Rondebosch hosting Bishops on Tinkie Heyns this Saturday
While most of the action in the Western Province has come to an end for the term, the Southern Suburbs are still at each other over the weekend.
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Rondebosch Boys’ High hosts their old foes, Diocesan College, on the Tinkie Heyns field for what is set to be an exciting matchup, with both teams performing well so far this season.
Both teams are looking for a return to form after going down to the two big Paarl sides last weekend. Bishops lost to Paarl Gimnasium by 45-7 and Rondebosch just came up short 12-7 against Paarl Boys’ High.
That said, both of these teams have been playing really well and will see this as a big test which will play a definite part in determining the success of their respective seasons and take them one step closer to being able to claim the top-dog status in the southern suburbs.
The quality of their play this year is reflected in the Western Province provincial teams’ selections, where both schools have done well to have players included, in spite of the fierce competition for places in the representative teams from the schools from Paarl.
Rondebosch’s big prop, Justin Amos, is included in the Western Province Craven Week side, where he will be playing alongside Hassiem Pead (scrumhalf), Aiden Norris (no. 8) and Gilermo Mentoe (fullback) from Bishops.
The home team’s fullback, David Simon, and winger, Juma Amissi, have been selected for the WP Craven Week XV. Shaywan Blankenberg, Bishops’ flyhalf, has also made that team after playing for the WP Academy side last year.
Before they switch their jerseys for the provincial colours and begin preparing to play together, however, there will be no inch given on Saturday, as they fight it out in Rondebosch for the first of two encounters this year.
These two teams will meet each other again in August, this time on the Piley Rees field, for their second game of the season, so the Rondebosch boys will want to make sure they make the most of the home ground advantage while they have it.
The rivalry between the neighbouring schools has always been strong since they first played each other in 1908 when a Bishops U16 team beat Wynberg U16 112-0.
Since then, however, it has been a much closer contest. Rondebosch won both encounters last year, beating Bishops 43-26 at home and 20-15 on the Diocesan College fields.
SACS is hosting Wynberg Boys’ High for the first of their two fixtures.
Wynberg came out on top in both of their derby games against SACS last year, beating them 40-15 and 16-5.
Both teams have had a difficult run of late and will be desperate to return to winning ways. It could go either way.
Wynberg appears to have the stronger squad though, as they have two players in the Craven Week team and four in the Craven Week XV.
Yaqeen Ahmed (flyhalf) and captain, Xola Nyali (flanker) represent their school in the Western Province Craven Week squad, while Torren February (flanker), Ethan Hendricks (no. 8), Luqobo Makwedini (prop) and Sange Mbutho (scrumhalf) have made the cut for the WP XV.
Makwedini was also part of the Sharks’ Grant Khomo team last year when he was attending Durban High School.
Ikhona Maxegwana (prop) is the only player from SACS to make the WP XV.
The SACS boys will be looking forward to the opportunity to show that they may have been overlooked though, and both teams will want to end the term on a high.
Wynberg are without their fullback, Matthew Ould and flanker, February. Their playmaker winger, Xolela Hoyi, covers fullback and Levi Brown starts at wing, while Da Costa moves to the flank position and Monty Loggenberg gets the start at lock.
February and Hendricks are on the bench for Wynberg.
SACS remain unchanged from the team that lost to Paul Roos (26-7) in Stellenbosch last weekend.
The teams are:
Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Diocesan College at 12:15
Rondebosch Boys’ High: 15 David Simon, 14 Juma Amissi, 13 Nicholas Molyneux, 12 Matthew Malherbe, 11 Ethan Gordon, 10 Dylan Miller, 9 Caleb Belelie, 8 Ryan du Rand, 7 Alutha Wesi, 6 Riyadh Isaacs, 5 Tom Barnard, 4 Collin Paul Kemp, 3 Nicolas Swier, 2 Thomas van Wyk, 1 Justin Amos.
Diocesan College: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Ayanda Bonoyi, 13 Olo Sopotela, 12 Nic Allison, 11 Lucca Mynhardt, 10 Shaywan Blanckenberg, 9 Hassiem Pead, 8 Aidan Norris, 7 Christian Steward, 6 Tapiwa Nkumanda, 5 Alex Smith, 4 CJ Gordon, 3 Nashe Chahwahwa, 2 Merlin Fransman, 1 Richard Horton.
SACS vs Wynberg Boys’ High at 12:30
SACS: 15 Aya Machuli, 14 Jack Benade, 13 Endinako Peter, 12 Raashied Conrad, 11 Ilitha Ntinini, 10 Rayaan Solomons, 9 Sean Grant, 8 Ben van Coller, 7 Khwezi Ndlovu, 6 Richard Skeeles, 5 Pierre van Selm, 4 Zach Kennedy, 3 Ikhona Maxegwana, 2 Alex Viera, 1 Ali Osman-Bosch.
Wynberg Boys’ High: 15 Xolela Hoyi 14 Matteo Pascoe, 13 Brandon Ashburner, 12 Ammier Adams, 11 Levi Brown, 10 Yaqeen Ahmed, 9 Sange Mbuto, 8 Xola Nyali, 7 Aden da Costa Torren, 6 Jarryd Jackson, 5 Michail Kasfikis, 4 Monty Loggenberg, 3 Luqobo Makwedini, 2 Nicholas van Schalkwyk, 1 Aidan Reid.
