This year’s Currie Cup is Grasshopper Green with a tint of Eikestad Maroon
This year’s Currie Cup final will have a strong shade of Grasshopper green with a tint of Maroon.
Glenwood High School from Durban and Paul Roos Gimnasium from Stellenbosch have the biggest representation in this year’s final with four old boys from each that will be in action at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The Lions will host the Sharks in the first Currie Cup final between these two sides since 2011.
In total 26 schools will be represented in the final. The Lions have four players in their squad of 23 who were schooled in the union. They are Darrien Landsberg (Northcliff), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (St Stithians College), Morné Brandon (Monument) and Kelly Mpeku (King Edward VII).
All four have also represented the Golden Lions at the Craven Week during their school careers.
The Sharks have eight players in their squad who also played their school rugby within the union. They are Jordan Hendrikse, James Venter (both Glenwood), Ethan Hooker, Tian Meyer (both Westville Boys’ High), Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Mawande Mdande (all Maritzburg College) and Dylan Richardson (Kearsney College).
Interesting is that four KwaZulu-Natal school scrumhalves Hendrikse, Sanele Nohamba (Durban High School), Nico Steyn (Glenwood) and Meyer will take the park in the final.
Ben Vorster from Tzaneen will probably for the first time have two representatives in the final with Renzo du Plessis and Trevor Nyakane who will be on the opposing side. Du Plessis matriculated in 2019 while World Cup winner Nyakane matriculated in 2007.
The teams:
Lions: 15 Quan Horn (Paarl Boys’ High), 14 Rabz Maxwane (Dale College), 13 Rynhardt Jonker (Glenwood), 12 Marius Louw (Grey College), 11 Tapiwa Mafura (Ermelo), 10 Sanele Nohamba (Durban High School), 9 Nico Steyn (Glenwood), 8 Jarod Cairns (Paul Roos Gimnasium), 7 Ruan Venter (Paarl Boys’ High), 6 Renzo du Plessis (Ben Vorster), 5 Darrien Landsberg (Northcliff), 4 Ruben Schoeman (Grey College), 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye (St Stithians College), 2 Jaco Visagie (Augsburg Landbou – captain), 1 Morgan Naudé (Hoërskool Nelspruit). Replacements: 16 Morné Brandon (Monument), 17 Juan Schoeman (Affies), 18 Conrad van Vuuren (Hoërskool Nelspruit), 19 Siba Qoma (Hudson Park), 20 Raynard Roets (Garsfontein), 21 JC Pretorius (HTS Middelburg), 22 Kade Wolhuter (Paul Roos Gimnasium), 23 Kelly Mpeku (King Edward VII).
Sharks: 15 Jordan Hendrikse (Glenwood), 14 Eduan Keyter (Affies), 13 Jurenzo Julius (Paul Roos Gimnasium), 12 André Esterhuizen (Klerksdorp), 11 Ethan Hooker (Westville Boys’ High), 10 Siya Masuku (Piet Retief), 9 Bradley Davids (Paarl Gimnasium), 8 Emmanuel Tshituka (Northcliff), 7 Vincent Tshituka (Northcliff – captain), 6 James Venter (Glenwood), 5 Emile van Heerden (Paarl Boys’ High), 4 Corné Rahl (Oakdale Landbou), 3 Hanro Jacobs (Paul Roos Gimnasium), 2 Fez Mbatha (Maritzburg College), 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu (Maritzburg College). Replacements: 16 Dylan Richardson (Kearsney College), 17 Trevor Nyakane (Ben Vorster), 18 Mawande Mdande (Maritzburg College), 19 Jason Jenkins (St Alban’s College), 20 Gerbrandt Grobler (Affies), 21 Tinotenda Mavesere (Churchill High, Zimbabwe), 22 Tian Meyer (Westville Boys’ High), 23 Lionel Cronjé (Queen’s College).
Schools represented in this year’s Currie Cup final:
4 – Glenwood (Rynhardt Jonker, Nico Steyn, Jordan Hendrikse, James Venter); Paul Roos Gimnasium (Jarod Cairns, Kade Wolhuter, Jurenzo Julius, Hanro Jacobs).
3 – Paarl Boys’ High (Quan Horn, Ruan Venter, Emile van Heerden); Northcliff (Darrien Landsberg, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka); Maritzburg College (Ntuthuko Mchunu, Fez Mbatha, Mawande Mdande); Affies (Juan Schoeman, Eduan Keyter, Gerbrandt Grobler).
2 – Ben Vorster (Trevor Nyakane, Renzo du Plessis); Westville Boys’ High (Ethan Hooker, Tian Meyer); Hoërskool Nelspruit (Morgan Naudé, Conrad van Vuuren); Grey College (Marius Louw, Ruben Schoeman).
1 – St Alban’s College (Jason Jenkins); Dale College (Rabz Maxwane); Piet Retief (Siya Masuka); Paarl Gimnasium (Bradley Davids); Oakdale Landbou (Corné Rahl); Queen’s College (Lionel Cronjé); St Stithians College (Asenathi Ntlabakanye); Ermelo (Tapiwa Mafura); Hoërskool Klerksdorp (André Esterhuizen); Hudson Park (Siba Qoma); Garsfontein (Raynard Roets); King Edward VII (Kelly Mpeku); HTS Middelburg (JC Pretorius); Augsburg Landbou (Jaco Visagie); Monument (Morné Brandon); Durban High School (Sanele Nohamba); Kearsney College (Dylan Richardson); Churchill High (Tinotenda Mavesere).
