Janse van Rensburg and Pieties rule the roost against Fichies
Stephan Janse van Rensburg and the rest of his pack from Hoërskool Pietersburg delivered a commanding performance as the Polokwane side outmuscled Hoërskool Fichardtpark 47–12 on Saturday in the final match of the opening day of the Fairtree Sport Festival.
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Pieties‘ win made it back-to-back victories for Limpopo’s two leading schools, with Ben Vorster also recording a convincing win.
Janse van Rensburg dictated proceedings. The experience he gained at the SA Rugby u17 Elite Player Development (EPD) camp in late 2025 was evident, as he anchored a dominant scrum that forced Fichardtpark onto the back foot throughout the contest.
In support, the Pietersburg loose trio, particularly flankers Andru de Beer (openside) and Ignus Ferreira (blindside), were relentless and highly effective in broken play.
Behind them, inside centre Hanru Marais and his midfield partner, Juan Dreyer, added further impetus, capitalising on the dominance their pack had established at both scrum and line-out time.
Lock Dian Visagie stood out for Fichardtpark, producing a tireless performance, despite the Bloemfontein school’s pack being under sustained pressure. Shortly before the final whistle, he was rewarded with his side’s second try.
The Buffels of Hoërskool Ben Vorster ran eight tries in their emphatic 56–17 victory over Hoërskool Dinamika in the penultimate match of the day. The Tzaneen team’s back three were outstanding.
Tumi Ramohale (left wing) and Ronnel Komana (right wing) both crossed the whitewash twice. However, their tries were not merely the result of finishing moves. They consistently created opportunities out of nothing, treating the spectators to some exceptional rugby.
The combination between flyhalf Lolo Letlabola and scrumhalf Joshua van Eeden was also highly effective, with many of the Buffels‘ scoring opportunities originating from their interplay. Lolo Letlabola also crossed for a try and added two conversions, while Joshua van Eeden succeeded with six kicks at goal.
Earlier in the day, Hoërskool Marais Viljoen was forced to battle until the final moments to scrape a narrow 23–22 victory over Hoërskool Merensky Landbou Akademie. A late penalty from flyhalf, Ovayo Jonas, proved decisive. It was the third of three penalties landed by the no. 10, who also added two conversions.
They landed on the losing side, but Plasies played the majority of the rugby. Scrumhalf Christiaan de Lange shone for the Tzaneen outfit, dotting down twice for the Light Blues, but it was not quite enough to see them to victory.
Scorers
Pietersburg 47 (26) – Tries: Fredrich Cronje (2), Ignus Ferreira. Zhian Labuschagne, Hanru Marais, Juan Dreyer, Andru de Beer. Conversions: Ryno Mienie (6). Fichardtpark 12 (5) – Try: Dian Visagie, Dillon Louw. Conversion: Guiteau Petrus.
Ben Vorster 56 (21) – Tries: Tumi Ramohlale (2), Ronnel Komana (2), Lolos Letlabola, Ruben Pohl, Zane Trollip, Edwin Matola. Doelskoppe: Josua van Eeden (6), Letlabola (2). Dinamika 17 (3) – Tries: Gucci Sithole, Jaden Mathysser. Conversions: Caiden van der Merwe, Andrew Marais. Penalty: Van der Merwe.
Marais Viljoen 23 (7) – Tries: Ondi Njili, Juan Booysen. Conversions: Ovayo Jonas (2). Penalties: Jonas (3). Merensky 22 (15) – Tries: Christiaan de Lange (2), George Steenkamp, Heinrich Kirchner. Conversion: Francois Smith.
