Oldest schoolboy rugby derby in the country continues when SACS host Bishops
SACS and Diocesan College are celebrating their 150th year of rivalry this year, with Bishops getting the first victory by 31-25 earlier in the season, SACS will be looking to level the scores in the return fixture on Saturday.
Wynberg Boys’ High will be looking to build on a strong performance last weekend, when they beat Bishops 27-20 after losing to them earlier in the season (14-10). They will be hoping to have the last laugh against Rondebosch Boys’ High this weekend as well.
Rondebosch won the first game against Wynberg this year by 20-16 at home earlier in the year and the hosts will be excited for the opportunity to get their retribution this weekend.
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Bishops’ playbreaker scrumhalf, Haashim Pead, stood out when they beat SACS earlier in the year, and he has been a central part of their attack throughout the season. Pead is unavailable this weekend, as he has been selected as part of the SA u18 team to play England on Saturday.
Kashief Joseph steps up to fill his boots on Saturday, with the benefit of having the experienced Shaywan Blankenberg (flyhalf) next to him.
The visitors’ fullback, Gilermo Mentoe, has also been exceptional this year, helping them defeat all three of their southern suburb rivals in the first round of fixtures, and earning a spot in the SA A team after his performance at the Craven Week in George.
Nic Allison (centre) got over the line for Bishops the last time they played against SACS and will be looking to repeat the success of that weekend.
SACS big Craven Week tighthead prop, Ikhona Maxegwana, has been a stalwart for his side, leading the charge from the front since their captain, the loosehead prop, Ali Osman-Bosch, suffered an injury earlier in the season.
The dynamic centre, Daniel Dayaram, has assumed the captaincy and will be in the thick of it again on Saturday, trying to help his team to a victory over their age old rivals.
Throughout their illustrious histories both of these schools have produced some outstanding alumni.
SACS have 32 Springboks among their graduates, from Ben Duff, who played in the Sprinboks’ first ever test match, to Percy Montgomery who ran out for the national team 102 times.
Diocesan College have 42 Springboks who have walked their grounds, including Barry Heatlie who captained the Springboks to their first ever test win in 1896 when the beat the British Isles 5-0 in Cape Town.
Most recently Dillyn Lleyds earned his first cap in 2017.
Wynberg Boys’ High look for retribution when they host Rondebosch Boys’ High after their loss earlier in the season, but they will have to do without their captain, Xola Nyali (flanker), who has been selected for the SA u18 team to face England on Saturday.
Nyali also captained the SA u18s earlier in the week when they lost to France by 37-24.
Jarrod Jackson replaces him in the back row next to Euwyn Liberty (flanker) and Aden da Costa (eighth man) who have been extremely effective for their team on defence and in turning over the ball.
They played well to set the record straight against Bishops last weekend and will be looking to their speedsters, Brandon Ashburner (centre) and Xolela Hoyi (winger) to spearhead the attack.
Hoyi will be starting at fullback this weekend to cover for the injured Matthew Ould, making space for Tyrone Gombe on the wing.
Rondebosch have looked strong all season, with players like Nichollas Molyneux (fullback) and Juma Amissi (winger) looking dangerous in space, and the two industrious flankers Sunday Mailoni-Burns and Polite Phiri also being notable every weekend.
The teams are:
SACS vs Diocesan College at 12:15:
SACS: 15 Aya Machuli, 14 Nick Reynolds, 13 Daniel Dayaram, 12 Raashied Conrad, 11 Ilitha Ntinini, 10 Rayaan Solomons, 9 Seth Bradford, 8 Niche Koopman, 7 Ben van Coller, 6 Richard Skeeles, 5 Khwezi Ndlovu, 4 Zach Kennedy, 3 Ikhona Maxegwana, 2 Alex Pybus, 1 Tumelo Noah.
Diocesan College: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Ayanda Bonoyi, 13 Olo Sopotela, 12 Nic Allison, 11 Lucca Mynhardt, 10 Shaywan Blankenberg, 9 Kashief Joseph, 8 Aidan Norris, 7 Alex Smith, 6 Tapiwa Nkumanda, 5 CJ Gordon, 4 Zach Willemse, 3 Nashe Chahwahwa, 2 Merlin Fransman, 1 Richard Horton.
Wynberg Boys’ High vs Rondebosch Boys’ High at 12:30:
Wynberg Boys’ High: 15 Xolela Hoyi, 14 Matteo Pascoe, 13 Brandon Ashburner, 12 Amier Adams, 11 Tyrone Gombe, 10 Yaqeen Ahmed, 9 Sange Mbuto, 8 Aden da Costa, 7 Euwyn Liberty, 6 Jarryd Jackson, 5 Michail Kasfikis, 4 Montgmomery Loggenberg, 3 Luqobo Makwedini, 2 Nicholas van Schalkwyk, 1 Aidan Reid.
Rondebosch Boys’ High: 15 Nichollas Molyneux, 14 Juma Amissi, 13 Juandre Welthagen, 12 Mathew Malherbe, 11 Ethan Gordon, 10 Dylan Miller, 9 Cameron Whitson, 8 Ryan du Rand, 7 Sunday Mailoni-Burns, 6 Polite Phiri, 5 Tom Barnard, 4 Carl Geddie, 3 Zev Schapiro, 2 Thomas van Wyk, 1 Justin Amos.
