Like Meets Like in Grahamstown

The most intense rivalries in sport are often when like meets like, and this week Bishops go up to Grahamstown to meet old rivals St Andrew's, like meeting like.

You have seen what happens when brother plays ping pong against brother. It gets intense. When Bishops go down the road to neighbours Rondebosch or when Boys' High meet Gim in Paarl, it is tense. Bishops and St Andrew's are the same sort of school with the same sort of foundation, with the same sort of aims, the same sort of boys and the same sort of staff.

They are both Anglican foundations - Bishops by the first Anglican bishop of Cape Town, in 1849, St Andrew's by the first Anglican bishop of Grahamstown in 1855. Bishop Robert Gray and Bishop John Armstrong founded schools that are outstandingly good. They both remain Anglican and both have houses named after their founding bishops - Gray House at Bishops and Armstrong House at St Andrew's.

The bishops may well not have had rugby in mind when they founded the schools but the two schools, 760 km apart, first met on the rugby field in 1896. That was in Rondebosch. Since 1921, when Bishops came to Grahamstown and lost to St Andrew's, there has been every attempt to meet every year.

Mostly, it has been just the 1st XVs which met but recently they have been five-match meetings, but then the 760 km are more easily negotiated - a plane trip to Port Elizabeth and an easy ride up to the City of Saints, where they will enjoy great hospitality and excellent rugby - as like meets like.

Season So Far

Their seasons suggest that this is going to be a top class match and a close one.

Both are ranked on the Schools Top 20 - Bishops ninth, St Andrew's 17th.

St Andrew's have played 17 matches, winning 13, drawing one and losing three. They have played four opponents on the Top 20, drawing with one of them.

Bishops have played 13 matches, winning nine and losing four. They have played against five Top 20 opponents, beating two of them.

Results Against Common Opponents

Rondebosch: St Andrew's lost 17-10, Bishops won 36-26

SACS: St Andrew's won 27-13; Bishops won 39-21 & 47-17

Achievers

St Andrew's players were eligible for Eastern Province teams, Bishops for Western Province.

Eastern Province had one team at the Craven Week, Western Province two teams. The Western Province second team beat Eastern Province 47-24.

Craven Week Representatives

St Andrew's: Basi Malesu, Bame Malesu, Chris Poole, Matt Hillary

Bishops: Connor Evans, Liam Kloosman, Sacha Mgomezulu, Isaiah Wharton, Keagan Blanckenberg

In addition, Connor Evans of Bishops has been chosen for SA Schools to play Argentina, England, France and Wales later this month.

Teams

St Andrew’s: 15 Lloyd Koster, 14 Andrew Coxwell, 13 Ryan Ford, 12 Dylan Bowker, 11 Benjamin Aliker, 10 Guy Rushmere, 9 Sinjin Broad, 8 Miles Danckwerts, 7 Unathi Matshaya, 6 Dylan Wilson, 5 Matthew Hillary, 4 Brayden Barratt, 3 Lukhanyiso Bomela, 2 Christopher Poole (captain), 1 Basi Malesu

Coaches: Andy Royle, Carl Bradfield

Bishops: 15 Ross Vintcent, 14 Luca Liebenberg, 13 Oliver Jones, 12 Michael Ford, 11 Samuel Marthinussen, 10 Sacha Mngomezulu, 9 Liam Kloosman, 8 Isaiah Wharton (captain), 7 Connor Evans, 6 Aya Ngcwangu, 5 Jack Hampshire, 4 Samuel Rudston, 3 James Bolton, 2 George Kappatos, 1 Aidan MacDonald

Coaches: Wes Chetty, Dylon Frylinck, Charlie Post, Chris Ekron 

Date: Saturday, 3 August 2019

1st XV kick-off: 14.30

Venue: Lower Field, St Andrew's College, Grahamstown

Expected weather conditions: Partly cloudy with a high of 19°C and a low of 6°C

Rugby Programme - 3 August 2019

09.50: Under-14A

10.50: Under-15A

11.50: Under-16A

13.10: 2nd XV

14.30: 1st XV

Bishops vs St Andrew's Down the Years

1896: Bishops won 5-0

1898: Bishops won 9-0

1903: Bishops won 5-0

1921: St Andrew's won 15-0

1922: Bishops won 18-3

1923: Bishops won 3-0

1924: Draw 8-8

1925: Bishops won 3-0

1926: St Andrew's won 28-0

1927: Draw 3-3

1928: Bishops won 11-3

1929: Bishops won 20-9

1930: Bishops won 23-6

1931: Bishops won 16-0

1932: Bishops won 13-12

1933: St Andrew's won 9-8

1934: St Andrew's won 21-3

1935: St Andrew's won 6-5

1936: Bishops won 24-0

1937: Bishops won 8-6

1938: Draw 3-3

1939: St Andrew's won 16-0

1940-45: World War II

1946: Draw 11-11

1947: Bishops won 8-6

1948: Bishops won 9-3

1949: Bishops won 6-3

1950: Bishops won 14-0

1951: St Andrew's won 5-3

1952: Bishops won 3-0

1953: St Andrew's won 28-0

1954: Bishops won 14-3

1955: Bishops won 8-3

1956: Draw 3-3

1957: St Andrew's won 9-6

1958: Bishops won 6-3

1959: St Andrew's won 16-3

1960: St Andrew's won 25-0

1961: Bishops won 11-5

1962: Bishops won 8-3

1963: St Andrew's won 11-3

1964: Bishops won 19-12

1965: Bishops won 3-0

1966: St Andrew's won 12-8

1967: St Andrew's won 6-0

1968: Bishops won 11-9

1969: St Andrew's won 17-3

1970: St Andrew's won 8-6

1971: St Andrew's won 6-3

1972: Bishops won 10-3

1973: Bishops won 12-11

1974: Bishops won 12-0

1975: St Andrew's won 15-0

1976: Bishops won 19-9

1977: Bishops won 41-3

1978: St Andrew's won 9-4

1979: Bishops won 49-3

1980: Bishops won 9-3

1981: Bishops won 18-6

1982: Bishops won 25-12

1983: Bishops won 23-12

1984: Bishops won 13-12

1986: Bishops won 30-3

1987: Bishops won 11-3

1988: Bishops won 50-6

1989: Bishops won 19-9

1990: St Andrew's won 15-4

1991: Bishops won 19-16

1992: Bishops won 41-17

1993: Bishops won 21-18

1994: Bishops won 30-21

1996: Bishops won 18-12

1997: St Andrew's won 47-17

1998: St Andrew's won 20-19

1999: Bishops won 27-20

2000: St Andrew's won 18-17

2001: St Andrew's won 19-15

2002: Bishops won 27-8

2003: Draw 12-12

2004: St Andrew's won 10-8

2005: St Andrew's won 28-10

2006: Bishops won 41-6

2008: Bishops won 64-18

2009: Bishops won 17-12

2010: Bishops won 25-24

2011: Bishops won 26-22

2012: St Andrew's won 19-16

2013: St Andrew's won 28-21

2014: Bishops won 39-15

2015: Bishops won 35-33

2016: Bishops won

2017: Bishops won 29-21

2018: Bishops won 38-22