Grey Clashes with Black & White

For an FNB Classic Clash between top teams Grey High go up the coast from Port Elizabeth meet Selborne College in East London.

Both teams are ranked on the FNB Top 20 – Grey eight and Selborne tenth. They are amongst the very top schools in South Africa and they will enjoy playing each other.

It will not be just rugby this weekend – just mainly rugby reaching a climax when the 1st XV's play. But there will also be chess, golf, senior and junior debating, tennis, squash, bands and lots of hockey. Much happens on the Friday, including some of the rugby but on the Saturday there is only rugby.

The two schools are the same sort of institution – the same sort of staff, the same sort of parents and the same sort of boys – and near the same Indian Ocean.

Season so Far

They are both schools unafraid to take on top opposition.

Grey have played 18 matches so far, winning 14, including beating other Top 20 teams Paul Roos and Wynberg and, mirabile narratu, Grey College, the first team to beat the Bloemfonteiners this season. They lost to Waterkloof, Dr EG Jansen, Menlopark and, oddly, Queen's.

Selborne have played 19 matches, winning 16, losing two and drawing with Monument. Their defeats were at the hands of Grey Bloem and Affies.

Results against Common Opponents

Queens: Grey lost 29-25; Selborne won 58-11 & 19-10

Dale: Grey won 46-38; Selborne won 28-7 & 20-11

Framesby: Grey won 29-19; Selborne won 33-29

Grey Bloem: Grey won 27-20, Selborne lost 34-16

St Andrew's: Grey won 67-24; Selborne won 28-21

Representative Players

Grey were eligible for Eastern Province which was the most successful team at Craven Week, Selborne for Border.

Craven Week

Grey:  Keanu Vers, Athi Mayinje, Jeremy Ward,  Curwin Bosch,  Sipathu Pokamela, Johan van Niekerk, Robin Stevens

Selborne: David Brits, Morgan Steyn,  Jason Steyn, Adrian Greig,  Robert Lyons,  Tango Balikile

Academy Week

Grey:  Mohammed Connelly,  Michael de Marco, Kamva Dilima,  Josh Mudrovcic, Matthew Howes, Garrick Mattheus.

Selborne:  Liam McLoughlin,  Jacinto Da Silva,  Tristian Coetzer,  Lutho Selem, Heinrich Nieuwenheizen,  Johan Laubser,  Daniel Froneman,  Daniel Voigt,  Cole van Tonder, Josh Alderman

SA Schools

But the biggest feat was, of course, being chosen for SA Schools and Grey have more players – three –  in the SA Schools side than any other school in the country, but it does mean that none of those outstanding players will be playing against Selborne on Saturday.

Grey: Keanu Vers, Curwin Bosch, Junior Pokomela

The three of them will be sorely missed as they have made great contributions to Grey's success this season. They were in the team that played Grey Bloem Curwin Bosch at fullback and Keanu Vers at outside centre. The flyhalf then was Garrick Mattheus whose boot was very telling in that match. He is playing again this Saturday.

Experience

Last year there was a freakish result when Grey, in Port Elizabeth, scored 35 points in the second half to win 45-0, something highly unlikely to happen this year.

Selborne have two survivors of that smash – Jason Steyn and Robert Lyons though there were also two on the bench last year who will start this year – Morgan Steyn and the captain Tango Balikile.

Grey, on the other hand, have six back from that victorious starting team – Dylan Vermaak, Jeremy Ward, Garrick Mattheus,  Johann van Niekerk, Joshua Mudrovcic, who was a hooker last year and is a flank this year, and prop Matthew Howes.

Teams

Selborne: 15 Liam McLoughlin, 14 Tristian Coetzer, 13 Jacinto Da Silva, 12 David Brits, 11 Michael Botha, 10 Morgan Steyn, 9 Joshua Allderman, 8 Jason Steyn, 7 Heinrich Nieuwenhuizen, 6 Adrian Greig, 5 Robert Lyons, 4 Daniel Froneman, 3 Daniel Voigt, 2  Tango Balekile (captain), 1 Cole van Tonder

Coaches: Kevin Taylor, Phiwe Nomlomo

Grey: 15 Sihle Njezula, 14 Mohamed Connelly, 13 Athi Mayinje, 12 Jeremy Ward, 11 Dylan Vermaak, 10 Garrick Mattheus, 9 Brody van Goevreden, 8 Matthew Lawson, 7 Joshua Mudrovcic, 6 Johann van Niekerk, 5 Kamva Dilima, 4 Michael de Marco, 3 Dylan Barendse, 2 Wahl Enslin,  1 Matthew Howes

Coaches: Brent Janse van Rensburg, Tim Fraser

Date: Saturday, 16 August 2014

1st XV kick-off: 12.15

Venue: Selborne College, East London

Expected weather conditions: Sunny with a high of 22°C and a low of 16°C

Rugby Programme

Friday, 15 August 2014

A Field

18.30: Under-16A

16.10: Under-16B

17.20: Under-15A

15.00: Under-15B

B Field

15.00: Under-16C

16.10: Under-15C

C Field

15.00: Under-15D

16.10: Under-14D

Saturday, 16 August 2014

A Field

07.30: Under-14A

08.30: 4th XV

09.40: 3rd XV

10.50: 2nd XV

12.15: 1st XV

B Field

07.30: 5th XV

08.40: Under-14C

09.40: 6th XV

C Field

08.30: 7th XV

09.40: Under-14B

Results Down the Years

1972: Grey won 9-0

1973: Selborne won 20-4

1974: Selborne won 10-6

1975: Selborne won 22-21

1976: Grey won 17-11

1977: Grey won 21-4

1978: Selborne won 26-19

1979: Selborne won 22-13

1980: Selborne won 18-12

1981: Grey won 24-7

1982: Grey won 12-10

1983: Grey won 29-9

1984: Grey won 18-6

1985: Selborne won 7-6

1986: Selborne won 15-10

1987: Grey won 12-6

1988: Selborne won 12-10

1989: Grey won 27-3

1990: Selborne won 17-9

1991: Grey won 7-0

1992: No match

1993: Grey won 16-15

1994: Selborne won 50-6

1995: Grey won 18-17

1996: Selborne won 10-8

1997: Selborne won 20-10

1998: Selborne won 31-10

1999: Selborne won 23-22

2000: Grey won 28-0

2001: Grey won 28-12

2002: Grey won 16-15

2003: Grey won 20-14 and 38-13

2004: Grey won 18-16 and Selborne won 20-11

2005: Grey won 16-3 and 62-3

2006: Grey won 16-15

2007: Grey won 18-3

2008: Grey won 38-16

2009: Selborne won 22-15

2010: Selborne won 30-17

2011: Selborne won 29-21

2012: Grey won 28-22

2013: Grey won 45-0