It’s a Bisch/Bosch derby to decide 2026 SAC Shield champions
Rondebosch Boys’ High and Bishops Diocesan College will go hammer and tongs at it for top honours at the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield in Makhanda on Sunday.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
The Cape Town sides booked their places in the title-deciding match after producing stellar performances on day three at the SAC Aquatic Centre.
They both impressed throughout the pool stages, suffering just one defeat each. ‘Bosch lost 8-10 to Bishops on the opening day, while their rivals were stunned by Clifton College, going down 7-11 on Friday.
Nevertheless, with four wins from five matches each, the duo comfortably qualified for the quarterfinals. In the last eight, Bishops beat Selborne College 9-4, while Rondebosch won 10-7 against Hilton College to progress.
Meanwhile, St Stithians College and South African College High School (SACS), the lone unbeaten side, locked in their semifinal spots after convincing triumphs over Clifton and St John’s College, respectively.
Bishops took on Saints in the first semi, and coach Jabulani Sibiya’s charges quickly rushed into a 4-1 lead after the first chukka, courtesy of a Harry Ford brace and further strikes from Jack Grout and Matt Fenn. Troy Pasqualle replied for Saints.
Bishops upped the ante in the second half, playing enterprising water polo and were well rewarded. Ford completed his hat-trick before Dominic Zulch and Noah Viuff joined the scoring action.
Saints showed some fight, though, and Dean Ehret, alongside Nathan Mansfield, led the comeback.
Blake Morton also scored two cracking goals in the fourth quarter; however, it mattered little as Bishops closed off the game with strikes by Fenn, Tim Young, and Ryan Dales to seal a convincing 12-5 win.
The second semifinal was an All-Cape affair between Rondebosch and SACS, and it delivered fireworks.
SACS got off to a blazing start, scoring early through Harry Oldham and Matthew Robinson. Their opponents responded through Rupert Robinson, and the score read 2-1 after the first chukka.
Coach Devon Card‘s SACS scored two more goals in the second chukka before ‘Bosch clawed their way back into the game, thanks to a Noah Reiback brace and a goal from Ben Gray.
The tide of the match turned in the third chukka. Bosch was aggressive, attacked with purpose, and restricted the SACS attack. They netted four more times – through Nathan Corlett, Kieran Bennewith, Gray, and Reiback – to seal an 8-5 win, which kept their hopes of defending the title alive.
In other matches, St Andrew’s College defeated Paul Roos in the Plate semifinal, while Grey High edged out Westville Boys’ High.
St John’s fell to Hilton College, and Selborne suffered a loss at the hands of Clifton.
The final day kicks off with a meeting between Westville and Paul Roos at 07:30. The final will commence at 11:40.
Day 3 Results
Pool A
Westville 9-7 Clifton
Rondebosch 11-10 St John’s
Pool B
St Stithians 11-8 Hilton College
Quarterfinals
Bishops 9-4 Selborne College
Rondebosch 10-7 Hilton College
Clifton College 7-9 St Stithians College
St John’s 5-6 SACS
Plate playoffs:
St Andrew’s College 8-4 Paul Roos
Westville 4-6 Grey High
Positions 5 to 8:
Selborne College 5-11 Clifton
Hilton 9-5 St John’s
Semifinals:
Bishops 12-5 St Stithians
Rondebosch 8-5 SACS
Day 4 Fixtures
07:30 – Westville vs Paul Roos (11th/12th)
08:20 – St Andrew’s vs Grey (9th/10th)
09:10 – Selborne vs St John’s (7th/8th)
10:00 – Clifton vs Hilton (5th/6th)
10:50 – St Stithians vs SACS (3rd/4th)
11:40 – Bishops vs Rondebosch (Final)
