Having won only twice and drawn once in their last 10 matches, Bishops will aim to shed the underdog collar when they take on Wynberg Boys’ High on Saturday. The southern suburbs rivals meet on Hawthornden Field at 12:30.
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Most recently, in May, Wynberg scored a 38-20 win at Bishops, leaning on their rolling maul to bring them four tries from Naeem Mohammed and Ridah Johnson, who will be tough to stop while steering from the back of the maul.
Wynberg left-wing Chad Campbell has been in fine form. He dotted down twice and was crowned the “King of the Match” in a 42-26 King Price Derby Series triumph over Boland Landbou last Saturday.
Bishops possesses dual midfield threats in open play. Captain and inside centre Boytjie Fyfer and outside centre Christian Toweel are a solid pairing. One can expect the duo to have some tricks up their sleeve.
In their forward pack, props Jarred Kowen and Luca Wolfe-Coote will be crucial as they’ll lead the defensive efforts with their combined strength in the rolling maul.
Wynberg is the favourite. They’ve won their last three matches and have won their past six games against Bishops.
The visitors head to Wynberg having lost their last three in a row. They will, however, be well-rested and at full strength, with two weeks of preparation for the derby clash. Those factors could deliver a close contest.
HTS Drostdy could make it seven wins in succession with a victory in their first match against Milnerton High, which kicks off at 12:20 on Saturday.
The Donkies head into the match off an impressive 31-24 underdog triumph over Oakdale Landbou. Outside backs Anwill Jacobs and Tristin Syster collected tries out wide, while flanks Werno Ramshauer and Joniel Claasen put in massive shifts at the breakdowns and were also rewarded with tries.
Last time out, Millies enjoyed a second win of the season when they defeated Hoërskool Tygerberg 19-15. Blindside flank Nico Lourens was on fire, crossing for a hat-trick of tries.
While their current form will have the visitors heading to Worcester with some confidence, the odds are stacked in Drostdy’s favour.
Then again, they were not expected to overcome Oakdale last weekend, and Milnerton could take encouragement from that result.
Hoërskool Bellville centres Xandru Büter and Caylem du Plessis are consistent try-scorers. They’ll be key attacking threats against Hoërskool Strand when the schools face one another at 12:00 on Saturday.
Büter scored twice and Du Plessis once, as the Kwaggas returned to winning ways in last weekend’s 26-13 success over Hermanus. Last May, Strand beat Bellville 29-7, and they’ll back themselves to get the job done again as the home side.
They also demonstrated good form in their most recent match, overcoming Bosmansdam High 29-15 in June. Some of the busy players in their forward pack include their captain and eighthman Rohan Bezuidenhout, hooker Benji de Reuck, and lock Schalk Beukes.
Bellville will need to match Strand up front if they want to see a fair share of the ball. Flanker Zandro Stramrood is the kind of player who often bosses the physical contests, and he will set the tone for the side.
He versus Bezuidenhout will make for an interesting heavyweight match-up as the schools are expected to produce a close contest.
The teams:
Wynberg Boys’ High (likely): 15 Laeeq Davids, 14 Matthew Anthony, 13 Ithandile Nkhola, 12 Luke Gertze, 11 Chad Campbell, 10 Achmat Behardien, 9 Rauf Ahmed, 8 Esa van der Schyff, 7 Eli van der Merwe, 6 Alvin Machinja, 5 Jack de Beer, 4 James Orwin, 3 Solam Gegana, 2 Naeem Mohammed, 1 Boitumelo Maobohlo.
Bishops: 15 Miyolo Ngculu, 14 Lulibo Nyawula, 13 Christian Toweel, 12 Boytjie Fyfer (captain), 11 Danny Newton, 10 Caleb Clark, 9 Rhys Jack, 8 Jack Venter, 7 Ethan Venter, 6 Connor Clark, 5 James Gordon, 4 Dan Coetzee, 3 Jarred Kowen, 2 Joe Lanning, 1 Luca Wolfe-Coote.
HTS Drostdy (likely): 15 Anwill Jacobs, 14 Tristen Syster, 13 Brent-Leigh Exstraal, 12 Willvino Paultin, 11 Darren Makeza, 10 Jano van Deventer, 9 Wernard de Villiers, 8 Simamkele Lahlekile, 7 Joniel Claasen, 6 Werno Ramsauer, 5 Jean-Louis Matthee, 4 Eugene Walker, 3 Jurick van der Berg, 2 JP Lotriet, 1 Juann Jansen van Vuuren.
Milnerton High (likely): 15 Chadlin Sellidon (captain), 14 Akho Mkaya, 13 Kyle Lodewyk, 12 Troy Ferreira, 11 Nurudeen Wanza, 10 James Ferreira, 9 Callan Lakay, 8 Yenga Maongeli, 7 Nico Lourens, 6 Joshua White, 5 William de Allende, 4 Gregory Tshibangu, 3 Kyle Janse van Rensburg, 2 Liam Plaaitjies, 1 Likhona Anda Filtana.
Hoërskool Strand (likely): 15 Duval Roode, 14 Connor Julies, 13 Preston Tobias, 12 Waldo Newton, 11 Haydrianne Pietersen, 10 Leathan Lewis, 9 Jason Hartogh, 8 Rohan Bezuidenhout (captain), 7 DC Fourie, 6 Josh Lourens, 5 Schalk Beukes, 4 Robert de Villiers, 3 Brand Nel, 2 Benji de Reuck, 1 Duane Lombard.
Hoërskool Bellville: 15 Devanté Vlotman, 14 Marlon Claasen, 13 Caylem du Plessis, 12 Xandru Büter, 11 Liam Kuyk, 10 Marno Botes, 9 Juvan Rousseau, 8 Cade Mong, 7 Connor Els, 6 Zandro Stramrood, 5 Liam Genis, 4 Jano Koegelenberg, 3 Zander van Wyk, 2 Ryno Higgs, 1 Alex Cronje.
