Selborne seize their chances to edge St Andrew’s in derby thriller

Selborne College made the most of their opportunities to secure a hard-fought 24-21 victory over St Andrew’s College in a gripping King Price Derby Series schools rugby clash in KuGompo City on Saturday.

Holding a 17-9 advantage at halftime, Selborne produced the decisive moment of the match midway through the second half when centre Iviwe Kabale sliced through the St Andrew’s defence before deftly nudging a kick ahead for the flying Edward Malinzi to gather and score untouched.

One of the most anticipated clashes in the schoolboy sports calendar, Selborne College vs Grey College this weekend, has been cancelled after some of the Bloemfontein institution’s boys contracted swine flu. Grey Bloem rugby, hockey and other sporting codes were to visit KuGompo City for the scheduled fixtures, but based on data and medical recommendations, it was decided it would be risky, the college’s acting headmaster Ludwig Koekemoer said in a letter. Swine flu is a highly contagious respiratory illness. “This is a decision that was not taken lightly, especially since it was made at such short notice,” Koekemoer said. “The decision was made as we regard the health and well-being of our learners and staff as a priority. “There is currently an unprecedented number of learners who are ill — of whom several learners have already been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus (swine flu).” Selborne’s headmaster Andrew Dewar said the school received the precautionary decision by Grey College with understanding that it was taken to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, particularly during extended travel on buses, hosting and large gatherings. We extend our sincere appreciation to Grey College for the manner in which they have navigated this challenging situation with care, responsibility and careful consideration for both school communities “While this news is disappointing for players, supporters and the wider school community, the health and wellbeing of all learners, staff and visitors must remain our highest priority,” Dewar said. “Under the circumstances, cancelling the event is the most responsible course of action in safeguarding all involved. We respect and support the decision taken by the Grey College management team. “We extend our sincere appreciation to Grey College for the manner in which they have navigated this challenging situation with care, responsibility and careful consideration for both school communities.” The rivalry between Grey Bloem and Selborne is among the largest crowd-pulling events and plays a vital part in Buffalo City’s sports tourism as it draws thousands of people. Grey College last visited the city in 2024. Selborne toured the city of roses in 2025 in one of the darkest tours yet, especially for its rugby, with their first team beaten 103-14. After beating Queens College and Port Rex over the past two weekends, Selborne were fired up for the revenge in front of their fans. They will now have to wait for some months to get that chance. Selborne will welcome Makhanda’s St Andrew’s to KuGompo City next week. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone. Daily Dispatch

Flyhalf Riley Hansel added the conversion to stretch the lead to 24-16 with just more than 10 minutes remaining, giving the home side a cushion they would ultimately need.

St Andrew’s, however, refused to surrender and ensured a tense finish when left wing Qhawe Madikizela was released down the touchline to score their second try, reducing the deficit to just three points.

By the time play restarted, the clock had ticked past the 70-minute mark. Although there was still time for one final scrum, Selborne secured possession and kicked the ball into touch to seal a memorable victory between two evenly matched rivals.

Jake White and Selborne College have thrashed out their differences, and the former Springbok coach will continue working as the school’s rugby consultant. School Governing Body chairman Angus Pringle released a statement early on Friday evening, saying that the differences between White and the school had been resolved. During the week, a letter from 2007 World Cup-winning mentor White sparked wide discussion on social media platforms. In the letter, White expressed his discontent with the school’s management of rugby-related matters. He accused the school’s headmaster, Andrew Dewar, of a lack of support in rugby activities compared to other sporting codes and meddling in the appointment of coaches and allocation of training sessions. He said those decisions were for the school’s director of rugby, not the headmaster. In the letter, White said he had to wait two months to get a letter out to the parents. White said he sent Dewar an email with serious issues, but received no reply. The letter claimed Dewar avoided discussing any crucial issues. The letter also claimed that while the headmaster had continually asked for communication, conversations with him were “always far off the pressing issues”. On Friday, Pringle said that the matter was settled. “The school is pleased to confirm that the internal issues have been amicably resolved and that it will continue to work in partnership with Jake White in strengthening and advancing its rugby programme,” Pringle said. “We extend our gratitude to Jake for his continued support and involvement. This partnership reflects a unified commitment to aligning goals and establishing a clear, combined vision that supports excellence both on and off the playing field,” he said. The director of rugby at the school, Derek Page, who had left his role for similar reasons as White, did not return to the position. Derek Page subsequently cleared the air regarding his involvement. “In light of ongoing media enquiries and public speculation, I believe it is necessary to clarify my position factually and respectfully. ”I was originally approached by the Selborne Foundation Trust to serve as Director of Rugby as part of a proposed long-term rugby development programme intended to strengthen and advance rugby structures at the school.” “During my period of involvement, it became evident that there were differing views regarding the implementation, management structures, and strategic direction of the programme.” “In particular, it became clear that several of the proposed rugby structures and operational approaches were not aligned with the expectations and preferred governance approach of the headmaster and broader school leadership. “Following various communications and engagements regarding these matters, I communicated my intention to step away from the role until such time as there was clarity and alignment regarding the way forward. “Accordingly, I confirm that I have not operated in the role of Director of Rugby at Selborne College since 4 March 2026. “Subsequent to the public circulation of the Jake White correspondence and the resulting media attention, meetings were held between relevant stakeholders regarding the future direction of the rugby programme. “It was ultimately communicated that the school would proceed with its own internally managed long-term rugby strategy under the direction of the headmaster and existing governance structures, and that there would no longer be a requirement for the Director of Rugby role as previously envisaged,” Page said. According to sources, the decision to reinstate White was reached in a meeting on Friday morning between members of the Old Selbornian Association, the Selborne Trust, White, Page and Dewar. White also released a statement, apologising for the negativity created on social media by the leaked letter. “The Headmaster is the person who runs the school. I agree with that 100%. I respect that too,” White said. “Selborne is 153 years old. I was really happy to assist Selborne Rugby for free. Gratis. “Why? Because I love rugby. I was excited about associating myself with a traditional rugby school. “I believe in SA that rugby in schools is very important. It should be the most important investment for a school. It gives the best returns. “I believe that the 1st XV rugby team are your marketing team. Again, rightly or wrongly. They influence your recruitment, sponsorship, old boy involvement and a lot more. “Successful teams are a must. “My only objective was to assist Selborne Rugby. My intention was pure. “A leaked letter has now unfortunately turned a situation that was supposed to be positive into something negative. For that to all Selbornians, I am sincerely sorry. “My letter was merely to explain that if the Headmaster of a school and my old boy philosophy are not aligned, then I’m not your guy. “Please respect that.” “It’s important to everyone linked to Selborne for Selborne to do well. Now more than ever. Selborne is and will always be a valued school in our country. Going forward, I will always be supportive of any of the schools’ rugby needs. I will definitely not turn my back on them. Rugby teaches you that, too.“ • This story was update on May 12, 2026 to include a statement from Selborne’s former director of rugby Derek Page. Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone. Daily Dispatch

After a frustrating first half in which they struggled at the lineout and lost too much of their own possession, St Andrew’s emerged after the break with far greater attacking intent and enjoyed a lengthy spell of territorial dominance.

Selborne, though, were resolute on defence and twice forced crucial turnovers with their opponents camped on their tryline.

The pressure eventually told when hooker Ross Faber powered over for a try, keeping the visitors firmly in contention.

Earlier, it was the outstanding boot of fullback Will Stevens that kept St Andrew’s in touch. He landed three long-range penalties in the opening half, ensuring Selborne paid dearly for any indiscretion in their own territory.

The home side, meanwhile, looked dangerous whenever they attacked and opened the scoring when a scrum penalty earned them field position deep inside St Andrew’s territory. After a series of powerful drives, Ayden Freitag crossed for the opening try.

Grey High and Kingswood College produced commanding all-round performances to secure solid victories over St Andrew’s College and Port Rex respectively in school rugby matches held in Makhanda at the weekend. Both teams were coming off disappointing losses – Grey to Wynberg and Kingswood to Hudson Park – and will be pleased with the resilience they showed in securing victory. In their clash on the Lower Field at St Andrew’s, Grey again showed a high-quality work-rate among their forwards as they kept the home side under persistent pressure when they were close to the line, paving the way for a 42-22 victory. The Gqeberha visitors laid down a marker early on, with flank Sibonelo Stuurman crossing for his first try after only a couple of minutes, and they never relinquished their grip on the proceedings, despite the best efforts of St Andrew’s, well led by skipper Sivatho Mjali. Not even two yellow cards at one stage could derail Grey’s march to victory, although St Andrew’s did score one of their four tries in that period to make sure the game was interestingly poised at 14-7 to Grey at halftime. Hardworking St Andrew’s prop Mark Ewing was the scorer of that try and later in the second half he repeated that with another determined effort as he barged over for a second time. That took the score to 21-12 – hooker Micah Wessels had crossed for Grey – but every time the home team got points on the board, Grey managed to find an answer with a scoring riposte of their own. This time it was big lock Jean Nel who crashed over as Grey showed patience with their constant driving from mauls close to the St Andrew’s line. The pressure was relentless and St Andrew’s found it difficult to counter the threat. The Andreans were always in the hunt, though, and tries by Avu Bangazi and Josh van Zyl kept their fans interested, but Grey were able to hit back on a regular basis and further pressure from the maul saw Stuurman and Blake Parker add two more tries to take them out to a comfortable margin. Back at flyhalf after injury, Nathan Trytsman assisted the Grey cause by slotting six conversions, while St Andrew’s star Will Stevens lacked his usual accuracy, kicking only one of four conversions and also missing a penalty. Kingswood, meanwhile, had too many attacking weapons for Port Rex, who were coming off a heavy midweek loss to Selborne College in KuGompo City. The visitors could not keep pace with the Kingswood attack and the Makhanda side ran in several well-worked tries on the way to a 66-7 victory. The Herald

Selborne doubled their advantage in the 17th minute with a slick move down the right-hand side that caught the defence napping and allowed wing Zweletu Njoholo to finish in the corner.

Their third try came through industrious loose forward Travis Enslin, who was rewarded after another sustained charge by the forwards, helping Selborne establish the lead that ultimately proved enough to claim derby honours.

The Herald