Union High School vs Victoria Park High School — Saturday, 23 August 2025
Union High School’s 1st XV wrapped up their 2025 rugby season with a commanding 39–24 victory over Victoria Park High School from Gqeberha on Saturday, 23 August.
The home side got off to a strong start, with Elvandre Meyer opening the scoring through a well-worked try to put Union ahead 5–0. A brilliant line break from Yaaseen Kazi soon followed, extending the lead to 10–0.
Yonela Wana impressed with a dynamic run, narrowly missing out on adding to the scoreline after a knock-on just short of the tryline. Union kept the pressure on, however, and a break from Xavier Barlow set up Liso Booi for Union’s third try, which was successfully converted to make it 17–0.
Siba Mbutye and Shaakir Kazi both crossed the line before the half-time whistle, giving Union a healthy 29–5 lead at the break. VP managed to score their first points just before half-time.
The second half began with VP capitalising on a Union error from the kickoff, quickly narrowing the gap with a try to make it 29–10. Despite a few missed opportunities and disrupted momentum from player substitutions, Union regained control when Elvandre Meyer scored his second try of the match, pushing the lead to 34–10.
Liso Booi added another try to his tally, extending Union’s advantage to 39–10. VP, however, showed resilience in the closing stages, scoring two converted tries to reduce the final margin to 39–24.
This final fixture marked Union’s 12th win in a 22-game season, capping off a year of hard work, growth, and spirited competition.
Other Match Results:
U14: Union 14 – 17 Victoria Park
U15: Union 17 – 14 Victoria Park
U16: Union 48 – 15 Victoria Park
2nd XV: Union 12 – 12 Victoria Park
A huge congratulations to Union High School, Graaff-Reinet learners (back) Sbu Jantjies, Grant Murray, Isiphile Galela, (front) Yolo Vutula, Sintayu Kaitro and Uthmaan Steele on their selection to the 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗯𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗯-𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘂/𝟭𝟮 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺!
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘗𝘗𝘚𝘙𝘈 𝘶/12 𝘚𝘶𝘣-𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘏𝘰ë𝘳 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 22 𝘵𝘰 23 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵.
We are incredibly proud of them and wish them the very best as they take to the field – 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵!
Interschools is never just about a score line. It’s about heart, sacrifice, dedication, and pride. It’s about countless early mornings, bruises taken in silence, running until legs give in and never losing sight of a shared dream. This year, all of that sacrifice came together in one unforgettable performance, one that will go down in Union High School’s proud history.
On Saturday, our First Team girls didn’t just perform – they destroyed Volkskool. They didn’t just play hockey, they made history. With a breath-taking 7–0 victory, every single goal came from open play. No short corners, no strokes; just pure hockey. Clinical finishing, ruthless pressing, teamwork that left no gaps on the field and a hunger that could not be matched.
Every player gave everything. This was a team that embodied our motto the three C “ conquer the mind, command the moment and change the story.”
𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗽, 𝗠𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗮 and 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 proudly received their 𝟱𝟬𝗧𝗛 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗦, marking their remarkable contribution to Union hockey. Even more impressively, 𝗔𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗲, 𝗔𝗺𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄, 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘇𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹 and 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗮 achieved the exceptional honour of receiving their 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗧𝗛 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗦 – a testament to years of hard work and unwavering passion for the game.
Other Results:
U13A won 1-0
U13B won 2-0
U13C won 4-0
U14A won 5-4 (Come Back Performance Of The Year, 0-3 down after first chukka)
U16A won 1-0
2nd Team won 4-0
UPS Results
U/9 A won 3-1
U/9 B drew 1-1
U/9 C drew 2-2
U/9 D lost 0-4
U/10A lost 2-5
U/10B won 5-0
On Saturday, 16 August, Union High School’s 1st XV team faced off against the Hoër Volkskool 1st XV in a much-anticipated derby that had the whole town buzzing all season.
Union dominated both territory and possession throughout the first half but struggled to convert their efforts into points, thanks to a resilient defensive display from Volkskool. The only points in the first half came from a penalty kick by Shaakir Kazi. However, a costly mistake in Union’s in goal area allowed Volkskool to score a try, giving them the lead at halftime.
In the second half, Union maintained control of the ball and territory and were eventually rewarded with a try from Makukhanye de Beer, which Shaakir Kazi successfully converted. Despite this, Volkskool proved clinical, scoring two more tries to extend their lead and secure a 21-10 victory.
It was a hard-fought match, but ultimately Volkskool came out on top in this season’s intense rivalry.
Congratulations to 𝗝𝗮𝘆𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗢𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗮𝗹 on reaching an incredible milestone – taking the field for Union High School’s 1st XV as tighthead prop for the 50th time this 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦!
Other results
U/11B lost 5-20
U/11A lost 5-38
U/13C lost 26-28
U/13B lost 5-31
U/13A won 14-5
In a tightly contested encounter, Union’s U/13A side delivered a strong and physical performance to secure a 14–5 victory. Tries were scored by Lukhona Bulembu and Liyabona Magqabi.
U14 drew 3-3
U15 lost 8-48
U16 won 39-10
2nd won 12-10
U/7B drew 15-15
U/7A won 10-5
U/9B drew 14-12
U/9A lost 7-14
For the first time in recent memory, 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 – and what a wonderful addition it proved to be!
In planning for 2025, we felt it important to add to the depth and diversity of Interschools week, giving our learners yet another platform to showcase their talents and school spirit.
𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦-𝘶𝘱 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭.
The event, held on a route cleverly demarcated around our beautiful campus, was filled with energy, determination and plenty of smiles.
𝗕𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲, 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀.
Well done to every participant who laced up their running shoes and joined in – you’ve not only made history for our school, but you’ve also set the pace for 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲.
Visit our Facebook Page to view media of this event.
Union High School’s senior tennis players enjoyed 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀 today, showing skill, determination and true team spirit.
Our 1st and 2nd mixed doubles both claimed impressive 5-1 victories, while the 1st girls and 2nd girls shone with flawless 9-0 wins.
The 2nd boys edged out a nail-biting 5-4 triumph and although the 1st boys went down 2-7, they put up a great fight!
𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝟯𝟱 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟯 – a proud moment for our players and supporters alike!
Visit our Facebook Page to view photographs of this event.
The Interschools 𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 was held tonight – to our mind, always one of the true highlights of the week.
We extend heartfelt congratulations to Union’s 𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗭 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 (Muhammad Ahmed, Tara Ferreira, Josh Arends and Trystan Hulleman) on winning their section, as well as to the excellent senior Volkskool speakers on their triumph.
A special mention also goes to Union’s 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗥𝗦 (Rachel Wenham & Chante Bezuidenhout) who impressed with their eloquence and secured the win in their category.
𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳.
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Our 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗦 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥𝗦 took to the courts today for their traditional Interschools matches.
While the boys’ teams fought hard but unfortunately didn’t come away with the win, our girls shone brightly, claiming a well-deserved victory.
A special mention goes to our No. 1, 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯𝘀, whose incredible grit and sportsmanship saw her win all her matches – all while playing with a broken arm!
𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦
Visit our Facebook Page to view photographs of this event.
The 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟𝗦 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 proved to be a resounding success, with silent excitement filling the Union High School hall as our players faced off against their counterparts from Volkskool.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴, 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘮𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴.
Union’s players carried themselves with professionalism and warmth, showing both respect and camaraderie towards their opponents.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 came from Grade 9 learner 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲, who executed a flawless Scholar’s Mate – checkmating her opponent in under two minutes with just five moves.
The 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 brought both competitive spirit and good humour to their friendly matches, emerging with a strong 9-5 win.
Our 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 fought valiantly, narrowly losing 13-15, with one match stretching to nearly an hour of tense, strategic play.
The 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀, despite some nerves, showed true grit in their 11-17 loss against stiff competition, while the Union Preparatory School, Graaff-Reinet team delivered a determined performance to secure an 11-9 victory over Volkskool.
Although Volkskool clinched the overall win with a tight 41-35 score, Union’s players can be immensely proud of their performance.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 – 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯.
The beautiful 𝗙𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 welcoming our Interschools visitors this year, lovingly created by Union mom Katjana Ott, with the wonderful assistance of Karen Koch Scott and Vanessa Copeman.
Visit our Facebook Page to view photographs of this event.
UHS scores first:
U14: 17-17
U15: 28-19
U16: 36-12
2nd: 31-5
1st XV Match Report:
Union High School’s 1st XV delivered a dominant first-half performance to secure a 34-12 victory over York High School from George in their home fixture on Saturday.
Union came out strong, controlling possession for much of the first quarter, although some handling errors allowed York to briefly regain momentum. The breakthrough came when Makukhanye de Beer crossed the line for the opening try, giving Union a 5-0 lead after an unsuccessful conversion. Issy Ahmed followed up with another well-worked try, extending the lead to 12-0.
Union continued to apply pressure on York’s defence, resulting in two more tries before halftime — Makukhanye de Beer grabbing his second of the match, and Elvandre Meyer adding another. The hosts went into the break with a commanding 24-0 lead.
Facing a strong wind in the second half, Union found conditions more challenging but managed to add to their score through a try by Peter-Daniel Clegg, followed by a superb solo effort from Liam Hornabrook, who broke away from a lineout maul to score.
Despite several promising opportunities, Union struggled to convert pressure into further points due to injuries disrupting the team’s rhythm. York capitalised and managed to score two tries of their own, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.
The match ended with Union securing a well-earned 34-12 victory, showcasing strong teamwork, individual brilliance, and a solid first-half performance.