Jeppe braced for “exciting” Hibbert Shield debut

Jeppe High School for Boys make their Standard Bank Hibbert Shield debut in Gqeberha this weekend, and the side’s coach, Gareth Heyns, says his team is eager to get the ball rolling.

The annual tournament, hosted by Grey High, runs from 24 to 27 April. Grey’s Rectory AstroTurf will host most of the matches, with some being played at Collegiate Girls’ High.

Of the 16 teams in action, Jeppe will be the only side playing at the event for the first time. They take over from Maritzburg College, who will be playing at the newly established Michaelhouse Hockey Tournament.

Long regarded as one of South Africa’s leading hockey nurseries, Jeppe arrives in the Windy City eager to live up to that status against some of the country’s top sides.

After making a slow start to the season, which included a loss at the Nomads Hockey Festival and a defeat against King Edward VII in their derby, the Kensington Kids appear to be on the up.

Last Friday, facing an in-form Westville Boys’ High, who, like Jeppe, had started slowly but played themselves into form, a Blake Sartor strike in the fourth chukka gave Heyns’ charges a hard-fought 1-0 win on the Boden AstroTurf.

“We were very pleased with the outcome of the game against Westville,” coach Heyns told SuperSport Schools Plus. “We managed to take one of our chances in the D, which is always a positive.

“We also rolled the ball well, played a team game, and didn’t get stuck in individual battles for most parts of the game. The guys just did the hard work.

“Against KES, we went quite individually, and I don’t think we put in the effort, but in the Westville game, it was the complete opposite.”

Jeppe will contest Pool D at the Hibbert Shield, where they’ll be up against Pearson High School, Paarl Gimnasium, and Bishops. The top two finishers will progress to the quarterfinals, while the bottom two will move on to the Bowl.

While Heyns was impressed with the progress he saw against Westville, he admitted there was still work to be done in preparation for the tournament in Gqeberha.

“There are a few things we want to work on, but I think all our preparation has been pretty done up until now.

“We will just fine-tune certain elements and make sure the guys are ready for as many scenarios as we might come across.

“At the end of the day, it’s a tournament, and anything can happen in that environment.”

Pressed for his side’s goal for the tournament, Heyns replied: “We want to go there and give a good account of ourselves and see what it’s like to play against some guys we don’t generally play against.

“We are excited. It will be a good weekend to play good hockey against top opposition, and hopefully we can carry on growing as a group.”

Jeppe’s Hibbert Shield campaign kicks off against Paarl Gimnasium on Thursday at 08:45 at Collegiate Girls’ High.

Click HERE to see the full Hibbert Shield fixtures.
Click HERE to read the full Hibbert Shied preview.

• About
• Latest Posts

Avuyile Sawula

Avuyile Sawula is a multimedia sports journalist, broadcaster, and writer. He possesses a journalism degree from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. During his time in the media industry, he has worked for various online media publications covering a variety of sporting codes. He also has a broadcasting background. His reporting beats include hockey, rugby, water polo, and cricket. Apart from writing, he has a knack for creating sports content, video editing and running.

Latest posts by Avuyile Sawula (see all)

• Five players to watch at the Hibbert Shield - 2026-04-23
• Jeppe braced for “exciting” Hibbert Shield debut - 2026-04-22
• Top sides chase Hibbert Shield glory - 2026-04-22