Wynberg faces Bishops on the Piley Rees, Millies to battle Bellville
After a frustrating 10-38 loss to Stellenberg High last Friday, the Wynberg Boys’ High 1st XV will have their sights set on a return to winning ways when they face Bishops on the Piley Rees Field at 12:30 on Saturday.
Bishops will also aim to reverse a recent run of three defeats on the trot. In their most recent outing, they made the long trip from Cape Town to the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, where they gave a good account of themselves in a 17-26 loss to Hilton College.
The last time Bishop and Wynberg met on the Piley Rees, in August last year, the match ended in a 26-26 draw.
One of Wynberg’s strengths this season has been their rolling maul, with hooker Ridhau Johnson and flank Naeem Mohammed steering the ship, so Bishops will need to combat the visitors’ strength in that department. Mohammed normally starts at hooker, but has been moved onto the blindside flank for this occasion.
Flyhalf Luke Gertze and fullback Laeeq Davids will drive Wynberg’s attack from behind the pack.
Lock Alex Vintcent will have to be on song to earn Bishops some possession and momentum shifts from the lineout.
In the backline, Caleb Clark enjoyed a solid outing against Hilton, pulling the strings from flyhalf, while also kicking well.
With centre Boytjie Fyfer out for the weekend, centres Eljaron Geduld and Christian Toweel will be the arrowheads of the visitors’ attack. They are dangerous runners who can use their speed and agility to break the line.
Wynberg will be favoured to win, but given the history of southern suburb derbies, a tight contest is likely, and derbies are inherently unpredictable.
Milnerton High hosts Hoërskool Bellville, with kickoff on Saturday at 12:20.
Last year, Millies scored a comfortable 37-5 victory, but 2026 has not been as successful a season. They’re yet to win, although they drew 15-15 with Hoërskool Brackenfell in their most recent match, on 18 April, after suffering six losses against an admittedly tough list of opponents.
With one of their star players, Chadlin Sellidon, dictating play at the back, Milnerton will hope to bag a first win of their campaign. The fullback is expected to play his 50th cap for his school in the flyhalf position on the weekend, as there are many players out due to a flu strain going around.
Bellville started their season with five successive losses, but they’ve won their last two, beating Hoërskool Brackenfell 12-6 and Hoërskool Hugenote 22-21 in recent weeks. Based on the teams’ scores against a common opponent, there should be little to separate them, with both hungry for victory.
With outside centre Rian Kuyk out of the mix, flyhalf Marno Botes is the most dangerous threat to the Millies’ defence. He’s also good with the boot, so the hosts will need to guard against giving away too many penalties in their own half.
There’s another 12:30 start for the clash between Hoërskool Swartland and Hoërskool Robertson. When they last met, almost exactly a year ago, on 10 May 2025, Swartland won 19-14 at Robertson.
While Robertson will be eager to avenge that loss at Swartland, they face a team that has now won its last five matches convincingly. Their most recent outing, on 18 April, delivered a 49-26 win over Hermanus, a side that had beaten them 17-0 last year.
Robbies have had their share of tight battles so far this season. Most recently, they won a thriller against Hoërskool Bredasdorp, coming out on top 29-27.
Swartland should provide a tougher challenge for the visitors. Flyhalf De Wet van Aswegen serves as the hosts’ dangerman. He’s a regular on the scoresheet and leads his team with his attacking skill.
Robertson will need to find ways to lessen the flyhalf’s influence if they are to win in Malmesbury.
TEAMS
Wynberg: 15 Laeeq Davids, 14 Zachary de Kock, 13 Ithandile Nkohla, 12 Matthew Anthony, 11 Chad Campbell, 10 Luke Gertze, 9 Rauf Ahmed, 8 Esa Van der Schyff, 7 Naeem Mohammed, 6 Alvin Machinja, 5 Jack de Beer, 4 James Orwin, 3 Solam Gegana, 2 Ridhau Johnson, 1 Boitumelo Mabohlo.
Bishops: 15 Miyolo Ngculu, 14 Danny Newton, 13 Eljaron Geduld, 12 Christian Toweel, 11 Lulibo Nyawula, 10 Caleb Clark, 9 Jack Fleck, 8 Jack Venter, 7 Luke Hofmeyr, 6 Connor Clark, 5 Alex Vincent (Captain), 4 Dan Coetzee, 3 Jarred Kowen, 2 Joe Lanning, 1 Jack Hibling.
Milnerton: 15 Troy Ferreira, 14 Akho Mkaya, 13 Connor Petrie, 12 James Ferreira, 11 Sibabalo Siwisa, 10 Chadlin Sellidon, 9 Charl Michaux, 8 Likhona Filtana, 7 Nico Lourens, 6 Joshua White, 5 William de Allende, 4 Gregory Tshibangu, 3 Kyle Janse van Rensburg, 2 Liam Plaaitjies, 1 Troy Jackson.
Bellville: 15 Alvino Loggenberg, 14 Marlon Claasen, 13 Caylem du Plessis, 12 Xandru Büter, 11 Liam Kuyk, 10 Marno Botes, 9 Juvan Rousseau, 8 Cade Mong, 7 Liam Genis, 6 Zandro Stramrood, 5 Corné Smit, 4 Steven Steyl, 3 Zander van Wyk, 2 Ryno Higgs, 1 Alex Cronje.
Swartland (likely): 15 Juan Hilburg, 14 Vusi Johannes, 13 Christian Mocke, 12 Enrico Louw, 11 Zaidell Paulhus, 10 De Wet van Aswegen, 9 Markus Vorster, 8 Jean Beukes, 7 Christian Cupido, 6 James Joubert, 5 Finn Fowlds, 4 Jared Fredericks, 3 Ernst Coetzee, 2 Winsor Solomons, 1 Jacques van Zyl.
Robertson (likely): 15 Junaid Adendorff, 14 Marvin Buis, 13 Gaywen Philander, 12 Jaydan van Niekerk, 11 Haygen Persent, 10 Juwaydan van Niekerk, 9 Dihégo Braaf, 8 Brendon Smith, 7 De Wet Bruwer, 6 Uyanda Nkumbi, 5 Ernst Roux, 4 Rudolph Götze, 3 Michael Jordaan, 2 Jaydrian van Staden, 1 Kallie Joubert.
