15 March 2026
RUGBY
(Feature photo courtesy of Justin Waldman Sports Photography)
There appears to be a pretty prevalent consensus that the Kearsney College 1st XV is a team that could make big waves in 2026. So, perhaps, they’re not a dark horse, but a contender that could challenge the established top dogs.
In Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, facing a St Charles 1st XV missing a few injured players, the One-Stripe did nothing to quell the talk of the danger they pose, cruising to a 60-19 victory over Saints.
Within the first two minutes, the visitors were on the scoreboard, with Keanu Williamson popping a short ball to his centre partner, Thomas Aylward, to put him over after the Kearsney forwards had sucked in the home side’s defence. From there, the visitors kept turning the screws, demonstrating an admirable work rate for a game so early in the season, played in the warm humidity of the KwaZulu-Natal capital.
Often, thanks to their fitness, they were able to outnumber the Saints‘ defenders by being up in support of the ball carrier.
Given space, Kearsney players who had been part of SA Rugby’s Elite Player Development camps – flyhalf Daniel Miskey, fullback Lwazi Mbebe, and 8th-man and captain Nhlanhla Ndlovu – showed why they were called up. They were influential, running superb lines and ripping through the St Charles defensive lines, and they also acted as sure-handed distributors of the ball.
The midfield duo of Keanu Williamson and Thomas Aylward caught the eye, too. Williamson was very good in 2025, and he picked up from where he had left off, including scoring the second try of the contest after hitting a flat pass against the grain, which opened up the St Charles defence.
Another group of players who impressed was the Kearsney loose trio – 8th-man Nhlanhla Ndlovu, and flanks James Whatmore and Oliver Ludwig, both also standout water polo players. They hunted effectively together, and evidence of that was the fact that all three made it onto the score sheet, with Ndlovu
It was Kearsney’s day, but the St Charles u15A side upset the apple cart, pulling off a hard-fought 19-12 victory.
Kearsney is at home this coming Saturday, hosting Glenwood, while Saints head to Durban to take on Clifton College.
Results
1st: St Charles 19-60 Kearsney
2nd: St Charles 0-51 Kearsney
3rd: Maritzburg College 4th 21-26 Kearsney
4th: St Charles 3rd 0-39 Kearsney
5th: Maritzburg College 7th 5-15 Kearsney
16A: St Charles 19-39 Kearsney
16B: Maritzburg College u16D 10-45 Kearsney
16C: St Charles 12-17 Kearsney u16B
15A: St Charles 19-12 Kearsney
15B: St Charles 0-55 Kearsney
15C: St Charles 11-54 Kearsney
14A: St Charles 3-70 Kearsney
14B: St Charles 0-53 Kearsney
HOCKEY
Beaten by Clifton in Durban on Friday night, Kearsney bounced back on Saturday in Pietermaritzburg, claiming a 3-1 win over St Charles.
The visitors’ u16A side romped to a one-sided victory, but the Saints u14A team shared a 2-2 draw with Kearsney.
Results
1st: St Charles 1-3 Kearsney
2nd: St Charles 1-2 Kearsney
3rd: St Charles 0-3 Kearsney
4th: St Charles 0-3 Kearsney
5th: St Charles 0-5 Kearsney
16A: St Charles 0-10 Kearsney
16B: St Charles 0-6 Kearsney
16C: St Charles 1-2 Kearsney
16D: St Charles 2-5 Kearsney
16E: St Charles 3-1 Kearsney
16F: St Charles 1-0 Kearsney
14A: St Charles 2-2 Kearsney
14B: St Charles 1-6 Kearsney
14C: St Charles 3-4 Kearsney
14D: St Charles 0-6 Kearsney
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