KZN schools focus: Will Durban teams continue to dominate in 2025?

OPINION: The Midlands teams will have a point to prove against DHS and Northwood when the KwaZulu-Natal giants collide in the 2025 season.

The 2025 schoolboy season commenced this past weekend, with Grey College laying down a marker at the President Steyn Sports Day in Bloemfontein.

The explosive centre Ethan Adams scored two of Grey’s six tries, as the Free State juggernaut claimed a convincing 38-10 win over Trio.

This weekend, the NWU Skolesportsreeks kicks off with HTS Middelburg tackling EG Jansen – who were invited to the World Schools Festival in Dubai last December.

Further east, St Charles will host Kearsney College on Saturday in the first big fixture of the KwaZulu-Natal season.

It will be interesting to see whether the status quo in the region is challenged over the coming months and whether the likes of Durban High School and Northwood continue to push some of the bigger, more well-resourced First XVs across the country.

In 2024, there was a clear gap between South Africa’s top dogs – Paul Roos, Grey College, Paarl Gym, and Affies – and the chasing pack.

That said, the performances of other schools that finished the season in the unofficial Top 10 received due plaudits.

DHS finished the season with an overall record of 12 wins, including notable inter-provincial victories over Jeppe and Oakdale. They drew one match against Northwood away from home and won the rest of their fixtures against KZN opposition.

Northwood had a good season overall and sustained just two losses – to DHS away and to Michaelhouse away – in KZN.

The big question is whether these Durban teams will kick on in 2025, or whether much-improved teams from Michaelhouse and Westville, and possibly traditional powerhouses such as MaritzburgCollege and Kearsney, will take control of the region.

The next clash at St Charles may reveal how much Kearsney has improved after a largely disappointing 2024 campaign. Michaelhouse will have a sterner test first up, when they host Helpmekaar on March 8.

The season will gather momentum by mid-March, with DHS hosting Maritzburg, Hilton tackling

Westville, Northwood facing Michaelhouse and St Charles travelling to Glenwood.

Local rivalries will resume on March 22, with Michaelhouse against DHS, Kearsney against Hilton, Maritzburg against Northwood, and Glenwood against Westville.

The Grey High School festival staged in Gqeberha between March 29-31 will present some of these teams with the opportunity to claim a big scalp.

Hilton will target a win over the hosts on the first day, while Michaelhouse may feel that a victory against Bishops is in the offing (given the Cape Town side’s struggles last year).

The bigger challenge, as far as interprovincial matches are concerned, will be at the Kearsney Easter festival between April 17- 21.

The hosts will face Rustenburg, Dale College, and Peterhouse (from Zimbabwe) throughout the tournament. DHS will be physically tested against a much-improved Monument as well as EG Jansen.

The subsequent Wildeklawer tournament in Kimberley should present the KZN sides with yet another set of opportunities to make a statement.

Once again, DHS could have its hands full with Stellenberg and Paarl Gym. Northwood will have a crack at the Gimmies juggernaut on the opening day, before facing Drostdy in their second fixture.

Kearsney will host the Sharks Rugby Day this season on May 17 and will want to make the most of home advantage against DHS.

The KZN season will continue into June and fixtures such as Michaelhouse v Kearsney (June 7) and the second edition of the big midlands derby at Hilton (June 21) should not be missed.

That said, the big Durban duel between Northwood and DHS on August 2 may have a bearing on the final KZN pecking order.

DHS’ showdown with KES on August 9 should also provide the Durban outfit with one final opportunity to boost their position in the national rankings.