Intriguing day of old rivalries
ONE of Eastern Province's strongest schools' rugby rivalries will headline another fascinating weekend of matches when Grey High host St Andrew's at the Philip field tomorrow (3.30pm).
The two sides have often been the leading teams in their respective centres and that has introduced the sort of needle which should make for an enthralling showdown tomorrow.
The teams will be entering the matches from different perspectives, with Grey needing to come off the high of defeating Wynberg, and the Grahamstown school looking to bounce back after losing to Selborne.
The Selbornians have lost only to Affies and Grey College this year and are in the running for the unofficial title of being the top school in the Eastern Cape.
Yet Robert Ball's St Andrew's 15 pushed them all the way in losing 28-21, and the Andreans will be looking for a similar spirited effort against a Grey team lifted by last week's win.
The Grey management moved the talented Curwin Bosch to fullback last weekend, with the equally effective Garrick Mattheus playing flyhalf.
Both players were prominent in Grey's victory and will be key performers tomorrow.
There are two big matches in Grahamstown when Graeme host Alexander Road and Kingswood take on Dale.
Led by the tireless Seth Frieslaar, Alexander Road are a competitive unit and have lost only to Pearson in their last seven matches. But the Graemians will be one of their tougher tests and it will need a major effort to cause an upset.
At Kingswood, the home side, having built up a good record against Border teams, face a challenge on a higher level against Dale.
The Dalians have lost only two games out of 12 this season – their record includes a good 13-12 win over Queen's – and they will be a handful for the home team.
However, Kingswood have some highly capable players in their ranks and they will be motivated to show they can mix it with some of the Eastern Cape's stronger rugby schools.
Framesby travel to Cradock for a clash with Marlow, who are never easy to subdue. The PE school has built up a good run recently and will be looking to continue that against the tough country lads.
In Uitenhage, Pearson will have their credentials closely examined by Daniel Pienaar, while Brandwag's big pack should prove too strong for Otto du Plessis in their clash at Otto.
The fixtures, subject to change, are (home teams first, 11.30am start unless stated):
Graeme v Alexander Road (1.15pm), Arcadia v Solomon Mahlangu, Bertram v Molly Blackburn, Otto du Plessis v Brandwag, Daniel Pienaar v Pearson (12.15), Despatch v Nico Malan (12.30), DF Malherbe v Volkskool, Marlow v Framesby (3pm), Grey High v St Andrew's (3.30pm), Newton Tech v Ithembelihle, Ndzondelelo v Humansdorp, Port Alfred v Westering, Kirkwood v Muir. - Neale Emslie
