27 April 2026
(Feature photo, courtesy Martin Ashworth Sports Photography)
There was nothing routine about Hilton College‘s fifth win on the trot. On a sun-splashed Saturday on Gilfillan Field, they were pushed hard by a spirited Bishops outfit before emerging 26-17 victors in a new fixture, which will see Hilton travel to Cape Town next year.
The Capetonians set the early tone, pinning Hilton deep inside their own half for much of the opening quarter. It was an arm-wrestle, but the hosts absorbed the pressure with composure before turning the territorial tide through a smart kicking game that steadily marched play upfield.
An opportunity slipped through Hilton’s fingers when a five-metre scrum – earned after Bishops carried a chip kick over their own line – came to nothing because of a knock-on. It was a let-off, but only briefly.
Moments later, Bishops faltered in their exit, and Hilton pounced. A loose pass was snapped up by flyhalf John Grubb, who dotted down to the right of the uprights and added the conversion for a 7-0 lead after 18 minutes.
From there, Hilton began to squeeze. Territory and possession tilted in their favour, and after half an hour, the pressure told. Launching from a lineout inside the Bishops’ 22, they moved the ball crisply across the field, with Ruan Mulder playing a key role before Tomupeishe Gurupira finished in the right-hand corner. Grubb’s excellent conversion stretched the lead to 14-0.
But Bishops were far from done.
On the stroke of halftime, Eljaron Geduld halved Hilton’s advantage. Seizing on a loose Hilton pass, he tore away from inside his own half to score in the corner. Caleb Clark then added a superb touchline conversion to cut the deficit to 14-7 at the break.
With the wind at his back in the second stanza, Clark edged Bishops closer with a long-range penalty, narrowing the gap to four points and setting up a tense second half.
Hilton responded well. From the restart, they worked their way back into the Bishops’ 22 and, after being held up over the line and then denied again from a scrum, they finally found reward. Flank Callan Kenmuir reacted quickest to a loose ball, which was ripped out by a Bishops’ defender. He gathered and grounded near the posts. Grubb, unusually, missed the easy conversion, but Hilton had breathing space at 19-10.
They weren’t done yet.
A missed kick to touch by Bishops opened the door, and Hilton burst through it from deep. Grubb sparked the counter, linking effectively with his backs before Gurupira produced a clever grubber and regather. After a sustained, multi-phase assault on the line, powerful number eight Zander Muller crashed over under the uprights. This time, Grubb made no mistake, pushing the lead out to 26-10.
Bishops, though, refused to fold. Clark atoned for a missed penalty with a sharp break from the drop-out, slicing through the defence before setting up an attacking platform. After a series of phases, and with an advantage in hand, they struck through Joe Lanning, who ran onto a well-timed inside ball from scrumhalf Jack Fleck. Clark converted to bring the visitors back within nine.
That, ultimately, was as close as they would come.
Five from five for Hilton, and, crucially, momentum maintained before their big clash with Michaelhouse on Gilfillan Field on Saturday. It should be a cracker.
Overall, almost every match was evenly contested, thus making Bishops’ long journey a worthwhile endeavour.
Hilton recorded 13 wins to six for Bishops, with two of the best matches being shared by the u15D and u14D teams; Hilton won both but only after tremendous battles – 34-33 and 38-33, respectively.
Scores
Hilton College 26 (14) – Tries: John Grubb, Tomupeishe Gurupira, Callan Kenmuir, Zander Muller Conversions: John Grubb (3)
Bishops 17 (7) – Tries: Eljaron Geduld, Joe Lanning. Conversions: Caleb Clark (2). Penalty: Caleb Clark.
Results
1st: Hilton 26-17 Bishops
2nd: Hilton 17-14 Bishops
3rd: Hilton 18-10 Bishops
4th: Hilton 12-15 Bishops
5th: Hilton 10-24 Bishops
6th: Hilton 19-12 Bishops
7th: Hilton 10-28 Bishops
8th: Hilton 19-32 Bishops
16A: Hilton 27-25 Bishops
16B: Hilton 25-10 Bishops
16C: Hilton 10-7 Bishops
16D: Hilton 34-33 Bishops
15A: Hilton 11-0 Bishops
15B: Hilton 5-33 Bishops
15C: Hilton 14-11 Bishops
15D: Hilton 38-33 Bishops
14A: Hilton 41-10 Bishops
14B: Hilton 31-7 Bishops
14C: Hilton 28-33 Bishops
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