DHS’s Van Heerden’s fortress still intact, Maritzburg College wins at Glenwood
The Durban High School (DHS) 1st XV completed an outstanding season with an emphatic 52-19 victory over King Edward VII (KES) on Van Heerden’s Field, in Durban, on Saturday.
That win took DHS to a superb record of 15 wins and only two defeats in 2025, and it also kept intact School‘s three-year unbeaten run on their main rugby field.
Three of the players who ran out on Saturday – captain Daniel Ikotela, Zenkosi Mthiyane, and Zingce Simka – represented the 1st XV for three years, and they never tasted defeat on the ground, not even in Sevens’ competition.
DHS was stung early on, though, when KES crossed for the first try of the contest after only five minutes, scored by captain Sam Bruwer, and converted by fullback Indibabale Mboniswa, but DHS immediately surged onto the attack.
Credit to KES, they did a good job of contesting the rucks, which enabled them to slow down the DHS attacks. However, when the visitors forced a knock-on only five metres from their try line, DHS, with a monstrous shove, claimed back possession by winning a penalty.
Throughout the contest, the visitors had no answers for the Horseflies‘ power in the set piece, which delighted DHS forward’s coach Ronnie Uys, especially since two of his starting front rankers, hooker Okuhle Mbanjwa and tighthead prop Omphiwe Kola, will be back next year.
That turnover eventually resulted in DHS breeching the KES defence for the first time in the 15th minute when Ama Mataboge burst through a gap to dive over beneath the uprights. Flyhalf Jordan van Wyk made the first of six successful kicks to even matters.
With that first try on the board, coach Peter Engledow‘s team took charge and Mataboge, running a hard and direct line, hit a short pass at speed to crash over for DHS’s second after 19 minutes.
KES kept contesting the loose ball well, but they were undone when fullback Cilermo Carolus sold an extravagant dummy and hit a gap to fly over for a try from 30 metres out. Richard Gyamfi, then, outstripped the visitors’ defence for DHS’s fourth, which took the Blue Typhoon 28-7 clear at halftime.
The momentum was firmly with the home side, but KES fought back well after the break. However, School’s relentlessness told, as it had in the first half, and they finished strongly as KES began to wilt under the unceasing pressure.
Lock Zion Smith broke free for a try, and centre Zenkosi Mthiyane outstripped the KES defence for another five-pointer, which was finished off with an extravagant dive behind the uprights.
Peneleo Shakwane and Jaydon Roberts added further tries as DHS sent on almost their entire bench to give their grade 12 players a run in their final game in the blue and gold jersey.
In a losing effort, scrumhalf Regan McGurk impressed for KES.
Always alert to opportunities from free kicks and penalties, he caused DHS problems with his quick decision-making and sniping, which brought him a try and was the reason for fullback Indibabale Mboniswa’s try in the second half. His service was tidy, too.
After the game, DHS coach Peter Engledow told SuperSport Schools Plus: “This has been an incredible group. It has been a privilege coaching them. I was humbled by today. To put a 50 on KES and finish the season like we have is great.”
DHS was at their best late in the season, winning 24-10 at Jeppe and 36-5 at Northwood before their big win at home on Saturday.
Referencing his side’s last three matches, Engeldow explained: “We used a nice theme, based on the last World Cup, and we said we’re going to go into a quarterfinal, semi-final and final. We wanted to try and win the final, especially for the matric boys.”
Reflecting on the season, he said: “For me, personally, the forwards have always done reasonably well and excelled at times, taken us through games, but the backs didn’t ever click for me this season in the manner I know they could, but they did last weekend [against Northwood] and it was very special on Friday night under the lights. The boys did very well.”
They were every bit as effective at Jeppe, running in four tries, three of them from long-range. They added some more on Saturday in Durban.
One of the reasons for the success of DHS was the strong captaincy of flank Daniel Ikotela. Engledow related forwards’ coach Ronnie Uys’s words to the skipper, telling him: “Daniel, I don’t think I’ve seen a person with so much passion taking a team into action”.
Engledow added: “He leads by example and he’s so proud. He has become an incredible young man. I had a conversation with him this week and told him how proud I am of him. His future is bright. Lucky [will be] the university that signs him.”
Under Engledow’s leadership, DHS has enjoyed an outstanding run, and that’s not about to end any time soon. School is blessed with a deep, hard-working coaching staff.
“The rugby programme has gone very well,” Engledow said. “We’ve got a Headmaster and a Director of Sport, who are very supportive, and they help push the programme. And then, it’s a massive thank you to all the coaches, who align and come together and work for each other, and support each other. The system’s good. We get a lot of support.
“At the end of the day, I want to do things the right way. I want to get results, but I also want it to be a learning experience, something that is not just win at all costs. It’s important. If it gets that way, I will step away. I don’t want to win at all costs. I think schoolboy rugby is there to teach kids a lesson.”
Glenwood High versus Maritzburg College
Meanwhile, at nearby Glenwood High, Maritzburg College completed a hard-fought season’s sweep of the Green Machine, triumphing 14-10 after a draining arm wrestle. They had previously won 37-25 on Goldstone’s when the teams met in April.
As they have done often this season, Glenwood started well and they were on the board in the fifth minute on Dixon’s Field, scoring after manufacturing a well-worked overlap on the left flank.
Maritzburg College levelled by driving over next to the uprights, with the industrious David Colenbrander dotting down and Dom du Toit nudging over the conversion kick to make it 7-7 after 15 minutes.
Glenwood, though, led at the break, after Juan Viljoen knocked over a 25th minute penalty.
The only points of the second half – the winning points – were scored three minutes in, again from close range, with Alande Ngubane providing another finish close to the posts. Du Toit, one of the most accurate kickers in the country, didn’t miss to make it 14-10.
Scorers:
Durban High School 52 (28) – Tries: Ama Mataboge (2), Cilermo Carolus, Richard Gyamfi, Zion Smith, Zenkosi Mthiyane, Peneleo Shakwane, Jaydon Roberts. Conversions: Jordan van Wyk (6); King Edward VII 19 (7) – Tries: Sam Bruwer, Regan McGurk, Indibabale Mboniswa, Conversions: Indibabale Mboniswa (2).
Glenwood High 10 (10) – Try: N/A. Penalty: Juan Viljoen; Maritzburg College 14 (7) – Tries: David Colenbrander, Alande Ngubane. Conversions: Dom du Toit (2).
Results
u19 – DHS I 52 KES I 19; DHS II 33 KES II 21; DHS III 18 KES III 7; DHS IV 17 KES IV 5; DHS V 7 KES V 12; DHS VI 20 KES VI 24.
u16 – DHS A 27 KES A 10; DHS B 15 KES B 0; DHS C 7 KES C 7; DHS D 9 KES D 36; DHS E 0 KES E 50.
u15 – DHS A 19 KES A 12; DHS B 14 KES B 7; DHS C 14 KES C 23; DHS D 7 KES D 36; DHS E 7 KES E 50.
u14 – DHS A 17 KES A 5; DHS B 19 KES B 13; DHS C 0 KES C 28l DHS D 19 KES D 33; DHS E 0 KES E 50.
Glenwood vs Maritzburg College
u19 – Glenwood I 10 Maritzburg College I 14; Glenwood II 17 Maritzburg College II 7; Glenwood III 12 Maritzburg College III 21: Glenwood IV 0 Maritzburg College IV 22; Glenwood V 7 Maritzburg College V 26.
u16 – Glenwood A 28 Maritzburg College A 38; Glenwood B 0 Maritzburg College B 24; Glenwood C 0 Maritzburg College C 40; Glenwood D 27 Maritzburg College D 21.
u15 – Glenwood A 14 Maritzburg A 21; Glenwood B 24 Maritzburg B 31; Glenwood C 6 Maritzburg College C 50; Glenwood D 12 Maritzburg College 55.
u14 – Glenwood A 14 Maritzburg College A 43; Glenwood B 14 Maritzburg College B 56; Glenwood C 0 Maritzburg College C 38; Glenwood D 7 Maritzburg College D 19.
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