Klofies target title upset at Monument

PREVIEW: Monument will host Waterkloof in the Noordvaal Cup final this Saturday while SACS and Wynberg lock horns in the Cape Town southern suburbs derby.

The South African schoolboy season is drawing to a close, with the final round of fixtures staged this weekend.

The Noordvaal Cup final will come to a climax at Monument, with the hosts looking to round off a stellar campaign with a trophy, and Waterkloof looking to secure their second big upset in the space of a week.

The season has already concluded in the Cape Winelands, with Paarl Gim clinching the national No 1 ranking and Paul Roos claiming the big scalp of Grey College just last week.

Down in Cape Town’s southern suburbs, the four leading teams have some unfinished business, with the final round of the quadrangular series staged at Rondebosch and SACS on Saturday.

Rugby365 looks ahead to the big match-ups ahead of the final weekend of the season.

MONUMENT V WATERKLOOF

Garsfontein were widely expected to progress to the Noordvaal Cup final and to push for a fourth-consecutive title.

But this past Tuesday, Waterkloof secured a stunning 27-26 victory at Garsfontein to end the Bere’s reign and book their place in the decider.

Meanwhile, Monument beat Noordheuwel 60-52 in Krugersdorp to secure home advantage for the final on Saturday.

After losing three of their first four games of the season, Monnas have bounced back to win 14 of their next 15 – with their only loss coming against Garsfontein.

That 32-61 defeat to Garsies marked their first – and to date only – home loss in 2026.

Waterkloof lost in Krugersdorp earlier this month, but may be encouraged by the fact that it was a close contest, with Monnas eventually clinching a 40-36 win.

Klofies have won 12, lost five, and drawn one in 2026.

While they’ve been competitive against interprovincial opponents – beating the likes of Diamantveld and Westville, and drawing with Outeniqua – they’ve been terribly inconsistent in the Noordvaal Cup, and came into the play-offs as the fourth-placed team.

Their giant-killing effort at Garsfontein, however, will give them hope of a shock victory at Monument this Saturday.

In the other Noodvaal Cup series fixtures, Nelspruit will battle Zwartkop in the Plate final while Pietersberg and Marais Viljoen will compete for the Shield title.

SACS V WYNBERG

The ‘Bish-Bosch’ derby has been largely one-sided in recent seasons – although a rebuilding Bishops side did push Rondebosch close at the Piley Rees earlier this year.

Bosch have blown hot and cold in 2026, but should be too strong for Bishops when the rivals meet at the Tinkie Heyns on Saturday.

Up the road, SACS will host Wynberg in what could be one of the closest contests of the weekend.

Wynberg have been the leading team in the southern suburbs over the past few seasons.

Given that their U16A side beat Paarl Gim earlier this season, their first XV may be even stronger in the years to come.

‘Berg are coming off a 29-33 loss to Rondebosch, though, and it remains to be seen whether they will bounce back at SACS this Saturday.

Wynberg have won four of the five matches in the southern suburbs series to date, and while the they are no longer in the running for a “Grand Slam”, they should be desperate to finish the two-game rubber against SACS with a 2-0 victory. They won the first fixture 26-15 at Wynberg.

SACS look to be a team on the rise, even though their overall record of eight wins and 10 losses may suggest otherwise.

They’ve been particularly competitive in the games staged on the De Villiers Field in the shadow of Table Mountain – and came desperately close to beating Paarl Boys and Paul Roos at the venue earlier this season.

SACS flyhalf Jake Dave has been one of the standouts, and his battle with Wynberg No 10 Achmat Behardien – who represented Western Province at Craven Week and South Africa in the recent Under-18 series – should be one to savour.

SELECTED FIXTURES – AUGUST 22

NOORDVAAL
Monument v Waterkloof
Nelspruit v Zwartkop
Pietersberg v Marais Viljoen

EASTERN CAPE
Pearson v Brandwag
Muir v Daniel Pienaar

WESTERN CAPE
Rondebosch v Bishops
SACS v Wynberg