Glenwood High School hosted the opening round of the Clover High School Sevens Series on Saturday, with Westville Boys’ High, the 2025 national champion, and Northwood School, the national runner-up, both in action.
They faced stiff competition from Durban High School (DHS) and Glenwood High in both the u17 and u15 age groups.
Despite it being a first competition outing for some of the teams, they set a high standard, exhibiting exciting skills and displaying excellent fitness to match the tough demands of the game.
The U17 competition concluded with an exhilarating final between Westville and DHS.
Westville dominated Pool A before cruising to victories over Northwood 2 and Glenwood in the knockout rounds.
DHS, meanwhile, cruised through Pool C, then comfortably dealt with St Charles in the Cup quarterfinals before ousting Northwood in the semi-finals, which they won 26-17.
There was little to separate the teams in the final, which was decided when, with time up, DHS missed an attempted conversion kick that would have levelled the scores, leaving the Griffins with a nail-biting 26-24 victory.
Despite losing some of the outstanding playmakers that took them to victory at the Champ of Champs in Potchefstroom last year, Westville showed they remain a Sevens force, playing with impressive cohesion, intensity, and execution.
DHS made matters difficult for Westville. They were especially good when challenging for possession from kick-offs, while Westville excelled at turning over possession.
It’s going to be tough to beat the Horseflies on Van Heerden’s Field when they host the third round of the Clover High School Sevens Series in two weeks’ time.
Having mentioned the home of DHS rugby, plaudits must also be given to Glenwood’s ground staff. Dixon’s Field was lush and soft underfoot, an immaculate playing surface as always.
In fact, so lush was the surface that a family of Egyptian geese feasted throughout the event, despite the action that took place all around them. The players ensured the breeding pair and their youngsters were unharmed.
Northwood will be in the mix in the third round at DHS. They came through Pool D, beating both Michaelhouse and St Charles before blanking the Griffins (Westville 2) in the Cup quarterfinals.
They sprinted into a two-score lead against DHS in the semi-finals, but School clamped down, tightened up their defence, and turned some good defence into points.
Glenwood, the other semi-finalist, was a clear-cut number four on the day. They were made to work hard by Northwood 2 in Pool B, beating their Durban North rival 12-5. In the quarterfinals, they accounted for Howick High, who were one of the stories of the day, claiming a couple of impressive scalps.
The first of those was that of Hoërskool Pionier, whom they beat 10-7 in a Pool A clash. Their most notable performance, though, was in the Plate semi-finals, where they scored a well-deserved 31-19 win over Northwood 2.
St Charles posted an emphatic 38-7 win over Howick in the Plate final, but the boys from the Midlands did themselves proud.
Michaelhouse faced Pionier in the Bowl final. After it finished 14-14 in regulation time, the contest went to three minutes of extra time, with the first team to score winning the game. Michaelhouse made the breakthrough, triumphing 21-14.
The hosts also enjoyed success, with Glenwood 2 lifting the Shield after a 42-7 win over Umlazi, whose presence was a welcome addition to the High Schools Sevens Series.
Much like the u17 age group, the two best u15 teams came from DHS and Westville, except that they met in the semifinals, with DHS scoring a tight 17-12 victory to advance to the title game.
They faced Glenwood, 21-14 winners over Maritzburg College in the other semi-final, for the title. DHS lifted their game with the title on the line and overpowered the home side 47-0.
The depth of DHS rugby was on show in the U15 competition, with three of their teams in action. DHS 2 fell 14-19 to St Charles in the Plate semi-finals, while DHS 3 beat the Griffins 19-7 in the Bowl final.
The Plate went to Northwood, who scored a 26-5 victory over St Charles.
The Clover High School Sevens Series continues on 21 and 22 August at Hoërskool Pionier in Vryheid. The following weekend, Lilyfontein hosts a tournament in East London, while DHS hosts a two-day event on 28 and 29 August in Durban.
Results
U17
Pool A
Westville 54-5 Pionier
Howick 10-7 Pionier
Westville 41-5 Howick
Pool B
Northwood 2 64-0 Umlazi
Glenwood 40-0 Umlazi
Glenwood 12-5 Northwood 2
Pool C
DHS 45-7 Griffins
Griffins 26-12 Glenwood 2
DHS 49-5 Glenwood 2
Pool D
Northwood 26-7 Michaelhouse
Northwood 26-12 St Charles
St Charles 54-14 Michaelhouse
Cup Quarterfinals
Westville 33-7 Northwood 2
Glenwood 43-5 Howick
DHS 44-9 St Charles
Northwood 31-0 Griffins
Bowl Semi-finals
Pionier 45-0 Umlazi
Michaelhouse 43-14 Glenwood 2
Plate Semi-finals
Howick 31-19 Northwood 2
St Charles 33-15 Griffons
Cup Semi-finals
Westville 26-5 Glenwood
DHS 26-17 Northwood
Shield Final
Glenwood 2 42-7 Umlazi
Bowl Final
Michaelhouse 21-14 Pionier (AET)
Plate Final
St Charles 38-7 Howick
Cup Final
Westville 26-24 DHS
U15 Competition
Pool A
DHS 64-0 Glenwood 2
Glenwood 2 45-0 Umlazi
DHS 50-0 Umlazi
Pool B
Northwood 17-7 DHS 3
Westville 24-7 Northwood
Westville 26-14 DHS 3
Pool C
Glenwood 41-0 Northwood 2
St Charles 37-0 Northwood 2
Glenwood 12-10 St Charles
Pool D
DHS 2 37-0 Griffins
Maritzburg College 17-14 DHS 2
Maritzburg College 22-21 Griffins
Cup Quarterfinals
DHS 36-5 Northwood
Westville 59-7 Glenwood 2
Glenwood 14-7 DHS 2
Maritzburg College 14-7 St Charles
Bowl Semi-finals
DHS 3 36-0 Umlazi
Griffins 35-7 Northwood 2
Plate Semi-finals
Northwood 26-0 Glenwood
St Charles 19-14 DHS 2
Cup Semi-finals
DHS 17-12 Westville
Glenwood 21-14 Maritzburg College
Bowl Final
DHS 3 19-7 Griffons
Plate Final
Northwood 26-5 St Charles
Cup Final
DHS 47-0 Glenwood
