Michaelhouse hosts Hilton, but not on Meadows
The clock will be turned back 70 years when Michaelhouse hosts Hilton College on Saturday in Balgowan. They meet on Baileys, not the usual venue of Meadows, for the first time since 1955.
Catch the action LIVE on SuperSport Schools
Michaelhouse’s main rugby field has been damaged by high rainfall and, despite giving it a break for last weekend’s matches, a decision has been taken to stick with Baileys for a second weekend in succession.
When ‘House won 18-15 at Hilton in June 2023, it was their first win over their arch-rivals since 2016, when they also won on Gilfillan Field, triumphing 21-17. Then, in May 2024, they repeated that dose, winning 24-23 away from home.
‘House appeared to be on course for another win and their first season’s sweep since 2015, when the school’s 1st XV went undefeated, when they took a 22-7 lead in the second half of the rematch, in June. Hilton, though, clawed their way back into the game and reduced the deficit to 21-25.
Then, with just three minutes remaining, a lack of communication between Michaelhouse’s defenders, who watched as a kick from Ivan Jjuuko rolled towards the dead-ball line, allowed Hilton right-wing Seb Gaboreau to dive, arms outstretched, and force the ball down for a try. The home side was stunned and Hilton went on to a 26-25 victory.
Cumulatively, it was 49-49 for the season. There was next to nothing between the sides.
This season, Hilton has enjoyed a better time of it than Michaelhouse. Yet, despite their superior record, it looks as if Saturday’s showdown, the 208th between the schools, should be another humdinger.
While Michaelhouse has lost five games, they’ve been in every one of them until the final whistle, and, with an experienced lineup, they have the potential to hit their stride and tack on another win to their school’s rivalry record.
At present, Michaelhouse has 101 wins to Hilton’s 96, while 10 matches have been drawn. The last time that happened was in 1987 when both games ended in draws – 7-7 and 9-9.
Michaelhouse, under the guidance of coach James Fleming, has played nine matches thus far this season and lost five of them, with two draws. They went down 10-17 to Helpmekaar Kollege in their season opener, then fell 13-15 to a very good Northwood team in Durban after leading almost the entire match. That was followed by a 20-28 loss to a powerful Durban High School (DHS) team.
At the Standard Bank Grey High Rugby Festival, they held the hosts to a 28-28 draw but then fell 17-25 to Bishops. After the festival, another draw followed, against St Andrew’s College. This time, it ended 22-22.
‘House broke their duck at the Standard Bank St Stithians Easter Rugby Festival, romping to a 65-14 victory over St John’s College (Harare). Then, in a stunning upset, they went down 21-27 to St Stithians. In their most recent outing, they overpowered Peterhouse 68-0.
That means that nine games into the 2025 season, Michaelhouse has yet to beat a South African school! Don’t be fooled, though. In the matches they have lost, Michaelhouse’s average margin of defeat is six points. No defeat has been by more than eight points.
Hilton has been more convincing this season. They’ve played seven times and won five of those games, losing only to a still-unbeaten Westville Boys’ High and also to Grey High, after an out-of-sorts performance, in Gqberha.
Most of Hilton’s wins have been by emphatic margins. In their only KZN clashes, after the Westville loss, they thumped Kearsney, a team that is enjoying a solid season, 54-10, and then overwhelmed a St Charles side, thinned somewhat by injury and illness, 74-14.
Coach Brad Macleod-Henderson‘s charges have also recorded wins over Graeme College (21-17), St John’s College (29-5), and Kingwood College (33-16).
Yet, despite all the results, facts, and figures previously mentioned, there’s one thing to remember about Saturday’s big game. It’s a derby, and in derbies, most of the time, past results and current form count for little.
It’s an on-the-day thing, where the emotion of the occasion can sweep a team to victory, and, also, it’s those same emotions that can cost a side the game. There will be electricity in the air, at 14:45, when the next chapter in a rugby rivalry that began in 1904 resumes.
