DHS vs Northwood in big KZN clash, surging Kearsney tackles Glenwood
Durban High School vs Northwood School
Last year’s two best teams in KwaZulu-Natal, highlight Saturday’s schedule in the province, with Durban High School (DHS) taking on Northwood on Van Heerden’s Field at 15:30, in Durban.
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It will be a down ‘n dirty scrap featuring two powerful and abrasive packs. They’re well-coached, structurally sound, and they hit hard.
Northwood has lost only once in 2025, a narrow 14-16 defeat against Westville Boys’ High, who, together with DHS, are the lone unbeaten KZN teams. But the three teams just mentioned have shown that rugby in the province is in a healthy state this season.
The Knights visited Johannesburg for the KES Easter Rugby Festival and overran Pearson 61-14 before having their match against KES called off because of lightning when leading 12-7 in the second half.
Coach Jacques Deen‘s team is relentless, which is what Pearson discovered, but so, too, is coach Peter Engledow‘s DHS side. Last season, they drew 7-7 at Northwood before DHS triumphed 18-11 in a tight tussle at home.
It’s likely to be an arm wrestle again. Both sides play a similarly abrasive game up front and both boast backs with the potential to tear up the opposition.
Perhaps the most interesting battle to watch will be in the midfield where DHS wrecking ball Zingce Simka, alongside Nathan Aneke, will face the fleet-footed Bongane Khumalo, who partners Tristan Parkinson.
Simka and Khumalo offer a fascinating contrast of styles. Simka, especially near the try line, is a hard-to-stop, try-scoring machine. Khumalo is a smaller player, but slippery as they come. His path over the whitewash is usually less direct, but he, too, is an excellent finisher.
DHS went unbeaten at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival for a second season in succession, scoring three emphatic wins over Hoërskool Rustenburg (41-7), Hoërskool Monument (32-17), and Hoërskool Durbanville 33-5.
Last year, they had a legitimate claim to fielding the best defensive outfit in the country, conceding only 133 points in 15 matches, which is less than nine a game. While not quite up to that standard yet this season, there are signs that it’s becoming an ever-greater challenge to breach their defences. The Knights, though, will put that to the test.
Expect more of a test match-style game than a typical schoolboy running game, but anything is possible when two quality outfits butt heads.
Kearsney College vs Glenwood High School
Stott Field hosts Kearsney College against Glenwood. That clash has the look of a sneaky-good matchup.
Playing on the same field at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, Glenwood drew 26-26 with Monument, edged out Milnerton 37-34 in a thriller, and handed Dale College a 33-12 loss.
Kearsney opened with a 24-29 setback against Dr EG Jansen, coming alive in the second half of that match after starting slowly, to outscore the Boksburg boys 24-12 in the second stanza. They, then, beat Dale 34-13 before ending the festival with a 48-8 romp against Peterhouse.
First things first, Glenwood is a far better, more cohesive unit than last year’s 1st XV. They played some excellent rugby at Kearsney, especially in the first half of their match against Milnerton, which they led 29-0, thanks to their clinical ball movement and finishing. The concern for the Green Machine will be the fact that they allowed Millies back into the contest, which was tied 34-34 before Joshua Kopp landed a late penalty to win it.
Led by Tylo Madaat, Glenwood’s lineout looks like a strength of the side, and another big unit, captain Lizwe Mtetwa, brings solidity and power to their midfield.
Between the backline and the forwards, scrumhalf Lian Lochner is a livewire and a try-scoring threat. He performed impressively at the Easter Festival.
Kearsney, after a deflating showing in a big defeat against Hilton College, has won four out of five since (and they will surely feel they should have beaten EG Jansen), and those wins include victories over Pretoria Boys High and Hudson Park.
Under the guidance of coach Grant Bashford, they appear to be going from strength to strength, and they played an enterprising 15-man game at the Easter Festival, with both the back and forwards making big contributions to the points’ scoring.
Looking at their standouts, an obvious one would be their eighthman, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, who was named to the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival. He led the way for an energetic and industrious pack.
At the back, Doan Nel, at centre, caught the eye with his excellent all-round game – physical and hard-hitting on defence, while also consistently denting opposing defences and setting up his support players for scores on the attack.
Last year, Kearsney won on Dixon’s Field for the first time since 2013, scraping a 25-22 victory over Glenwood.
TEAMS
Durban High School vs Northwood School, Van Heerden’s Field, at 15:30
Durban High School: 15 Cilermo Carolus, 14 Richard Gyamfi,13 Nathan Aneke,12 Zingce Simka, 11 Zenkosi Mthiyane, 10 Jordan van Wyk, 9 Jaydon Roberts 8 Bradley La Grange, 7 Zion Smith, 6 Daniel Ikotela, 5 Ambesiwe Sipango, 4 Vimbiso Kasvosve, 3 Bobby Udo-Idung, 2 Okuhle Bmanjwa, 1 Likho Khonza.
Northwood School: 15 Trevor van Volenstee, 14 Abenati Ntsele, 13 Bongane Khumalo, 12 Tristan Parkinson, 11 Aphiwe Buthelezi, 10 Savio Stevens, 9 Jed Mun-Gavin, 8 Jamie Wimble, 7 Lusanda Mabizela, 6 Mpendulo Hleleni, 5 Chad Howe, 4 Lian Terblanche, 3 Rowana Tanaya Mumberai, 2 Ayavuyu Makula, 1 Sphephelo Ntshangase.
Kearsney College vs Glenwood High School, Stott Field, at 15:00
Kearsney College: 15 Lwazi Mbebe, 14 Valentino Lenge, 13 Doan Nel, 12 Keanu Williamson, 11 Lwandle Mkhize, 10 Jayden Jonsson, 9 Fynn Verbaan, 8 Nhlenhla Ndlovu, 7 Ndabenhle Mkhize 6 Simanye Mlakalaka, 5 Joseph Roylance, 4 Mark van der Merwe, 3 Azania Thela, 2 Micah van Wyk, 1 Luke Fauré
Glenwood High School: TBA
