Durban High School (DHS) ruled their home fields, with their U15A team and 1st team powering their way to victory in the Clover High School Sevens Series on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Saturday’s action included some upsets, which paved the way for the Horseflies to beat their arch-rivals in Sevens, Westville Boys’ High, in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, the cards fell kindly for Glenwood High, who met DHS in the final. It was, however, a one-sided title-decider, with DHS triumphing 39-0.
There was also a triumphant run for DHS in the U15 competition, with DHS A and DHS B meeting for the Cup. In a tight clash, DHS A won 24-19.
St Charles College was responsible for some eyebrow-raising wins in the U17 event. They shocked Northwood 12-7 in their Pool C opener, which set the Durban North boys on the path to a quarterfinal clash with Westville. Then, Saints downed Michaelhouse 24-12 to book a place in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Glenwood enjoyed a favourable schedule. They faced Umlazi, Midlands, and the Griffins (Westville B) in Pool D and, predictably, progressed comfortably to the Cup quarterfinals. There, they faced Northwood B, whom they beat 19-5, to move into the semifinals.
Westville, meanwhile, upped the tempo after halftime to break open a tight quarterfinal clash with Northwood, running out 31-17 winners to set up a semifinal showdown with DHS, in a repeat of the final at the Glenwood Sevens two weeks earlier, which Westville had won 26-24.
At halftime, DHS led only 12-10, but they then did to Westville what Westville had done to Northwood, charging clear in the second half to score a convincing 35-16 victory.
In the other semi-final, St Charles and Glenwood traded blows until Glenwood had the final say, shortly before the final whistle to steal a 22-19 victory.
Saints looked spent, and that, perhaps, was a reflection of the fact that their rugby season ended on 6 June, while Glenwood played their last game on 8 August.
In the final, DHS had too much firepower for Glenwood. After their win over Westville in the semifinals, the Horseflies oozed confidence.
Their success throughout the tournament was built on the pressure their defence generated, and then their ability to force turnovers and strike hard on the counterattack.
They played as if there was nothing at stake, expressing themselves with some sharp individual skills within a disciplined structure.
By halftime, they had crossed for four tries and, at 22-0, they were in the driving seat. Then, with another try scored within the second minute of the second half, it was all over bar the shouting.
Northwood claimed the Plate, defeating Michaelhouse 36-19 in the final. Northwood ousted the Griffins in the semifinals, while the Balgowan boys downed Northwood B.
In a cracking Bowl final, Urban came from behind to edge out Hoërskool Vryheid 26-24.
Midlands overwhelmed Kuswag in the Shield final, sprinting to a 50-0 victory.
Much like the U17 competition, the key clash in the U15 section for DHS, apart from the final, was their semifinal against Westville Boys’ High.
At Glenwood, they won 17-12 when the teams met, also in the semifinals. This time, they were more emphatic winners, rolling to a 31-14 victory.
With a win over their B side in the final, DHS U15A clinched their home title for a third successive year.
DHS B’s outstanding run underlined the hosts’ enviable depth. Their record included wins over Northwood U15A, St Charles U15A, Glenwood U15A, and Maritzburg College U15A.
RESULTS
U17
Pool A
DHS 46-0 HS Vryheid
Northwood B 24-12 HS Vryheid
DHS 65-5 Northwood B
Northwood B 10-0 BYE
DHS 10-0 BYE
HS Vryheid 10-0 BYE
Pool B
Westville 36-0 Urban
Michaelhouse 38-7 Pionier
Westville 10-5 Michaelhouse
Urban 26-12 Pionier
Westville 38-0 Pionier
Michaelhouse 41-7 Urban
Pool C
St Charles 12-7 Northwood
St Charles 61-0 Kuswag
Northwood 34-0 Kuswag
Kuswag 10-0 BYE
Northwood 10-0 BYE
St Charles 10-0 BYE
Pool D
Glenwood 54-0 Umlazi
Midlands 24-24 Griffins
Glenwood 36-7 Griffins
Midlands 40-0 Umlazi
Glenwood 28-5 Midlands
Griffins 52-0 Umlazi
Solitaire Playoff
Pionier 26-0 Umlazi
Cup Quarterfinals
DHS 35-0 Griffins
Westville 31-17 Northwood
St Charles 24-12 Michaelhouse
Glenwood 19-5 Northwood B
Bowl Semifinals
Urban 52-0 Kuswag
HS Vryheid 21-17 Midlands
Plate Semifinals
Northwood 45-12 Griffins
Michaelhouse 24-0 Northwood B
Cup Semifinals
DHS 36-15 Westville
Glenwood 22-19 St Charles
Shield Final
Midlands 50-0 Kuswag
Bowl Final
Urban 26-24 HS Vryheid
Plate Final
Northwood 35-19 Michaelhouse
Cup Final
DHS 39-0 Glenwood
U15 Section
Results
Pool A
DHS 45-0 Griffins
Glenwood B 22-19 Griffins
DHS 68-0 Glenwood B
Pool B
Westville 42-0 Northwood B
Michaelhouse 41-7 Northwood B
Westville 29-0 Michaelhouse
Pool C
DHS B 19-12 Northwood
DHS B 29-5 St Charles
Northwood 19-12 St Charles
Pool D
Glenwood 37-0 Kuswag
Maritzburg College 39-5 Kuswag
Maritzburg College 15-12 Glenwood
Cup Quarterfinals
DHS 47-0 Michaelhouse
Westville 78-0 Glenwood B
DHS B 19-10 Glenwood
Maritzburg College 12-7 Northwood
Bowl Semifinals
Griffins 28-14 Northwood B
St Charles 32-7 Kuswag
Plate Semifinals
Michaelhouse 21-12 Glenwood B
Glenwood 29-0 Northwood
Cup Semifinals
DHS 31-14 Westville
DHS B 34-7 Maritzburg College
Bowl Final
St Charles 19-12 Griffins
Plate Final
Michaelhouse 17-17 Glenwood
Cup Final
DHS 24-19 DHS B
