Glenwood brace for physical battle

Glenwood will host Monument in Saturday's Mutual & Federal Premier Interschools clash.

The fixture as an annual event is only five years old, but has produced some tightly fought encounters, with Monnas having won four of them.

The Gauteng giants have had a successful season, only losing three games, and are third on the FNB Top 20 rankings. They’re also coming off the back of a gutsy 34-26 win at EG Jansen.

However, Monnas will not be taking the Green Machine lightly.

'It will be a good, competitive game, and we're confident in our ability,' coach Hans Coetzee told SARugbymag.co.za. 'It's an away game, and we'll be playing against a good side with many provincial caps.'

There are two positional shifts for the visitors, as Hanro Liebenberg will start at flank, with Thomas Meyer moving to lock and Christopher Havenga to the bench. 

Glenwood sit outside the top 20 schools in the country in the latest rankings after losing six games this season, the most recent of which was last weekend’s 18-17 loss to Westville. The hosts have faced five top 20 schools this year and only beaten Maritzburg College. They are aware of the threat this large and physical Monument side presents. 

'It's going to be tough, but the coaches are preparing well,' said Glenwood director of rugby Sean van Rensburg. 'Monnas are big, strong, and they hit hard. It's going to be a battle.'

Other big matches this weekend see SACS hosting Paul Ross, Affies welcoming Menlopark, and Grey High travelling to Dale. 

Western Cape

SACS vs Paul Roos
Paarl Boys' vs Wynberg
Paarl Gym vs Rondebosch
Boland Landbou vs Bishops
Stellenberg vs Hugenote
Bellville vs Durbanville
Brackenfell vs Milnerton
DF Malan vs De Kuilen
PW Botha vs Outeniqua
Tygerberg vs Drostdy

Gauteng

Affies vs Menlopark
Florida vs EG Jansen
Eldoraigne vs Centurion
St Stithians vs KES
St Alban's vs Parktown
Pretoria Boys' vs St John's
Rustenberg vs Kempton Park 
Marais Viljoen vs Die Anker
St Benedict's vs Northcliff
Ben Vorster vs Garsfontein
Fochville vs Bekker
Jan Viljoen vs Randburg
Linden vs Dinamika
Riebeeckrand vs Bastion
Helpmekaar vs Jeppe
John Vorster vs Brandwag (Benoni)
Elspark vs Birchleigh
Hans Moore vs Hugenote
Sasolburg High vs Benoni 
Dr Malan vs HTS Sasolburg
Springs Boys' vs Driehoek
Volkskool Heidelburg vs Oosterling
HeronBridge vs Rand Park

KwaZulu-Natal

Glenwood vs Monument
Clifton (Durban) vs George Campbell
DHS vs Westville 
Hilton vs Maritzburg
Michaelhouse vs St Charles
Northwood vs Kearsney

Eastern Cape

Dale vs Grey High
Brandwag (Uitenhage) vs Framesby
Queen's vs St Andrew's
Pearson vs Woodridge
Muir vs Volkskool Graaf-Reinet

Free State

St Andrew's School (Bloem) vs Bryanston

Limpopo

Ben Viljoen vs Hans Strijdom
Frikkie Meyer vs Tom Naudé
Ellisras vs Piet Potgieter
Warmbad vs Nylstroom
Pietersburg vs Louis Trichardt
Merensky vs Uplands

North West

Potchefstroom Boys' vs St David's Marist (Inanda)

– Email your school's fixtures to [email protected]

Photo: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images