SACS vs Wynberg preview
SACS welcome Wynberg to Newlands for their final match of the term. In the contest between the big four Southern Suburbs schools – Bishops, Rondebosch, SACS and Wynberg – SACS are on the brink of a clean sweep after beating Bishops and Rondebosch. The match is usually a tense affair which has been dominated by Wynberg in recent times. SACS last beat Wynberg in 2011 so will be hungry to reverse the trend.
After the rain this week – and Newlands is the wettest part of South Africa, the SACS field is likely to be heavy but the forecast suggests an otherwise perfect day for rugby beneath the buttress of Table mountain – a wonderful school in a wonderful setting. The match will also be screened live on Supersport to add further weight to the occasion.
Season so Far:
SACS have had a superb season, one of their best; Wynberg although very competitive in most of their matches are in a rebuilding phase and have struggled in 2015 by their recent high standards.
Wynberg have played 11 matches, winning 6 and losing 5. Notable wins include: Pretoria Boys High and St Andrews (Grahamstown).
SACS have played 12 matches, winning 9 and losing 3. Notable wins include: Dale College, Affies, Boland Landbou, Bishops and Rondebosch.
SACS are currently ranked 14th on the FNB Top 20 and have two players selected for the WP Academy Week team.
SACS players to watch: Flyhalf and captain Jordan Chiat + blindside flank Liam Larkan (both selected for WP Academy team). Exciting backs include wing Tumi Mogoje and hot stepping fullback Athi Gazi. Outside centre Ciaran Dayaram is off to The Bulls in 2016.
Head boy – Sihle Lonzi (loose head prop)
Prefects – Tumi Mogoje (wing), Dylan Hadzigrigoriou (openside flank), Tommy Posen (lock)
A brief history:
SACS was founded in 1829 and Wynberg in 1841. These are the oldest two schools in South Africa, and so the contact over these years is steeped in tradition.
Records are not available as to the first fixtures against Wynberg but it’s safe to say that the rugby rivalry has been going on for well over a century.
It is said: ‘Initially Wynberg struggled against SACS’, but that situation was changed in the following years under the tutelage of Eric Tasker and Ray Connellan. The latter initiated the Cape Schools Week in 1980, now an event every two years of great prestige.
It has also been said: “Wynberg’s greatest rivalry is with SACS. The two schools….. are of similar age and wear jerseys of similar blue and white hoops. The two matches per season between the schools are intense and often televised in recent years as an FNB Classic Clash.”
Six past Wynberg players have represented South Africa, and include the famous Rob Louw, Dave Stewart, Lionel Wilson and Doug Hopwood. SACS boast 29 Springboks with Percy Montgomery the most recent.
Recent Results:
2005: SACS won 15-10 & Wynberg won 8-3
2006: Wynberg won 13-5 & 42-3
2007: SACS won 19-13 & 37-22
2008: SACS won 11-9 & 47-5
2009: Wynberg won 32-20 & 20-0
2010: Wynberg won 22-11 & 26-24
2011: Wynberg won 17-5 & SACS won 29-26
2012: Wynberg won 26-16 & 8-7
2013: Wynberg won 15-7 & 17-12
2014: Wynberg won 10-0 & 34-5
Fun fact:
SACS are embarking on what is being called the ‘TAKE YOUR SEAT’ initiative with the 1st project being the building of a new grandstand alongside the Memorial A field. Plan is to have it completed by the start of the 2017 rugby season. Fundraising is currently in progress. Please visit the Hofmeyr Hall directly after the 1st XV game for the official launch of the campaign.
Teams:
| SACS 1stXV | WBHS 1stXV | |
| Sihle Lonzi | 1 | Romario Henriques |
| Lance Steytler | 2 | Christian Botha |
| Duncan Ferguson | 3 | Mathew James |
| Tommy Posen | 4 | Gideon Boshoff |
| James Brewer | 5 | Connor Thalrose |
| Dylan Hadzigrigoriou | 6 | Callum Steyn |
| Liam Larkan | 7 | Shaine Orderson |
| Alex Halvorsen | 8 | Stephen Mathew |
| Rua-Ees Arendse | 9 | Labib Kannemeyer |
| Jordan Chait (C) | 10 | Dominic Coetzer |
| Thomas Waterkeyn | 11 | Dian Fourie |
| Kyle Boyd | 12 | Jordan Holgate |
| Ciaran Dayaram | 13 | Mushtaq Rossier |
| Tumi Mogoje | 14 | Tristan Turner |
| Athi Gazi | 15 | Daniel Jamieson |
| Dane Brouwer | 16 | Adeeb Isaacs |
| Seb Schultz | 17 | Yanga Ngcayisa |
| Cameron Laurenson | 18 | Dominic Boulle |
| Elliot Avery | 19 | Michael Scholtz |
| Michael Haasbroek | 20 | Troy Kotze |
| Liam Abrahams | 21 | Mika Ekstrom |
| Justin Bendeman | 22 | Craig Vinnicombe |
