS, Pool D
Game 13, 09:30 – St John’s vs Maritzburg College, Pool C
Game 14, 10:20 – Hilton vs KES, Pool D
Game 15, 11:10 – Westville vs Affies, Pool C
Game 16, 12:00 – Paul Roos vs Michaelhouse, Pool B
Game 17, 12:50 – Selborne vs DHS, Pool A
Game 18, 13:40 – Hilton vs SACs, Pool D
Game 19, 14:30 – St John’s vs Westville, Pool C
Game 20, 15:20 – Kearsney vs Paul Roos, Pool B
Game 21, 16:10 – Clifton vs Selborne, Pool A
Game 22, 17:00 – KES vs Northwood, Pool D
Game 23, 17:50 – Affies vs Maritzburg College, Pool C
Game 24, 18:40 – Clifton 2 vs Michaelhouse
Game 25, 19:30 – Reddam vs DHS, Pool A
Saturday, 19 September
07:30 – DPHS vs Highbury
Game 26, 08:00 – 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B (Cup QF 1)
Game 27, 08:50 – 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A (Cup QF 2)
Game 27, 09:40 – 1st Pool C vs 2nd Pool D (Cup QF 3)
Game 29, 10:30 – 1st Pool D vs 2nd Pool C (Cup QF 4)
Game 30, 11:30 – 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B
Game 31, 12:20 – 3rd Pool B vs 4th Pool A
Game 32, 13:10 – 3rd Pool C vs 4th Pool D
Game 33, 14:00 – 3rd Pool D vs 4th Pool C
Game 34, 14:50 – Loser Game 25 vs Loser Game 26
Game 35, 15:40 – Loser Game 27 vs Loser Game 28
16:30 – Chelsea vs DPHS
Game 36, 17:20 – Winner Game 26 vs Winner Game 27 (SF 1)
Game 37, 18:10 – Winner Game 28 vs Winner Game 29 (SF 2)
Sunday, 20 September
Game 38, 07:00 – Winner Game 30 vs Winner Game 31
Game 39, 07:50 – Winner Game 32 vs Winner Game 33
Game 40, 08:40 – Loser Game 30 vs Loser Game 31
Game 41, 09:30 – Loser Game 32 vs Loser Game 33
Game 42, 10:20 – Winner Game 38 vs Winner Game 39 (9/10)
Game 43, 11:10 – Loser Game 38 vs Loser Game 30 (11/12)
Game 44, 12:00 – Winner Game 40 vs Winner Game 31 (13/14)
Game 45, 12:50 – Loser Game 40 vs Loser Game 41 (15/16)
Game 46, 13:40 – Winner Game 34 vs Winner Game 35 (5/6)
Game 47, 14:30 – Loser Game 34 vs Loser Game 35 (7/8)
Game 48, 15:20 – Loser Game 36 vs Loser Game 37 (3/4)
Games 49, 16:10 – Winner Game 36 vs Winner Game 37 (1/2)