Collegiate outlasts Rhenish to clinch All Girls’ Festival title
A vibrant 2025 All Girls’ National Festival concluded on Wednesday after three thrilling days of hockey at Wynberg Girls’ High School, in Cape Town.
The event saw 18 top government hockey-playing schools from across the country come together to challenge for the title.
Collegiate Girls’ High, from Gqeberha, and Rhenish Girls’ High, from Stellenbosch, advanced to the final with both posting unbeaten records on their way to the title game.
Rhenish, who hadn’t conceded a single goal on their way to the final, finally had their defences breached as Collegiate scored twice to force a 2-2 draw.
It also took a goal from a penalty corner after time had expired for Rhenish to equalise. That sent the title decider to a penalty shootout and the Gqberha girls captured the honours 3-2 from there.
Collegiate coach Michael Abrahams declared afterwards: “It is a proud moment for us.”
Two weeks ago, before travelling to the Western Cape for the All Girls’ Festival, Collegiate visited Stellenbosch, where they held Rhenish to a 1-1 draw before overcoming Bloemhof 2-1. Both Stellenbosch schools had established themselves among the top teams in the country, so those results spoke volumes about Collegiate’s quality.
Abrahams reckoned his side had arrived in the Mother City ready to challenge for the title. “Coming to All Girls, we knew it was going to be challenging, but the girls prepared well,” he said.
After winning the final, Collegiate had completed an unbeaten run, winning all their games with none being drawn.
“They have worked hard and they have worked on certain aspects of our game, so we were well prepared coming into it,” Abrahams said. “I think we just took it game by game and made sure that our game keeps improving.
“We were fortunate enough to work hard and make sure that we could get to the point where we did,” he added.
“Going up against Rhenish in the final, they’re a well-oiled machine. They are number one in the country for a reason. They have got special players, and we made sure we did some homework and made sure that we were solid in our performances.
“We were sound defensively, and we had to make sure that we stayed in it. The longer we stay in it, the more opportunities we will create.
“We got our opportunity and we just had to make sure that we took our chances, which I think we did. Overall, I think there were good performances from both teams, and I think it was a good final for girls’ hockey. So, yeah, it’s a very proud moment, Our girls worked hard to get over the line.”
After the last match, Collegiate’s Kerrin Gillies was named the Player of the Tournament.
In other games, Daniela Viljoen scored the only goal of the match to see Hoёr Meisieskool Bloemhof claim third place ahead of Afrikaanse Hoёr Meisieskool Pretoria (Affies).
Affies, the champions in 2024, won four out of their seven matches and lost three, all to the two Stellenbosch powerhouses. Rhenish beat them twice, claiming a tight 1-0 win on the opening day before scoring a 2-0 victory in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, there was a Bloemfontein battle for fifth place and it was as close as ever, with Eunice edging out Oranje 1-0 after a shootout.
The hosts, Wynberg Girls’ High School, beaten in their first four games, bounced back to win their last two. They beat Danville 1-0 on Tuesday and completed their schedule with a 2-0 win over La Rochelle on Wednesday to secure a top-10 finish.
RESULTS
St Michael’s 0-1 Westville Girls (13-18)
Clarendon 0-0 Durban Girls’ High (13-18)
Pietermaritzburg GHS 0-1 Danville (9-12)
Queenstown 0-1 Pretoria HSG (13-18)
Oranje (0) 0-0 (1) Eunice (5th/6th)
La Rochelle 0-2 Wynberg Girls’ High (9-12)
Bloemhof 1-0 Affies (3rd/4th)
Rustenburg Girls HS (2) 0-0 (1) Paarl Girls’ High (7th/8th)
Collegiate (3) 2-2 (2) Rhenish (Final)
FINAL STANDINGS
1. Collegiate Girls’ High School
2. Rhenish Girls’ High School
3. Hoёr Meisieskool Bloemhof
4. Afrikaanse Hoёr Meisieskool Pretoria
5. Eunice High School
6. Oranje Meisieskool
7. Rustenburg Girls’ High School
8. Paarl Girls’ High School
9. Wynberg Girls’ High School
10. Pietermaritzburg Girls’ High School
11. Danville Park Girls’ High School
12. Hoёr Meisieskool La Rochelle
13. Pretoria High School for Girls
14. Queenstown Girls’ High School
15. Clarendon High School for Girls
16. Durban Girls’ High School
17. Westville Girls’ High School
18. St Michael’s School for Girls
