Westville fends off DHS in High School Sevens Series opener
The High School Sevens Series, proudly sponsored by Toyota, kicked off at Glenwood High School on Saturday, with 16 u17 teams and 12 u15 teams in action on a clear, warm Durban day, with a cooling breeze – ideal conditions for the demands of sevens.
It was the first of 12 events, which will take place around the country, before the Champions Tournament brings together the best of the best at Grey College in Bloemfontein on 21 and 22 September.
Heading into the tournament, Westville Boys’ High had staked their claim to being the best in KwaZulu-Natal in 2024, winning the Clifton Sevens and, last weekend, the Saints Sevens at St Charles College. The challenge that awaited the Griffin on Saturday was a whole lot tougher, however, because a number of schools – Glenwood, Maritzburg College, Northwood and Durban High School (DHS) – hadn’t yet made an appearance this season. All four made their presence felt.
In 2023, Westville won the Saints Sevens but were beaten 21-19 by DHS in the final of the Glenwood Sevens the following weekend. Again, this year, Westville won the Saints Sevens and, once more, they faced DHS in the final of the Glenwood Sevens.
This time, though, Westville fought their way into a 12-0 lead at halftime. After the break, DHS upped the intensity and were soon rewarded with a try. The Griffin, however, held on for a narrow 12-7 victory to make it a third Sevens tournament win on the trot.
In two weeks’ time, DHS hosts another round of the High School Sevens Series, presented by Toyota, and it will be even bigger, taking place over two days, on 23 and 24 August. There’s time for Saturday’s newcomers to further sharpen their skills ahead of the event.
Speaking of newcomers, Vryheid Landbou made their presence known, demonstrating strong character after being blown out 76-7 in their opening game against DHS. Undeterred, they pushed St Charles hard, going down 12-26 – and Saints lost only 5-12 against DHS – and then gave Michaelhouse 2 a hard time, with the Balgowan Boys eventually claiming a 31-22 victory.
Then, in the Shield semi-finals, Vryheid Landbou beat Pinetown Boys’ High 21-7. That gave them a shot at the Shield title, and they grabbed it with both hands, downing Kearsney 2 19-10.
The hosts, Glenwood, impressed in their first outing of the season, smashing their opposition in Pool A, scoring 154 points in three matches without conceding a single point. Then, they gave Westville all they could handle in the Cup semi-finals, going down 7-12. It showed, despite a tough season in the 15-man game, there is some exciting talent coming through the Green Machine‘s ranks for next season.
Michaelhouse, one of the better teams in the first two tournaments, reached the final four, but they were stopped by DHS. Northwood, in their first appearance of the season, were clearly one of the better outfits, and Maritzburg College, too. established themselves as an upper tier side.
Glenwood’s depth was on show in the u15 competition. They won their pool, edging out Hilton College 15-14 in the key clash, and then won their way through to the final. Northwood, though, were consistently strong and they claimed the Cup with a tough 19-12 victory.
U17 RESULTS
Pool A
Glenwood 43-0 Clifton
Kearsney 43-0 Hilton 2
Glenwood 68-0 Hilton 2
Kearsney 43-5 Clifton
Glenwood 43-0 Kearsney
Clifton 34-0 Hilton College 2
Pool B
Northwood 37-0 Hilton
Westville 55-0 Kearsney 2
Northwood 47-0 Kearsney 2
Westville 50-7 Hilton
Hilton 47-0 Kearsney 2
Northwood 12-21 Westville
Pool C
DHS 76-7 Vryheid Landbou
St Charles 40-14 Michaelhouse 2
DHS 53-0 Michaelhouse 2
St Charles 26-12 Vryheid Landbou
Vryheid Landbou 22-31 Michaelhouse 2
DHS 12-5 St Charles
Pool D
Maritzburg College 47-0 Pinetown Boys’ High
Michaelhouse 28-7 Northwood 2
Maritzburg College 29-5 Northwood 2
Michaelhouse 43-0 Pinetown Boys’ High
Pinetown Boys’ High 5-31 Northwood 2
Maritzburg College 5-7 Michaelhouse
Shield Semi-finals
Hilton College 2 7-32 Kearsney College 2
Vryheid Landbou 21-7 Pinetown Boys’ High
Bowl Semi-finals
Clifton 14-26 Hilton
Michaelhouse 2 24-6 Northwood 2
Plate Semi-finals
Kearsney 17-14 Northwood
St Charles 14-17 Maritzburg College
Cup Semi-finals
Glenwood 7-12 Westville
DHS 17-0 Michaelhouse
Shield Final
Kearsney 2 10-19 Vryheid Landbou
Bowl Final
Hilton 12-15 Michaelhouse 2
Plate Final
Kearsney 12-19 Maritzburg College
Cup Final
Westville 12-7
U15 RESULTS
Pool A
Westville 38-0 Esikhawini
Maritzburg College 24-7 Esikhawini
Maritzburg College 12-12 Westville
Pool B
Hilton 35-0 Clifton
Glenwood 56-0 Clifton
Glenwood 15-14 Hilton
Pool C
Kearsney 24-0 Hilton 2
Northwood 48-7 Hilton 2
Northwood 26-5 Kearsney
Pool D
Michaelhouse 10-19 St Charles
DHS 41-0 St Charles
DHS 24-26 Michaelhouse
Cup Quarterfinals
Westville 5 -7 Hilton
Glenwood 14-7 Maritzburg College
Northwood 29-0 Michaelhouse
DHS 18-14 Kearsney
Bowl Semi-finals
Esikhawini 26-5 Clifton
Hilton 2 20-26 St Charles
Plate Semi-finals
Westville 26-28 Maritzburg College
Michaelhouse 5-24 Kearsney
Cup Semi-finals
Hilton 10-19 Glenwood
Northwood 17-5 DHS
Shield Final
Clifton 0-44 Hilton 2
Bowl Final
Esikhawini 5-42 St Charles
Plate Final
Maritzburg College 14-24 Kearsney
Cup Final
Glenwood 12-19 Northwood
