Saints seek redemption against Bennies

St Stithians College will be seeking redemption when they face their rivals St Benedict’s College, who twice defeated them last season.

When last the teams met, in June 2023, Bennies won 33-15 at home. At the beginning of May, they triumphed 26-17 on Jamieson Field.

That’s where the sides will meet on Saturday. Home ground advantage will be in Saints‘ favour come the midday kick-off, and they’ll be motivated by their twin setbacks of last year.

St Stithians College players to watch include flyhalf Chris Anderson, whose tactical kicking game is a key asset.

Last year, Tashinga Chichgonzo dotted down twice against Bennies. Now the Saints’ vice-captain, he would love to replicate that individual performance, but this time with a win attached to his individual success.

Spearheading the visitors’ effort will be their captain and 8th-man, Jason Cutler, whose leadership will be instrumental in driving his team forward.

In the Bennies’ backline, keep an eye-out for the Le Roux twins, Declan and Braeden, who will man the critical scrumhalf and flyhalf positions respectively.

“They will play a crucial role in dictating the pace and direction of play for St Benedict’s, who will have a different looking backline when compared to last year’s,” said coach Andrew Barnes.

Saturday’s match will be the first of the season for St Stithians. St Benedict’s have played one game, but it wasn’t much of a tester, as they cruised to a 67-7 win over Queens High School.

With Easter festivals looming, Saturday’s showdown is also a key opportunity for the teams to find their form ahead of the showcase events which, of course, include the Saints Easter Festival, now into its 40th year.

Teams

St Stithians College: 15 Sicelo Sakawuli, 14 Helo Ngwenya, Nthabeleng Mafole (VC), 12 Gabriel Hore (C), 11 Tyler Maclennan, 10 Chris Anderson, 9 Josh Meyer, 8 Jono Caveney, 7 Tashinga Chichgonzo (VC), 6 Ross Turner, 5 Ryan Zvinavashe, 4 Francois Botes 3 Keabetswe Mapukana, 2 Ethan Jacobs, 1 Braden Lighfoot.

St Benedict’s College: 15 ⁠ Lex Pilling, 14 Anagona Marufu, 13 Matthew Hovelmeier, 12 Iviwe Mlilo, 11 Wade Ramsay, 10 Braeden Le Roux (vc), 9 ⁠Declan Le Roux, 8 Jason Cutler (C), 7 Matthew Joubert 6 Tebogo Phukuile 5 Luke Carr 4 Nick Moravec 3 Victor Goncalves 2 Chad Urquhart 1 Rudzani Tshivhase.

Fixture: 

u19A: 12:00 (Jamieson Field)