The cream of the crop heads to Makhanda for the SAC Shield
Rivalries will be renewed, old foes will lock horns, and bragging rights will be up for grabs when the St Andrew’s College (SAC) Shield kicks off in Makhanda this week.
The annual tournament is widely recognised as one of the country’s most prestigious events and marks the start of a jam-packed water polo season.
It runs from 22 to 25 January, with the action taking place at St Andrew College’s picturesque aquatic centre.
Catch every match LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
In attendance will be some of the nation’s powerhouses who will be out to prove a point and lay hands on the first piece of silverware on offer in 2026.
Rondebosch Boys’ High will be defending the title they won when they defeated St John’s College 12-7 in the final a year ago.
The Cape Town school has been drawn in Pool A along with St John’s, St Andrew’s, Bishops Diocesan College, Clifton College, and Westville Boys’ High.
It is, undoubtedly, the group of death and will certainly influence the quality of matchups when the tournament heads into the playoffs.
Bishops finished with a bronze medal last year, but they’ll be aiming to go further this time around. The side, coached by Jabulani Sibiya, will be brimming with confidence after beating Paul Roos Gimnasium 15-10 in round one of the SACS Nite Series on Tuesday.
The hosts didn’t have the greatest of campaigns a year ago, finishing ninth after beating Westville 9-5 on the final day.
Clifton will also set their sights on improving and playing an attractive brand of polo under coach Pierre le Roux, who had barely touched down in South Africa from New Zealand last year before taking charge of the Durban side.
While Pool A is littered with top-notch clashes, Pool B could be wide open with several teams licking their lips and eyeing upsets.
Hilton College and SACS will reignite their rivalry at the tournament. They played for fifth place last year, with Hilton winning that contest 10-9.
St Stithians College has made a promising start to the season and racked up victories over St David’s Marist Inanda and King Edward VII (KES) at the KES Night League a week ago.
Led by coaches Michal Stewart and Jason Sileno, they’ll fancy their chances of going far in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Cape duo of Grey High School and Selborne College will need to play their socks off to keep up with the rest of the pack.
Selborne impressed last year and finished fourth, while Grey finished last after losing 8-9 to Paul Roos Gimnasium on the final day.
The action will kick off bright and early on Thursday with a Pool A clash between the hosts and Westville at 07:30.
Pools
Pool A: Bishops, Rondebosch, St John’s College, St Andrew’s College, Clifton College, Westville Boys’ High.
Pool B: SACS, St Stithians College, Hilton College, Grey High, Selborne College, Paul Roos.
Fixtures
Day 1 – Thursday, 22 January
Pool A
07:30 – Westville vs St Andrew’s; 08:20 – Clifton vs St John’s College; 09:10 – Bishops vs Rondebosch; 12:30 – Bishops vs Westville; 13:20 – Rondebosch vs Clifton; 14:10 – St John’s College vs St Andrew’s; 17:30 – Bishops vs St Andrew’s.
Pool B
10:00 – Paul Roos vs Grey High; 10:50 – Selborne vs Hilton College; 11:40 – SACS vs St Stithians; 15:00 – SACS vs Paul Roos; 15:50 – St Stithians vs Selborne; 16:40 – Hilton vs Grey High.
Day 2 – Friday, 23 January
Pool A
09:30 – St John’s vs Westville; 10:20 – St Andrew’s vs Rondebosch; 11:10 – Clifton vs Bishops; 14:30 – Rondebosch vs Westville; 15:20 – St John’s vs Bishops; 16:10 – St Andrew’s vs Clifton.
Pool B
07:00 – St Stithians vs Paul Roos; 07:50 – Hilton vs SACS; 08:40 – Grey High vs Selborne; 12:00 – Hilton vs Paul Roos; 12:50 – Grey vs St Stithians; 13:40 – Selborne vs SACS; 17:00 – Paul Roos vs Selborne; 17:50 – SACS vs Grey High.
Day 3 – Saturday, 24 January
Pool A
07:00 – Westville vs Clifton; 07:50 – Rondebosch vs St John’s.
Pool B
08:40 – St Stithians vs Hilton College.
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