Cape Schools Rugby Week

The Rugby results from the Cape Schools Week held over the June holidays at SACS attest to the new regime of skills and resistance training that is proving to be a valuable foundation for all our rugby players. The commitment of the 1st and 2nd XV squads to sometimes seven sessions per week of training, including weights and speed/endurance sessions, is setting a strong example for the rest of the School.

The results also point to some success from our planned program to build, from the junior sides up, the participation rates, skills and strength of rugby at Rondebosch Boys’ High School.
The coordinated, three-sessions-a-week coaching program for all 14s to senior teams is well under way for this season and we now have 10 old boys regularly coaching our junior and senior rugby teams.

The Rondebosch Boys’ High School 1st XV v Grey 1st XV matches has traditionally been a close, hard fought encounter.

This year was no exception with the teams going tackle for tackle. Grey High preventing a Cape Schools clean sweep at the opening of the Cape Schools Week. Rondebosch as always responded well to the physicality of the game. Scores were locked at 12-all and then 17-all. With two minutes to go 21-20, Grey then broke through the midfield and scored to take the match to 27 – 21. Lock-forward Louw Naude adjudicated ‘Man of the Match’.



In the second match of the festival Selbourne threw everything at our side.
The Selbourne forwards were relentless in the rucks and in defence. Our back line attempted to penetrated for the whole match, demonstrating enhanced skill levels and fitness, but devilish tackling stopped us from scoring. Scott van Breda had his kicking boots on and slotted all the points for the match whenever a penalty was awarded in Selbourne’s 22m. At the final siren, the 1st XV was stormed from the sidelines by the 200 strong Bosch supporters, celebrating a hard earned 15-8 win. Scott van Breda selected as ‘Man of the Match’.

The final game for the festival was against Muir College. With numerous players away on holiday and slight niggles, the team called up one or two second, third and under 16 players. Urged on by Steven Wallace, stand-in captain and ‘Man of the Match’, the palpable high spirit and a relentless drive to not give up, our boys responded with a convincing win by mauling in 7 tries to take and keep the victory 39-09.

My thanks must go out to the players who have sacrificed all their holidays, public holiday’s and weekends for the glory of Rondebosch rugby. The two weeks off will do load to replenish the batteries and I encourage our parents and players to spend time together as a family.

The seriousness with which our rugby is taken can be seen by the advanced training equipment being erected at school. Firstly a tackling machine, the first of its kind in the country has just been completed and will soon be in use. With the new changes in rules and regulations in the tackle, we want to be at the leading edge of training technology, the apparatus will train youngsters how to tackle correctly and remain on their feet, and drive the opposition backwards, thus giving away fewer penalties.

Secondly, we have a new tackling bag which holds a ball for coaching players to the ball on the ground and how to capture space when counter-rucking is already in use by some of the teams.

Rondebosch will once again be defending their winner’s trophy at the Villagers’ 7’s tournament, along with a definite plan to succeed at the Hamilton’s 7’s. Training has begun under the watchful eye of Mike v Rheede and Bob MacFarlane, and strategist Tom Dawson-Squibb.