๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ to Union High School’s U13A hockey captain ๐๐บ๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ on her selection to represent the EP U13A hockey team. We are incredibly proud of her and wish her all the very best as she competes at the national tournament in Johannesburg from 27 June to 1 July.
Union High School’s senior rugby teams faced Spandau Secondary School on Thursday afternoon, 15 May, with our boys putting together a pleasing set of results across the age groups.
The ๐จ๐ญ๐ฐ๐๐ recorded a 51-0 win, while the ๐จ๐ญ๐ฑ๐๐ followed with an 8-0 result and the ๐จ๐ญ๐ฒ๐๐ secured a 32-7 victory. The ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ซ๐ฉ added a 43-10 win and the ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ซ๐ฉ closed the afternoon with a 57-6 result.
๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ to Grade 12 learner ๐๐๐ต๐น๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐น on completing the 25km Camdeboo Hospice Hike & Hobble fundraising event this past Saturday, 9 May. Taking on this meaningful challenge alongside her mom, Union High School secretary Sharon Krige, makes the achievement all the more special.
A huge ๐ช๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ to Grade 8 learner ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ on being awarded his EP colours for representing the U16 Eastern Province Elephants team at the Junior National Indoor Cricket South Africa tournament this past April.
This past weekend saw a proud showing from our Grade 7 learners, with ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ (loose forward) and ๐ฌ๐ผ๐น๐ผ ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐น๐ฎ (hooker) representing us in Makhanda at the Eastern Province Rugby Unionโs second round of trials for the EPPSRA U13 team.
At the same time, ๐๐บ๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ and ๐๐ฎ๐๐น๐ฎ ๐ข๐๐ flew the Union flag high in Gqeberha as they took part in the second round of EP U13 hockey trials.
A big ๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐ฆ to our Union High School rugby boys on their well-deserved selection to various representative teams.
We are incredibly proud to see ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฎ named in the U16 Grant Khomo Invitational Team, which will compete in Durban during the June holidays, as well as ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ท๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ผ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฟ and ๐๐๐๐ผ๐น๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ถ (U16 Karoo) and ๐๐๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ต๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ, ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ฒ, ๐ง๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐๐ป๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ, ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ, ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ, ๐ฌ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ and ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ (U18 Karoo) earning their places.
The team faced two tough fixtures against strong local opposition, gaining valuable experience and lessons along the way.
Match 1: Union vs Langenhoven Gimnasium (Final) The hosts came out firing from the start, applying relentless pressure through well-executed up-and-under kicks that unsettled Unionโs back three. Costly errors allowed Langenhoven to capitalize, racing to a commanding 34โ7 lead at halftime.
Union, however, showed immense resilience in the second half. By changing their attacking strategy, they clawed their way back to level the score at 34โ34. Unfortunately, fatigue set in, and two lapses in concentration led to quick tries for the hosts. The final whistle saw Union defeated 48โ34, but the spirited comeback highlighted the teamโs adaptability and fighting spirit.
Match 2: Union vs Oudtshoorn High School Unionโs second fixture was against Oudtshoorn High, who entered the game brimming with confidence after a big win over Fish Hoek. Anticipating wide attacks, Unionโs defense closed down the wings effectively, but this left gaps in midfield which Oudtshoorn exploited twice.
In the second half, Unionโs reserves made a strong impact, dominating possession. However, forced errors and โwhite line feverโ proved costly. Despite their efforts, Union went down 35โ12. While not the desired result, the match showcased the teamโs ability to adapt defensively and highlighted areas for growth.
Positives and Highlights Resilience & Adaptability: The ability to change attacking strategies mid-game and fight back from a large deficit. Defensive Lessons: Exposure to varied opposition tactics will strengthen Unionโs defensive responses in future fixtures. Player of the Tournament: A special congratulations to Josh Arends, whose outstanding performances earned him this accolade.
Off-Field Experiences The tour was not only about rugby. The team enjoyed a memorable outing to an ostrich farm, learning about different species and products, and even feeding the ostriches. Recovery sessions with compression boots and massages were a special treat, ensuring the players were well looked after.
Hockey Report
This was our first time attending the Langenhoven Gymnasium Festival. Initially, there was some disappointment around sacrificing a long weekend for only three games. However, once we arrived, the festival atmosphere quickly changed our perspective and it became clear that the girls truly needed this experience. From the start, we established ourselves as the team to beat at the festival. Results: โข UHS 1st Team Girls vs Langenhoven Gymnasium: UHS won 1โ0 Our girls dominated from the start to secure a 1โ0 victory. Despite some challenging decisions from the umpires throughout the game, what stood out most was the teamโs composure. The girls remained calm and did not allow external factors to affect their performance. A true mark of the First teamsโ class and maturity. โข UHS vs Dirkie Uys: UHS won 10โ0 โข UHS vs King Edward High School: UHS won 8โ0 Across all matches, the UHS displayed excellent attacking hockey and disciplined structures. Man of the Match Awards: โข Leigh-ann Murray (x2) โข Amy Waddelow โข Katelyn Trollip
It was especially rewarding to hear positive feedback from other coaches and spectators, who described our brand of hockey as exciting to watch. More importantly, they acknowledged the respect and humility shown by our players throughout the tournament. We are proud not only of the results, but of the manner in which our girls represented the school, playing with intensity and always upholding the school values. Well done, girls!
๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ข๐ก๐ฌ of the 2026 Langenhoven Gimnasium Sports Fest in Oudtshoorn.
The U/11A team delivered a dominant performance to win 24โ0, displaying excellent teamwork and defensive discipline. The U/13A side continued the winning momentum with a strong 19โ0 victory, controlling the game from start to finish.
Hockey
In hockey, the U/11A team produced an outstanding performance against Kroonvaleโs U/13A side, securing an emphatic 8โ0 win. Their attacking play and finishing were exceptional, highlighting a well-rounded team effort.
On Saturday, 18 April, Union High School Grade 7 learner ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป participated in an archery competition hosted at Hoรซr Volkskool.
In the Bullseye competition, she secured 1st place with a top score of 259, showing impressive consistency across both distances. She followed this up with another strong showing in the 3D event, finishing 2nd with a score of 238.
๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ, Shanaโs results reflect both her skill and composure and she can be very proud of a standout overall performance.
๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ as we hosted Laerskool Aliwal-Noord today, with our junior hockey and rugby teams delivering strong performances across the board.
๐ข๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ, the U11A side edged a hard-fought 2-1 win, while the U13A team impressed with a confident 4-1 victory.
๐๐ถ๐ณ ๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ญ๐ช๐ธ๐ข๐ญ-๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅโ๐ด ๐11๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐13๐ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ๐ด ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐น๐ต๐ณ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ต ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด. The U13B team showed real grit despite a 0-3 result and the U11B side faced a strong challenge, going down 0-3.
๐ข๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐๐ด๐ฏ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ, both teams produced excellent performances. The U11A side delivered a commanding 10-0 win, while the U13A capped off the day with an outstanding 41-5 victory.