SACS hunting a third-straight Clifton Water Polo Tournament title
A simple and structured brand of water polo is what South African College High School (SACS) will be out to deliver when they begin their title defence of the Clifton Water Polo Tournament in Durban on Wednesday.
The prestigious event, one of South Africa’s premier boys’ tournaments, runs from 24 to 28 September at the Clifton Aquatic Centre.
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In a thrilling and nail-biting final in 2024, SACS defeated St John’s College 8-7 to repeat as champions.
The Newlands-based outfit is seeded in Pool D and will face Hilton College, Michaelhouse, and King Edward VII.
SuperSport Schools Plus caught up with SACS head coach Devon Card ahead of the tournament to discuss their preparations, expectations, and the makeup of the team.
“Preparations are always challenging during the winter, especially as many of our players are still focused on their winter sports until the end of August,” he said.
“Despite that, we’ve managed to get some solid hours under our belt, particularly with our school getting the heaters on so early in the term.”
Coach Card’s side last played tournament polo at the KES Water Polo Tournament, in Johannesburg, in March.
There, they finished in sixth place after a disappointing SACS Nite Series campaign, which saw them finish fifth.
Despite those hiccups, SACS has plenty of talented players who have been focusing on key areas ahead of the tournament.
“We’ve always been a process-driven team, and that mindset is deeply entrenched in our group,” Card said.
“We firmly believe that defence wins tournaments, so we’ve been stress-testing our structures against the SACS Old Boys team, which features some of the best attacking talent in the country.
“Another key focus has been building confidence within the squad to step outside the framework when needed – to back themselves, trust their instincts, and play what’s in front of them.”
Card said his players are relishing the opportunity of playing under pressure as the two-time defending champs.
They are also wary of the challenges that will be posed by their opponents in Pool D.
“It would be naïve not to acknowledge the quality of the opposition,” he said.
“Hilton have proven in previous tournaments that they’re among the best in the country, and both KES and Michaelhouse are definitely teams we’ll need to take seriously.
“That said, our focus remains on ticking the first box in front of us and on controlling the things within our control.”
When asked about what spectators and the SACS faithful can expect from his side, the coach said: “As always, we’ll be bringing our SACS brand of polo to the tournament. Spectators can expect to see us playing as a team, not relying on individuals, and delivering simple, structured water polo.”
The Cape outfit will kick off their campaign on day one against KES at 16:50.
SACS TEAM
Leo Jackson, Harry Oldham, Luca Orgill, Matt Robinson, Nick Wilson, Finn Lecuona, Aidan Turrell, Ben Bigara, Matt Forbes, Michael Skeeles, Connor Mortlock, Jandro Rojo-Roos, Seth Hopkins, Jake Dave.
SACS Pool fixtures
Wednesday, 24 September
16:50 – SACS vs KES
Thursday, 25 September
10:20 – SACS vs Michaelhouse
13:40 – SACS vs Hilton College
FIXTURES
Wednesday, 24 September
Game 1 – 11:00 – Pool A – Clifton vs Maritzburg College
Game 2 – 11:50 – Pool B – Kearsney vs Northwood
Game 3 – 12:40 – Pool C – DHS vs Westville
Game 4 – 13:30 – Pool D – Hilton vs Michaelhouse
Game 5 – 14:20 – Pool B – Paul Roos vs Grey College
Game 6 – 15:10 – Pool A – Selborne vs Reddam Constantia
Game 7 – 16:00 – Pool C – St John’s vs Affies
Game 8 – 16:50 – Pool D – SACS vs KES
18:00 – Opening Ceremony
Thursday, 26 September
Game 9 – 07:00 – Pool D – Hilton vs KES
Game 10 – 07:50 – Pool C – St John’s vs DHS
Game 11 – 08:40 – Pool B – Kearsney vs Grey College
Game 12 – 09:30 – Pool A – Clifton vs Reddam Constantia
Game 13 – 10:20 – Pool D – Michaelhouse vs SACS
Game 14 – 11:10 – Pool C – Westville vs Affies
Game 15 – 12:00 – Pool B – Paul Roos vs Northwood
Game 16 – 12:50 – Pool A – Selborne vs Maritzburg College
Game 17 – 13:40 – Pool D – Hilton vs SACS
Game 18 – 14:30 – Pool C – St John’s vs Westville
Game 19 – 15:20 – Pool B – Kearsney vs Paul Roos
Game 20 – 16:10 – Pool A – Clifton vs Selborne
Game 21 – 17:00 – Pool D – KES vs Michaelhouse
Game 22 – 17:50 – Pool C – Affies vs DHS
Game 23 – 18:40 – Pool B – Grey College vs Northwood
Game 24 – 19:30 – Pool A – Reddam Constantia vs Maritzburg College
Friday, 26 September
Game 25 – 08:00 – 2nd Pool A vs 3rd Pool C
Game 26 – 09:00 – 2nd Pool B vs 3rd Pool D
Game 27 – 10:00 – 3rd Pool A vs 2nd Pool C
Game 28 – 11:00 – 3rd Pool B vs 2nd Pool D
Game 29 – 13:00 – Loser 25 vs Pool D
Game 30 – 14:00 – Loser 26 – 4th Pool A
Game 31 – 15:00 – Loser 27 – 4th Pool B
Game 32 – 16:00 – Loser 28 – 4th Pool C
18:00 – Parents Social Evening
Game 33 – 07:00 – QF1 – 1st Pool D vs Winner 27
Game 34 – 08:00 – QF2 – 1st Pool C vs Winner 28
Game 35 – 09:00 – QF3 – 1st Pool B vs Winner 25
Game 36 – 10:00 – QF4 – 1st Pool A vs Winner 26
Game 37 – 11:00 – Winner 29 vs Winner 30
Game 38 – 12:00 – Winner 31 vs Winner 32
Game 39 – 13:00 – Loser 29 vs Loser 30
Game 40 – 14:00 – Loser 31 vs Loser 32
Game 41 – 15:00 – Plate SF 1 – Loser 33 vs Loser 35
Game 42 – 16:00 – Plate SF 2 – Loser 34 vs Loser 36
South Africa vs Argentina – Viewing on five big screen TVs
Game 43 – 19:30 – SF 1 – Winner 33 vs Winner 35
Game 44 – 20:30 – SF 2 – Winner 34 vs Winner 36
Sunday, 28 September
Game 45 – 07:00 – 15/16 – Loser 40 vs Loser 39
Game 46 – 07:50 – 13/14 – Winner 40 vs Winner 39
Game 47 – 08:40 – 11/12 – Loser 37 vs Loser 38
Game 48 – 09:30 – 9/10 – Winner 37 vs Winner 38
Game 49 – 10:20 – 7/8 – Loser 41 vs Loser 42
Game 50 – 11:10 – 5/6 – Winner 41 vs Winner 42
Game 51 – 12:00 – 3/4 – Loser 44 vs Loser 43
Game 52 – 13:00 – 1/2 – Winner 44 vs Winner 43
14:00 – Prize Giving
