Clifton Water Polo Tournament title race is wide open
The countdown is on to the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, one of the country’s premier boys’ water polo events.
It takes place over five days at the picturesque Clifton Aquatic Centre from Wednesday, 24 September, to Sunday, 28 September, with 16 leading teams in action.
The lineup is unchanged from last year’s tournament, which ended with SACS edging out St John’s College 8-7 to defend the title they also won in 2023. St John’s had won it in 2022.
Half the field, eight teams, are from KZN, and they will desperately want to ensure that the trophy doesn’t go to a side from outside of the province again. They’ll also be confident they have the firepower to do that. The strength of water polo in KZN is, undoubtedly, on the up.
Up against an elite field, Hilton College demonstrated their pedigree when they lost out to Bishops in the final of the King Edward VII (KES) Water Polo Tournament in March after a penalty shootout. They’re a team that when it hits its stride is difficult to contain and they’ll be in the hunt for the honours.
Kearsney College, the KZN Top 10 champions, meanwhile, won the St Stithians Invitational Water Polo Tournament in late October 2024, beating Bishops in that final, and their team has changed little since then. They’re still young, but battle-hardened, hard-working, and very talented.
While Clifton College were not their usual dominant selves at the start of the year, there are reasons for optimism. Firstly, they are almost always in the hunt for the title at their tournament. Last year, they were the best of the KZN teams, finishing third.
Secondly, coach Pierre le Roux returned from New Zealand to join the team late in 2024, which meant he didn’t have the same preparation with his players that other coaches had. But no one doubts Le Roux’s coaching chops. He’s one of the best. They’ll be well prepared.
And thirdly, Clifton boasts some of the most exciting talent in the country in their junior ranks. What remains to be seen is if Le Roux will promote some of those players to the first team for the Clifton Water Polo Tournament.
Durban High School, led by SA Schools’ defender Kirk Wilson, is a dark horse. They’ve made great strides in 2024. The same could be said about Northwood, Michaelhouse, and Maritzburg College, while Westville Boys’ High, like DHS, is a dark horse.
St John’s, beaten in the final of the St Andrew’s College Shield earlier in the year, will be focused on taking one extra step at Clifton. They’re a perennial powerhouse.
King Edward VII (KES), with wins over Westville and Paul Roos at their tournament, and a narrow one-goal loss to Kearsney, showed they’re a top tier team, and they, too, could make some noise.
The other team from Gauteng is Affies. A hard-fought loss by a single goal to Hilton College in the playoff for seventh last year is indicative of their quality.
Paul Roos remains a threat. Fourth last year, they were somewhat inconsistent early in the 2025 season, but they, nonetheless, finished above SACS, in fourth place, in the SACS Nite Series.
Reddam House Constantia also represents the Western Cape. One of their highlights of the year was an astonishing 15-7 win over SACS in the SACS Nite Series, and that serves as warning to their opposition. If Reddam gets on a roll, as they did early on in that win over the defending champs of the Clifton Water Polo Tournament, they could be a problem.
Selborne College carries the hopes of the Eastern Cape. They placed ninth in 2024’s tournament, never quite playing up to their potential, but they finished strongly with a comfortable 9-6 win over Northwood. They’re more of an unknown, compared to many of the other teams, but Selborne produced SA Schools’ players Liam Hansen and Thomas Caswell at the end of 2024, which underlines their quality.
Grey College completes the field. They have the most difficult task of all because they face no school opposition in the Free State. To play, they, mostly, have to travel. They’re well coached and, typical of Grey, play with an unwavering spirit, but it would be a surprise if they challenged for the title.
Clifton will, as always, be welcoming hosts, and that includes hosting a Parents/Supporters function on Friday, 26 September, at 18:00, which will offer up an exciting opportunity to build the South African water polo community. Details and tickets are available from Quicket.
This is South Africa and that means that pride for the Springboks runs deep. Towards the business end of the tournament, on Saturday, 27 September, the Boks tackle Argentina at 15:00, and Clifton has taken care of that, too. The match will be shown on five big screen TVs, so there’s no need to miss either the rugby or the water polo.
The event will also include a designated u18 area for the athletes and an over-18 area, with a stocked bar for spectators and visitors.
Nine sponsors – Bioteen, Sir Fruit Juice, Gigazone, Capitol Caterers, Varsity College, Waterhouse, Thekwini Motor Group, The Press Club (Salta, eMdloti), and Prime Human Performance Institute – underlines the prestige the Clifton Water Polo Tournament carries. And with the competition as open as it has ever been, five days of thrilling entertainment is on the cards.
POOLS
Pool A
Selborne College, Reddam House Constantia, Clifton College, Maritzburg College
Pool B
Northwood School, Kearsney College, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Grey College
Pool C
Durban High School, St John’s College, Westville Boys’ High School, Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies)
Pool D
Hilton College, South African College High School (SACS), Michaelhouse, King Edward VII (KES)
