Schools teams knocking on the Rugby365 Top 10 Door

OPINION: In our previous feature, we looked at the “Magnificent Seven” – the elite schools that occupied a place in the Rugby365 Top 5 at various stages of the 2026 season. This time, the spotlight shifts to the teams battling to break into or cement their place within the coveted Rugby365 Top 10.

Six schools have consistently positioned themselves just outside the country’s elite: Oakdale, Monument, Outeniqua, Maritzburg College, Hilton College and Waterkloof. Each has produced outstanding performances throughout the season and remains firmly in the hunt for a top-10 finish.

KwaZulu-Natal’s Golden Season

The strength of KwaZulu-Natal schoolboy rugby in 2026 has been impossible to ignore.

The province’s leading schools have consistently matched the country’s traditional powerhouses, while the KwaZulu-Natal Craven Week side further underlined the province’s depth by producing an outstanding performance during the national youth week.

There has been remarkably little separating Maritzburg College, Hilton College, Northwood, Durban High School (DHS), Michaelhouse, Westville and Kearsney College this season. Collectively, those seven schools produced 15 SA Schools players.

DHS led the way with four representatives, followed by Michaelhouse with three, while Maritzburg College, Kearsney and Westville each contributed two players. To place that achievement into perspective, the Western Province Craven Week side produced 13 SA Schools players.

Hilton College

Hilton College burst out of the blocks with one of the strongest starts to the season, recording impressive victories over Nelspruit, Middelburg, Bishops, Westville, Michaelhouse and Australian powerhouse Nudgee College, who themselves defeated Grey College during their South African tour.

Those results saw Hilton climb as high as seventh in the Rugby365 rankings on April 3, where they remained inside the Top 10 until 23 May following their narrow defeat to Maritzburg College.

Results

● Won Middelburg 49-7

● Won Westville 39-35

● Won Heidelberg Volkskool 39-3

● Won Nelspruit 64-15

● Won Nudgee College 17-12

● Won Bishops 26-17

● Won Michaelhouse 23-21

● Won Glenwood 43-7

● Won Pretoria Boys High 44-7

● Lost to Maritzburg College 9-14

● Won Northwood 43-32

● Won Kearsney College 31-27

● Lost to Michaelhouse 16-20

Prediction: Hilton College is expected to finish between 12th and 15th.

Continues below…

Maritzburg College

Maritzburg College currently sits as KwaZulu-Natal’s highest-ranked school, despite a difficult start to the campaign.

Early defeats to Helpmekaar and Westville were followed by losses to Stellenberg and Outeniqua at the Wildeklawer Festival. However, College responded impressively, proving why they remain one of South Africa’s most respected rugby schools.

Victories over DHS, Northwood, Hilton and Kearsney showcased their quality, although a disappointing defeat to Michaelhouse before the school holidays dented their momentum. A challenging encounter against Affies on July 25 will provide another significant test.

Results

● Lost to Helpmekaar 19-31

● Lost to Westville 10-26

● Won Jeppe 35-12

● Won SACS 24-7

● Won Glenwood 33-13

● Won Pretoria Boys High 61-5

● Lost to Stellenberg 19-24

● Lost to Outeniqua 29-30

● Won St Charles 45-5

● Won Durban High School 18-17

● Won Northwood 27-24

● Won Hilton College 14-9

● Won Kearsney College 24-22

● Lost to Michaelhouse 17-24

Prediction: Maritzburg College is expected to finish between 12th and 14th.

Oakdale

Oakdale has undoubtedly been one of the surprise packages of the 2026 season.

The Riversdale outfit began the year ranked 13th before steadily climbing into the Rugby365 Top 10, where they have remained for much of the campaign.

Many have questioned how Oakdale could occupy a top-10 position with five defeats, one draw and five victories. The answer lies in the quality of the opposition. Rugby365’s rankings reward performances against elite teams, and Oakdale has earned its place through impressive victories over Noordheuwel, Durbanville, Westville and Outeniqua, while also drawing with Paarl Boys’ High and suffering only narrow defeats to Paul Roos and Stellenberg.

Results

● Lost to Grey College 7-38

● Won Upington 50-0

● Lost to Affies 17-28

● Won Noordheuwel 27-19

● Drew with Paarl Boys’ High 13-13

● Won Durbanville 21-7

● Won Westville 40-24

● Lost to Paul Roos Gymnasium 13-15

● Lost to Stellenberg 13-15

● Won Outeniqua 27-21

● Lost to Paarl Gimnasium 13-49

Prediction: Oakdale is expected to finish between 8th and 10th.

Outeniqua

The Outeniqua Kwaggas have once again demonstrated why they remain one of South Africa’s most respected rugby programmes.

With seven victories, three defeats and a draw against Waterkloof, they have produced another highly competitive campaign. They opened the season with a narrow loss to Paarl Boys’ High before drawing with Waterkloof, while a heavy defeat to Affies at Wildeklawer ultimately prevented them from pushing deeper into the Top 10.

Nevertheless, victories over Maritzburg College and several other quality opponents underline their credentials.

Results

● Won Worcester Gimnasium 99-0

● Won Nico Malan 45-0

● Lost to Paarl Boys’ High 22-26

● Won KES 30-17

● Drew with Waterkloof 24-24

● Won Boland Landbou 34-24

● Won Pearson 62-0

● Lost to Affies 26-55

● Won Maritzburg College 30-29

● Lost to Oakdale 21-27

● Won Framesby 59-21

With difficult fixtures against Grey College and Stellenberg still to come, the Kwaggas face one of the toughest finishes to the season.

Prediction: Outeniqua is expected to finish between 10th and 12th.

Monument

Monument’s famous Wit Bulle endured a difficult opening to the season, losing three of their first four matches.

The opening defeat to Diamantveld came as a surprise before Grey College taught them a rugby lesson. A narrow loss to Paul Roos at Wildeklawer, however, proved to be the turning point.

From that moment, Monument developed into one of the most dangerous teams in the country, putting together a remarkable 10-match unbeaten run before eventually being stopped by Blue Bulls champions Garsfontein.

This is a disciplined, well-coached outfit that should be regarded as one of the leading contenders for the Virseker Noordvaal Cup title.

Results

● Lost to Diamantveld 35-36

● Won Welkom Gimnasium 87-20

● Lost to Grey College 16-31

● Lost to Paul Roos Gymnasium 17-21

● Won Drostdy HTS 75-39

● Won Westlake Boys’ High (New Zealand) 56-35

● Won Kingswood 43-27

● Won Durban High School 41-27

● Won Nico Malan 52-15

● Won EG Jansen 85-17

● Won Noordheuwel 41-15

● Won Jeppe 47-29

● Won Helpmekaar 34-26

● Won Menlopark 82-22

● Lost to Garsfontein 32-61

Prediction: Monument is expected to finish between eighth and ninth.

Waterkloof

The 2026 Waterkloof side is undoubtedly one of the finest teams the school has produced, ranking alongside the celebrated 1992 and 1998 squads.

With only three defeats and one draw against top-tier opposition, the Tornadoes have every reason to be proud of their season.

Injuries disrupted their momentum, while the unexpected defeat to Noordheuwel before the school holidays was a setback. Even so, Waterkloof remains one of the genuine dark horses to challenge for the Virseker Noordvaal Cup title alongside Monument.

Results

● Won HTS Middelburg 42-9

● Lost to Affies 22-34

● Won Piet Retief 90-14

● Won Diamantveld 45-7

● Drew with Outeniqua 24-24

● Won Nelspruit 70-34

● Won Menlopark 33-28

● Won Durbanville 22-21

● Won Westville 31-28

● Won Rustenburg 33-10

● Lost to Garsfontein 18-24

● Won Menlopark 36-12

● Won Middelburg 52-26

● Lost to Noordheuwel 12-24

Prediction: Waterkloof is expected to finish between ninth and 12th.

Rugby365 projected final rankings

With only a handful of fixtures remaining, Rugby365 predicts the following finishing positions for these six schools:

8. Oakdale
9. Monument
10. Waterkloof
11. Outeniqua
12. Maritzburg College
13. Hilton College

While the battle for the national top five has largely taken shape, the race for positions eight to thirteen remains fiercely contested.

With several heavyweight fixtures still to be played, every result over the coming weeks could reshape the final Rugby365 rankings and determine which of these outstanding schoolboy rugby programmes finishes the 2026 season inside South Africa’s coveted Top 10.

Healthy debate is part of what makes South African schoolboy rugby so special, and we welcome your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

We trust that the boys who did not participate in Craven Week have stayed fit, and we look forward to another exciting chapter of South African schoolboy rugby as the season resumes.

As the late Zanberg Jansen so famously said:

“Nag, ou Grote.”

— In memory of Paul Dobson