Michaelhouse hosts Hilton College at Meadows, in Balgowan, on Saturday in the 212th meeting of the great rivals.
It will be the first time ‘House coach Marco Engelbrecht takes charge of a Hilton/Michaelhouse derby at home. For Hilton College coach Brad Macleod-Henderson, it will be his last match in charge after a superbly successful run since 2016.
That run included eight successive victories between 2017 and 2023. Michaelhouse finally stopped Hilton when they won away in their last match of the season in June 2023. Again, the spoils were shared in 2024, but Hilton won both matches in 2025. Earlier this season, Hilton claimed a 23-21 victory.
That leads us to Saturday’s showdown. Should Hilton College win, they would even the overall record at 101 wins for both schools and 10 draws, and that would be a memorable note on which Macleod-Henderson could sign off. Win or lose, though, his tenure has been one of outstanding success.
Remarkably, after 212 matches, there is almost nothing to separate the sides’ points tallies. Michaelhouse has 2 605 points in total, while Hilton has 2 556. Per game, that makes the average score 12.29 to 12.06.
Interestingly, since Covid-19 halted all school sport, while Hilton has continued to maintain an advantage at 1st XV level, Michaelhouse has enjoyed better overall results, winning 100 of 148 matches, with Hilton claiming 43 wins, and five games ending in draws. Clashes at the top level, those between the A-teams, have been a coin flip, however.
Michaelhouse’s coach, Marco Engelbrecht, is now familiar with the derby, but being part of his first one on Meadows will be both thrilling and nerve-wracking.
His side showed last weekend in a memorable victory over high-flying Maritzburg College that playing at home can make a huge difference. It should be remembered, though, that the last time they faced Hilton on Meadows, in 2024, they lost by a point in a shocking finish.
That same year, they won by a point on Gilfillan Field. In 2025, their home match was played on Baileys, while Meadows underwent repairs.
Perhaps, where the Hilton/Michaelhouse rivalry is concerned, home ground advantage is less of an influence than it usually is.
One of the abiding memories of the win over Maritzburg College will be that of the home side twice forcing scrum penalties out of College towards the end of the game when they desperately needed those breaks. They have, in captain Nicolas Salamousas and Aphelele Chamane, Sharks Craven Week props, who will attempt to give ‘House the edge against a sturdy Hilton pack.
Chamane played like a man possessed against College, a force in the tight and when driving hard at the line. Salamousas offered more of the same.
Hilton’s captain, Andrew Schnell, was a hugely influential figure when leading his side to a win over Michaelhouse at home at the beginning of May. His contribution included stealing a Michaelhouse throw-in five metres from the Hilton try line, and it tellingly included another steal of a Michaelhouse lineout inside the visitors’ 22, which led to a Hilton try.
For a second successive week, Hilton will be without their Sharks Craven Week no. 8, Zander Muller. However, Ross Steyn, who moved from flank to the back of the scrum in Hilton’s win over Kearsney last weekend, made a big impact with his physicality. It’s not as if there is going to be a let-up for ‘House.
Both scrumhalves, Hilton’s Benoit Rey and Michaelhouse’s Ben Hughes, offer tidy services. Rey tends to kick a little more, while Hughes is more inclined to test the defences around the rucks.
At flyhalf, Jack Carmody does a tidy job of getting the Michaelhouse backline moving, while John Grubb is the more physical of the backline generals and will test the home side’s defences himself.
Michaelhouse, with Craven Week inside centre Alex Jankowitz and Academy Week outside centre Fabiano Fierro, has the bigger name midfield, but Ruan Mulder and Guy Fender are rock-solid for Hilton.
Perhaps the most dangerous finisher is Hilton’s right wing, Tom Gurupira, while the visitors’ fullback, James Peattie, is an enthusiastic and often dangerous counterattacking force.
Much could depend on the kickers. Grubb, for Hilton, has, at times, been inconsistent, but he was on the money against Kearsney last weekend. Alex Jankowitz, for Michaelhouse, lands most of his kicks, although he twice missed difficult sideline conversions against Maritzburg College.
It could come down to one of the two kickers slotting those kinds of kicks to win the game.
In Botha’s Hill, Kearsney College hosts St Alban’s College. Nhlanhla Ndlovu and company will feel confident of winning in front of their home supporters.
Kearsney has played the tougher schedule and has shown the skills to unlock even the toughest of defences. Last weekend, the Hoops were undone by Pretoria Boys High’s attack, and Kearsney, arguably, possesses greater firepower.
Past results are not a surefire way of determining what may occur, but they are an indicator, and the arrow points in the home side’s favour.
Teams:
Michaelhouse vs Hilton College, Meadows, Balgowan at 14:45.
Michaelhouse: 15 Reece Cole, 14 Laird Hamilton-Brown, 13 Fabiano Fierro, 12 Alex Jankowitz, 11 Banathi Sabelo, 10 Jack Carmody, 9 Ben Hughes, 8 Oliver Guy, 7 Jed Reilly, 6 Calum van Zyl, 5 Oliver Vickery, 4 Reese Hill, 3 Nicolas Salamousas, 2 Max Oliva, 1 Aphelele Chamane.
Hilton College: 15 James Peattie, 14 Tom Gurupira, 13 Guy Fender, 12 Ruan Mulder, 11 Liyema Gazi, 10 John Grubb, 9 Benoit Rey, 8 Ross Steyn, 7 Rob Jervis, 6 Callan Kenmuir, 5 Andrew Schnell, 4 Hartman Fourie, 3 Mholi Khuzwayo, 2 Kyle-Reese Clements, 1 Aidan du Plooy.
Kearsney College vs St Alban’s College, Stott Field, Botha’s Hill at 12:00.
Kearsney College: 15 Lwazi Mbebe, 14 Luke Grobbelaar, 13 Thomas Aylward, 12 Keanu Williamson, 11 Lwandile Mkhize, 10 Daniel Miskey, 9 Fynn Verbaan, 8 Nhlanhla Ndlovu, 7 Oliver Ludwig, 6 Markus Wise, 5 Robert Gelderman, 4 Thomas Francke, 3 Tunga Griffiths, 2 Luke Fauré, 1 Clement Makalele.
St Alban’s College – N/A
