RUGBY
U16B
The U16B team , also known as the ‘ Soldiers ’, was a team that always played with a lot of pride and enthusiasm . They made it a very enjoyable season with some outstanding performances , some very narrow losses and great fun all round . Even though the team did not stay constant from one week to the next , the boys came together , welcomed the new players and got on with the business of playing College rugby .
The season started off with long trip to Grey College where they came up against some big opposition but gave it their all . The team came together to set up some very good wins against KES away , as well as Westville away . On both occasions against Glenwood the team gave it everything and at any moment had opportunity to take the lead in the games . The highlight of the season was playing Kearsney at home in what can only be described as a ‘ nail biter ’. It was a game in which the lead was exchanged between both sides several times , but College found themselves the losers as they went down 19-23 . Strong efforts from J Oberholzer , C Tyrer , M Willemse and J Brink are just a few that helped this wonderful team .
It was encouraging to see how the boys improved with every game . The team played as a unit and their individual skills showed that the boys will be great in the future . I look forward to following their progress at College and hopefully see them run out for the Red , Black and White on Goldstone ’ s .
Regular players :
J Oberholzer , C Jefferys , C Tyrer , M Willemse , L Bourne , M Sithole , T Mokoena , L Marucchi , W Muir , T Holgate , T Dovey , H Brown , J Swan , L Shrives , L Xaba , J Brink , T Shockey , T Nelson
Results :
vs Grey College 0-40 , PBHS 26-12 and 10-22 , Michaelhouse 7-24 , KES 31-15 , Kearsney 19-23 , Westville 19-12 , DHS 47-0 , Hilton 22-0 , Glenwood 12-21 and 11-20 , Affies 3-19
U16C
Mr D Sherriff
From a statistical point of view the U16C team had a miserable six months . They only won two matches and drew with KES . Only three matches were played on a stagger and one can therefore not blame the run of poor results on this . As is always the case , there were disruptions due to sickness and injury in the teams above and this certainly disrupted the side . For the most part however , and in defence of these boys , a number of losses were by very small margins . If one had to critical it would be to say that they lacked self-belief and did not have the staying power to get over the line .
They were however , a very enthusiastic group that was receptive . They never let the results get them down and a certain ‘ never-say-die ’ attitude existed . They were typical College boys who took a great deal of pride in pulling the jersey over their heads .
It is hoped that they will continue playing rugby in years to come as a number of boys do have the talent to go further and play in higher sides .
Regular players :
L Mabande ( captain ), K Wattrus , E Symington , D Leisegang , C Tyrer , D Skinner , R Herman , M Mabande , C von Benecke , M Uren , M Willemse , S Piper , S Mlambo , E Kasambala , T Moroney , M Mngadi , C Geere , J Pepworth
Results :
vs Grey College 10-25 , PBHS 12-17 and 12-21 , Voortrekker U16B 36-0 , Glenwood 24-38 and 12-5 , Affies 0-76 , KES 7-7 , Kearsney 13-22 , Hilton 10-54 , Westville 16-27 , Treverton 33-38 , Treverton U16A 5-10
U16D
Mr B Mbambo
The U16D group was filled with immense potential and natural skill that would be a joy to coach by anyone lucky enough to do so . From the first practice , it was clear that there was a lot of polishing and fine-tuning to do with this group . This year ’ s fixtures , as always , were tough from the outset with a big game away to Grey College , which is never easy , but the boys bought in very quickly to the structure and mentality we wanted to adopt this year along with the traditional Maritzburg College aggression and fire .
The pride and natural skill of the boys was evident multiple times throughout the season , with memorable away winning performances showing that . The Grey fixture was a tough one first up but the boys welcomed the challenge willingly and although they lost , they made it evident that they were looking for a brilliant season . Upon returning to College from Bloemfontein , I told the boys that we do not lose at College and they promised me a hundred percent buy-in to achieving an unbeaten run at home . The purpose was to ensure schools feared coming to College and to take that momentum into the away fixtures as well .
The home win against Pretoria Boys was testimony that we were going to be a definite force to be reckoned with . The momentum of home wins was carried into the Glenwood game at Glenwood where we came out 10-7 victors . I single out this game as it showed the aggression and physicality for which College is renowned ; bullying them up front and earning the right to go wide . With Glenwood coming back strong in the second half , it took a collective defensive effort to keep them out and go on to win the game . A key strong point for the success of the U16D boys was our forward pack dominance from scrums and line-outs . Line-outs were extremely dominant to the point where the boys were calling strike moves from opposite ball , which showed their confidence and self-belief .
The collection of victories was not going unnoticed , which resulted in a number of the boys being promoted to the C-side and even further . I wish the boys all the best in their future endeavours and particularly their rugby futures .
Regular players :
L Shange , D Ripley-Evans , M Khoza , L Wedge , N Mester , D Leisegang , T Cheatle , T Moroney , E Symington , M Mkhwanazi , S Duma , R Smith , M van Heerden , C von Benecke , K Wattrus , C Colley , N Zulu , B Wood , S Piper , K Mngadi , L Rossi , D Skinner , J Tromp , E Kasambala , C Dimmick , R Herman , B Blose , C Geere , N Mbatha , B Ente , L Mabande
Results :
vs Grey College 0-22 , PBHS 22-19 and 0-27 , DHS U16C 46-0 , Michaelhouse U16C 0-26 , KES W 26-3 , Northwood U16B 17-7 , Kearsney 20-14 , Hilton 24-5 , Westville 10-14 , Glenwood 60-0 and 10-7 , Affies 0-54
Mr N Mpofana
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