Sports News from Maritzburg College:
The first fixtures of the 3rd term saw over 800 Maritzburg College boys and staff head up to Gauteng to face the formidable Affies in a full sporting and cultural exchange. Over a busy sporting weekend. College’s boys competed in canoeing, soccer, cycling and debating, producing excellent results.
Rugby
Taking on teams from the school with arguably the best rugby programme in the country was never going to be easy. Although College did not secure a win against Affies, the boys played with grit and determination in true College spirit and must be commended for their courage. The 1st XV score in no way reflects the resilience and exceptional commitment of the College team.
1st XV report (1st XV coach, Mr Nico Breedt)
After a well-deserved break, the College 1st XV had an exciting opportunity to surprise one of the top schoolboy 1st XV’s of 2025.
College was under massive pressure from the onset and a resulting yellow card added to one of the toughest first halves of the season. Very predictably Affies’ forward maul play put them firmly in control of the match and quickly resulted in an 12-0 lead. But just as predictable was the College refusal to give up and they clawed their way back to an eventual half time score of 12-10. The end of the first half saw College again reduced to 14 men, but remarkably they played some of their best rugby despite the disadvantage, and after a 50 metre penalty, briefly took the lead 20-17.
Affies seemed to find another gear and systematically regained the lead through more dominant line out play and were soon leading 31-20. With five minutes remaining College scored a brilliant quick throw in 60 m try which was masterfully converted and Affies was reminded that College will never go away. At three minutes to go the Affies’ lead was reduced to just four points and College supporters held their breath at the prospect of dramatic comeback. Once again Affies had the ability to shift up their intensity, scoring two converted tries in the last two minutes of the game, and as the records will forever show, won the match comfortably,45-27. For those who watched the game it was with a true appreciation for College’s resilience and ability to compete with any team in the country.
Hockey
Seventeen hockey teams took on the boys from Affies over the weekend, with College winning six, drawing four and losing seven. A positive goal difference of just two reflected the hard-fought games between two very strong hockey schools. Congratulations to the U14A side who continued what has been an exceptional season winning 5-1.
1st XI report (1st XI coach and Hockey Director, Mr Mark Sanders)
The 1st XI clash was always going to be a physical match. From the start, College needed to pitch up and perform, as Affies started strong, chasing down every ball. College began well, controlling the game and creating multiple opportunities. However, after four penalty corners and a penalty stroke, none were converted. The Red Army controlled many parts of the game but failed to manage the aerial ball played by Affies through weak marking. Affies were soon 2-0 up; the first goal through a penalty corner, tapped in by the injector and the second from poor marking in open play.
Going into the fourth quarter, College found themselves 3-0 down with everything to play for. The boys responded with a renewed fight, scoring two goals in two minutes, and were hungry for more. Sadly, it was not to be, and the score ended with College going down 2-3. Well done to Affies on their win. While matches against Affies will always be challenging, the hosting and hospitality shown this weekend was exceptional.
Results:
1st Affies L 2-3 2nd Affies W 1-0
Squash
Well done to College’s squash team who secured a 11-1 win against Affies, while the table tennis boys lost 10-20. Affies proved the stronger on both the tennis courts and the golf course.
Canoeing
This weekend saw the College canoeists compete at Wembley College in the flatwater school race. U18 L O’Connor 1st J JvRensburg 2nd N Curry 6th
On Sunday, the boys paddled the Upper Umgeni 16km race. Congratulations to K Vogt and partner who finished 2nd overall while J JvRensburg and partner were 3rd.
Other results: U18 J Worthmann and L O’Connor 2nd J Gotte and partner 3rd
Soccer
College’s soccer teams travelled to Coastal League finalists Hillcrest for their opening fixtures of term 3. There were four tightly contested draws throughout the age group fixtures, and in the 1st XI game College proved too strong for their opponents, claiming a comfortable 3-0 win with goals from Sibiya, Qasha and Myeni.
U14A, drew 2-2 U15A, drew 1-1 U16A, drew 1-1 2nds, drew 2-2 1sts, won 3-0
