City Derby. St Charles College, Pietermaritzburg, started their winter season with the much-anticipated City Derby Rugby against Maritzburg College. The fixture dates back to 1882, which makes it one of the oldest schoolboy rugby games in South Africa.
With St Charles College Rugby on the rise, the fixture was eagerly anticipated after two years of Covid interrupted seasons. The 1st XV of both schools ran onto Goldstones at 3pm on Saturday in front of a big crowd. It was clear from the outset that both teams had missed two seasons of high-quality rugby playing fixtures.
The first points were scored by Maritzburg College in the 13th minute, after exchanges of good attacking phases on both sides of the field. After the 1st half the score was 17-0 to Maritzburg College. The second half saw both sides spreading the ball a bit more. The outside backs enjoyed more time and space. The hosts managed to score a further four tries, with an impressive conversion rate. The Saints got over the whitewash late in the game. Final score 45-7 in favour of Maritzburg College.
Both sides will develop and compete well in their upcoming season against the best in KwaZulu-Natal. The immediate focus being cross-provincial challenges at festivals in Johannesburg.
“Thanks to our friendly rivals for hosting us and congratulations on the result. it was a positive day for schoolboy sport in the city.” – Mr Petrus du Plessis.
More school news: https://schoolsthatrock.co.za
https://www.stcharlescollege.co.za/
Photos courtesy of Justin Waldman