Friends and Rivals Meet at Bishops
From the Bishops gate on Sandown Road to the Rondebosch Boys' High gate on Oakhurst Avenue is about 400 metres. They are neighbours.
They are both boys schools, with the same sort of boys with the same sort of parents taught by the same sort of teachers.
Being close can make rivalry more acute. They are close and they are rivals. Mercifully it is a rivalry without animosity.
Oh, there is tension all right and great determination to win, but it is orderly.
Alan Douglas, a schoolmaster at Bishops from the early 1960s to the 1990s, a keen rugby coach all that while, sometimes of the 1st XV, said that no boy would want to disgrace himself on that day when great crowds gather, Old Boys try to keep a suave exterior on their excitement, and parents and staff are even more alert than usual.
And when the final whistle blows on the first team match, tension is deflated and friendliness reigns.
The match this term has a bit of extra, for it is a Premier Interschools match and so broadcast live on SuperSport. Indications are that it will be a close-run affair.
This first match of the season, will be played on the Piley Rees Field at Bishops, where Bishops boys have been playing for 158 years. It is named after a legendary Bishops master, David Rees whose nickname was Piley. Even his wife called him Piley though the reason for the nickname is a casualty of time. He was on the Bishops staff for over 44 years and coached the 1st XV in five decades from 1923 on.
It is a wonderful field. International teams have practised there, and Springbok coach, Allister Coetzee, declared it the second best field in the Western Province after Newlands. Built on sand, it has excellent drainage and will not be affected by the heavy rains in the area this week.
Season So Far
Both schools are ranked amongst the Top 20 schools of South Africa - Rondebosch 10th and Bishops 13th. With so many hundreds of keen rugby schools in the country, the difference is negligible.
Bishops have played nine, winning six and losing to Leinster on their tour to Ireland, Paarl Gim and Paarl Boys' High.
Rondebosch have played 12, winning nine and losing to San Isidro of Buenos Aires, Paul Roos and Stellenberg.
Results against Common Opponents
Boland Landbou: Bishops won 53-19; Rondebosch won 36-26
SACS: Bishops won 39-21; Rondebosch won 27-8
Wynberg: Bishops won 60-40; Rondebosch won 28-17
Bishops: 152 points to 80
Rondebosch: 91 points to 51
Achievers
Both schools have players in the three Western Province Under-18 teams - the two teams going to the Craven Week and the team going to the Academy week, all three in Bloemfontein
Western Province Craven Week Team
Bishops: Connor Evans, Liam Kloosman, Sacha Mgomezulu, Isaiah Wharton
Rondebosch: Brian le Roux, Lukhanyo Vokozela
Western Province XV for Craven Week
Bishops: Keagan Blanckenberg
Rondebosch: Jason Johnson, Isameel Safodien, Lamla Nunu
Western Province Academy Week Team
Bishops: Luca Liebenberg
Rondebosch: Dalvon Blood, Kian Davis, Conor van Eeden
Teams
Bishops: 15 Matthew Lennett, 14 Luca Liebenberg, 13 Oliver Jones, 12 Michael Ford, 11 Samuel Marthinussen, 10 Sacha Mngomezulu, 9 Liam Kloosman, 8 Jono Bird, 7 Connor Evans, 6 Charlie Yates, 5 Jack Hampshire (captain), 4 Samuel Rudston, 3 James Bolton, 2 Keagan Blanckenberg, 1 Aidan MacDonald
Coaches: Wes Chetty, Dylon Frylinck, Charlie Post , Chris Ekron
Rondebosch: 15 Conor van Eden, 14 Jake Tredoux, 13 Dalvon Blood, 12 Jordan Collier (captain), 11 Lehan Botha, 10 Kian Davis, 9 Ishma-eel Safodien, 8 Joshua King, 7 Campbell Slater, 6 Matthew Cohen, 5 Will McDonald, 4 Matt Gray, 3 Bryan le Roux, 2 Troy Fisher, 1 Lukhanyo Vokozela
Coaches: Pieter Benade, Joel Carew, Trevor Edwards
Date: Saturday, 8 June 2019
1st XV kick-off: 12.10
Live TV broadcast: SuperSport, channel 210
Venue: Piley Rees Field, Bishops
Expected weather conditions: Partly cloudy - Partly sunny - with a high of 20°C and a low of 13°C. The rain is holding off to Sunday, apparently; it seems excellent weather for the rugby on Saturday but warm dress for spectators is probably wise.
Referee: Zandré Herselman (Western Province Referees' Society)
Rugby Programme - 8 June 2019
Piley Rees
09.30: 3rd XV
10.45: 2nd XV
12.10: 1st XV
Avenue
08.30: 4th XV
09.40: 5th XV
10.50: Under-15A
Sahara
08.30: Under-16C
09.40: Under-16B
10.50: Under-16A
Range
08.30: Under-15C
09.30: Under-15B
10.30: Under-14D
Cemetery
08.30: Under-14C
09.30: Under-14A
10.30: Under-14B
Bishops vs Rondebosch Down the Years
There is a score in 1908 which really does not belong here. Then Rondebosch had been a soccer school whereas Bishops had been playing the more sensible game for nearly 50 years. Bishops won that mismatch in 1908 112-0. The upshot was that Rondebosch kept out of interschool competition. The first "official" match between the two schools, as Rondebosch acknowledges, was in 1911.
1911: Bishops won 18-0 & 25-0
1916: Bishops won 13-0 & drew 13-13
1917: Bishops won 5-3 & Rondebosch won 14-3
1918: Bishops won 16-0 & drew 0-0
1921: Bishops won 6-0
1923: Rondebosch won 9-8
1925: Rondebosch won 22-3
1926: Bishops won 10-9 & 6-3
1928: Bishops won 8-3 & 15-3
1929: Bishops won 7-3
1930: Bishops won 15-9 & 12-9
1931: Bishops won 11-3 & 16-9
1932: Bishops won 9-3 & 15-0
1933: Bishops won 11-6 & drew 3-3
1935: Bishops won 6-3
1936: Bishops won 49-0 & 37-3
1937: Drew 0-0 & Bishops won 6-3
1938: Rondebosch won 8-3 & Bishops won 16-6
1939: Rondebosch won 8-0
1940: Bishops won 25-3 & 11-8
1941: Bishops won 13-9 & Rondebosch won 8-3
1942: Bishops won 16-4 & 10-3
1943: Bishops won 21-0 & 31-3
1944: Rondebosch won 21-14 & 6-0
1945: Rondebosch won 6-0 & Bishops won 11-8
1946: Drew 3-3 & drew 3-3
1947: Bishops won 6-3 & Rondebosch won 9-6
1948: Rondebosch won 17-13 & Bishops won 13-6
1949: Bishops won 23-0 & 17-6
1950: Drew 14-14 & Rondebosch won 17-6
1951: Bishops won 8-0 & 17-0
1952: Rondebosch won 6-3 & drew 3-3
1953: Rondebosch won 6-3 & 13-3
1954: Rondebosch won 11-3
1955: Bishops won 9-6 & 8-6
1956: Bishops won 11-0 & Rondebosch won 9-6
1957: Rondebosch won 5-0 & drew 3-3
1958: Rondebosch won 8-0 & 8-6
1959: Bishops won 10-0 & Rondebosch won 3-0
1960: Drew 3-3 & Rondebosch won 12-3
1961: Rondebosch won 5-0 & 13-6
1962: Bishops won 3-0 & drew 6-6
1963: Rondebosch won 11-0 & 9-6
1964: Rondebosch won 13-0 & 13-0
1965: Drew 0-0 & drew 3-3
1966: Rondebosch won 14-3 & 12-3
1967: Drew 3-3 & Rondebosch won 20-0
1968: Rondebosch won 6-0 & drew 8-8
1969: Rondebosch won 11-6 & 25-3
1970: Rondebosch won 14-0 & 11-9
1971: Rondebosch won 8-3 & 24-3
1972: Rondebosch won 13-4 & 13-4
1973: Rondebosch won 13-12 & Bishops won 16-13
1974: Bishops won 9-3 & 18-4
1975: Rondebosch won 27-3 & 22-6
1976: Rondebosch won 14-13 & 22-12
1977: Rondebosch won 15-12 & 33-7
1978: Drew 6-6 & Bishops won 8-6
1979: Bishops won 9-0 & 24-0
1980: Rondebosch won 22-12 & Bishops won 10-3
1981: Bishops won 12-6 & 7-6
1982: Bishops won 18-6 & Rondebosch won 12-6
1983: Rondebosch won 18-10 & Bishops won 16-6
1984: Rondebosch won 7-0 & 15-11
1985: Bishops won 12-3 & Rondebosch won 16-9
1986: Bishops won 14-4 & 13-3
1987: Bishops won 12-7 & 15-3
1988: Bishops won 10-3 & 13-3
1989: Bishops won 58-10 & 7-4
1990: Bishops 14-7 & 9-0
1991: Bishops 12-9 & 21-9
1992: Bishops 34-3 & 27-6
1993: Bishops 28-10 & 19-5
1994: Rondebosch won 6-5 & 19-9
1995: Rondebosch won 7-6 & 11-10
1996: Rondebosch won 17-7 & 6-0
1997: Rondebosch won 18-0 & 31-11
1998: Bishops won 20-0 & 15-7
1999: Rondebosch 16-15 & Bishops won 24-9
2000: Rondebosch 22-19 & 27-17
2001: Bishops won 17-0 & 18-0
2002: Bishops won 52-8 & 41-25
2003: Bishops won 18-5 & 78-19
2004: Bishops won 27-8 & Rondebosch won 26-22
2005: Bishops won 31-6 & 14-12
2006: Bishops won 71-3 & 75-22
2007: Bishops won 48-27 & 27-24
2008: Bishops won 20-8 & 47-15
2009: Rondebosch won 16-10 & Bishops won 10-6
2010: Bishops won 38-10 & the sides drew 19-19
2011: Rondebosch won 34-18 & Bishops won 37-12
2012: Bishops won 15-3 & Rondebosch won 19-11
2013: Rondebosch won 22-7 & Bishops won 23-11
2014: Bishops won 52-14 & 22-21
2015: Bishops won 36-23 & Rondebosch won 55-12
2016: Rondebosch won 15-14 & 30-26
2017: Rondebosch won 32-19 & 64-7
2018: Bishops won 25-20 & the sides drew 10-10
Photo: The Piley Rees Field with the Heatlie Pavilion in the background and Table Mountain and Devil's Peak adding their beauty.