From Behind the Posts:

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1 2 June 2012, 26 th Edition From Behind the Posts: D-day finally arrived after months of anticipation and hours of speculation. We knew from the outset that an invasion on the grounds of Memorial A was not going to be an easy task. We have taken some casualties in earlier battles and knew that we would have to be spot on in our execution against an old enemy who would be lying ready and waiting, as we descended into the foot of the mountain. Initially, we made some inroads into their defences as we launched attacks deep into their territory. They were scrambling desperately in defence, but managed to drop two vicious bombs on us before we could really settle into the fight. Our boys were throwing everything at them, desperate to get some ascendency, only to end up retreating because of the long range rifle power from their number 10. We had some moments, a couple of them that could have swung the momentum back into our favour. We landed three beautiful attacks on them with Duncan Geldenhuys scoring two and Matt Steele showing off our fighting spirit by scoring at the death; in the end it was those two early bombs that caused the fatal damage to our plan of establishing a foothole in our quest for the suburbs.

2 I found myself at the Bayside Cafe on the beaches of Fish Hoek moments after the battle, waiting for my wife who was ensconced in a battle of her own in the crazy world of auctions. As the sun was setting over the beaches of False Bay I imagined what it must have been like for Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay who led the invasion into Normandy many lifetimes ago. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for him at the end of D-day as he witnessed his men bravely trying to execute the battle plan. My heart was breaking as I thought of our boys who took some serious knocks in the game, and also to those who will not be back this season. I thought of brave Hobbsie who went into theatre with a broken arm; young Tyren lee who looked like he got hit by a bomb and then as always there was Duncan who resembled a soldier fresh from the frontlines. It must have been tough on the admiral at the end of D-day. Rugbywise the score doesn t reflect the true efforts of the boys. We did make some bad errors which led to scoring opportunities for SACS, but it was still one massive contest right to the end. SACS deserved to win on D-day because they took every opportunity they got, a sign of a good team. The bounce of the oval ball has been particularly cruel to us in the last couple of weeks with another two ending up in the hands of a SACS winger who cantered in for 14 valuable points. We won the penalty count once again because of our trademark discipline: if only penalties could earn you some points. There were only seven scrums in the match, with SACS having to put the ball in on three occasions: so our handling was pretty good, but as you can imagine those knock-on s came at crucial times. SACS employed a very good kicking game which gave us a lot of possession, but in the wrong part of the field, with us having to attack from out deep. Once again I am very proud of the way the boys played and conducted themselves on that rugby field. The last couple of weeks have been pretty tough on the team. It is not easy seeing the boys put in so much effort to then fall short from reaping the reward. On the other hand it has been a tremendous learning experience with a lot of growth for me as a coach. It is easy to coach when things are going well, but it is in the challenging times that you get to dig deep and learn more about yourself, the team and this beautiful game. With that in mind, I am already looking forward to our next challenge on Rugby A against a Tygerberg team who succeeded in upsetting the giant Paul Roos. See you behind the poles. P.S. Don t let the ball bounce. Clinton van Rensburg

3 Blitz Bits: We collect bits of interesting information that our supporters provide us in connection with Bosch rugby. Should anyone have any information to add the what we have, or have anything else that is new, please contact me at We have confirmed another Bosch 1 st Team that produced more than 1 Springbok ! Bosch 1 st Teams that produced more than one Springbok Year Springbok Springbok 1963 Derek van den Berg Roy McCallum 1996 Hanyani Shimange Gcobani Bobo WP colours We would like to congratulate Graham Geldenhuys and Ebrahiem Titus on their section to the WP U18 Academy team. We are proud of their achievements. BRSC Bosch rugby would like to thank the Bosch Rugby Supporters Club for sponsoring practice bibs for all the teams, and for Disa Sport for sponsoring the bags for the bibs. Twitter Should you want rugby results and other interesting bits on Bosch rugby, you can follow me For other Bosch sport related news, you can also Gustaf Pienaar MiC Rugby

4 Physical Abuse of Match Officials: Letter from The South African Rugby Union 24 May 2012 Province Presidents Via Coded Dear Colleagues Physical Abuse of Match Officials All of you will be aware of two high profile incidents in which match officials at schoolboy matches were physically attacked. In the first instance a player head-butted a referee into unconsciousness. In the second instance a school coach, with pre-meditation, shoulder charged a referee shortly after a match. The schoolboy assailant was suspended for ten years (with seven of those years suspended). The second case is awaiting sentencing and, as it is already underway, these comments are expressly designed not to include that case. My fear is that these are not isolated incidents, and that many more go unreported by the media and are not captured on Youtube. I am therefore writing to you today urging you to address this cancerous stain on our game with your clubs and schools and with your disciplinary committees. Please warn all of them that South African rugby will in future have zero tolerance for physical abuse of referees and the standard sanction for any transgressors will be a life ban from rugby. I will be making a media statement shortly to the effect that I have written to unions urging them to apply life bans and that rugby has drawn a line in the sand on this issue. Colleagues, there can be no excuse for this kind of behaviour and no forgiveness in a society where casual violence is a concern to us all. There is absolutely no reason why anyone involved should lay a finger on a match official. If it does not happen in the most pressured environment of Test or Vodacom Super Rugby, why should it happen at a Saturday morning school match? Physical abuse of referees is regarded as the most serious offence a player or official can commit. That is reflected on the IRB s schedule of recommended sanctions. The entry-level sanction for physical abuse of a referee is a six-month ban, which can rise to a life ban. Instruct your disciplinary committees that, as far as SARU is concerned, the entry level sanction for physical abuse of referees should be a life ban. Yours sincerely O.P.M. Hoskins President SARU

5 Official sponsor of the RBHS 1 st XV

6 Concussion: For a number of years now, Rondebosch has supported a concussion testing program provided by ImPACT Applications South Africa in conjunction with Dr. Victoria Alexander (Ph.D.) Rondebosch has provided the information to parents on a regular basis because it is of interest to all parents, not just rugby players parents. I just want to provide the necessary information to our rugby parents again. The ImPACT programme would include the following: 1. The cost of the ImPACT programme is R350/boy for the academic year. 2. This includes, the baseline testing, post-injury testing, all test interpretation by credentialed neuropsychologist, report writing and liaison with doctor/parent and coaches 3. Please note, that as ImPACT clinicians we act in an advisory capacity only in order to provide supplementary information in the overall medical management of the case, and the final return-to-play decision rests with the doctor in charge. To make use of this programme, one would ideally start with a base line test. In order for this to be done, the parent must make a payment to ImPACT at the following account: ImPACT Applications South Africa First National Bank Branch code Account Number Rondebosch has agreed to facilitate the actual testing in our computer centre. Once payment has been made to ImPACT, the boy can with his proof of payment make an appointment with Mr Ryan Busby at the Centenary Computer Centre. He will then set up the necessary computer software and supervise the test, after which he will forward the test to Dr Alexander. Should you not have taken an early option to have a baseline test done and your son still gets concussed, you can still subscribe to the program in the same way as above. The only difference would be that ImPACT s recommendations would then be comparing your son s test data with a national norm, instead of his own personal baseline. Follow-ups after a concussion must also be done in conjunction with a medical doctor. The decision to take part in this programme is entirely up to you as a parent, but it is strongly recommended that you do whatever you can to help prevent concussion as far as possible. For this, I would strongly recommend the following: 1. Have your son complete a baseline test. This becomes very useful in the management of the injury after an incident. 2. Do not let your son play any contact sport without a proper gum guard - preferably one that has been fitted by a dentist. There is also an attached guide with this newsletter. For more information on sports concussion management visit:

7 Match Reports: U19A: RBHS 17 vs SACS 36 It was on a beautiful late winter/early spring Saturday morning in 2007 on Memorial A, when I witnessed one of the finest displays of rugby that I have seen from a SACS team. They came out with all guns blazing and, in a stunning display of running rugby, ran us off our feet from everywhere on the field. The tries flowed freely and we looked hapless. By half time the match, as a contest, was basically over. We tried to stage a comeback, but the damage was done and SACS ended as deserved winners by beating us Since then, Bosch have put together a run of seven unbeaten matches against SACS - our biggest victory was a win at home in The return fixture that year was called off due to heavy rain. It was clear that with a very good st Team, SACS wanted to put the record straight. It was their time to break their losing streak against Bosch, and they felt they had the team to do this. Bosch felt they were ready for an upset. Being labelled as the underdogs for the first time in a long while against SACS suited them. The hard work was done during the week and we were ready. We had just completed two matches against Paul Roos and Boland Landbou where we played very good rugby and could possibly have caused upsets on both occasions. Our rugby has been improving each week. We created more opportunities than our opponents, but could not finish them off. This time, however, we felt we were ready to finish them off. The scene was set and the match started with not one supporter being disappointed in their expectations. In the twelfth minute of the match, after we created two clear opportunities without capitalising on them, I watched the SACS lock burst over the line to open the scoring. I could not help but think we were watching the same movie again - creating opportunities, but where the opposition does the scoring. We played, but like we could, while SACS played with much more urgency and as a team who were there to win the match. The difference between the two teams was summed up seven minutes later when we gave the big SACS winger an intercept try on a platter. He followed that one up with another try only five minutes later. We did put up a fight, and got the reward when Duncan Geldenhuys scored five minutes from half time, only for the good work to be undone by the SACS number 8 for SACS fourth try just before half time. Duncan Geldenhuys scores one of this two tries against SACS

8 Some will argue that the match was won by half time with the score at 7-26, so SACS could afford to slack down in the second half, but I would argue that the coaches had harsh words during the break, and our boys started to put together some better phases. Seventeen minutes into the second half Duncan scored his second try and we looked like we could fight our way back into the match. SACS must have realised that it was important to have more than a two score lead and converted a penalty for a 15 point lead. All the hard work was undone when we handed the big number 14 his third try with a very soft turn-over. Matthew Steel did score a very well worked team try to make the score more respectable, but the contest was over. SACS game to win and played to win - somehow the fire we had against Paul Roos was not quite there this week. Some might want to argue that SACS outscored us five tries to three, and that if we did not give them those two soft tries we might have been able to pull this one off. The reality is that if we did, we would have stolen it - the team who played better on the day won the contest. This loss came at a heavy price - apart from the psychological aspect of a third loss in a row. Our flyhalf, Tyren Lee, had to have part of his ear reattached with seven stitches after a late charge down from an opposition player with his boots up in the air, and our left wing, Alaric Hobbs, broke his arm in a heavy tackle after he made the final pass to Matthew Steel for his try. Alaric s is the fourth season-ending injury the team has suffered this year. We look forward to hosting Tygerberg at home after a number of weeks on the road. Tries: Duncan Geldenhuys x 2, Matthew Steel x 1 Conversions: Tyren Lee x 1 Gustaf Pienaar MiC Rugby & 1 st XV Manager Matthew Steel dots down his try in the second half Evox supplements cater for all sportsmen across the various sporting codes. Evox is a proud supplier to the DHL STORMERS and now the RBHS 1 st XV rugby team. For further info please contact: Divvie Maritz tel:

9 U19B: RBHS 12 vs SACS 15 The 2 nd team did not arrive at SACS on Saturday 2 June. Yes, there were fifteen Rondebosch boys on the field, but no more than a few will be able to say that they gave everything for the team: plenty of tackles were missed, balls unnecessarily dropped, touch kicks did not find the touchline and wrong decisions on attack were plentiful. The final score was close: SACS winning 15-12, but there were at least five scoring opportunities that Bosch squandered. SACS took their scoring chances and converted all of them to points whereas Rondebosch did not. Stef de Gouveia, Bobbie Blake, Christoph Blake, Sabin Bouwer and Kegan Lapin had notable games. Rowan Harmuth DOGS: (U19C) RBHS 8 vs SACS 16 On Saturday we took on SACS in a game that was always going to be close but one that the boys believed they had a chance of winning. In the first two minutes of the game, SACS went over under the poles due to a defensive error and we needed to re-group quickly. Despite the fair conditions the handling error plague continued, but SACS seemed to be showing a greater intent all round. With the penalty count mounting against us and only some resolute defence keeping us in the game, we ended the first stanza 16-3 behind. With four backline changes, and another back injured in the game, it was always going to be tough to find rhythm, but the boys managed to gain ascendancy nicely in the second half. Rugby is as much about decision-making as anything else, and bar a few incorrect decisions the boys could have scored a few more tries than they did. Eventually with seven minutes to play and having had the territorial and possession advantage for much of the second half, Bosch managed to cross the tryline to make the score Despite another wave of attack, SACS held the game out well to win and we were consigned to another defeat by a narrow margin. The difference between winning and losing in sport is minute and hence the minor details need to be acknowledged not ignored. This will be a good lesson for the boys as they continue their journey to success. Tom Dawson-Squibb

10 THE FORCE: (U19D) RBHS 27 vs SACS 12 It was Hannibal from the A Team that said Don t you just love it when a plan comes together. This was due to the hard work put in by Brett: with the backline attacking space and setting up defensive lines, the forwards spent much of the time attacking the scrum machine and working on set plays. After a disastrous weekend against Paul Roos, I changed the game plan and happily this seemed to work for the FORCE. SACS were not easy opponents. We attacked from the get-go and scored three times in the first half: two tries and a penalty. We seemed to fall asleep and SACS came back and scored two tries against the FORCE. At half time the score was It wasn t until late in the second half the FORCE slotted a penalty taking the score out of reach: SACS having to score twice to win. The FORCE then ran in another try sealing the victory. Man of the Match was shared between Nic for his work rate and Andrew for the way in which he tackled and broke the SACS defensive line. Well done to you both. The FORCE needs to keep building on the positive and forget the negative. Well Done boys you made BOSCH proud. Tries by: Damon, Sammy, and Ryan. Kicks by: Ryan 2 penalties, 3 conversions Rob Lang FLYERS: (U19E) RBHS 7 vs SACS 17 The Flyers side has developed a tendency in recent years to concede early tries, and Saturday was no different. Maybe it was exam stress, possibly nerves but whatever the reason, the opposition dominated the first half from the kickoff, completely starving the Flyers of possession. After letting in an early try, the side reverted back to the trusted defensive system and the Flyers developed a trench-war like mentality, refusing to give any ground. The boys went into half time 5-0 down with plenty of positivity. The second half was a different game, with the Flyers getting through multiple phases well and giving themselves plenty of opportunities. A wonderful try was worked after continued pressure and patience on our part and after being converted, this gave us a 2 point cushion. Sadly however, the patience went out the window, overlaps were butchered and the attack was unable to finish. SACS ran in a try that will leave the Flyers kicking themselves for quite some time and another on the buzzer to win the match. The second half did show plenty of promise and the game was a wonderful battle. Andrew Cowley for all school rugby fixtures, news and reports

11 STUNNERS: (U19F) RBHS 17 vs SACS 31 The stunner s game kicked off at 09:00 but the players would have appeared fast asleep to spectators in the first half. SACS capitalised on our defence, which lacked communication and commitment, by running in plenty of early tries. Our inaccuracy at the breakdown was detrimental to our game plan, with the side struggling even to get second phase ball for the most part. The second half was in contrast however, as the Stunners turned on the flair and exciting brand of rugby which they have become known for. The boys can be pleased with the three tries they scored in the second half but will no doubt need to iron out some of the major inaccuracies in their execution by the next fixture. Consistency will be important in order for this team to reach their potential. Andrew Cowley SEAGULLS: (U19G) RBHS 17 vs SACS 21 We would like to start off by saying that we, as coaches, were very proud of the way the team performed against a much fancied SACS seventh team that have been putting in impressive performances this season. The Gulls showed true Bosch-flair rugby, they were very well organised on defence and never dropped their heads - a rookie error led to a try that effectively lost us the match. Jason Williams

12 U16A: RBHS 24 vs SACS 14 At last, this group s annual losses to the boys from Dean Street, is something of the past. After losing at U14 and U15 level, Alessandro Napoli and his team finally beat the blue and white striped jerseys from Dean Street - and did it in style on Memorial B. Bosch went ahead 7-0 after one minute, when centre Clyde Martch broke through and converted his own try. This had the opponents on the back foot and after camping in the SACS half, Napoli crossed shortly afterwards to stretch the lead to Just when SACS looked like scoring, left wing Stephen Werge intercepted and ran half the field to dot down and give the boys in blue a comfortable 19-0 lead at the turn. Some of the best defence was seen just before the half time whistle when wave after wave of SACS attackers were pushed back from the try line by our boys. SACS came back with all they had after the break, but the Bosch defence kept them at bay for 15 minutes before they could put seven points on the board. An injury to big centre, Chris Newby, caused disruption to the backline causing Werge to switch to midfield and Frankie Swart to come on at wing. Swart proved a point by outpacing his opponents in the seventeenth minute to score in the corner and put the result beyond doubt at More determined tackling by Rondebosch (eighth man Mike Palframan put in no fewer than seven powerful hits and Martch three) prevented more scores until right on time, when SACS managed a consolation converted try to bring the curtain down at This morale-boosting win did wonders for a side that had close shaves against Boland Landbou and Paul Roos and bodes well for the remaining encounters against Tygerberg and the Old Enemy on the other side of Sandown Road. Johann Gerber U16B: RBHS 5 vs SACS 5 In a hard-fought battle, where superior defence prevented SACS from getting a winning score, Lihle Kula and his Blues drew five all against a SACS side that earlier this season had kept the scores level against Paarl Boys High. Centre Etienne Kille (not the biggest man on the park) defended like a Trojan and one of his tackles resulted in a SACS player having to leave the field. Fiery Bosch no 8 Zac Perren also had to seek medical attention after putting in a big hit. Right wing Waheed Isaacs scored Bosch s only try in the ninth minute after a great run along the touchline, while SACS got the equaliser halfway through the second half. Johann Gerber CHIEFS: (U16C) RBHS 13 vs SACS 10 A fired-up Chiefs outfit ran out against a hungry SACS side on a damp wintry Saturday morning. We started like a house on fire with some eye-watering defence that set the tone for the following 60 minutes. With SACS receiving limited possession and territory, as a result of our fierce defence and tactical awareness, we made most of the play and were handsomely rewarded with a try in the far right corner after some great interplay between backs and forwards. We fell asleep at the beginning of the second half to allow SACS an easy try; and if it weren t for some Spartan-like defence where Bosch put body and soul into protecting their tryline SACS would have almost certainly put a few more points on the board. The Chiefs had a different story-board in mind and, with a brilliant try and penalty, pushed themselves into a commanding lead. SACS scored a dubious try at the death to give the scoreboard some respectability to a match that lived up to its pre-game billing. The U16C Chiefs certainly showed their will to achieve the elusive triple crown in the way they played on Saturday, recording a brilliant victory away from home. Tries: Carl Needham x2 Penalties: Matthew Jeffery x1 Matthew Foster & Josh Carew

13 U15A: RBHS 27 vs SACS 0 The team on Saturday morning seemed full of confidence and the goals for the day were set. The difference in terms of self-belief compared to last week s game was clearly visible. The warm-up went well until the ref wanted to speak to the side for a full seven minutes just before kickoff. We started the game well and scored a well-worked try off a penalty move. The eventual try scorer being Minani. It is always a great feeling when something that you have practiced comes off in a match. After the restart SACS pressed hard for about five minutes but our defence was good and the team was determined to maintain one of our goals: to prevent SACS from putting any points on the scoreboard. The half time score was 12-0 and the aim was to double that score in the second half. The second half was a rather stop-start affair with very few phases put together by either side. The referee didn t allow the game to flow and very little advantage was allowed. Edward Bester earned bragging rights in the Bester household after he scored two tries against his brother s side. (Christiaan is the SACS coach). On a more serious note, the new front row performed very well and deserved being named Man/ Men of the Match. Other good points that came out of the match were that Commins started to vary his game more in the second half; Potgieter continually caused the opposition problems and scored a good individual try; and our defensive pattern looked good. On the down side we made too many unforced errors and were also guilty of trying penalty moves from too far out. Overall it was a good outing. Grant Paarman U15B: RBHS 26 vs SACS 7 The B side had a good week and caused the A side a few problems at practice during the week. The team now has a number of boys that are knocking very hard to get into the A side and I am sure it will only be a matter of time before they make it. This is an excellent problem to have. On Friday our captain Eddie Stiles had to withdraw and the captaincy was taken over by Lazlo Pschorn. The team played well and with the exception of one occasion, when poor tackling allowed SACS to score from the halfway line, our defence looked good. Backline players that looked sharp on the day were Galiem, Waugh and Klein whilst among the forwards van Tonder, Figueira, Pschorn and Sallie stood out. Grant Paarman U15C: RBHS 10 vs SACS 15 U15D: RBHS 17 vs SACS 12 No match reports for these teams this week - regrettably MiC of U15 C/D teams away.

14 U14 A: RBHS 0 vs SACS 19 The team played well against a good SACS side and the result was much closer than what the score suggests. The team played with commitment and were unlucky not to score at least two further tries. This team has developed a lot over the last few months and is starting to gel and they already starting to reap the benefits of all the hard work. Leon Erasmus U14 B: RBHS 5 vs SACS 13 This was a heart-breaking loss for a team that deserved to win this encounter. The players played extremely well and did everything to win this one. However, if it is not your day, it is not your day. We were all extremely proud of our efforts but we let ourselves down in the second half by being influenced by factors out of our control. Leon Erasmus Tries: Lindo Dyantyisi Conversion: None U14 C: RBHS 11 vs SACS 10 Nail-biting rugby was witnessed on Saturday morning by all who attended: although the scoreboard does not tell the full story. We went into the game with our confidence high. We started out hitting them hard and destroying them around the rucks. This helped our wing Aziz to score an early wellworked try. The team played with good structure and intensity and we kept SACS under pressure by playing most of the first half in their 22. By the end of the first half the score was 5-0 to us, but we needed more. The second half started out slow and SACS were able to score an early try. A few minutes later our Man of the Match, Devon Arendse was denied a try on the tryline, while SACS were awarded a controversial no try in the corner. The boys were extremely frustrated, but like all Bosch boys do they rose above it and kept their heads together. Good decision-making by our captain Tim Dunn to take two difficult penalty kicks that gave us the victory in the end. In the dying seconds of the game the boys went into tackle mode and we were unstoppable. We defended like champions which eventually helped us to cling on to a very narrow victory. Defence and tackling are aspects we have been working hard on. Well done boys we are proud of you!!! Tries: Aziz Dalmau (1) Penalties: Tim Dunn (2) Gerrit Cilliers & Gareth Vlotman U14 D: RBHS 12 vs SACS 22 This was a game that we were supposed to win. The boys played 80% of the game in the opposition s half, but they were outplayed by the structure of SACS. Unfortunately, our defence and fitness let us down. You cannot win the game without the ball, just like you cannot win if you do not put everything into the 50 minutes of play. One good aspect was that they played the entire second half without giving up.. Gerrit Cilliers & Gareth Vlotman Tries: Ameer Khan (1) Tyrone Jones(1)

15 FIXTURES VS TYGERBERG 9 JUNE 2012 TEAM OPPOSITION TIME FIELD U19 A Tygerberg 12:00 Rugby A U19 B Tygerberg 10:45 Rugby A U19 C Tygerberg 09:30 Rugby A U19 D Tygerberg 08:15 Rugby A U19 E Tygerberg 10:45 Meadow C U19 F Trafalgar HS 09:30 Meadow C U19G Trafalgar HS 09:00 Lower Desert B U16 A Tygerberg 10:15 Meadow A U16 B Tygerberg 09:00 Meadow A U16 C Trafalgar HS 10:15 North U16 D U15 A Tygerberg 10:30 Meadow B U15 B Tygerberg 09:30 Meadow B U15 C Trafalgar HS 08:30 Meadow B U15 D U14 A Tygerberg 10:30 Lower Desert A U14 B Tygerberg 09:30 Lower Desert A U14 C Tygerberg 08:30 Lower Desert A U14D Trafalgar HS 10:15 Lower Desert B