Rondebosch retains the Ian Melliar Cup
Dominating almost all of their opposition, with a strong defence and moments of individual brilliance, Rondebosch Boys’ High claimed the Ian Melliar Cup for a second successive year in Cape Town on Sunday.
‘Bosch was clinical throughout the tournament and completed an impressive run with a convincing 13-6 win over St John’s College in the final at Wynberg Boys’ High’s Top Pool.
The side, coached by the experienced Etienne le Roux, headed into the tournament as the favourites, having gone all the way in 2024, before continuing to stack wins in 2025.
Rondebosch, though, got off to a rocky start when they fell to a shock 4-5 loss to St David’s Marist Inanda on the opening day.
They quickly put that defeat behind them and, on day two, thumped Pretoria Boys High 7-2 before scoring 13 goals against Glenwood House.
They went on to net 15 unanswered goals against Maritzburg College to set up a playoff match against Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG).
Once again, it was one-way traffic, with Rondebosch breezing past PRG 13-3. In the quarterfinals, they took on Clifton College and came away with a 12-7 victory.
That was a vital victory over a dangerous side, with Clifton having already beaten SACS and St John’s. Later, they also beat St David’s. In the end, the ‘Bosch loss was the only defeat suffered by the Durban side.
By the quarterfinals, coach Le Roux’s side had hit their stride, and they looked well-nigh unstoppable. In the semi-finals, though, they were made to dig deep for a 9-7 win over SACS. St John’s, meanwhile, handed Wynberg a 10-5 loss to qualify for the final.
It was neck-and-neck in the early exchanges of the title game. However, ‘Bosch started to pull away in the latter parts of the contest to win going away.
“I am immensely proud of the team’s performance,” Le Roux told SuperSport Schools Plus after the title game.
“We had a really bad start to the tournament, with the team having their first loss ever. We had to dig deep to reset and get back to our game and win the tournament.
“The boys showed incredible maturity to be able to accept a loss, learn from it, and then perform, which was the key to our trophy [success].”
Le Roux said a productive off-season had allowed his team to prepare well for the challenges that awaited in the fourth term.
That off-season included, for some, a tour to Montenegro in July. After that, they took on daily sessions from August, with a key focus being on implementing a strong defensive system to help the players get used to the style of water polo Le Roux wants to employ.
“I would describe our style as a ‘suffocation’ way to play,” the coach explained.
“We place a lot of focus on limiting mistakes on defence, which makes it incredibly hard for teams to score past us.
“As the game continues, the opposition tends to panic when they cannot score goals. Defence is an absolute key for us, and the boys executed it very well. We conceded very few goals, which then, also, built the base for our attack.”
Le Roux also lauded his team’s cohesion. “I think the entire team performed really well together, and as a team, we are always stronger,” he said.
“There were some excellent performances all round from all the players. I am glad that some of the boys – Ross Webber, Nathan Corlett, Ross Briers-Danks and Blake Galpin – were recognised for their playing by being selected for the team of the tournament.
“There were some individual awards – Best Defender, Blake Galpin, and MVP, Nathan Corlett. Another standout player for us was our goalkeeper, Daniel Smith, who is the backbone of our defence and game strategy.
“He had an incredible tournament and showed that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the u15 age group in South Africa.”
Rondebosch’s attention will next turn to Western Cape league games, with some of the players vying for inclusion in the first team for next month’s St Stithians College Stayers Tournament.
Click HERE to see all the results from the Ian Melliar Cup.
Final standings
Rondebosch Boys’ High
St John’s College
SACS
Wynberg Boys’ High
Clifton College
Hilton College
St David’s Marist Inanda
Bishops
Kearsney College
Selborne College
Paul Roos
Pretoria Boys High
Affies
Grey High School
Paarl Boys’ High
Buffalo City Invitational
Cape Town Invitational
Reddam House Constantia
Maritzburg College
Glenwood House
