Hilton College and Michaelhouse favoured in Gauteng
Pretoria Boys High vs Hilton College
Every year since 2018, except for the Covid-19-affected years of 2020 and 2021, Hilton College and Pretoria Boys High have met in an annual interschools fixture. Hilton has won all six of those matches, including 38-24 last season, and they’ll be favoured to win again when they visit the South African capital city on Saturday.
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Eight matches into their campaign, Hilton’s record is clean. They’ve won all eight. The Candies are only seven matches into their season after illness led to them skipping the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival and matches against King Edward VII (KES) and Kingswood.
In their most recent outing, they beat St David’s Marist Inanda 47-31, while Hilton outplayed Glenwood High 42-7.
Boys High’s best result of the season was a 35-34 victory over SACS at the Pretoria Boys High 125th Festival, but the game before the win over St David’s, they were blasted 61-5 on Goldstone’s by Maritzburg College.
While the Candies will have the advantage of hosting Hilton on Brooks Field, the challenge they face is that Hilton’s approach is similar to that of College, and they’re an extremely well-drilled outfit.
It’s often a case of Hilton administering slow poison, grinding teams down, but that slow poison becomes a flood later in the game, and they build up momentum through wave upon wave of attacks. If Boys High does not slow Hilton down at ruck and maul time, they’ll be in for a tough outing.
The Candies are often at their best when they get the ball out wide. They’ll need quality ball to feed to their flyers, and that’s the biggest question that they face on Saturday: Can they win sufficient quality ball to challenge Hilton College?
They’ll have to be spot-on in the lineouts, too. Hilton College captain Andrew Schnell has proven himself to be one of the best at the set piece this season, often stealing the opposition’s throw-ins. His reward has been inclusion in the Sharks’ Craven Week team.
Nico Davel, who kicked the match-winning kick in Hilton’s derby win over Michaelhouse, and played against Glenwood in the absence of John Grubb, who was injured against Michaelhouse, retains the no. 10 jersey, with Grubb named among the substitutes.
St John’s College vs Michaelhouse
In Johannesburg, Michaelhouse takes on St John’s College.
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While St John’s has won five of its seven matches, Michaelhouse has played a tougher schedule, resulting in a record of four wins and four defeats. The hosts, though, cannot match Michaelhouse’s wins over Northwood and Affies, two of the better teams in the country this season.
‘House will, however, be without their talismanic captain, Nicolas Salamousas, again. He has a hamstring injury, and those are notoriously difficult to overcome. It takes time.
Salamousas, a tighthead prop, was, nonetheless, included in the Sharks’ Craven Week team, along with loosehead Aphelele Chamane. Inside centre, Alex Jankowitz, also cracked the nod, while Fabiano Ferro and Ben Hughes were included in the Academy Week line-up. Jaydon Jubber, who is not part of the 1st XV for Saturday’s match, was also included in the Academy Week squad.
Michaelhouse is a tough, physical outfit, and they’ll be like a bear with a sore tooth headache on Saturday after successive last-gasp losses to Hilton College and Kearsney College in their last two outings.
St John’s, most recently, beat St Andrew’s School 31-21 in Bloemfontein, but Michaelhouse is a big step up in competition, and the home side doesn’t boast any of the signature wins that the Balgowan boys own. Still, they have home ground advantage on the Burger Field, and with that comes the altitude of Johannesburg. For visiting teams, that feeling of burning breath in the last quarter of a game can be disconcerting.
St John’s captain Mako Mandizha, who represented the Golden Lions Academy team in 2025, has been included in the Lions u18A side for the province’s Craven Week trials. He’ll pack down opposite Michaelhouse’s Aphelele Chamane in an interesting duel.
He’s not the only player who represented the province last year. Lock Allan Njanfang Patu ran out for the u17 Golden Lions Welpies.
They’ll lead the St John’s charge. No doubt, though, the hosts head into Saturday’s contest as the underdog.
TEAMS
St John’s College vs Michaelhouse at Burger Field, Johannesburg, at 11:50.
St John’s College: 15 Joshua Nyamaropa, 14 Mihlali Tabane, 13 Lwandile Khupe, 12 David Ireland, 11 Tumiso Motshegoa, 10 Alex Psillos, 9 Adam Haselau, 8 Cameron Coetzer, 7 Shane Dalton, 6 Glenn Greyling, 5 Allan Njanfang Patu, 4 Simon Mussett, 3 Mako Mandhiza, 2 Luke Scott, 1 Titus Mhlongo.
Michaelhouse: 15 Reece Cole, 14 Laird Hamilton-Brown, 13 Fabiano Fierro, 12 Alex Jankowitz, 11 Barend de Bruyn, 10 Jack Carmody, 9 Ben Hughes, 8 Oliver Guy, 7 Jed Reilly, 6 Kumkani Dwenga, 5 Reece Malga, 4 Trezeguet Hawkins, 3 Sphelo Mfazwe, 2 Max Oliva, 1 Aphelele Chamane.
Pretoria Boys High vs Hilton College at Brooks Field, Pretoria, at 13:15
Pretoria Boys High: N/A
Hilton College: 15 James Peattie, 14 Tom Gurupira, 13 Guy Fender, 12 Ruan Mulder, 11 Liyema Gazi, 10 Nico Davel, 9 Benoit Rey, 8 Zander Muller, 7 Ross Steyn, 6 Callan Kenmuir, 5 Andrew Schnell, 4 Hartman Fourie, 3 Mholi Khuzwayo, 2 Kyle-Reese Clements, 1 Aidan du Plooy.
