September 1st, 2009

SACS had another good year in terms of participation and spirit. There is a real love for the game amongst the boys at SACS but the challenge for everyone, players, coaches, old boys and parents, is to turn this into results on the field.

Overall the statistics do not look good:

    P       W       L           D        PF         PA         Diff     % Wins

165     52      113     16      1861   3806   -1945     32%

This compares with: 2006 – 39%, 2007 – 34%, 2008 – 33%,

We expected the 1stXV to struggle this year given that they were a young team. We took some heat early on against Rondebosch and Paarl Gim especially, but once the younger players found their feet in the open division the results were admirable. Better SACS 1stXV’s have lost by more to Paarl Boishaai (23-16), Paul Roos (12-8) and Boland Landbou (6-0). The team showed great determination in defence this year and in the final game against Wynberg, when at times we had eleven Grade 11’s on the field, they showed enough skills on attack to believe that they can have a good season next year.

In the open division we continued to put out a record number of teams, eight when at full strength, but we lacked the quality in depth of the last two years. That is to be expected though as all schools go in cycles.

In the Under-16 division the A-team struggled but the B and C-teams scored some pleasing results. Numbers were tight down in the D-team but the spirit was good and when the boys got a chance to play they really relished it. The A-team, who really need to be at full strength to compete with top schools, were ravaged by injury and never put the same team on the field two weeks in a row. The pack worked hard under the guidance of Paul Gilomee, Dugald Robertson and Mr. Rico Lupini and they took the game to their opponents. Out wide though they struggled as long-term injuries to flyhalf Dylan Riviere and top centre Storm Winter meant they lacked incisiveness.

The Under-15 division had a good year with the C-team producing the best results in the school, only two defeats the entire season. The A-team lost only three of their sixteen games played, with notable wins against Paarl Gim and all our local Southern Suburb rivals (Rondebosch 26-15, Bishops 27-13 and Wynberg 7-5). The B-team trained hard and played good rugby but came up one or two points short on at least five occasions over the course of the season. The D-team also put their hand up and took the game to all their opponents. Even more pleasing though is the great depth we have in this age-group where we could field an E-team if required.

The Under-14 division took time to adapt to the rigours of high school rugby. The boys are keen as ever but the step up, especially against the big boys schools, proved tough. The A-team pack has size and there are skills in the backs. The coaches have worked hard on developing all aspects of the boys play and we are hopeful that as they continue to grow and mature these skills will come through and they will develop into a formidable outfit.

The A-team struggled but produced some promising results in the last two games especially where they were level going into the last ten minutes against both Bishops and Wynberg, only to see the opponents steal a last gasp win. The B-team produced some great performances. They almost snuck a win away against Paarl Gim and hammered Wynberg by 30-points in both the home and away fixtures. The C and D-team enjoyed their rugby but again need to shake off the “puppy fat” in the off-season and come back determined to do some damage in 2010!

The undoubted highlight of the year was our hosting of the Cape Schools Week. This proved to be a massive success and a great marketing exercise for the school. To cap a great week our 1stXV won two of their three games played. This included putting fifty points on Muir College and securing an exciting last minute win against Dale College.

Credit for the tournament and for the smooth running of rugby at SACS must go to the Master-in-Charge Mr. Barry van Selm, who works tirelessly for the cause. Mr. Ball is always a great support and he, along with Mr Finlayson, will plot the course for SACS Rugby to improve and perform better in the years to come.

 Graeme Wepener.

More SACS Team Reports to Follow.

Thanks to Mr. Ian February for this footage of the War Cry. It’s quick, it’s powerful, and it stirs up the emotions.