Five players to watch at the Vides Water Polo Tournament
The 49th edition of the Vides Water Polo Tournament will take centre stage from Thursday at Selborne College in East London.
The event runs from 13-15 February, with the matches scheduled to take place at the Selborne College Pool and Clarendon High School for Girls’ Harrison Aquatic Centre.
An abundance of talent will be on display as 16 teams hunt the silverware.
SuperSport Schools Plus takes a look at five players who could deliver game-changing performances for their teams.
James Swart (Paul Roos Gimnasium, PRG)
Paul Roos Gimnasium fell short in the final of last year’s edition of the Vides Water Polo tournament, losing to Clifton College on penalties.
They’ll return to the event eager to go all the way, and a player who will be vital to their mission is James Swart.
Swart has been one of the standout players for PRG this season, firing on all cylinders and scoring some outrageous goals. He inspired the Stellenbosch school to an upset win over SACS and a victory over Reddam House Constantia in the SACS Nite Series.
He also defends well and possesses the skills to turn a game on its head. His goal-scoring prowess will be key in PRG’s quest.
Liam Hansen (Selborne College)
Selborne College has a star-studded team in 2025, and it’s hard to separate and pick one player from the talented bunch.
Liam Hansen, however, has proven time and again that he is capable of producing mind-blowing performances every time he jumps into the pool.
He was in top shape for the East London school at the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield and helped them finish in an impressive fourth place.
Selected for South African Schools in 2024, Hansen is a game changer who can score from long-range. He is a fierce competitor and extremely good at linking up with his teammates.
It will be the Selborne Head Boy’s final Vides outing, so expect him to pull out all the stops as the hosts chase their first Vides title since 2017.
Adam Brown (Reddam House Constantia)
Reddam House Constantia has hit its stride and they’re punching above their weight in 2025.
Under head coach Nick Tinkler, the Cape school has impressed in the SACS Nite Series and played well at the ITEC Grey College Water Polo Tournament earlier this month, where they topped their pool.
One of their key players throughout has been Adam Brown, brother to Blake, who also plays for Reddam.
Adam is the glue that holds Reddam together. Despite scoring many goals, he also creates opportunities for his teammates.
His water polo IQ and ability to assess game situations will have an important role to play in Reddam’s challenge.
Kyle Human (Clifton College)
It could be considered a crime to pick just one player from the current Clifton College team, and that’s because all are quality players.
Kyle Human stands out, though, because of how he rises to challenges and pulls through for his team in times of need.
He is a serious goalscoring threat and punishes teams that give him space or too much time on the ball.
At the SAC Shield last month, he was the pick of the scorers for Clifton alongside the likes of Jake Frederic, Daniel Nothard, and Nathan Burger.
Clifton is the defending champion, and Human couldn’t have peaked at a better time for his team.
Coel Trollip (St Andrew’s College)
St Andrew’s College skipper, Coel Trollip, also makes the list of players to keep an eye out for at the Vides Tournament.
He is the true definition of a leader, in and out of the pool, and he is eager to guide St Andrew’s to more glory days.
He’s performed well so far this season and helped his team get over the line against Woodridge College, Pearson High, and Kingswood College last month.
He showed up well at the SAC Shield against strong opposition, despite his team finishing only ninth.
Trollip offers a complete package of skills for St Andrew’s, and his leadership skills, coupled with goalscoring and strong defending, will be crucial if they are to make an impact.
