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The school rugby season is fast heading towards its first break, with only a few games left to entertain, before the various rugby weeks take centre-stage over the mid-year holidays.
The biggest match of the weekend will not even be on the Border, with K-Day set to thrill as St Andrew’s College take on Kingswood College at Kingswood in Grahamstown.
It is going to be an intriguing clash as it sees two very in-form teams go head-to-head in the biggest derby clash in the city.
Kingswood endured a miserable start to their season, losing three, drawing one and winning one of their first five games, but since then they have embarked on a seven-match winning run, culminating with a 66-5 thrashing of Grens this past weekend, so they will head into the game with plenty of confidence.
St Andrew’s started the season with a superb nine straight wins, but that run was broken by Selborne College with their only defeat of the season three weekends ago.
They have since bounced back with two good wins, 24-21 over massive rivals Grey PE and a comfortable 38-6 victory over Pearson, so they will also be very confident.
Another form team in Selborne return to action this week after having the past weekend off.
They will host Stirling on Friday afternoon in a match they will be expected to win comfortably, with Selborne enjoying a solid season that has seen them win 10 games and lose just three.
Selborne’s last two games were a 36-17 win against St Andrew’s and a 78-20 thrashing of Cambridge, so they will be aiming for a third good win on the bounce.
Stirling have had their moments over the season, but will head into the match off a disappointing 23-6 loss against their closest rivals Hudson Park, which will have dented their confidence.
Hudson’s win over Stirling saw their back and forth season continue as they bounced back from a defeat against Graeme College to get back on the winning track.
They will be eager to pick up another win before their massive encounter against Selborne next weekend, and Hudson will have a good opportunity as they take on a struggling Grens side on Saturday.
It has been a season to forget for Grens and it would take a big upset for them to steal a win away from home over Hudson.
Adding excitement to Hudson’s rugby, the school will host an adult dinner/rugby chat evening with former Springbok rugby captain, Jean de Villiers next Wednesday.
The evening is open to the wider public of East London and tickets are available from the school on 043-726-3205, or alternatively phone 082-625-5199 to make arrangements for tickets.
Venue: Hudson Park High School Centenary Hall at 6.30pm.
Another team to struggle this season, Queen’s College, will have a great chance of snapping a poor losing streak when they travel to Muir College for their derby encounter.
Their results don’t make for nice reading, with Queen’s having lost 11 games, including their last five in a row, while winning just three, but they should be confident of claiming a win over a team that has struggled more than them.
Muir have had only one win the entire season, against 12 losses, so they will be desperate for a win.
The Border’s other top rugby schools, Dale College and Cambridge High concluded their matches before the winter break against each other this past weekend, with Dale claiming an impressive 62-22 victory.