Category: Rugby

U/7A won 10-0
U/9A won 41-0
U/11A won 22-0
U/13A won 56-0
U/13A Match Report:
The boys played as a team and showed tremendous passing ability despite the wet conditions. A solid all-round performance with great teamwork on display.

Union High School had the privilege of hosting Hoërskool Middelburg on our rugby fields today. 𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗫𝗩 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂/𝟭𝟲𝗔 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, securing a 76-5 win, while a combined u/15A and u/14A team claimed a 42-12 victory. In the main fixture of the day, Union’s 1st XV rounded off the afternoon with a hard-fought 41-20 win.

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘣𝘺.

Union High School’s rugby teams took to the field against Gill College on Saturday, 26 July.

From the u/14s to the 1st XV, our players showed great determination, with 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 the u/16s (17-12), 2nd XV (24-14) and 1st team (34-24). While the u/14s (14–26) and u/15s (8–12) faced defeat, the matches were closely contested.

𝘈 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺.

1st XV Match Report
The game started slowly for Union, as the boys took some time to find their rhythm. Once they settled, they began applying pressure on the Gill defense, earning an early penalty inside kicking range. Opting not to go for the posts, Union instead pushed forward and were rewarded when Issy Ahmed crashed over the line from a maul to open the scoring. The conversion was unsuccessful, but Union had drawn first blood, 5–0.

Gill had an opportunity to respond with a penalty of their own but failed to convert. Union struck again shortly after, this time through a moment of brilliance from flyhalf Similo Mvandaba, whose pinpoint cross-kick found Liso Booi on the wing. Booi dotted down in the corner to extend Union’s lead to 10–0.

Gill fought back, gaining momentum through a midfield break which saw them enter Union’s half. Their pressure paid off with a try from a 5m lineout, narrowing the gap to 10–5. But Union responded swiftly. After a lineout, Elvandre Meyer broke through the defensive line to score under the poles. The try was converted, restoring a 12-point cushion at 17–5.

However, Gill weren’t done yet. A well-timed intercept on Union’s 10m line led to another try, bringing them back into the game at 17–12. Just before halftime, Gill capitalised on a lapse in discipline and struck again, leveling the scores at 17–17 going into the break.

Union came out firing in the second half. They regained the lead early on through a well-taken penalty, making it 20–17. The momentum continued as loosehead prop Athi Mahlati bulldozed over for a crucial try, taking the score to 27–17.

Substitute Shaakir Kazi made an immediate impact off the bench with sharp spatial awareness. His accurate cross-kick found Siba Mbutye, who finished beautifully to push Union further ahead at 34–17.

Injuries and moments of ill-discipline disrupted Union’s flow, allowing Gill to mount a late surge with a well-earned try, closing the gap to 34–24. Despite the pressure, Union held firm in the dying minutes to secure a well-deserved win.

Final Score: Union High School 34 – 24 Gill College

On Tuesday afternoon, 24 June, Union High School’s senior 𝗥𝗨𝗚𝗕𝗬 sides took to the field in a series of matches against Hoërskool Swellendam and Asherville Secondary.

The 𝘂/𝟭𝟰𝗔 and 𝘂/𝟭𝟱𝗔 teams both secured solid victories over Asherville, with scores of 21–0 and 10–0 respectively. The 𝘂/𝟭𝟲𝗔 team went down 19-32 in a well-contested match. Our 𝟮𝗻𝗱 𝗫𝗩 came up against Asherville’s 1st team and, though the scoreboard reflected a 0–24 result, the team showed resilience and heart throughout.

The 𝟭𝘀𝘁 𝗫𝗩 capped off the afternoon with a 76–0 win over Hoërskool Swellendam.

Union High School’s 1st XV delivered an emphatic performance against Hoërskool Swellendam, securing a 76-0 win in a one-sided encounter that showcased teamwork, versatility, and flair.

The boys in white got off to a flying start, with Elvandre Meyer—playing at flank instead of what has become his usual inside centre role—scoring the opening try in just the 4th minute. Yaaseen Kazi followed up shortly with a powerful maul try, and further tries from Yonela Wana and Peter-Daniel Clegg pushed the lead to 24-0.

A sharp break by captain Kyle Liebenberg set up Siba Mbutye, who had switched from wing to centre, for another five-pointer. Wana added his second soon after following slick interplay between Meyer and Makukhanye de Beer. Despite some missed opportunities before the break due to handling errors, Union managed to add two more tries—one from Liebenberg and another from Kazi, bringing his tally to two. Union entered halftime with a commanding 48-0 lead. The second half began slower on the scoreboard but not in intensity. Eventually, Trystan Hulleman crossed over to score his first try for the 1st XV in his second year with the team. Athi Mahlati, Union’s hardworking loosehead prop, earned a well-deserved try, followed by Tafadzwa Munzvenga, who powered through the midfield after a brilliant break. Similo Mvandaba capped off the day’s scoring, sealing a 76-0 win in a match that underlined Union’s depth and cohesion.

𝗪𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱.