THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER - rondebosch.com Blitz No 5 22May1… · THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER...
Transcript of THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER - rondebosch.com Blitz No 5 22May1… · THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER...
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THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER
At the end of last rugby season, I swore to myself that this would be the last winter where I spent time beside
Rugby A talking to the members of the board, old boys, parents and other interested parties about the state of
the turf. Well, as they say, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men…’ here I am, five months into the year, talking
about grass again. After the many indabas, meetings and opinions from a multitude of grass experts, I admit I
was a little irked to hear, included in the various conversations around the side-lines, the accusation that, ‘they
don’t even care about the state of the A rugby field.’ Given the time and money that has been spent this year,
caring for the field in question, I felt it right that I share some of this journey with the rugby fraternity:
Towards the end of last year, we were fortunate to acquire the consultancy services of the grass guru of the
Newlands turf. While a network of sprinklers had been laid on the upper fields and new mowers had been
purchased in the prior months, under his guidance a new turf surface was laid on Rugby A; this time only kikuyu,
not mixed winter and summer grass. For a while all seemed to be going well; the ground was aerated, fertilised
and watered and the new grass flourished. During the first part of the holiday period, a minor disaster struck.
The automated sprinkler system went down and, because there was only a skeleton staff and the sprinklers run
at night, it went unnoticed for a period and portions of the field were burnt in the unusually hot weather. The
system was restored, more growth hormone, more aeration, more regular mowing and more irrigation and the
patches started to sprout new growth. Just before April, brown areas began to appear. More experts were
called in. The flocks of Hadidas which covered the grounds confirmed the analysis which indicated worm and
fungus. Treatments were sprayed and early this term, we sought the advice of one of the top turf experts of the
cape, Graham Johnson. He agreed to take on the challenge of bringing the field back to health. Along with
the other plagues he has found that the ground is now water-logged from over compensation post the burn
and once again the aerator has been called into service and the sprinklers have been rested. New plugs have
been planted on the areas worst hit by the underground invaders and Graham’s prognosis is mostly optimistic.
While we may not have perfect cover this season, the basic foundation has been laid for a good turf and next
season we should see a much improved field, with a mat to match Cricket A. I live in hope that this time next
year, our investment will bear fruit and Rugby A’s potential to be one of the finest surfaces in school boy rugby
will be finally realised.
While writing this piece, I am ever conscious of the counter perception that too much focus is put onto the
state of the A rugby field. This is of course complete nonsense. It is always the intention of the management,
sport’s staff, ground’s staff and board of governors that all of our sporting codes have the best possible playing
arenas and a good deal of time, money and effort is put into keeping our facilities in good condition. I would
like to make special mention here of our estate manager, Shaun Ovenstone and the support staff, particularly
Godfrey Powsa who supervises the work force, the estates committee led for the past few years by Jonathan
Rens (whose tenure unfortunately comes to an end soon) and the school’s management representative, Head
of Grounds and Buildings, Gary Endly. A prominent role over the years has also been played by Wally Wood. All
of these gentlemen have played a part in building and maintaining facilities that season after season garner
compliments from visitors around the country and across the globe and it is our combined intention to keep it
that way.
Headmaster: Shaun Simpson
22 May 2014
# 5
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RUGBY MATTERS
There has been a change in the rugby structures at RBHS. Clinton van Rensburg will continue to focus his
energy on coaching the players as Head Coach of the 1st XV and of the coaches. Johan Snijmann will assume
the role of Head of Rugby taking care of all non-coaching rugby related matters and they will work together
on the same level to run rugby effectively. I would like to take this opportunity to wish both of them good luck.
Deputy Head of Sport: Gustaf Pienaar
U19A RBHS 12 SACS 13
It was never going to be an easy game, though many
supporters may have presumed so after the heavy defeat
that SACS suffered at the hands of Bishops the week
before. We knew that they would come out fighting and
eager to prove that they are not a walk over team, which
they certainly showed.
We were playing into the breeze in the first half which
made getting into scoring territory quite difficult. We did
manage to create a couple of good scoring
opportunities which we then squandered, like they say:
“Easy come, easy go!” We then took the lead through a
well-timed interception from Captain, Robbie Waddilove,
who scored under the poles to bag some reward after
doing most of the early playing. SACS hit back
immediately, after a poor clearance into the breeze
which left us exposed on the flank, and their fullback
sprinted through unopposed to put SACS back in front.
With the breeze at our backs in the second half we
started to dominate the territory game with flyhalf, Riley
Louw, kicking us into good positions. With time running out
quickly our frustration started to mount as we gave them
easy exits through soft turn-overs and silly penalties. I
sensed at times that our guys were standing back and
waiting for someone to win the game for them. The entire
second half was played between their 10m and their try
line, except for the one moment when they got around
our defence to score a 60m gem to take them further
ahead.
You could immediately sense the urgency kick in amongst our boys as they realised that SACS were not going
to just give them the game. We immediately hit back with Kyle Balikstan scoring wide from the poles after a
slicing run down the blind. The missed conversion had us trailing by one point and still chasing the game with
nine minutes to go. The boys continued with their renewed urgency and started to create good opportunities.
The last play of match ended up with a disallowed try under the poles after a massive 17 phase onslaught on
the SACS tryline, but again it wasn’t to be as we handed over another win.
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Just as wining becomes a habit so does losing and, unfortunately, we have gone the route of the latter. We will
be left with regret if we don’t start to take matters into our own hands instead of standing back and waiting for
someone to hand us our reward. We have shown that we are capable of playing good rugby but at this stage
it is not enough. In order for us to take the next step we will need to mature as individuals and more importantly
as a team.
The numbers in the game make for interesting reading and if the game was to be played on paper the result
might have looked a bit different. But as we all know it is played between the four lines and on grass where the
fortune favours the brave. In the possession stakes we had most of the ball as we played through 109 rucks to
the 49 of theirs - also managing to go more than eight phases on five occasions. This all reads well but doesn’t
add up to points on the board. The interesting stat is that they received seven penalties on attack to the three
of ours, which is strange as we did all the attacking. In the end the penalty count was 10 to 6 in their favour and
most probably the difference on the day, as those penalties occurred with us applying pressure in
advantageous positions.
The most important lesson to take from this loss is to
not leave it to someone else to hand you the game, if
you want it you need to take it and take it early. The
reality is that no person wants to be put in a position
whereby they have to make a big call to decide a
match – we are all just human in the end.
We are face down on the canvas for the moment
and will have to compose ourselves during the
referee’s 10 second count - while Paul Roos stand
waiting in the corner ready to pounce.
See you behind the poles.
CLINT VAN RENSBURG
1st XV Coach
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RESULTS
U19B
DATE: 17 MAY 2014
RBHS SACS
19A 12 13 L
19B 12 35 L
19C 25 7 W
19D 12 12 D
19E 21 19 W
19F 10 15 L
19G
19H
16A 0 21 L
16B 12 15 L
16C
16D
15A 7 5 W
15B 18 15 W
15C 7 34 L
15D 0 37 L
14A 5 17 L
14B 26 5 W
14C 43 5 W
14D 17 0 W
227 255 Total points
14.0 16.0 Av points
Played 16
Won 7
Drew 1
Lost 8
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SACS
Rondebosch Boys' High 1st XV SACS 1st XV
Half Time 7 8
Full Time 12 13
1st Half
26 min 6 Try by Robbie Waddilove 5 21 min 15 Penalty 3
14 Conversion Rory Thomson 2 32 min 15 Try 5
2nd Half
55 min 15 Try by Ballakistan 5 42 min 14 Try 5
INFORMATION
Captain:
Robbie Waddilove
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U19B RBHS 12 SACS 35
Rondebosch started well with crisp passes amongst the backs. Scrumhalf, Nic Potgieter, was giving flyhalf, Josh
Williams, good flat passes and centre, Josh Kaplan, broke clear with a good dummy pass, unfortunately, the
final pass to lock forward Byron Bowes was ruled as forward. Another good break by Williams looked as though
a try was looming, but again the final pass went wrong. A dropped pass by Rondebosch led to SACS entering
the Bosch half for the first time after 15 minutes and they forced their way over the line to lead 7 - 0.
Rondebosch continued to press and their forwards were pushing SACS backwards in the scrums. Winger,
Frankie Swart, collected a SACS kick and sprinted 50 metres. From the loose scrum the ball went wide and lock
forward Dylan Le Roux scored near the corner flag (7 - 5 ). Just before half time, three missed tackles by
Rondebosch, let SACS in for a try (14 - 5).
In the second half, Bosch continued to scrum well, but they were continuously guilty of missing vital tackles,
resulting in three more SACS tries, all of which were converted, giving them a commanding lead (35 – 5).
Although SACS were now dominating the loose ball, Bosch continued to scrum well, getting good ball, but
somehow the vital final passes were not going to hand. On one occasion, Bosch drove 25 metres from a won
lineout and, with the tryline in front of them, the ball was dropped. Eventually, Bosch scored making the final
score 35 - 12. This was a disappointing performance from Rondebosch.
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U19C (Dogs) RBHS 25 SACS 7
After suffering a disappointing 19 - 7 loss against Boland Landbou last week the boys were eager to get their
season back on track. Traditional rivals SACS, fresh off a victory against Bishops a week earlier, was never going
to be an easy fixture away from home. For the most part of the first half the match was evenly contested with
Bosch gaining the set piece and territorial advantage and SACS dominating the collision and breakdown
battle. With Bosch leading 3 - 0 at half time, through a Jean Naude penalty, the frustration that the boys had
failed to convert more opportunities into points was apparent within the squad. After some calming words and
advice from skipper, David Kane, the boys were rejuvenated and knew they had to score early in the second
half to put the game to bed.
That was indeed what happened. Within minutes after half time, Bosch was on the scoreboard again with tries
through Logan Stone, Kieran Bax and two to Man of the Match, Gift Qetu, to put the Dogs in a commanding
25 – 0 lead. The second half saw Bosch dominate every facet of play and, had it not been for the fact that
numerous changes were made to the starting XV during the game, the scoreline may have been higher. It was
only near full time that SACS penetrated the Dogs’ tryline with a tap-and-go. A lazy penalty retreat by the boys
led to a soft try. The boys can, however, feel very chuffed at their outstanding performance and hopefully this
momentum can now be taken forward into the season.
TRIES: Kieran Bax, Logan Stone and Gift Qetu (2)
PENALTIES: Jean Naude
CONVERSIONS: Yasen Jacobs
MAN OF THE MATCH: Gift Qetu
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U19D RBHS 12 SACS 12
After our win at Boland to Boland Landbou the boys were ready. The first five minutes were tough with SACS
scoring two quick tries. Being 12 - 0 down after five minutes was always going to be hard to come back from,
but with the usual Force hearts we made a comeback scoring a great mauling try and pulling it back to 12 - 7.
The second half was tough but with big hearts we pulled another try back but missed the conversion. The
game ended 12 - 12. It was a great match and the boys showed tremendous character.
Well done boys. Keep up the hard work.
U19E (Flyers) RBHS 21 SACS 19
The flyers took on the SACS 5th team - coming from a loss the week before the boys really needed to show
what they were made of. The boys did just that as they put their heart and soul into the game in what was a
very close and entertaining match with the flyers pinching the victory by 21-19.
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U19F (Stunners) RBHS 12 SACS 15
After a disappointing performance against Boland Landbou, the Stunners had a week of thorough training for
the second derby match of the season against SACS. The match would serve as a good platform to push on
going into two tough matches against Paul Roos and Bois Haai. Despite a far improved performance, there
was again a narrow loss to a Southern Suburb rival - the Stunners also lost narrowly to Wynberg in the first fixture.
Unfortunately for the boys, it was a tale of two halves whereby they dominated the first and simply took their
foot off the pedal in the second.
In true Stunners fashion, often called the France of schoolboy rugby, the boys had a great week’s worth of
preparation, an lacklustre warm up to the match but managed to start like an absolute house on fire. SACS
kicked off with a deep kick off but the boys soon called their opposition’s 22m their home for the half. Robbie
Moser marshalled his troops well after being set the goal to talk louder and more often on game day, and his
quick service kept the SACS boys honest. Although they dominated territory and possession, the downfall of the
Stunners (despite leading at half time) was that too often boys got ‘white-line fever’, taking the ball up instead
of playing the hands and exploiting the space. Credit must go to the SACS defence, who fronted up
admirably, repelling wave after wave of attack. Even though white-line fever was prevalent, the Stunners
walked into the break with a well deserved, albeit flattering to the hosts, lead of 12 - 3. Unfortunately for the
Stunners, that was where the scoring would end as overconfidence crept in and the game plan vanished.
Going into the second half, it seemed that many players thought that the game was up for some reason.
Switched off and unaggressive, SACS pounced and scored a try mid-way through the half and despite
another adventure into their 22m, the Stunners left pointless - again due to selfishness on the ball. Going into the
last couple of minute, SACS scored a try in the corner, edging past us from 12 -10 to 12 - 15. With only a handful
of minutes left, there was unfortunately not enough time to grab the lead back, leading to a disappointing loss
against our blue and white rivals. It is fortunately not a case of ‘back to the drawing board’ but more a case of
maintaing levels of intensity throughout the match and realising that the other team is made up of schoolboys
who want the match just as badly as they do.
Credit must go to Ian Jones, Matthew Perold and Robbie Moser who all had great games. Matthew Perold’s
ball carrying and all-round aggression throughout the match was great to see from a player who took up
rugby only this year. Robbie too, continued in his consistent performances in organising the team’s defence
and getting quick ball to his flyhalf so that the attack could get on the front foot. All in all, the boys are making
progress but must not switch off on game day. Against schools like Paul Roos, Bois Haai, and especially Bishops,
switching off for only a second could have grim repercussions.
TRIES: Rorke MacLeod Smith, Ian Jones
CONVERSIONS: Gareth Naude
BIG LICK: Matthew Leibrand
MAN OF THE MATCH: Matthew Perold
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U16A RBHS 0 SACS 21
Initially the defence held and it was only after 17 minutes that SACS managed to cross the Bosch line to go
7 - 0 up. This was also the half time score and a hard talk by the coaches urged the boys to come back and
take the game. However, this was not to be. Defensive lapses let through two further SACS scores (both
converted) and halfway into the second half the striped jerseys from Dean Street were enjoying a comfortable
21 - 0 lead.
It was then that Bosch started playing their best rugby and constantly hammered at the SACS line. In fact,
Munir Parker (1) was over twice but we were called back on both occasions. This loss hurt. Bitter lessons were
learnt but with the right attitude, commitment and enthusiasm Paul Roos might be in for a surprise as we are
sure they are already thinking of a massive win. Let’s get out there and show them what stuff Bosch boys are
really made of.
U16B RBHS 12 SACS 15
What a game! Coming back from being 10 - 0 down at the break, the B’s led 12 - 10 with one minute to go.
Bosch was on the SACS line and all that was needed was to win the ball and kick it all the way down to Main
Street. SACS won a turnover and, thanks to shocking tackling, their player weaved through all the way
downfield to score the winning try. Heartbreaking stuff, but it proved that the game is never over until the final
whistle blows and the fat lady sings.
There was some great Bosch defence, like the time nippy scrumhalf Keegan Collier ran 30 m to bundle a player
twice his size into touch to prevent a certain score. In the forwards Hylton Goatley (6) and Matthew Booth (5)
put in some hard work and climbed in to win balls and stop attackers. This team is getting better every week
and their progress will be keenly watched.
TRIES: Hishaam Damon (wing), Jay Fisher (lock) CONVERSIONS: Cameron Abrahamse (centre)
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U15A RBHS 7 SACS 5 !
After a few weeks of momentum steadily building within the team, we travelled to SACS knowing that we were
in for a tough match. The boys arrived looking focused and ready – the intensity in the warm up was evident. A
late change to the front row meant that Matthew Horrigan, fresh off a “Man of the Match” performance in the
B team, had to step up from the start and credit to the young man for putting in his second great performance
of the day. In contrast to the pattern so far this season, we were put under pressure from the start, and one or
two slipped tackles let SACS break through and go ahead early (5 - 0).
The boys rose to the challenge immediately and piled back into the SACS half from the restart. Great ball
carrying on attack, by DJ Falconer and Sam Alexander, took us deep into their 22m after which the boys
started to keep the ball amongst the forwards: Carl Smid was instrumental with his aggressive driving towards
the SACS line. The strength of our forward pack was evident as they sucked in more and more SACS’
defenders, opening up some space on the outside. Robbie Davis was aware as ever and quickly sent the ball
wide from a goal line ruck, allowing Zak Sallie to smash his way over for a converted try (7 - 5).
That was to be the last score of the game, however, as from there the match turned into an intense arm
wrestle between the two sides. To the boys’ credit, they made sure that the majority of play took place in the
SACS half and the defence rose to the occasion, allowing SACS very few opportunities to score. The forwards,
again with Carl Smid at the helm, were aggressive on defence, constantly hitting the SACS boys backwards.
Meanwhile the positional play amongst the backs left no gaps when the ball went wide. Despite missing out on
a few of our own opportunities in the half, we managed to squeeze the life out of the game and walk away
with the win.
TRIES: Zak Sallie
CONVERSIONS: Sam Alexander MAN OF THE MATCH: Zak Sallie
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U15A after their tough 7-5 victory over SACS
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U15B RBHS 18 SACS 15 !
A fired up RBHS U15B team arrived at SACS on Saturday, still looking for their first win of the season. Once again,
they made a solid start to the game with the forwards dominating at scrum time. The SACS backline, however,
were very impressive and it was evident from the start that our boys were really going to be tested on defence.
That said, as is our habit, we struck first: a series of strong drives from a lineout on the SACS 22m eventually led
to enough space for Jason MacLeod-Smith to get over the line (5 - 0). The rest of the half went much the other
way however, with RBHS seeing little of the ball and being sternly tested by some strong SACS attacking. Credit
must be given to the boys though, as some great intensity on defence kept SACS at bay. It was only through
constant pressure that they eventually crossed the line (5 - 5). The pattern continued from there, and despite a
few more opportunities for our guys, we couldn’t seem to convert and SACS managed to break through our
defensive lines one more time before half time (10 - 5).
The second half proved just how quickly a game can be turned around, as the boys showed enormous
character and came out with a point to prove. On defence the tackles were notably hitting harder. On attack
the backline started to move the ball through the hands, with both Gabriel Bolnick and Dylan Pienaar getting
good opportunities to chalk up some running metres. That said it was up front that the real momentum shift
happened. The forwards were taking the game to their SACS counterparts, and Matthew Horrigan led the
charge with an impressive 30m line break, running through several SACS defenders before being stopped. The
rest of the forwards took their cue from this and a few minutes later Tristan Oliver made a break of his own,
bouncing two SACS defenders before rounding the last man to score under the poles. Michael King’s
conversion put us ahead (12 - 5).
From there it was all about intelligent rugby – the boys held on to the ball and kept it in the SACS half of the
field, allowing few opportunities for SACS to ease the pressure. The constant work from the forwards paid off,
with SACS being forced into giving away penalties at the breakdown. Matthew Ginsberg stepped off the side
of the scrum to take the game away from SACS, knocking over two penalties from a good way out. SACS now
needed two scores to catch up (18 - 10). SACS did get one try back, courtesy of some desperate attacking
towards the whistle, but were left to rue their missed conversions (18 - 15). A great performance by the RBHS
boys: they chalked up the first W and showed enormous character and skills in doing so.
TRIES: Jason MacLeod-Smith, Tristan Oliver
CONVERSION: Michael King
PENALTY: Matthew Ginsberg (2)
MEN OF THE MATCH: Matthew Horrigan and Matthew Ginsberg
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U15C RBHS 7 SACS 34
From the outset it looked like it was going to be tough. A big, SACS backline ran at us from depth, at pace, in a
well rehearsed manner. It might as well have been their A team backline - they were that good! With high
expectations of Bosch scrumming dominance cut short, by an injury to a front row player in their side, scrums
were restricted to “non pushing” scrums for the whole of the second half. Uncharacteristic errors on our side led
to them getting scrums, which allowed them to unleash their backline - finding themselves with a man up on
almost every occasion to score in the corners.
This, however, did not stem our energy to compete and players, like Jake Amaler (9), ensured our backline had
quick ball from the rucks (on the few occasions we had secured them) with his service from the base. Our boys
eventually found their rhythm in the final eight minutes and played some scintillating, supportive rugby to finally
break their defence with Khaleel Tayob scoring next to the posts.
TRIES: Khaleel Tayob (1)
MAN OF THE MATCH: Jake Amaler
U15D RBHS 0 SACS 37
The game against SACS was a tough one. Having prepared well during the week the boys were confident
going into Saturday’s game. A few mishaps and positional changes on the day resulted in a bit of very evident
panic. The boys played with heart but crucial “basics” errors always left us in a spot of bother.
The first half saw us come out a bit complacently. Far too many soft tackles resulted in tries to the opposition – a
factor which we continue to work on at practice. It was the lost tackles that ended our hopes of winning the
game.
However, there were some moments of magic: particularly Stuart “the locks” Manten who slotted in at open
side flank from scrum half. Stuart (easily recognisable by his Schalk Burger hairdo) was most influential on the
ground, managing to steal more porridge than goldilocks herself. Cole “all action” Jensen, having missed a
practice in the week, was demoted from prop to 8th man. He took the opportunity well convincing a SACS
player in the process, that public transport is not a good option for him. Particular mention must also be made
to Michael “Gregan” Carelse who was constantly encouraging our boys even though we were down. It’s the
spirit we want to see as coaches in our Rondebosch boys.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Stuart Manten
U14A RBHS 5 SACS 17
After a good week's practice and a change in attitude we were ready for SACS. We knew it was going to be a
good match, especially playing away from home. In the first few minutes of play SACS were 5 - 0 up and losing
our fullback Jordan Child disrupted the team a bit – though yet again it gave another player a chance to
prove himself. After battling and playing good aggressive rugby we pulled the score back to 5 - 5 at the end of
the first half. Playing in the opponents half 80% of the time we, as a team, could not seem to get the points on
the board and every time we came close we made a mistake or decisions went against us. SACS scored two
more tries against the run of play and ultimately won the game 17 - 5. This was not a true reflection on how well
we played, but some hard work still lies ahead for us.
Try: Ross Stone
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U14B - no report submitted this week
U14C RBHS 43 SACS 5
The C’s maintained their unbeaten streak with a great win on Saturday. Once again the forwards put in the
hard yards and RBHS dominated at set piece. This allowed the backline to spread the ball, as they always do,
and star winger Chumani Mayosi got the scoreboard going early on. The flood gates opened as SACS could
not keep up with the physicality of the RBHS forwards who continuously got over the advantage line. They were
well controlled by scrumhalf, Darin Holman, who provided quick ball for the backline. The backline really gelled
together and it was a pleasure to watch the boys make decisions in pressured situations which turned into tries.
RBHS face Paul Roos this Saturday and are by no means the underdogs.
TRIES: Gareth Probert (2), Ryan Witte, Chumani Mayosi (3), Andrew Allkin
CONVERSIONS: Jeremy Owen (4)
MEN OF THE MATCH: Gareth Probert and Andrew Allkin
U14D RBHS 17 SACS 0
The week’s build up focused on preparation for the predicted wet weather on the weekend. However,
Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day to spread the ball and that’s exactly what the Dragons did. SACS
was no match for our very own Schalk Burger in Nicholas Rushton who crashed over for the first try. RBHS then
spent the majority of the game in SACS’ territory and they could not break the Dragons’ defence. RBHS then
turned pressure into points and the boys must be commended for not conceding any points. On Saturday the
boys outplayed their opponents, they did so with smiles on their faces and showed the manner in which the
game should be played. The mighty Dragons are now one more win away from the Triple Crown (having
beaten WBHS, SACS and Bishops).
TRIES: Nicholas Rushton, Joshua Venter, Daniel Wells
CONVERSIONS: Robert Gillett
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THE RONDEBOSCH BEST XV?
Last week we published a suggested “Rondebosch Best First XV” based on performances whilst at school by First XV players
since 1955. There has been great banter amongst Old Boys on the sections - herewith some of their comments below.
Send your comments to [email protected]
As a reminder, this was the team sheet we had last week:.
Ronnie Coates 1967 Fullback
Pieter Uys 1978 Right wing
Tony Ciolli 1984 Centre
Adam Barnard 1967 Centre
Brent Farrell 1977 Left wing
Richard Nurse 1967 Flyhalf
André Tulleken 1960 Scrumhalf
Dion O’Cuinneagain 1990 Eighth man
Charles Louw 1964 Flank
Gcobani Bobo 1997 Flank
Kobus Immelman 1968 Lock
Butch Deuchar 1971 Lock
Dawid vd Merwe 1958 Prop Johan vd Merwe 1984 Hooker
Sean Bonthuys 1991 Prop
Comments:
Chris Pope on the wing? If memory serves me correctly Ronnie Coates was the first "soccer style round the corner" goal
kicker - lots of theory and practice with Tickey.
No place for Julian Halkett E85?
The McCallum brothers - Ian at full back for South Africa for 4 or 5 years? Or didn't they make the First XV? Nice list
despite this! Good to see how many from the unbeaten 1967 team!
I like the rugby team. I personally would have placed Francois Bonthuys E77 in the starting line-up as scrumhalf
because he played for WP and SA Schools in 1977.
Great idea Mike Barwell, all-time teams and/or rankings always create lively debate. Having seen every Bosch First XV
since 1984, it's terrific to reminisce. I would have included Robin Cockrell (E95?) at least on the bench.
I didn't see Cockrell play at school, but I had the misfortune of scrumming against him in an Old Boys game. Not
human! Also - before my time, but who was the #8 who captained Craven Week from '92? Plane? Played 8 for Bosch
and 2 for WP. He was also a beast. Great idea this. I thought JS Smit was the first round-the-corner kicker(?) Nice to see Kobus Immelman on the list. Athol
McLean was also an amazing wing (unbeaten E64 team) and what about the legendary Mike Lawless?
Can we do a most injured after school list?
Bennie Osler (Springbok Rugby Legend) wouldn't make it - I take it?
The 90's was quite a decade for Bosch. Names like Dion O'Cuinnegain, Dave Ricketts, Hanyani Shimange, Sean
Bonthuys, Robin Cockerill, Gareth Wright, Wayne Pocock, Paul Barker, Gcobani Bobo, Oginga and Samora Siwundla
spring immediately to mind and there were many more I don't recall.
See potentially 2 or 3 from 90's making this list (of which Dion at 8 is one of them) glory years of Bosch were 60's & 70's
Yes .. the 60's and 70's had two unbeaten RBHS Rugby XV teams ... 1964 and 1977. Does anyone know what other
years were unbeaten?
I do like the Tulleken./ Nurse combination.
Mr Broster ... the coach of the unbeaten 1977 side should be considered as coach.
68 was also unbeaten if I recall under Ron Wigget as coach (fitness fanatic)
Adam Barnard: Wow...this is overwhelming!!!
Great to see 2 of my cousins in the team...Prop and hooker!!
Quite an honour Butch. Well done!
What about Mike Lawless? The McCullums?
Great idea to create an All time XV. Loving the debate on Facebook.
I would be interested to see an All time cricket XI as well.
Bench
Paul Barker 1997
Franciois Bonthuys 1977
Tony Giles 1975
Steve Hillock 1964
James Richards 2001
Hanyani Shimange 1996
Rayn Smid 2010
Note: The team was selected on the players’
performance while in the Rondebosch First XV, and
not on later achievements.!
!
!
FIXTURES
RBHS VS PAUL ROOS - 24 MAY
TEAM OPPOSITION TIME FIELD
U19 A
U19 B
Paul Roos
Paul Roos
12:00
10:40
Main Field
Main Field
U19 C Paul Roos 09:30 Main Field
U19 D Paul Roos 08:20 Meulsloot
U19 E Paul Roos 09:30 Meulsloot
U19 F Paul Roos 10:40 Meulsloot
U16 A Paul Roos 08:20 Main Field
U16 B Paul Roos 09:30 Rivierveld
U15 A Paul Roos 10:00 Doornbosch
U15 B Paul Roos 09:00 Doornbosch
U15 C Paul Roos 11:00 Doornbosch
U15 D Paul Roos 08:00 Doornbosch
U14 A
U14 B
Paul Roos
Paul Roos
11:00
10:00
Volkskombuis
Volkskombuis
U14 C Paul Roos 09:00 Volkskombuis
U14D Paul Roos 08:00 Volkskombuis
Photographs courtesy of Kia Arendse, Robert Gad, Patrick Horrigan and Kara Robertson