Bishops ready for their 175th anniversary season with a new TIC of Rugby

In 2024, Bishops Diocesan College embarks on an eagerly anticipated journey, with the spotlight shining brightly on the esteemed institution’s rugby programme. The anticipation for their special 175th anniversary season is palpable as they gear up for a year brimming with significant milestones and formidable challenges.

After an impressive 17-year tenure at Bishops as a maths teacher, Ronald Jacobs assumes the mantle of Teacher in Charge of Rugby, ushering in a new era for the school. He has served as the House Director of Ogilvie House since 2017, and he brings a wealth of experience and a deep-rooted passion for the sport as he steers Bishops towards further excellence in its rugby endeavours.

A rugby man, through and through, Jacobs’s journey in coaching spans over three decades, beginning after a stint when he represented Western Province as a player in the early nineties. Notably, he graced the field in a historic encounter against a SARU XV, led by Allister Coetzee, on 14 September 1991, marking the end of an era where national-representative teams were segregated by race and ideology.

Throughout his tenure, Jacobs has played an active role in Bishops’ rugby, guiding the u16 B team before assuming leadership of the 2nd XV for six years.

Now, as the Teacher in Charge of Rugby at the proud school, he says he is feeling positive about the direction they are moving in.

“Two years ago, we organised a rugby committee, with the goal of getting the level of rugby at Bishops to where we want it to be. This is the second year of the three-year programme that was put into place, and I can tell you there have been some major shifts. Not necessarily only in the results, but there has been a tangible change to the spirit surrounding rugby at the school”.

With great hopes for the coming season, the Bishops’ 1st XV will rely on the experience of some of the side’s more seasoned players.

James Le Feuvre and Alex Smith return from last year’s squad and will share the captaincy responsibilities in 2024. They’re further bolstered by the likes of Kashief Joseph, Lucca Mynhardt and Alex Newton, who also donned the trademark numberless first-team jerseys last season.

This year holds special significance for Diocesan College as it commemorates its 175th anniversary and, as part of the celebrations, the school will host a grand rugby festival from 20 to 23 March.

“It’s going to be a big one,” said Jacobs, “We have the likes of Michaelhouse, St Andrew’s College, Kingswood, Grey High and Hilton, joining along with our local rivals. We expect more than 1400 rugby players strutting their stuff over those four days.”

Guiding the squad through this landmark season is head coach Wes Chetty, who brings a wealth of experience to the post, having played over 100 games for the Ikey Tigers. Chetty inherited the role at Bishops from Dave Mallet in 2018, when, former Leinster and Connacht prop, Stephen Knoop served as Bishops’ scrum guru.

Assisting him are coaches Sam Mofokeng and Tank Lanning, alongside specialists Mika Schubert and Uzair Saban.

Apart from the experienced core group of players, there are also exciting prospects with a rich rugby pedigree available for the first team this year.

Former Stormers hooker, Jan van den Heever‘s son, Daniel van den Heever will be vying for his place in the squad alongside Arran Muir, whose uncle is the legendary World Cup-winning Springbok fullback, André Joubert.

The eagerly anticipated clashes against Bishops’ arch-rivals Rondebosch Boys’ High promise to be among the highlights of the season, building on an intense rivalry between the two institutions.

In 2023, Bishops clinched a memorable victory in their first encounter, thanks to a moment of magic by their SA Schools A team fullback Gilermo Mentoe, which secured a 13-8 victory.

As expected, though, their rivals were set on revenge in the return fixture on the Piley Rees and they broke the home team’s hearts with a converted try in the final seconds of the match to score a nail-biting 36-35 victory.

This year, more than ever, Bishops will be eager to do the double over their peninsular opponents to celebrate a milestone year. They end their season at Rondebosch, but August still feels like a long way away, especially since they start the season with a rush of six games in less than three weeks.

The provisional fixtures for 2024

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Willem Louw

Willem Louw is a South African sports enthusiast pursuing a Master’s in Philosophy at UNISA. With a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics, and an Honours in Philosophy, he brings a unique perspective to his role as a school sports journalist and team leader at SuperSport Schools Plus. Willem is committed to nurturing young talent and promoting the growth of school sports in South Africa.

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