An exciting eclectic mix at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival
Just one week remains until the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) lights up Stott Field and Roberts Field in Botha’s Hill.
The 2025 edition of the event features 12 high school 1st XVs, 12 primary school teams, and, for the first time, four high school girls’ u16 sides.
Since the lineup was revealed on 18 February, we’ve had an opportunity to see most of the 1st XVs in action. Of the four KwaZulu-Natal representatives, three – Durban High School (DHS), Westville Boys’ High, and Glenwood – are unbeaten, albeit that the season is in its infancy and some serious challenges await them this coming weekend, Kearsney College has won three of their four matches.
DHS, the best team in KZN in 2024, is staking a strong claim to be number one again. They’re a well-coached and well-drilled side, very physical and relentless, and they’ve won five matches already.
Most recently, they were in action at the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival, where they impressed in emphatic wins over Kingswood College (41-20) and Selborne College (35-5). They’ve also beaten Michaelhouse (28-20), Maritzburg College (29-10), and Bethlehem Voortrekker (63-8).
Yet, it feels like there is still more to come from School. No doubt, that’s how coaches Peter Engeldow and Ronnie Uys see it. With an Absa Wildeklawer schedule that features games against Stellenberg and Paarl Gimnasium, with Gim having already staked a strong claim to being number one in South Africa, DHS will want to find their best form as soon as possible.
They open their challenge against Hoërskool Rustenburg, a school they crushed 45-0 at KERF in 2024, which was one of those games that alerted people to the fact that DHS might have a special team. They went on to prove that case, winning 13 and losing only two by a combined seven points.
Rusties look like a tougher out this year. They were well beaten by Hoërskool Noordheuwel (14-40) earlier this season, but Nories showed they’re a serious side when they pushed Grey College (22-24) and Paul Roos (19-26) to the brink at the NMI Toyota North/South Tournament.
Rustenburg has won three matches besides that, edging out Hoërskool Trio 17-14 in their season-opener on 1 March, followed by a narrow 27-25 win over Hoërskool Witteberg, and a convincing 60-24 victory over Hoërskool Diamantveld at the North/South, where they also shared a 15-15 draw with Nico Malan.
It’s a credit to DHS that they’ve been handed three tough fixtures. They also face Hoërskool Monument on Saturday, 19 April, and Hoërskool Durbanville on Monday, 21 April. Those teams met at the North/South, with Durbies scoring a hard-fought 27-21 win over Monnas.
Durbanville, first-timers at the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, also faced another of the KERF teams, Dr EG Jansen, in Stellenbosch and won that one 34-16. They boast a beefy pack and some gas in the backline. They’ll be tough.
They face an interesting challenge in their opener against Dale College, who are renowned for their running rugby. Durbies will also have an early morning call on Saturday, opening the day’s menu with an outing against Rustenburg.
The hosts, Kearsney, face Dr EG Jansen in their opener at 13:00 on Thursday. Last year, after trailing 5-11 when they met the One-Stripe at KERF, EG Jansen shifted gears and ran away to a 36-11 victory.
They’re not the powerhouse that they were in 2024, but they’re still a decent outfit. Both teams have suffered one big loss each this season – Kearsney to Hilton College, and Jansies to Boland Landbou – but they’ve also shown enough to suggest that their meeting could be an entertaining head-to-head.
Kearsney also faces Dale College and Zimbabwe’s Peterhouse. Both matches should see the ball doing plenty of work, being put through the hands, as Dale and Peterhouse favour a running game.
Kearsney, too, has shown a real appetite for that approach early in the season, and it brought them wins over Pretoria Boys High (28-26) and Hudson Park (41-31) at the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival.
Glenwood will be a team to keep an eye on. Yes, 2024 was not a big success, but they head into the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival with an experienced team and one year on that could lead to a reversal of their fortunes. They’ve played only two matches thus far in 2025, comfortably beating St Charles 38-0 before sneaking a 7-5 win over HTS Middelburg.
They’ll confront Monument in their opener, which should reveal a lot about both sides. Then, they take on Milnerton, another newcomer from the Western Cape, who edged out Durbanville 20-15 at the Western Province Rugby Schools Day in mid-March. They close with a game against Dale College on Monday.
One of the KERF regulars, Hoërskool Framesby, has been handed a daunting opener against Westville Boys’ High, who have looked very good early on this season. They’re coached by Zander Erasmus, who has moved up to the 1st XV after coaching many of the players he now leads at u16 level.
They play an enterprising game. They’re strong up front but mobile, and they possess some very dangerous backline players, led by fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya, who is dynamite on the counterattack.
Framesby will also be challenged by Peterhouse’s running game before facing a more traditional challenge from Dr EG Jansen. Westville, who upset Monument 25-22 in their last game of last year’s festival, take on EG Jansen on Saturday and finish with Rustenburg, on Monday.
Westville has played three and won three thus far, including a 24-15 win at Hilton College, a 45-12 shellacking of Selborne, and a 28-13 defeat of Dale.
Milnerton, one of 2024’s most exciting teams anywhere in the country, tackles Peterhouse in the festival’s opening game and it should be pleasing to the eye. After their Glenwood game on Saturday, they meet Monnas on Monday. They’ve been handed three very different challenges, but their rugby should be all the better for it.
Each day, on Stott Field, a prime-time spot, at 12:00, has been reserved for girls’ u16 matches. In a late change to the field of four teams, Grosvenor Girls’ High has replaced Richards Bay High School.
Thursday’s Stott Field spotlight will fall on Mowat Park High and Adams College. On Saturday, it will be the turn of Adams College and George Campbell to play the prime-time game, and, on Monday, Adams College and Grosvenor will meet.
The event also features 12 primary school teams, who will be in action on Roberts Field. Apart from the KZN primary schools, it will include two development sides and, also, the Harare Lions, from Zimbabwe.
BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL FIXTURES
Thursday, 17 April
08:00 – Milnerton High School vs Peterhouse
09:20 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Dale College
10:40 – Durban High School vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
13:00 – Kearsney College vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
14:20 – Hoërskool Monument vs Glenwood High School
15:40 – Westville Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Framesby
Saturday, 19 April
08:00 – Hoërskool Durbanville vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
09:20 – Hoërskool Framesby vs Peterhouse
10:40 – Milnerton High School vs Glenwood High School
13:00 – Westville Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
14:20 – Kearsney College vs Dale College
15:40 – Hoërskool Monument vs Durban High School
Monday, 21 April
08:00 – Hoërskool Monument vs Milnerton High School
09:20 – Glenwood High School vs Dale College
10:40 – Hoërskool Framesby vs Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen
12:50 – Closing Ceremony
13:00 – Durban High School vs Hoërskool Durbanville
14:20 – Westville Boys’ High vs Hoërskool Rustenburg
15:40 – Kearsney College vs Peterhouse
GIRLS’ U16 FIXTURES
Thursday, 17 April
12:00 – Mowat Park High vs Adams College
12:00 – George Campbell vs Grosvenor Girls’ High School
Saturday, 19 April
12:00 – Adams College vs George Campbell
12:00 – Mowat Park High vs Grosvenor Girls’ High School
Monday, 21 April
11:00 – Mowat Park High vs George Campbell
12:00 – Adams College vs Grosvenor Girls’ High School
PRIMARY SCHOOL FIXTURES
Thursday, 17 April
08:00 – Highbury Prep vs Kloof Senior Primary
09:00 – Penzance Primary vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
10:00 – Winston Park Primary vs Westville Senior Primary
11:00 – Hillcrest Primary vs Chelsea Prep
13:00 – Umhlali Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team
14:00 – Glenwood Prep vs Harare Lions
Saturday, 19 April
08:00 – Kloof Senior Primary vs Winston Park Primary
09:00 – Chelsea Prep vs Harare Lions
10:00 – Westville Senior Primary vs Hillcrest Primary
11:00 – Glenwood Prep vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
13:00 – Highbury Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team
14:00 – Penzance Primary vs Umhlali Prep
Monday, 21 April
08:00 – Hillcrest Primary vs Winston Park Primary
09:00 – Kloof Senior Primary vs uThukela Team (Bergville)
10:00 – Glenwood Prep vs Westville Senior Prep
12:00 – Highburg Prep vs Umhlali Prep
13:00 – Penzance Primary vs Harare Lions
14:00 – Chelsea Prep vs KZN Ibutho Development Team
- Clifton wins two KZN Top 10 titles, overall honours to Kearsney - 2025-10-28
- Hockly hauls Hilton to win against DHS - 2025-10-26
- White bats Northwood to win, Kearsney victorous at Glenwood - 2025-10-26
