Three unbeaten records on the line on last day of ISRF
St Stithians, Brisbane Boys’ College, Clifton College, and St Andrew’s School maintained their unbeaten records at the Independent Schools Rugby Festival, being hosted by St Charles College, in Pietermaritzburg, on Monday.
St Stithians, who delivered a fine performance on Saturday in a narrow three-point win over St Andrew’s College, won more emphatically in their second outing, beating the Brisbane Barbarians (Brisbane Boys’ College 2nd XV) 33-14.
Credit to the Australian side, they’re well coached and play a well-structured game, but Saints had their number.
Clifton College followed up on an impressive 33-14 win over Cornwall Hill College with an even more comfortable victory, outplaying CBC Boksburg 54-13.
Throughout the 2025 season, Clifton struggled with their finishing, but they sure have found it at the Independent Schools Rugby Festival, playing some exciting running rugby, which has, no doubt, provided them with a huge boost of confidence.
CBC, for their part, lack size, and that has made it a challenge for the boys from Boksburg. They’re not short of spirit, but playing with back-foot ball is not easy.
Brisbane Boys’ College, winners over a strong Hilton College side on Saturday, faced an enthusiastic challenge from the St Charles Gold team, which had dispatched Somerset College by 31 points on Saturday.
The Queenslanders were up for it, and although Saints was able to breech their defences a number of times, Brisbane Boys’ College almost doubled up the home side, romping to a 47-24 win.
There was success for St Charles, though, as St Charles Blue overpowered St Alban’s 33-8. That success reflects well on the hosts’ depth. With the majority of their 1st XV players returning in 2026, they’re a dark horse to watch out for.
St Andrew’s School finished the day with the best defensive record thus far at the Independent Schools Rugby Festival. After a hard-fought 19-14 win over St Benedict’s in their opener, during which they conceded only one try, they gave up only one more in a convincing 26-5 victory over St David’s Marist Inanda.
St Andrew’s College, after their tight loss to St Stithians, hit their straps against Cornwall Hill College and raced to a 38-12 victory.
Somerset College, meanwhile, made a tick in the win column, coming out of a tight tussle against St Benedict’s with a 24-12 victory.
The biggest win of the day belonged to Hilton College who were surprisingly dominant against St John’s College, hammering the Johannesburg school 74-0.
The final day of the event, Wednesday, will feature six matches, with the Brisbane Boys’ College and St Charles teams not in action.
Clifton College will have an opportunity to finish with a clean record when they tackle St Benedict’s, while St Stithians will face a stiff challenge in their quest to go unbeaten. They meet Hilton College.
St Andrew’s School will feel confident they can go three for three. They finish with a clash against CBC Boksburg.
FIXTURES
Wednesday, 2 July
Colts Field
08:00 – St John’s vs St Alban’s
09:10 – St Andrew’s School vs CBC Boksburg
10:20 – Hilton vs St Stithians
Old Orchards Field
08:00 – St David’s vs St Andrew’s College
09:10 – Somerset College vs Cornwall Hill
10:20 – Clifton College vs St Benedict’s
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