Last weekend, Michaelhouse suffered a disappointing loss at Westville Boys’ High, going down 19-52 after the contest was level at 19-19 after 10 minutes of the second half. It was the first time a team had truly got on top of ‘House this season. They produced a fantastic response to that setback on Meadows on Saturday.
Facing Maritzburg College, a team that had won five matches in succession – beating St Charles, Durban High School, Northwood, Hilton College, and Kearsney – they upended the visitors, scoring a 24-17 victory to boost their morale ahead of their season-ending clash with Hilton on Meadows next weekend.
On a cold day in Balgowan, Maritzburg College started like a house on fire, pushing Michaelhouse back onto the home side’s try line with a sustained forward-based attack. Then, from a five-metre lineout, Sharks’ Craven Week hooker, Theo Boshoff, added another try to his long list of them in the 2026 season when he broke free of a maul and dived over.
Dom du Toit‘s accurate boot made it 7-0 to the visitors with only three minutes played.
Michaelhouse hung tough and immediately laid siege to the College try line, prodding and poking through phase after phase. The visitors’ abrasive defence kept the hosts at bay until Alex Jankowitz and Jack Carmody got them within touching distance of the whitewash, and Jed Reilly took an inside ball from scrumhalf Ben Hughes to crash over for five in the 12th minute.
Jankowitz levelled matters, landing the conversion kick.
Michaelhouse hit College with a sucker punch soon after. From the kickoff, fullback Reece Cole launched a high clearing kick. When the ball was spilt, the home team pounced, quickly funnelling possession to Laird Hamilton-Brown. The long-striding right wing outraced the scrambling defenders, running in under the uprights from 55 metres out to put Michaelhouse ahead for the first time in the contest.
The simple conversion kick from Jankowitz made it 14-7, much to the delight of the home supporters.
During their five-match unbeaten run, Maritzburg College had produced well-controlled rugby, limiting their mistakes, but this one cost them dearly.
The Red, Black, and White, to their credit, took the hit to the chin, rolled up their sleeves and forced their way down into Michaelhouse’s half.
College looked as if they were on their way to an equalising try when they splintered the hosts’ defence of a rolling maul, but the referee pinged the visitors for obstruction, and Michaelhouse earned a momentary reprieve.
Rory Stanton and company kept Michaelhouse under pressure, however, and earned a couple of penalties, which they turned into five-metre lineouts. From the second one, the College skipper burst clear and went over in the left corner.
Du Toit, so reliable, nailed the touchline kick to make it 14-14 after 26 minutes. That’s how it stayed until halftime.
Committed defence from both sides led to a lot of rugby being played in the middle part of the field early in the second half. Halfway through, Du Toit nudged College ahead with a penalty from the ‘House 10-metre line.
Michaelhouse won the subsequent kickoff and, after a strong drive from Oliver Guy, Reese Hill was almost over, but he lost the ball in a crunching tackle with the try line just three metres in front of him. Still, the red and white hoops kept attacking ferociously, taking the ball through numerous phases.
Loosehead prop Aphele Chamane was over, but he was aided by obstruction. The hosts stayed on the attack, though, as the referee brought the players back for a penalty after College had strayed offside. Captain Nicolas Salamousas didn’t hesitate, choosing not to kick at the posts. Rather, the onslaught continued.
College’s defence, which had held Hilton College to only three penalties in a 14-9 win that ended Hilton’s unbeaten season, forced another knock-on as Michaelhouse pressed for a third try. That’s when the home team’s Craven Week props, Chamane and Salamousas, proved their worth by forcing a penalty out of College with an almighty shove.
Through five phases, right on the try line, they drove hard, but College held up the ball over the line. Another knock-on gave the Red, Black, and White the put-in. Incredibly, Michaelhouse forced another scrum penalty.
Eventually, after six phases from the quick tap, fast hands from Carmody put Banathi Sabelo over in the left corner.
Jankowitz’s touchline conversion floated to the right of the uprights, but Michaelhouse led 19-17 with four minutes to go.
They struck again in the 33rd minute. Left-wing, Sabelo, fielded a high-up-and-under with sure hands, neatly sidestepped a chasing defender, then fed Reece Cole on his outside.
Cole made ground, with options on his inside and outside. He went wide to Carmody, who drew the last defender, then fed Sabelo on his inside. He pinned his ears back and was over for a second try in the left corner with an extravagant dive.
Jankowitz, given an opportunity to correct his earlier conversion miss, took all of the allotted time for his kick. This time, he had the direction but not the distance, and Michaelhouse led 24-17 with a minute on the clock.
They had possession, though, as the referee penalised College for an indiscretion after the try had been scored, giving coach Marco Engelbrecht‘s boys a penalty on halfway. It was a long shot, but Jankowitz chose to kick at the posts to eat up as much time as possible. His effort passed just to the left of the target.
College counterattacked and won a penalty for a high tackle, which reduced Michaelhouse to 14 players. Appropriately, though, their dogged defence had the final say, with Aphele Chamane, who had a monster game, winning a turnover penalty. ‘House kicked to touch, and victory was theirs.
Scorers:
Michaelhouse 24 (14) – Tries: Banathi Sabelo (2), Jed Reilly, Laird Hamilton-Brown. Conversions: Alex Jankowitz (2). Maritzburg College 17 (14) – Tries: Theo Boshoff, Rory Stanton. Conversions: Dom du Toit (2). Penalty: Dom du Toit.
Other results:
u19
II: Maritzburg College 17 Michaelhouse 13
III: Michaelhouse 31 Maritzburg College 29
IV: Maritzburg College 17 Michaelhouse 7
V: Michaelhouse 17 Maritzburg College 7
VI: Maritzburg College 14 Michaelhouse 5
VII: Michaelhouse 28 Maritzburg College 11
VIII: Maritzburg College 41 Michaelhouse 5
IX: Maritzburg College 35 Michaelhouse 15
u16
A: Michaelhouse 34 Maritzburg College 26
B: Michaelhouse 42 Maritzburg College 13
C: Michaelhouse 19 Maritzburg College 15
D: Maritzburg College 57 Michaelhouse 7
u15
A: Maritzburg College 20 Michaelhouse 7
B: Michaelhouse 17 Maritzburg College 15
C: Maritzburg College 17 Michaelhouse 12
D: Maritzburg College 50 Michaelhouse 0
u14
A: Maritzburg College 24 Michaelhouse 15
B: Maritzburg College 21 Michaelhouse 0
C: Maritzburg College 45 Michaelhouse 7
D: Maritzburg College 54 Michaelhouse 12
