Michaelhouse takes on Peterhouse, St Charles to be challenged by Hilton
Michaelhouse vs Peterhouse
Michaelhouse hosts Peterhouse, their brother school, from Marondera, Zimbabwe, on Meadows, on Saturday.
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The KZN school had been scheduled to take on Clifton College, but Clifton has been severely struck by the injury bug, leading to a change late on Thursday afternoon.
The Peterhouse 1st XV recently participated in the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, while other Peterhouse sides were in action at Michaelhouse in Easter events, so the change went smoothly, with the Zimbabweans touring South Africa as part of their 70th anniversary celebrations.
Peterhouse was founded in 1955 by John Snell, who was formerly the Rector of Michaelhouse. The current Rector is John Trafford, a former Housemaster at Michaelhouse.
This season, the Michaelhouse 1st XV hasn’t quite hit its straps yet. They opened their campaign at Northwood and played some good rugby, leading almost the entire match before being overhauled just before the final whistle and suffering a 13-15 defeat. The sting of that loss appears to have caused a bit of a hangover.
They’ve lost four games – by eight points against both Durban High School and Bishops, by seven against Helpmekaar Kollege, and by six against St Stithians, which was an unexpected setback. They also drew 28-28 with Grey High and 22-22 with St Andrew’s College.
That shows, though, that the Balgowan boys have been in every match. The line between victory and defeat is thin, and they’ll know they can turn their fortunes around with slight improvements.
They’re a better team than their won-loss record suggests. They’re well-balanced and it will take only minor improvements to turn losses into victories.
Peterhouse played their first matches of the season at Kearsney, losing all three. Their opponents, though, had the luxury of having already played games before the festival. With four days of rest, they’ll have peered through their performances in Botha’s Hill and worked on making improvements where they see fit.
At Kearsney, they impressed in the set scrums but were somewhat loose around the rucks and mauls. They’ll try to tighten up there.
Peterhouse’s backs also delivered some exciting moments, with their powerful centre, Andrew Maringa, being named to the All Stars Team. He and his midfield partner, Munashe Masamha, will face a sturdy challenge from Michaelhouse’s centre pair of captain William Ridl and Rourke O’Sullivan, two experienced campaigners.
St Charles vs Hilton College
Hilton College visits Old Orchards on Saturday for a showdown with St Charles College.
Brad Mcleod-Henderson‘s charges have played some fantastic rugby this season. They’re led by flyhalf Liyema Nela, who played one of the best games you’ll see from any number 10 in their 29-5 win over St John’s College at the St John’s Easter Festival. Hilton also scored a sound 33-16 victory over Kingswood College in Johannesburg, breaking open a tight contest in the second half.
They’re an experienced side, which has also been injected with some younger talent. They’re hard-nosed up front and skilled at the back.
There are no obvious weaknesses, but they failed to hit their stride in their two losses this season, against Westville Boys’ High (15-23) and Grey High (20-7). They’ll, therefore, be focused on starting the game on the right foot.
Saints, after an excellent 2024 season, was expected to take a bit of a step back this year, and they were well beaten by Glenwood High in their opener, going down 0-38. But coach Craig Dwyer has them playing good rugby, and they’ve won three of four since, beating Port Rex 19-15, HTS Daniel Pienaar 26-13, and Windhoek High 38-22.
Most recently, they went down to a tight 14-19 defeat to St Andrew’s College at the Saints Easter Rugby Festival, in Johannesburg. The Makhanda boys, too, have played some enterprising rugby in 2025, so, despite the defeat, the close nature of that loss reflects well on St Charles.
The Pietermaritzburg school plays an attractive and expressive game – perhaps a reflection of the decade Craig Dwyer spent coaching the game in New Zealand – and they also have some exciting talent up front, especially their powerful, athletic eighthman, Raphael Ajibade. He has the power to run over players, as well as the pace to run around them. No doubt, Hilton will keep a close eye on him.
That said, Hilton’s eighthman, Emmanuel Dankwah, is a big unit, too, and he’ll require similarly close attention from Saints.
In 2024, Hilton took advantage of a couple of interceptions to score a 44-34 victory at home over St Charles.
TEAMS
Michaelhouse vs Peterhouse, Meadows, at 14:00
Michaelhouse: 15 Alex Jankowitz, 14 Lwandle Nzama, 13 Rourke O’Sullivan, 12 William Ridl, 11 Jack Carmody, 10 Stefan Moolman, 9 Dan Aissing, 8 Dominic Sesink-Clee, 7 Luke Mitchell, 6 Oliver Davis, 5 Dan Carr, 4 Thomas Peach, 3 Nicolas Salamousas, 2 Max Oliva, 1 Koketso Bopape
Peterhouse: TBC
St Charles College vs Hilton College, Old Orchards, at 15:00
Hilton College: 15 James Peattie, 14 Guy Fender, 13 Khazimla Makali, 12 Tristan Uys, 11 Requilme Adonis, 10 Liyema Nela, 9 Zander Vorster, 8 Emmanuel Dankwah, 7 Stewart Falconer, 6 Jacques Olivier, 5 Andrew Schnell, 4 André Boshoff, 3 Mholi Khuzwayo, 2 Josh Grant, 1 Khanya Jekwa.
St Charles College: 15 Njabulo Nala, 14 Likuthi Mbalana, 13 Eben Crafford, 12 Athenkosi Qumo, 11 Mathew Ludick, 10 André Bosman, 9 Thandokuhle Nyawo, 8 Raphael Ajibade, 7 Dresden Coetzee, 6 Joshua Milne, 5 Joshua Harris, 4 Matthew Naude, 3 Silindokuhle Nciza, 2 Connor Dickerson, 1 Braydon Joese.
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