Visiting teams’ winning streak on the line in Hilton/Michaelhouse derby
The Hilton College 1st XV has enjoyed a better rugby season than their great rivals, Michaelhouse, and they’ll be favoured to win when the teams go at it on Gilfillian Field, at Hilton, on Saturday afternoon.
Better record, home ground advantage? So, most factors point towards a Hilton win. Except for the fact that this is a rivalry clash, and those are notoriously unpredictable, plus the rather strange fact that the home team last won in 2022.
Hilton kept that streak intact with a 25-20 win at Michaelhouse at the beginning of May. In June 2024, Hilton won 26-25 on Meadows. Earlier in the season, Michaelhouse triumphed 24-23 at Hilton.
When Michaelhouse scored an 18-15 win over Hilton on Gilfillan in June 2023, it ended a long winning streak for Hilton over the Balgowan boys, which had stood since 2016. It also brought Michaelhouse their 100th win in the rivalry. After winning earlier this season, Hilton now has 97 wins, and 10 matches have been drawn.
Given that they’re an experienced side and the undoubted quality in their ranks, Michaelhouse has the ability to again win away from home.
However, they’re coming off a tough 20-50 defeat to Westville Boys’ High, who did a lot of damage in a similar manner to the approach that Hilton will take, and which Brad Macleod-Henderson‘s charges have very successfully executed throughout the season.
They’re going to attack around the fringes, aiming to get players running onto the ball at pace, and they have the physical edge to do that. Once Hilton gets into a flow with that approach, they’re relentless.
Their Craven Week forwards, hooker Josh Grant and eighthman Zander Muller, will be key players in the execution of that plan, while lock Andrew Schnell, a Sharks’ Academy Week selection, is playing outstanding rugby, too, but it’s not about individuals, Hilton’s pack hunts well together.
Hilton also features a Craven Week pair at scrumhalf and flyhalf, with Zander Vorster and Liyema Nela manning those positions, except that Vorster will be on the bench on Saturday, with Benoit Rey starting in the number nine jersey.
There’s one other change to the Hilton team that went down 20-23 to Maritzburg College last weekend, with Jacques Olivier taking over from Stewart Falconer at flank.
Michaelhouse is unchanged from the team that went down to unbeaten Westville. They boast a Craven Week midfield of William Ridl and Rourke O’Sullivan.
At the back, both teams have fullbacks who have enjoyed some exciting moments in 2025, with James Peattie wearing 15 for Hilton and Alex Jankowitz his opposite number. When tactical kicking is wayward, they can make things happen.
Wayward kicking happens when teams are able to pressure kickers. That’s going to be a crucial aspect of the game. Both teams understand the importance of playing the game in the right areas of the field. Their coaching – led by Brad Macleod-Henderson, at Hilton, and James Fleming, at Michaelhouse – is top-notch.
Michaelhouse’s season began with a 10-17 loss to Helpmekaar in a game they led at halftime. That was followed by a 13-15 defeat at Northwood, with ‘House losing the lead right at the death. It didn’t help that a showdown with Durban High School (DHS), on Van Heerden’s Field, in Durban, followed. There are few tougher places to play, but Michaelhouse showed up well in a 20-28 loss.
Those tough defeats, though, had an impact and they’ve failed to get across the finishing line in tight games. Had those early games tilted their way, they would likely have built up the momentum that would have resulted in a very different season.
Hilton, in contrast, have curiously underperformed in some games, most evidently in a 7-20 loss to Grey High School. Still, their record is a sound nine wins and four defeats. Interestingly, apart from their loss to Grey High in Gqeberha, two of their three other losses have come on Gilfillan Field.
Perhaps, though, the biggest challenge that awaits both teams is handling magnitude of the occasion. A focus on the basics and playing what lies in front of the players will be key, never mind the wall of noise that will envelop the game from all sides.
Michaelhouse has only four wins, two draws, and nine losses this season, but a victory at Hilton in their last match of 2025 would give their record a far glossier sheen. They’ll be desperate to make that happen.
Teams
Hilton College: 15 James Peattie, 14 Guy Fender, 13 Khazimla Makali, 12 Tristan Uys, 11 John Grubb, 10 Liyema Nela, 9 Benoit Rey, 8 Zander Muller, 7 Emmanuel Dankwah, 6 Jacques Olivier, 5 Andrew Schnell, 4 André Boshoff, 3 Mholi Khuzwayo, 2 Josh Grant, 1 Khanya Jekwa.
Michaelhouse: 15 Alex Jankowitz, 14 Lwandle Nzama, 13 Rourke O’Sullivan, 12 William Ridl, 11 Jack Carmody, 10 Stefan Moolman, 9 Dan Aissing, 8 Dom Sesink-Clee, 7 Luke Mitchell, 6 Oliver Davis, 5 Daniel Carr, 4 Reese Hill, 3 Nicolas Salamousas, 2 Max Oliva, 1 Koketso Bopape.
