Northerns could make a statement against Diamonds in Classic Clash
Hoërskool Noord-Kaap and Diamantveld battle it out this weekend for bragging rights in Kimberley when they meet for their FNB Classic Clash on Saturday at 13:30 on Pirates.
The game will be available live on SuperSport Schools – Register now
Diamantveld have had the upper hand in this fixture historically, winning three of their four encounters since 2018.
Northern Cape, however, will look to repeat the success of the last time they met on their home turf in 2021, when they beat the Diamonds 29-17.
The home team started their season exceptionally well, managing a few big wins early on in the season over the likes of Sentraal (43-0), Landboudal (26-5) and Milnerton (38-24).
They have had a run of defeats against some strong opponents since then though, most recently at the Menlo Rugby Tournament where they lost to both Menlopark (22-5) and Waterkloof (39-19) and they will need to return to the form they showed earlier in the season for their big derby.
Diamantveld hosted the annual Absa Wildeklawer Tournament during that time, where they also lost both their games against Boland Landbou (27-5) and HTS Drostdy (15-13).
With both teams desperate to add more success to what has been a mixed season so far with a big derby win, this match is bound to be an epic battle.
Diamantveld have been relying on the power of their forwards so far this season, with players like their big lock and captain, JJ Fourie, in their pack who can throw his weight behind the Diamonds’ drive and Marco Mathewson, their flyhalf, who has shown how punishing he can be off the kicking tee.
In contrast, their neighbours, Noord-Kaap, have employed a high-pace running brand of rugby which has led to some spectacular tries through the likes of Jonaden Links, their fullback, and their captain and flyhalf, Eldridge Jack.
The outcome of this match is sure to go a long way towards determining the success of either team’s season, and the boys will be pumped to crown themselves as top dogs in Kimberley.
Hoërskool Trio also travel to Welkom to face a Welkom Gim team who have been at the top of their game this season.
Expectations are high for the team from Kroonstad as they had a dream debut season in 2022, managing to win both the Griffon League and the Kovsie League’s Shimla final on their first time of asking.
The Trio team overcame all odds to beat Bethlehem Voortrekker by 21-14 for the title of Griffons League champs and showed their evolution as the season progressed to also beat Jim Fouché in the Kovsie League Shimla final by 21-19 after losing to the Bloemfontein side 20-3 in their first game ever at the beginning of the season.
When they met the Gimmies for the first time last year, they lost with the narrowest of margins 35-32, but this is a brand new season and Welkom Gim have looked very impressive on their campaign thus far.
Naylen Goeda (fullback), Naven Goeda (winger) and Renaldo Kiewiet (flyhalf) have been exceptional for the Gimmies this year and Ethan Jones (no. 8) has recently been included in the SA u18 Sevens training squad, with a chance to make the team to represent SA at the Commonwealth Youth Games in August in Trinidad and Tobago.
The home team have looked especially dangerous in Welkom, and Trio will have to be awake on defence to keep out the Gimmies’ dangermen.
Goudveld host Hentie Cilliers from Virginia in Welkom.
The Gouties have had to shuffle their pack for this fixture, most notably Quinton Davids takes his place in the flyhalf position again, as Ruben Crous covers inside centre and Enzo Beukes falls into the fullback position.
The visiting team have shown great improvement over their last couple of matches, and they seemed to have clicked last weekend when they managed a 22-all draw against Witteberg.
They will look to take it one step further this weekend and pull off an upset against the home team.
The teams are:
Noord-Kaap vs Diamantveld at 13:30:
Noord-Kaap: 15 Jonaden Links, 14 Junior Kettledas, 13 Kimi van den Horst, 12 Abdul Fischer, 11 Keante Pienaar, 10 Eldridge Jack, 9 Lwandle Maseko, 8 Shaw Lourens, 7 Melvin Diedericks, 6 Tyron China, 5 Thaylin Rose, 4 Wentzel Hibbert, 3 Tebogo Motswenyane, 2 Liam Harmse, 1 Liyabona Mbeke.
Diamantveld: 15 Liam Ferris, 14 Kyle Taute, 13 Valentino Lenge, 12 Simon Liversage, 11 Lehan van der Westhuizen, 10 Marco Matthewson, 9 Dirk van Heerden, 8 Paul Cronje, 7 Ernie Kruger, 6 Achiles de Jager, 5 JJ Fourie, 4 Diwan Muller, 3 Flip di Randt, 2 De Wet du Plooy, 1 FJ de Fries.
Welkom Gimnasium vs Hoërskool Trio at 13:00:
Welkom Gimnasium: 15 Naylen Goeda, 14 Naven Goeda, 13 Taschon Meas, 12 Jayden Weideman, 11 Khamohelo Mokoena, 10 Renaldo Kiewiet, 9 Julian Samuels, 8 Ethan Jones, 7 Rylen Kirsten, 6 Revoun van Niekerk, 5 Jayden Auld, 4 Tristan Appollis, 3 Keanan August, 2 Dante Smith, 1 Buchle Ngxabayi.
Hoërskool Trio: 15 Jaco Steyn, 14 Louis Boshoff, 13 Haaron Kabeya, 12 Charlten Basson, 11 Thuto Kekane, 10 BJ Pelser, 9 CJ Taljaard, 8 Tapiwa Mundeta, 7 JD Kirstein, 6 JP Botha, 5 Hencoe Kriek, 4 Pieter van Schalkwyk, 3 Jesse Jordaan, 2 Heindrich Loubscher, 1 Dandre Bloem.
Goudveld vs Hentie Cilliers at 13:30:
Goudveld-Hoërskool: 15 Enzo Beukes, 14 Wilbrie van Zyl, 13 Urban Pienaar, 12 Ruben Crous, 11 Junior Motsamai, 10 Quinton Davids, 9 Ryan de Jager, 8 Jonathan Olivier, 7 Juanricht Cloete, 6 Schalk du Plessis, 5 Lodie van Dyk, 4 Heinru Carstens, 3 Marco-Jan Pretorius, 2 Jan Coetzee, 1 Toka Khooe.
Hentie Cilliers: 15 Andisile Mentz, 14 Tholo Malongoanyane, 13 Paballo Motlolisi, 12 Bongamusa Ngidi, 11 Mosa Sesedi, 10 Paseka Mokoena, 9 Lecleu Nell, 8 Valter Veale, 7 Samson Nthantumbo, 6 Owen Posholi, 5 Oyama Frans, 4 Azani Mokohty, 3 Lungile Samson, 2 Josay Sebia, 1 Lerato Mabona.
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