80 years of fierce rugby rivalry

28 July 2014 - 12:31 By KINGDOM MABUZA
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

The score stood at 17 apiece.

In the 69th minute a chance to break the deadlock between Jeppe Boys High and King Edward VII School fell to KES.

KES fullback Rashard Fuller stepped up to take the penalty kick. The 10000-strong crowd on Collard Field, at Jeppe Boys High, held its collective breath.

Occasionally, a rogue whistle pierced the silence. Fuller stepped back, his eyes focused on the goalposts.

The annual clash between Jeppe Boys High and KES dates back to 1935 and is one of the oldest interschool rivalries in Gauteng.

In that first match, KES won 20-0 and earned the bragging rights. They would win another 55 times over the next 79 years.

On Saturday they hoped to do it again.

Over the 70 minutes, Jeppe supporters - staff, former and current pupils, and parents clad in their traditional black and white colours - riled their opponents with the their war cry: "All we see is black and white."

Although outnumbered, their opponents in their red gear shouted back: "Our blood is red."

Although Jeppe has been dominant for the past five years, KES has had the upper hand historically.KES have won 55 encounters, Jeppe Boys High 21, with five draws.

But, like any good derby, the outcome could not be predicted.

So, at 1.45pm on Saturday, rugby scouts took up their positions in the stands and the tuck shop stopped trading in anticipation of the kick-off.

It was a bruising encounter.

Blows were exchanged, bodies were shoved during scrums, the ball was swung out wide to the wings, and with every try scored supporters roared in jubilation.

Then, a minute before the end of the game, with the score locked at 17-17, the referee penalised a Jeppe Boys High player for an illegal play just inside the KES half.

KES needed a hero. Fuller stepped up.

On his second attempt, he managed to place the ball on the kicking tee.

Positioning himself and steeling his gaze, he stepped back.

The kick was good. The direction plumb. The distance good.

The KES supporters rose in the stands ready to claim victory as they watched the ball sail through the air.

And just as their fists pumped the air, the ball hit the cross-bar.

A collective groan filled the stadium as KES supporters watched in disbelief.

The final whistle blew and, for the sixth time in its history, the match ended in a draw.

For hours afterwards the old boys of both schools reminisced about their days on the field.

Former King Edward Preparatory School sports director and KES pupil Russell Sweet said the rivalry stopped after the game.

"We are good friends after the game. There are Jeppe Boys High teams I played against in the 1980s and we used to kick and punch each other badly during the games, but we are still good friends today," he said.

Sweet said the cycle of dominance of one team over the other changes continually.

"You can't predict who is going to win when the two teams play each other."

Peter Smith, a former Jeppe Boys High pupil, said he tries never to miss the derbies.

"I missed a few games between 2000 and 2002, when I relocated to Cape Town because of work commitments, but every year I look forward to this derby," said Smith.

The director of sport at Jeppe Boys High, Ryan Ravenscroft, said the mood at school was always highly charged ahead of the derby.

"The boys get highly motivated because they know that a game against KES is a must win. They are our rivals and there are lots of emotions, and bragging rights at stake, when we meet," he said.

Schools and development manager of Lions Rugby Club Pieter Visser said school rugby was monitored closely.

"We send our officials to school games and we interact and work with the technical teams of schools," he said.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now