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1 16 May 2012, 24 th Edition From Behind the Posts: The drive out to the farm seemed close and yet so far. That was to remain the theme for the rest of the day with regards to the scoreboards on the fields of Boland Landbou. I love going out to the farm. It is a wonderful place to go and watch rugby with beautiful surroundings that keep your eyes busy in between games. A visit to Boland would also not be complete without a trip to their tuck shop, or as the Afrikaners say - die Snoepie. There was no waiting for the mist to lift as the rugby got underway. The boys from both schools were giving it their all as excitement erupted around the fields with most games being closely contested. The first team game was no different. The boys seemed focused and ready by the time warm-up came around. We felt confident and well prepared for our opponents as the team lined up for kick off in their hallowed white s. My confidence grew stronger as I watched our boys looking composed and in control of the game. Our defensive system was working well with the guys getting off the line quickly to stop their big runners from getting any momentum. I found myself being very calm even after the Boland score shot up to 12 through silly penalties, of which three were for scrum infringements I might add. I really wish that the law makers would revise the scrum penalty and look to change it into a free kick - it would mean more rugby and less damage caused through guessing. We never looked in trouble in that first half as we stopped everything they threw at us. We played some really good rugby with only basic handling errors stopping us from crossing the whitewash. We did manage to score one when leaping Levi Calthorpe spotted some space on the blind and caught everyone sleeping as he broke from a scrum and tiptoed in under the poles just before half time. Boland managed to put some good rugby together just after half time which took the score up to We clawed our way back into the game and levelled the score with eight minutes to go and looked set to cause upset. You can call it lack of experience or loss of concentration, either way we managed to allow the farmers back into the game by not playing out of our 22m effectively. We remained under pressure and in the end the slip of a tackle and the cruel bounce of the ball had us defeated. We managed to get the ball back from our own kick off with time up on the clock. The guys dug deep and brought some respectability back to the scoreboard by adding another well deserved try when Tyren Lee darted through after some sustained pressure on the Boland tryline. Once again the scoreboard was not a true reflection of the match, but as in golf there is no remarks column on how the scoreboard came to its conclusion.

2 It was gut-wrenching to lose another one, but I was proud of the way our boys played. Tim Hillock was back to his knifing runs while all the forwards stood more than their ground against their favoured opponents. The difference on the day was that Boland took the three opportunities that were presented to them, where we only took three out of the many that we created. I don t know what they put in the water in those parts of the world, but all their kickers seemed capable of throwing an elephants foot at the ball with deadly accuracy - most probably the major difference on the day between winning and losing. We have two weeks to freshen up and prepare for our next battle against the maroon machine on the fields of Paul Roos. They have been stuttering a bit of late and will be looking to get their season back on track against us. If we can stop playing against ourselves, by cutting down on our basic errors, there is no reason for us to stand back from this challenge. See you behind the poles at the Markotter. Clinton van Rensburg Blitz Bits: If you have any interesting facts and snippets about RBHS rugby that you would like to share please gustaf@rondebosch.com Bertie van der Merwe (E55) and his son Johan (E84) were also father/son Captains. Can anyone confirm if Bertie s father Alvi, who played for South Africa in 1931, also captained the 1 st XV? It would be unique to have three generations of captains.

3 Official sponsor of the RBHS 1 st XV

4 Match Reports: U19A: RBHS 24 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 34 Some will say that the White Jersey has not won a match since 2000 when we beat Bishops on Rugby A - 11 losses in a row! Well, it is not entirely correct - at the 2007 Cape Schools hosted by Selborne in East London, the Whites were worn against Buchule Technical with their dark maroon jerseys and won In 2008 against DF Malan (with blue jerseys), the Whites were also worn and a special occasion was celebrated - Niel Naudé s 40 th consecutive starting line up in the number 1 jersey. On that day the Whites won However, there is another trend that has developed since In 2005, the Whites started disastrously when Jonathan Kaplan awarded a penalty try to Bishops only minutes into the match. For the next 65 minutes we controlled the match and scored two well worked tries to lead 12-7 at full time - only for Bishops to score a long distance try against the run of play in the corner, in front of the scoreboard, and convert from the touchline to steal the match on In 2007, the Whites led from the outset and finished at full time. This time it was Nick Koster who almost single-handedly decided to change the outcome - when what was most likely the last touch finder of the day was missed and he set up a try from his own half; we lost In 2008 the Whites were live on Supersport 1 - with a full eight camera OB unit and commentator s tower on-site - and the match was called by Hugh Bladen. Bosch dominated possession, territory and created all the opportunities. They even crossed the Bishops line four times on the day, but came away with only one try. We lost After the match Hugh Bladen said that he has not seen a side so dominant in all areas of a match and then lose by such a margin. In 2009 the match was a much closer contest. This time the score was 6-10 in Bishops favour at full time. DJ Coombes broke through to score the winner just left of the upright, but as he went for the touchdown, the last cover defender, Nezaam Carr, stopped him with what is to this day a tackle that sparks debate. Bosch supporters were convinced it was high and a penalty try was justified whilst others believed it was a fair, match-saving tackle. You make your own call... Photo - Gary Goldman:

5 On Saturday the Whites were used against the black jerseys from a strong Boland side. From the start Bosch was the more creative side and looked the stronger of the two. Bosch created several opportunities, but Boland had a deadly kicker with a massive boot that kept the score in their favour with regular penalties from almost anywhere, including his own half! Eventually in the 33 rd minute of the half, Bosch finally converted one of the opportunities with a great individual try by Levi Calthorpe and the conversion by Tyren Lee. I thought Boland was lucky to go into the half time break with a 12-7 lead and was confident that our boys form would eventually break them and that the win was on. Levi Calthorpe dives for the poles. Boland started the second half with what was most probably their best period of play. From the kick off they controlled possession and went through many phases with one wave of attack on our line after the other. Our very good defensive system worked well and seemed to do the job - until it finally happened, they broke blind and an uncharacteristic missed tackle let the winger in on the corner. We came back with more territorial control until Tyren slotted another penalty. Continued pressure gave Alaric Hobbs a try in the 20 th minute and Tyren Lee converted from the touchline to level the scores at Only four minutes later a poor decision from us gave them counterattack ball and they scored a seven-pointer. We stood in disbelief only five minutes later when a complete lack of communication in our 22 led to another Boland try. Boland added another penalty to their score and we were able to finish the match with another well worked try by Tyren Lee. Yet again, the Whites seemed to be the better team on the field but not able to secure the win. Many will debate several factors of what could have been and look for several reasons why it did or did not happen, but I guess the lesson to our boys this week is that when you play in this league, even when you play better than your opponent you cannot afford even three mistakes in 70 minutes. If you give any of the sides you play this year three tries (19 points) from your own mistakes, it does not help to find excuses anywhere else. We have seen this side grow in confidence and execution, but they are playing in the toughest league in the country - there is nowhere to hide. Has the bad luck that had burdened the Whites for the past few years delivered its final lesson? Who knows - we will find out on 16 th June.

6 With the 1 st XV having completed 50% of their fixtures for 2012 we take a welcome break this coming weekend, only to travel out to the new multi-million Rand Markotter Stadium to take on a wounded Paul Roos. Tries: Levi Calthorpe, Alaric Hobbs, Tyren Lee Conversions: Tyren Lee x 3 Penalties: Tyren Lee x 1 Gustaf Pienaar MIC Rugby & 1 st XV Manager 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:

7 U19B: RBHS 7 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 17 RBHS lost this game but can hold their heads up high - they played against a well-drilled side that was physically bigger in all departments. The Bosch boys tackled like demons and never stopped trying - a really gritty and courageous effort! Nabeel Allie-Ebrahim and Christoph Blake did a tremendous amount of work around the field, as did Alan Eaby, Kyle White, Jack Purcell, Kegan Lapin and (again) Sabin Bouwer. What improvements can be made amongst the forwards? We need to work even harder on our lineouts. We stole good ball from the opposition at number two in the lineout, but need to play to our strengths when it is our ball in the red zone. It is always high risk to throw the ball to the back of a lineout when you are under pressure five meters from your tryline. Kyle will be a huge factor during the rest of the season with his powerful drives, on condition that he runs straight at the line and that his forwards are behind him - ready to push him over the line. One of the problems on Saturday was that too often the forwards supported like centres do, instead of running behind the ball carrier. The backline was very gutsy and never stopped trying, perhaps a grubber-kick is something that should be used more often? You can hold your heads high, boys, a really good performance! Johan Snijmann DOGS: (U19C) RBHS 15 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 21 Saturday saw a delightful trip out to Boland Landbou for the Dogs through the mist on the N1. The boys trained exceptionally well in the week and seemed to have learnt their lessons from the poor showing the week before. The game began well with us coming out with fire to open the scoring early with a converted try. The spirits were high and the boys began to play with great intensity. The kicking out of hand from both sides was of high quality, and our boys did well to counter the Boland flyhalf s rather monstrous boot. Unfortunately, Boland managed two tries in the first half courtesy of minor defensive errors, showing how small the margin between winning and losing can be. Bosch managed a penalty to leave the score at at half time. The second half saw us absorb a lot of attack from Boland, which prompted them to resort to endless efforts at drop goals to try and take the game away from us. We, however, managed to string together some good phases of attack, which if we can build on, will make us a tough team to play against. With the score at 10-15, we managed to score probably one of the best schoolboy tries I have ever been involved with. The ball went through 10 sets of hands, only for the play to break down, then our scrumhalf sent a perfectly weighted cross-kick to our wing who managed to stay in play and send the ball back inside to the support runners. With the ball going through another six sets of hands we scored in the corner through Dale Cornell. It was a pity to be on the losing side when one scores a try like that, but I know the boys will savour that for some time. With time marching on, Boland managed another two penalties to take the score to With time almost up, we surged onto the attack, only to give possession away in their 22 right at the death. A disappointing result indeed, but in terms of an improvement, this was a decent day. Hard work ahead, but everyone relishes it. Trevor Edwards

8 THE FORCE: (U19D) RBHS 7 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 15 Martin Luther King said The measure of a man is not in the way he handles times of comfort, but the way he rises in times of controversy and challenge. Having shared this message I am proud to say the FORCE rose up in this game and proved to themselves that they remain a Force to be reckoned with, under trying circumstances. I do believe that the Force was under immense stress having conceded many penalties, yet they handled themselves in the best possible way in this time of duress. The boys were absolute Trojans on defence holding up the ball in mauls on no less than four occasions, tackling back a side larger than themselves. Our attack was tireless using the ball in hand from all parts of the field. Man of the Match went to The Dwyer twins for their outstanding attack, running lines and defence, being identical made it difficult to choose only one, the Dwyer s seemed to be everywhere all the time. Well done boys! Once again The FORCE made us proud. Tries: Damien. Rob Laing FLYERS: (U19E) RBHS 12 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 10 Once again the fog lights were switched on brightly in the early hours of Saturday morning as the Flyers went on their noble quest for victory at Boland Landbou. This trip was certainly about business and not pleasure but the Flyers, who traditionally travel very well, took some comfort in the smell of a 7am braai wafting through the air and the cacophony of Afrikaans music in the background. After a relaxed but focused warm-up, the players ran onto a field which would make the Grandwest ice rink seem dry and it showed in the scrappy start by both sides. The Flyers, however, came into their own quickly and took full control of the first half as the game plan began to take shape and the boys adapted to the slippery conditions. The first points were the result of continued pressure and patience as the forward back crashed over ferociously. Early replacement, Sam Carstens, had no intention of resuming his rugby career slowly - as his indescribable pace resulted in our second and final try. The boys became slightly impatient and complacent in the second half to allow the opposition some easy tries but disciplined defence and experience by the likes of Vincent Murie, Travis Taylor and George Aristidou amongst others kept us ahead until the final whistle. There is some well-earned confidence in the camp but plenty of work to do before the Paul Roos encounter, as the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy sang back in 1976: the Boys are Back in Town! Andrew Winter

9 STUNNERS: (U19F) RBHS 17 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 7 The Stunner s side has had plenty of potential since the beginning of the season but hasn t quite managed to gel as an outfit until this fixture. To paraphrase Mozart, all the subatomic particles are there, I just have to put them together, and put them together the Stunners gentlemen did! We endured a long and arduous possession drought for the entire first half, owing the 0-0 score to some incredibly organized, structured defence, with the key ingredient being good old-fashioned commitment. The likes of Jono Bosman and James Searle were phenomenal in defence and Captain Luke Ker-Fox not only provided a calming influence for his teammates but also showed complete disregard for his body, winning Man of the Match. Patience paid off in the second half and Jason Middleton, often confused with Jeremy Clarkson by the casual observer, caught a stray lineout throw at the back and scored the first of our tries. As the backline came into their own, it looked ominous for the opposition. Seb Daniels scored next and deserves credit for his loyalty, playing a full game while fighting off a vicious case of the flu. Sam Carstens had certainly packed his jet shoes on the day and he combined his outright pace with his lesser known football abilities to score an absolute screamer of a try. Anzio Marola, never one to be outdone earned himself the first stun-gun award for a bone-crunching tackle, and may well be re-writing the defensive text book with team mate Gareth Williams. Times ahead are exciting as the gents seem to be finding some good form ahead of the Paul Roos fixture and the local derby games. Andrew Winter SEAGULLS: (U19G) RBHS 0 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 5 The Gulls fought hard in a tightly contested match, but ill-discipline effectively cost them the match. Justin Williams U16A: RBHS 10 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 14 Bosch started like a house on fire in the early morning mist and dew on Boland s A field. Retaining the ball from the kick off, they moved six, seven phases at a time towards the opponents try line. Five minutes into the start the trusty boot of centre Clyde Martch put the boys in blue ahead by 3-0. Boland struck back with a soft try two minutes later (the first time they got into our half) but Bosch came back and made sure the half time score remained at 3-5. After the break Boland decided to play steamroller rugby and really came at our boys with all they had. Jitters crept in, passes were dropped and tackles missed, yet all the farm boys could manage were three penalties to put them 14-3 up. In the last 10 minutes, Alessandro Napoli and his team started playing decent rugby again and put structures in place that gradually brought them closer to their opponents line. Two minutes from the final whistle, flank Callum Blows went over for Martch to add the extras points and put Bosch closer at Straight from the dropout they tried everything to get a last try, but it was not to be and a tired and disappointed team walked off the pitch. Once again the Bosch boys made most of the plays, but the score reflected differently. The two week gap before playing Paul Roos will see some hard work for this team who really deserve better luck. Johan Gerber for all school rugby fixtures, news and reports

10 U16B: RBHS 7 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 17 A strangely out of form Blues allowed Boland to take a 17-0 lead until there were 10 minutes left and then they woke up to almost cross the line on two occasions and finally score a brilliantly engineered try right on time to lose If only this had happened earlier (as 12 of Boland s points came from penalties and they could only manage one try) the final outcome could have been a different story. Try: Sheldon Walters, Conversion: Matthew Tippett Johan Gerber U16C: RBHS 7 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 3 The boys arrived at Boland Landbou bright and early on a misty Saturday morning, knowing that the early morning conditions on the Farm would not be an easy task to overcome. However, the boys rose to the occasion and put in a stellar performance. The early exchanges would determine the outcome of the game: Bosch grew in confidence when the much larger Landbou pack struggled to dominate a determined Rondebosch outfit. Despite dominating the whole of the first half, Bosch trailed 3-0 at the break, after the boys failed to convert some good periods of pressure into points. The break-through did, however, come half way through the second half, when Josh Sarembock finished off a great team try in the far left corner. Matthew Jeffrey s conversion from the left touchline would be the deciding factor in the match, as Landbou were forced to breach Bosch s defence, instead of capitalizing on the penalties on offer. Outstanding defence kept Landbou at bay, as Bosch ran the clock down and recorded an unforgettable victory. Tries: Josh Sarembock Conversions: Matthew Jeffrey Dave Watt U16D: RBHS 12 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 0 The U16Ds recorded a well-deserved victory against Boland Landbou. The boys dominated this fixture with patient phase play amongst the forwards, who worked tirelessly for the exciting and nifty backline to finish off their hard work. The backs were superb in their decision-making and produced a clinical performance. Going into the half time break at 0-0, Bosch were determined to score early in the second half. The two tries Bosch scored were a result of great inter-play, between backs and forwards, that had started deep within their own half. This truly was an impressive display of team work and exciting rugby with Bosch dominating all facets of the game. The boys can take a lot of confidence from this game, and it is a great platform to build their season on. Tries: Aiden Wildschut, Josh Sarembock Conversions: Carl Needham Dave Watt

11 U15A: RBHS 6 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 9 In close games small things can be the difference between winning and losing. Saturday s match against Landbou was such an occasion and a lot can be learnt from it. Firstly some players were not properly focused at practice last week. Then come match day we entered the change room at 8:45 and spend 20 minutes getting changed and as we were eventually leaving the change room one of our starting 15 arrives for the match. The team had just started warming up and with minutes to kick off we have to make a change at lock, which meant having to frantically practice a few lineouts. Then two players leave the squad to go to get strapping done, the question arises what were they doing for 20 minutes in the change room? Then just before kickoff, six players run to the far side of the field to fetch kit! The first half was a very tight affair with them scoring three penalties. Before the game we said that one of our strategies was to kick off with them facing into the sun. Only on the fourth kick off did we do this, and the result was that they knocked on and we gained a scrum deep in their half of the field. The game turned out to be a real battle between the two number 9 s who both took on the kicking responsibilities. At the end game we had to say that whilst we had not played badly we had simply not done enough to win the game. There were some individual players that shone and showed some individual brilliance, but as a team we are capable of improving on this performance. The team focus needs to be corrected if we hope to win the close games. The Man of the Match went to Pieter Slabbert. Grant Paarman U15B: RBHS 8 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 34 We played well in the first half and scored a try to take a brief lead, but directly after the restart a careless kick was charged down from which they scored. The half time score was The second half was a terrible affair and we were simply unable to get our hands on the ball. Their big pack pounded away around the edges until in the end we conceded 20 points in the second half to lose the match. We will have to go back to the drawing board this week and make some much needed personnel changes. Grant Paarman U15C: RBHS 0 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 8 The forwards made a strong start to the game, dominating most of the possession. With 15 minutes gone, a knock on from the Bosch backs at half way, and a good kick from the opponents resulted in a Boland try while we tried to clear the ball from our in goal area. Minutes later, and 5 down, we were on the Boland try line with Ross Ferreira about to score, when an infringement in the ruck from Bosch gave the ball away. This unfortunately was the closest we got to scoring during the game. Russell Walker U15D: RBHS 5 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 48 Bosch had little possession of the ball in this game. Boland took full advantage of the mistakes we made and this was reflected in the final score. An excellent breakaway try from Ryan Ortle was, however a positive moment for the team. Tries: Ryan Ortle Russell Walker U14 A: RBHS 0 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 26 We started very slowly and conceded 2 tries in the first 10 minutes. The rest of the half we were pinned back in our own 22. The boys lifted their game considerably in the second half. We had more territorial advantage and possession of the ball than the opposition but we could not breach their defence. Tackling was the difference between the two teams - we missed 4 tackles which resulted in tries for Boland whereas they missed none. The team learnt a lot from this match and continues to make good progress. Leon Erasmus

12 U14 B: RBHS 7 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 15 This was a match of two halves we controlled and dominated the second half after we played on the back foot for 25 minutes of the first half. Liam Wrightson once again ran with determination and scored a good try. The pack got better as the match wore on and began to dominate the bigger Boland pack. It is hard to single players out, however, Cameron Stidworthy deserves a mention for his work rate and the physical challenge he brought to the Bosch team. Tries: Liam Wrightson Conversion: Jamie Stellenboom Leon Erasmus U14C: RBHS 24 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 15 On Saturday the U14C team boys put up a performance to remember. It was a nail-biting game without a dull moment. Boland Landbou scored a try in the first five minutes of the game which put us under immense pressure. The boys hit back with a well-worked try by Stammers. By the end of the first half the scores were 10-5 to Boland Landbou. It was in the second half where the entire game changed. The team played with good structure and intensity and we kept Boland under immense pressure by hitting them hard with our forwards and spreading clean ball to our center Joshua who ended up scoring the winning try - putting the final nail in the coffin for Boland and making it our second win in a row this term. As coaches we are proud of the boys and look forward to our next game. Tries: Luke Stammers(1), Ryan Gaskin(1), Joshua Hillman (2); Conversions: Tim Dun (2) Gareth Vlotman U14D: RBHS 42 vs BOLAND LANDBOU 5 RBHS U14D team put up a score for the record books against Boland Landbou on Saturday. From the kick off the boys hit Boland hard and we played a very in your face game. With good structure, strong running and clean ball to the backs we went on scoring six tries in the first half. In the second half our lack of fitness kicked in and we were only able to score one try. We slipped one tackle on the tryline giving Boland the gap to score a consolation try. This team has definitely had a turn around by having their first win of the season against Boland Landbou. We as coaches are extremely proud of these boys and we look forward to the next game. Tries: S qhamo Mangcu(1), Zac Lamprecht(1), Joshua Hillman (2); Jonathan Jeffery(1), Luc Daffarn(1),Matthew Booth(1) Conversions: Tim Klein (1), Matthew Bendall (2) Gareth Vlotman

13 Bosch Rugby Supporters' Club Function: The next Supporters' Club function is one with a difference - it is being hosted in conjunction with Western Province Cricket Club with which Rondebosch enjoys sharing arrangements for various facilities to the benefit of both the Prep and High schools and WPCC. GUEST SPEAKER: Helen Zille Premier of the Western Cape and former Mayor of Cape Town. DATE: Thursday 24 May TIME: 18:30 The Premier s address is scheduled for approximately 19:15. VENUE: COST: PARKING: WPCC Bowls Club in Avenue de Mist (above the Rondebosch Mears' Meadows fields) R50 entrance fee payable by all attending, including BRSC and WPCC members. This will cover the cost of snacks and other costs, with the balance going to the Supporters' Club funds for the benefit of Rondebosch rugby. WPCC will provide a cash bar. Parking will be available at WPCC in the parking areas off Avenue de Mist and through Laidlaw Lane off Keurboom Road.