Clean sweep for Grey College on their 168th anniversary weekend
Grey College exhibited its enduring class on the weekend of the school’s 168th anniversary by clinching both the u15 and u17 trophies at this year’s High Schools Sevens Series Champions Tournament, which reaffirmed their dominance on the schools’ sevens’ rugby scene.
Catch every moment of the action live on SuperSport Schools – Register now – Link to the tournament
Their journey to the silverware was by no means easy. After an early loss to Marais Viljoen on Saturday morning, the Grey boys had to regroup and dig deep to edge Noordheuwel 26-21 in a thrilling semi-final.
In the final, Boland Landbou appeared to have the hosts on the ropes but, as they so often do, the Grey boys rose to the occasion to claim the prestigious title by a 28-12 margin.
The Grey u15 team, like their senior counterparts, suffered an early setback, but persevered and came back strongly to claim the crown.
After Graeme College defeated them 19-17 in the group stages, the Grey College youngsters showed their tenacity on the way to a solid 29-12 victory over the same opponents in the final.
This dual triumph reflects the depth of talent and character within the Grey College rugby programme.
Noordheuwel were in fine form throughout the tournament and looked like the team to beat after the action on the first day.
The Krugersdorp lads dished up an exciting brand of sevens, with Lindsay Jansen, Jaundre Uithaler, Jenemo Luiters and Jade Muller all catching the eye.
They overran Boland Landbou by 40-7 to top their pool and had Grey College on the ropes at 21-12 with less than a minute to play in the semi-finals.
A spectacular fightback by the home team, rounded off by a brilliant try by the ubiquitous Liam Santos, denied the Nories a place in the final, with Grey snatching a come-from-behind 26-21 win.
Rennie Swarts drew first blood in the championship match for Boland Landbou, and although Grey managed to stay within striking range on the scoreboard, the visitors from Paarl had them pinned down inside their own half.
Swarts was on a rich scoring streak, having gone over for a hattrick in his team’s 37-5 triumph over Marais Viljoen in the semi-finals to secure a place in the title-decider for the men in black.
Jayden Brits continued piling on the pressure after the break, scoring early through a brilliant chip and chase to give Boland the lead again.
They kept Grey at bay for as long as they could, but Donnelle Hendricks, who first caught the eye as a primary school player in Lichtenburg, levelled the scores for the hosts with an exceptional return down the field.
With Grey’s tails up, Boland Landbou’s defensive abilities were tested to the maximum, with Phillip McLaren, AJ Meyer and Liam van Wyk leading the home team’s charge.
Taking control, they put a safe buffer between them and their challengers to capture the title in style in front of their elated home supporters.
Swarts, Brits and Ruan Viviers were excellent for Boland, along with their fearless flyhalf, Retagen van Rooi, but they couldn’t match the firepower of the Bloemfontein powerhouse. Nonetheless, although they came up short against the hosts, they will be proud of delivering their best performance of the weekend in the final.
Graeme College deserves a special mention for their performances in the u15 tournament, as do Noordheuwel and Boland Landbou in the senior competition.
The weekend’s event was the culmination of 11 tournaments played over six weekends, which brought together thousands of players across the country to battle for a place in the Champions of Champions event.
The stars aligned for Grey College to claim a double victory on their anniversary weekend in front of their adoring hometown supporters. It was a fitting manner to celebrate yet another memorable year of rugby dominance by the proud Bloemfontein institution.
Grey College u17: Liam Santos, Liam van Wyk, AJ Meyer, Xander Smit, Marcel Coetzee, Ruben Cilliers, Benji van den Berg, Phillip McLaren, Heko Montjane, Alzeadon Felix, Donnelle Hendricks, AJ Booysen.
All the results:
u17
Group stage
Pool A: Grey College 27, Brandwag 5; Marais Viljoen 22, Sarel Cilliers 10; Grey College 50, Sarel Cilliers 10; Marais Viljoen 17, Brandwag 0; Marais Viljoen 15, Grey College 10; Sarel Cilliers 24, Brandwag 17.
Pool B: Boland Landbou 38, Kempton Park 12; Noordheuwel 49, Bloemfontein Invitational 17; Boland Landbou 19, Bloemfontein Invitational 12; Noordheuwel 68, Kempton Park 7; Kempton Park 24, Bloemfontein Invitational 19; Noordheuwel 40, Boland Landbou 7.
Semi-finals
Bowl: Sarel Cilliers 24, Bloemfontein Invitational 19; Kempton Park 25, Brandwag 10.
Cup: Grey College 26, Noordheuwel 21; Boland Landbou 37, Marais Viljoen 5.
Finals
Shield: Bloemfontein Invitational 31, Brandwag 17.
Bowl: Kempton Park 27, Sarel Cilliers 21.
Plate: Noordheuwel 31, Marais Viljoen 24.
Cup: Grey College 28, Boland Landbou 12.
u15
Group stage
Pool A: Boland Landbou 38, Heidelberg Volkskool 10; Zwartkop 52, Pionier 5; Boland Landbou 45, Pionier 0; Heidelberg Volkskool 17, Zwartkop 5; Boland Landbou 12, Zwartkop 12; Heidelberg Volkskool 38, Pionier 7.
Pool B: Graeme College 19, Grey College 17; Helpmekaar College 19, Kempton Park 10; Grey College 32, Kempton Park 21; Graeme College 24, Kempton Park 12; Grey College 36, Helpmekaar College 7.
Semi-finals
Bowl: Zwartkop 21, Kempton Park 5; Helpmekaar College 43, Pionier 12.
Cup: Graeme College 20, Boland Landbou 17; Grey College 24, Heidelberg Volkskool 7.
Finals
Shield: Kempton Park 36, Pionier 14.
Bowl: Helpmekaar College 21, Zwartkop 19.
Plate: Boland Landbou 24, Heidelberg Volkskool 10.
Cup: Grey College 29, Graeme College 12.
