Well-balanced KZN u19A should be in the mix for the IPT title
In late 2023, the Western Province u19A team was favoured to win the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament in Gqeberha. They did, but only after a shootout against an outstanding Central Gauteng team. KZN finished third.
At the beginning of 2024, with Western Province schools sharing the big titles around – Rondebosch Boys’ High (Standard Bank King Edward VII Water Polo Tournament), SACS (SAC Shield), and Bishops (SACS Nite Series) – and Clifton College winning the Vides’ title, it appeared that Province was the team to beat at the Currie Cup at the end of March.
Their team was filled with big-name players and they were expected to cruise to another title. But that didn’t happen. Both KZN and Central Gauteng beat Western Province, with Gauteng going on to beat KZN, who had defeated them earlier in the event, in the final.
The point of this is to say that it is likely to, again, be a tight battle between those three teams for the title in Buffalo City, where the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament will be played from 7-11 December. There is, also, an unknown in the mix, and that is the Aussie Crocs side, which will be making the journey from Down Under.
The KZN side won all six of their group matches at the Currie Cup and recent results from the province’s leading schools will have coach Rob Ambler‘s charges feeling they have it in them to challenge for the title. Last year, Ambler guided KZN u16 to the gold medal in Gqeberha.
This year, there’s a wider spread of schools among the players selected for KZN than in 2023, when only Clifton College, Hilton College, and Westville Boys’ High players made up the u19A side. Now, seven schools are represented, and that is evidence of the rise of the standard of water polo in the province.
That rise was recently underlined by Kearsney College claiming the St Stithians Invitational Water Polo Tournament title against a stacked field with an experienced team that, nonetheless remains a young one, too. In fact, there are only two Kearsney players in the KZN u19A lineup: James Pohl and 2025 Head Boy, Luca Sandri.
Clifton usually supplies a good number of players, but this year there are two only, Ross Strauss and Ethan Lyne. Goalkeeper Strauss represented the SA team at the World Aquatics Men’s u18 Water Polo Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He’s a wall at the back and was named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the Clifton Water Polo Tournament. It was not a home-town call. He was exceptional. Lyne is, meanwhile, an outstandingly versatile performer, able to perform effectively anywhere in the pool.
Oliver Ditz, Clifton’s captain, who also represented the SA u18 team, was not up for selection.
Northwood is on the rise and that is shown in the selections of Matthew Lortan and Lian Terblanche. Lortan, who was included in the SA u18 team, is quick with exceptionally fast hands and he was a top performer for SA at the World Championships. Terblanche, meanwhile, lends a physical presence to the lineup.
Kirk Wilson, the Durban High School (DHS) Head Boy for 2025, is another powerful player who will provide a strong presence in central defence.
Westville has three players in the lineup, including Brogan Jones, Max Scully, and Rhees Hall, with the latter two returning to the u19A team for a second year in succession. Hall, another big man, also starred for SA at the World Champs.
The Hilton contingent includes three players – Tristan Uys, Thomas Taylor, and Mitchel Garreau – but not Meyer Malherbe, their powerhouse captain, who made the KZN u19A team last year. Will his absence and that of Oliver Ditz hurt the KZN side’s chances of success?
Glenwood provides one player to the side, Aka Ngcobo.
Interestingly, nine of the players – Garreau, Taylor, Uys, Wilson, Sandri, Pohl, James, Lortan, and Terblanche – were part of the winning u16 team that Rob Ambler coached last year, so the side should have no problems with their chemistry.
KZN U19 TEAMS
u19A
Ross Strauss (Clifton), Kirk Wilson (DHS), Lian Terblanche (Northwood), Ethan Lyne (Clifton), Rhees Hall (Westville), Matthew Lortan (Northwood), Brogan Jones (Westville), Max Scully (Westville), Tristan Uys (Hilton), Thomas Taylor (Hilton), James Pohl (Kearsney), Mitchel Garreau (Hilton), Aka Ngcobo (Glenwood), Luca Sandri (Kearsney).
Non-travelling reserves: Drew Hollingsworth (Westville), Ruan Basson (DHS), Robert Smith (Kearsney), Adrian Truter (DHS), Trent Chubb (Hilton).
Coach: Rob Ambler (Glenwood)
Assistant coach: Jarred Appelgryn (Westville)
Manager: Kaylin Short (Reddam)
u19B
Trent Chubb (Hilton), Usanda Mkhwanazi (Glenwood), Ruan Basson (DHS), Kyran de Kock (Glenwood), Troy Rees-Jones (Westville), Keegan Elliot (Michaelhouse), Drew Hollingsworth (Westville), Robert Smith (Kearsney), Adrian Truter (DHS), Matthew Botha (Glenwood), Nick Naude (Northwood), Buyani Dlamini (Glenwood).
Non-travelling reserves: Ryan Spooner (DHS), Nicholas Smithers (Michaelhouse), Zaid Asmal (Glenwood), Daniel Beaumont (Glenwood), Jack Bowen (DHS).
Coach: Darren Stone (Glenwood)
Assistant coach: Sinqobile Simamane (DHS)
Manager: Amy Visagie (Northlands)
