Maritzburg College visits Dixon’s to face Green Machine
Round two of the home and away annual rugby matches between the Maritzburg College and Glenwood High 1st XVs takes place in Durban on Saturday, on Dixon’s Field.
While College did the double over Glenwood last year for the first time since 2005, they’ll recall their 2023 visit to Durban when the Green Machine, who had gone down 15-42 on Goldstone’s earlier in the season, scored late to snatch a 27-24 win. They’re a tough out at home.
Earlier this season, in Pietermaritzburg, College won 37-25, pulling away in the second half after the teams were level at 13-13 at the break.
That has been something of a storyline for Glenwood in 2025. They’ve tended to come out strongly and play some outstanding rugby in the first half. Maintaining that intensity and consistency until the end of the game has been a challenge.
They’ve shown, no doubt, that they can hang with most teams, but for how long? They trailed unbeaten Westville Boys’ High 20-21 at halftime at Westville and led 25-21 six minutes into the second stanza before going down 25-42. At home against Northwood, it was tight until the end, with the Knights leading 18-16 before striking twice in the last minute to win 30-16.
College heads into the clash with the bitter taste of a 27-31 defeat to Pretoria Boys High in their mouths in their last home match of the season. Glenwood will feel better about their last outing – a 53-10 win over Parktown – which will have buoyed their confidence.
For both teams, it has been an up-and-down season, and their record are quite similar. Glenwood has won six, lost seven, and drawn one, while College has won seven and lost eight.
College was at their best in a narrow 20-21 defeat against Westville and a 23-20 win at Hilton College, while Glenwood’s top performances came in a 38-0 season-opening win over St Charles and, at least for a good part of it, a 37-34 win over Milnerton High, in a match they led 29-0 after a blistering start.
They were very good at Northwood on 26 July, where they played most of the rugby and built up an 11-0 lead, only to go down 11-19.
Before their 27-31 loss to Boys High, a match that they led 27-12, College appeared to have turned the corner. Before that they went down 27-45 to Affies in Pretoria, but that loss was preceded by the win over Hilton, a 31-18 victory at Michaelhouse, and a 35-20 defeat of Kearsney. The game before that was the one-point loss to Westville.
In this world of short memories and what have you done for me lately achievements, both Maritzburg College and Glenwood will be keen to add a victory at the end of the season to even their wins with their losses, and to add some gloss to their records.
Perhaps the biggest question that needs to be answered lies with the leadership of both teams. Glenwood skipper Lizwe Mtetwa will partner DHS centre Nathan Aneke for SA u18A against Ireland on Friday, while College captain Wavi Wyambwera will turn out for SA u18 against France.
Both players lead by example and both sides will need other players to step up and lead the way.
Teams:
Glenwood High vs Maritzburg College at 14:40 on Saturday on Dixon’s Field in Durban.
Maritzburg College: 15 Sandiswa Hadebe, 14 Ntsika Mkize, 13 Amahle Hadebe, 12 Jordan Thackwray, 11 Matthew Harris, 10 Liyema Tsoko, 9 Dom du Toit, 8 Mian Pretorius, 7 Elethu Mabanga, 6 David Colenbrander, 5 Connor Mountfort, 4 Phila Mkoyana, 3 Alande Ngubane, 2 Theo Boshoff, 1 Linamandla Mabanga.
Glenwood: N/A
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