202nd BishBosch derby to determine who gets bragging rights in the southern suburbs
The Rondebosch neighbours battle it out to decide who is the top dog in the southern suburbs when Diocesan College hosts Rondebosch Boys’ High for the return fixture of their bi-annual Premier Interschools BishBosch derby at 14:00 on Saturday.
Both have had exceptional seasons this year and with Diocesan College beating all three of their rivals in the area in the first round, before coming up short against Wynberg Boys High by 27-20 a couple of weeks ago, and Rondebosch Boys High also winning all of their southern suburb derbies apart from the 13-8 defeat to Bishops, whoever wins Saturday’s match will claim the bragging rights.
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This is a rivalry that has gone from strength to strength since the schools first met in 1908 when Bishops u16 beat Wynberg u16 112-0.
Since then the competition has become much more intense over the years and Saturday will be the 202nd time these two sides square off on a rugby field.
The first-teams first laid down the gauntlet in 1911, with Bishops winning 103 games since then and Rondebosch coming away as victors on 79 occasions, with 19 matches ending with nothing to separate them.
Bishops have had a season filled with spectacular highlights.
They beat all three of their peninsular rivals in the first round of derbies. Getting by SACS with a 31-25 victory in May before beating Wynberg Boys’ High 14-10 in their own backyard. Wynberg managed to get their revenge on the Piley Rees with a 27-20 victory a couple of weeks ago.
Their first match against Rondebosch was an absolute nailbiter, with Bishops emerging victorious away from home by 13-8 thanks to a massive defensive effort in the last 10 minutes.
They made a statement early in the season by beating Helpmekaar with a single point by 31-30 in a thriller at the St Stithians Festival in April.
Another big win for the Diocesan College boys came when they hosted Stellenberg and surprised everyone by outplaying their big rivals from the northern suburbs and winning by 22-7.
Their hard work throughout the season was rewarded with three Bishops players earning their SA u.18 caps against France and England.
Haashim Pead (scrumhalf), Aidan Norris (eighth man), and Gilermo Mentoe (fullback) represented their school in the national side this year.
All three of these players have shown that they have the ability to swing the momentum in a game this season, and will undoubtedly have a big role to play on Saturday.
Pead was the standout performer in South Africa’s 37-24 defeat to France.
Mentoe is an absolute playbreaker, as he has shown time and time again, including last weekend, when he 17 points for his team in their 27-25 victory away to SACS. He showed how composed he remains in high-pressure situations by stepping up to convert the winning penalty in the final moments of the game, despite not even being the first-choice goal kicker in the side.
Norris recently signed with the Western Province to continue his rugby next year after an exceptional season where he stood out at the Craven Week in George for his physicality in the WP team.
Shaywan Blanckenberg (flyhalf) has been Bishops’ go-to man for the kicking responsibilities, which he has executed expertly throughout the season for his school, as well as the Western Province XV at the Craven Week.
Lucca Mynhardt, their speedster winger, has been exceptional this year and will be one of the seniors in the team when he returns as a matric student in 2024, along with his bruiser-flanker, Alex Smith.
Rondebosch Boys’ High have also experienced a stellar season, with some big results earlier in the year against Boland Landbou (15-8) and Oakdale Landbou (24-15) and they will be itching to get their previous encounter against Bishops.
Their only loss against their southern suburb rivals this year has been the previous encounter when they hosted Bishops on the Tinkie Heyns field.
They will be looking for revenge on Saturday, selecting an experienced squad, with 327 first-team caps among the starting 15. Their two wingers, Ethan Gordon and Juma Amissi, have started each of the 17 games this season, winning 10, and losing only six, with a 19-all draw against Grey High early on.
Amissi is the most capped player in the squad, running out for the Rondebosch team for the 34th and final time on Saturday.
His outside centre, Nichollas Molyneux, has been alongside him in 30 of those fixtures and will earn his 31st cap this weekend, making him the second most experienced player in the team.
Their two flankers, Polite Phiri and Sunday Mailoni-Burns, have been central to their play this year and will have a big part to play in containing the likes of Pead and Norris around the ruck and slowing down the game.
Next year, the likes of Justin Amos (prop), Tom Barnard (lock), Dylan Miller (flyhalf) and David Simon (fullback) will form the foundation of the squad when they return in their matric year, but for many of the Rondebosch boys this will be their last chance for revenge, and getting it on the Piley Rees would heal all wounds from their home loss earlier in the season.
The teams are:
Diocesan College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High at 14:00:
Diocesan College: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Lucca Mynhardt, 13 Olo Sopotela, 12 Nic Allison, 11 Ayanda Bonoyi, 10 Shaywan Blankenberg, 9 Haashim Pead, 8 Aidan Norris, 7 Alex Smith, 6 Tapiwa Nkumanda, 5 CJ Gordon, 4 Zach Willemse, 3 Nashe Chahwahwa, 2 Merlin Fransman, 1 Richard Horton.
Rondebosch Boys’ High: 15 David Simon, 14 Juma Amissi, 13 Nichollas Molyneux, 12 Matthew Malherbe, 11 Ethan Gordon, 10 Dylan Miller, 9 Cameron Whitson, 8 Ryan du Rand, 7 Sunday Mailoni-Burns, 6 Polite Phiri, 5 Tom Barnard, 4 Carl Geddie, 3 Nicolas Swier, 2 Thomas van Wyk, 1 Justin Amos.
Other fixtures:
u19 B – 12:40
u16 A – 12:10
u15 A – 11:00
u14 A – 10:00
