Nashua Sevens to light up Goldstone’s
Maritzburg College plays host to the annual Nashua Sevens on Saturday, with eight u18 and four u15 teams in action.
The three previous Sevens events in KZN – the Saints, Glenwood, and Durban High School (DHS) Sevens – have featured u17 teams, so it will be interesting to see if the shift to the u18 age group leads to a different outcome.
Based on the two previous events, the teams to watch are DHS and Westville, with the Horseflies capturing the DHS Sevens last weekend, thanks to a 26-12 win over the Griffin in the final, and Westville winning the Glenwood Sevens, thanks to a 12-7 defeat of DHS in that final.
DHS hunts fantastically as a team, with much of their success coming from the pressure they generate on the opposition, and their ability to finish opportunities when they force turnovers.
Westville, meanwhile, possesses some of the most exciting runners in the game. They’re a nuggetty defensive unit, too, which is one of the reasons they’ve won three tournaments this season: the Clifton Sevens, the Saints Sevens, and the Glenwood Sevens.
While DHS and Westville are good bets to go all the way, never count out Maritzburg College on Goldstone’s, whether it be the 15-man game or sevens. Last season, they lifted their game for the Nashua Sevens but were narrowly pipped in the u18 final, going down 10-12 to Northwood. Their u15 side, however, beat Michaelhouse 24-16 to claim the honours in their age group.
‘House will pose a serious challenge. They’ve played some good sevens this season. Just a touch more consistency and they’ll be in the mix for the title. Their arch-rivals, Hilton College, have struggled a little for form, but they have the ability to pull off an upset or two.
College’s city neighbours, St Charles, has some outstanding sevens’ players. If they include their u18 players, they’re a dark horse title contender, no doubt.
Glenwood, after a tough season, has made a impressive transition to sevens. Both their u17 and u15 teams made the Cup semi-finals in the Glenwood and DHS Sevens, with the u15s going on to contest the Glenwood final. They’re fit, hard, and skilled. Beware the Green Machine! Like Saints, they’re a dark horse that bears watching.
FIXTURES
u15
08:40 – Maritzburg College vs Michaelhouse
09:00 – Glenwood vs College 7s
10:40 – Maritzburg College vs College 7s
11:00 – Glenwood vs Michaelhouse
12:40 – Maritzburg College vs Glenwood
13:00 – Michaelhouse vs College 7s
14:40 – Final
u18
09:20 – Maritzburg College vs Glenwood
09:40 – Westville vs Hilton
10:00 – Michaelhouse vs St Charles
10:20 – DHS vs College 7s
11:20 – Glenwood vs Hilton
11:40 – Maritzburg College vs Westville
12:00 – Michaelhouse vs DHS
12:20 – St Charles vs College 7s
13:20 – Maritzburg College vs Hilton
13:40 – Glenwood vs Westville
14:00 – Michaelhouse vs College 7s
14:20 – St Charles vs DHS
15:15 – Final
