Independent Schools Rugby Festival offers a glimpse of the future
St Charles College, celebrating its 150th anniversary, plays host to the 2025 Independent Schools Rugby Festival. The event, for Stayers’ teams, kicks off on Saturday.
Adding interest to occasion is the presence of Brisbane Boys’ College, which will field a 1st XV and 2nd XV. The 1st XV opens its challenge with an outing against Hilton College at 14:00.
It should be a revealing clash for both units. The Hilton 1st XV enjoyed a strong season in 2025, but their run-on side included many grade 12 boys. It will be interesting to see where a player like Guy Fender, for example, plays. In 2024, he was the u16A flyhalf, but this season played mostly on the right wing for the 1st XV.
Brisbane Boys’ College played a warm-up game on a muddy field in Brackenfell on 23 June against a Kallos Cowboys XV and came away with a 36-5 win, but it’s hard to read much into a match against a composite side.
A better indication of their potential came on 25 June when both the 1st XV and 2nd XV turned out against Hoërskool DF Malan, with the 2nd XV winning 33-5 and the 1st XV winning a hard-fought arm wrestle 12-5.
They have shown they are up for the challenge and spectators will be keen to see how the Australians measure up to independents schools’ sides.
In recent years, the Independent Schools Rugby Festival has been dominated by KZN teams, and those sides this year include, besides Hilton, Clifton College, and St Charles. Unfortunately, Kearsney College was a late withdrawal, which has led to the organisers dividing Saints into St Charles College Blue and St Charles College Gold. That’s a pity because St Charles returns the majority of its 1st XV and it would have been exciting to see them in action.
They play a crowd-pleasing offloading game with more than a touch of flair, and they also return all of their front row players, starters and reserves, which likely means they’ll be playing with good quality ball in 2026. Unfortunately, that’s when we’ll get a proper look at the side and not from Saturday.
The Gauteng contingent includes St David’s Marist Inanda, CBC Boksburg, St John’s College, Cornwall Hill College, St Stithians College, St Benedict’s College, and St Alban’s College.
Out of those teams, St Stithians, arguably, turned in the best season in 2025. Of course, the Stayers XVs could look very different, so the ISRF is a fantastic opportunity to catch a glimpse of the future.
Completing the lineup are St Andrew’s College, from Makhanda, Somerset College, from Somerset West, and St Andrew’s School, from Bloemfontein.
On Saturday, the clashes between St Stithians and St Andrew’s College, and Hilton and Brisbane Boys’ 1st XV look like the games to watch, but that could be way off the mark given that the teams are next year’s sides playing this year. The day should reveal more about what to expect when the Monday’s and Wednesday’s matches are played.
Saturday, 28 June
Colts Field
11:30 – St David’s Marist Inanda vs CBC Boksburg
12:45 – Clifton College vs Cornwall Hill
14:00 – St Andrew’s School vs St Benedict’s
15:15 – Brisbane Boys’ College 2nd XV vs St Alban’s
Old Orchards Field
11:30 – St Charles Blue vs St John’s
12:45 – St Stithians vs St Andrew’s College
14:00 – Hilton vs Brisbane Boys’ College 1st XV
15:15 – St Charles Gold vs Somerset College
Monday, 30 June
Colts Field
10:00 – St Benedict’s vs Somerset College
11:15 – St Alban’s vs St Charles Blue
12:30 – St Andrew’s College vs Cornwall Hill
13:45 – St John’s vs Hilton
Old Orchards Field
10:00 – St David’s vs St Andrew’s School
11:15 – St Stithians vs Brisbane Boys’ College 2nd XV
12:30 – Clifton College vs CBC Boksburg
13:45 – St Charles Gold vs Brisbane Boys’ College 1st XV
Wednesday, 2 July
Colts Field
08:00 – St John’s vs St Alban’s
09:10 – St Andrew’s School vs CBC Boksburg
10:20 – Hilton vs St Stithians
Old Orchards Field
08:00 – St David’s vs St Andrew’s College
09:10 – Somerset College vs Cornwall Hill
10:20 – Clifton College vs St Benedict’s
