PREVIEW: WYNBERG v SACS 2017

The end of the season is nigh and as tradition dictates it ends with an inter-schools derby, Wynberg Boys’ High School versus The South African College High School (SACS). The two oldest schools in South Africa, situated a mere three kilometres from each other and with a similar number of boys, battling it out on the Hawthornden Field for the noble right to end the year on a high!

Wynberg, who ruled the roost in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town from 2012-2014, have had a difficult season recording a mere five wins in eighteen outings. Four of them are distant memories having occurred way back in April at the KES Easter Festival (Marlow and Noordheuwel) and at the own Festival (Windhoek and Lyndenberg). Their most recent win was a come from behind upset win over Selborne College at Cape Schools Week in early July.

SACS by contrast have won thirteen of nineteen matches played, plus two draws, and are on track to have their best season since the days of Peter Kirsten in 1974, should they win on Saturday. Somewhat bizarrely these results will have been achieved with relatively meagre pickings on their own doorstep in the Southern Suburbs, their only win to date coming against Wynberg in their first encounter at the end of the second term.

SACS have hit a bit of a wobble having won only one of their four matches played since returning from the July holidays. Having lost at home to Bishops and Rondebosch on consecutive weekends their confidence can’t be much higher than that of Wynberg at present and the hosts must be sniffing blood and an opportunity to get one over their archrivals and end their disappointing season on a high.

Wynberg’s key players are No. 8 Cameron Bowes and captain and inside-centre Christian Colborne. They are both experienced campaigners and strong ball carriers who will be looking to lead their team to an upset victory. They will face off against two fellow Matrics in the SACS team in Oliver Schuurmans and Chad van der Loo. Van der Loo and Colborne are similar players who will be fighting for gain-line supremacy while Bowes and Schuurmans have relatively contrasting styles.

With no rain predicted for Saturday the match will hopefully be an open and free flowing encounter. May the best team on the day win!

Venue: Hawthornden Field, Wynberg

Kickoff: 12.30pm

Referee: Dyllan Francke (WP Referees Society)

Weather: 16 degrees with a light southerly breeze, no rain

Live streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb4o3990jnk

Teams:

Wynberg

15 di Livio van Wyk, 14 Chivanga Patrick, 13 Siya Nombakuse, 12 Christian Colborne (C), 11 Dylan Munro, 10 David Botha, 9 Matthew Doyle, 8 Cameron Bowes, 7 Inga Halu, 6 Saeed Fakier, 5 Mika Schubert, 4 Liam Lotz, 3 Nic Witte, 2 Jason Alexander, 1 James Pearse

Coaches: Justin van Winkel and Craig Childs

SACS

15 Michael Abrahams, 14 Kabelo Mokoena, 13 Ben Mazzullo, 12 Chad van der Loo, 11 Aaron Zeederberg, 10 David Hayes, 9 Vusile Dlepu (C), 8 Oliver Schuurmans, 7 Declan O’Connor, 6 Craig Bylin, 5 Jean Minnaar, 4 Ethan Burger, 3 Josh Hay, 2 Ethan England, 1 Josh Barrett

 

Coaches: Nick Maurer and Matt Currie