Rugby 2009
We can be very proud of our achievements thus far. As a small independent school there is no doubt that we play a significant role on the sports front of Mpumalanga.

The 1st Rugby team of Uplands College qualified to play in the Mpumalanga Rugby Semi-finals for Medium Schools in Volksrust. Uplands played in the ¼ finals of the Beeld Trophy in 2005 and 2006 and we continued our proud tradition, finishing first in the league after beating Hoërskool Bergvlam 19-0 in our final league match.

It has been a year filled with many highlights. We lost our first main encounter 10-17 against Penryn College in a very tightly contested match. Two of our key players sustained injuries during this match which had a major impact on the final result. Captain Jason Wright missed the long awaited tour to South America due to the injury he incurred in the Penryn match.

The tour to Argentina and Uruguay was an experience the players will treasure for the rest of their lives. We arrived in Buenos Aires on the 25th of March and you could sense the excitement among the boys. After exploring the Tigre Delta, the touring party returned to the hotel to pick up our kit for the trip to Cardinal Newman School. Our tour guide, German, took us to the school in one of the more affluent suburbs. Started by Irish Priests, this school boasts immaculate sporting facilities and fields. Our boys warmed up in anticipation of their first game, then the unthinkable happened. A team of 30 nineteen year olds lined up to take on the Uplands challenge. Our boys tried valiantly to stem the tide, but a combination of too much Under 19 Argentinean beef and jet lag, resulted in a heavy 56-10 loss. The heavy defeat on day two of our tour required some re-organisation. Our tour guide approached a ‘scrum doctor’ to address a few minor issues up front. A chap of formidable size, by the name of Raul, joined us and made a huge impression. Raul has played rugby for many years and looks like a cross between Guthro Steenkamp and the Beast. Our second game was against Lanus Rugby Club. We were greeted heartily by the locals and shown into a modest, wooden club house boasting many years of photos and framed jerseys. Uplands were 5-0 down within the first two minutes, but then the Uplands fire kicked in and the boys climbed in lock, stock and barrel. Everyone played their part, with our midfield particularly strong on defence. Neil Brokensha put in a Man of The Match performance and Uplands won 26-5. The Grade Tens all got a run and were now part of the Team. A great start in the blue Tour Jersey.

We departed the next morning for Uruguay crossing the river mouth (154 km wide) and it took us almost 3 hours. After going through Customs we met a representative from the Christian Old Boys Club in Montevideo. This was the home of the Uruguayan players that were killed in the Andes Plane Crash. The survivors had to eat the flesh of their fellow players who had died, to survive. The impressive club house oozes tradition and history and we were very privileged to play there. The sizes of the opposition were, as predicted, larger and meaner than in both previous games. At half time we were down by more than 20 points. The coaches requested an all out effort from the team during the break. Then something happened which epitomizes Uplands Fire. The boys turned on the magic and out-scored the much larger opposition, to win the game by 31- 28. Dylan Park came of age as a fullback and Keith made sure that the Uruguayans remember the words, “made in Zambia” and scored four scintillating tries. The Uplands boys, the coaches, Ralf Kalwa and Charl Pienaar Snr. celebrated as never before. Our hosts were gracious in defeat and we were entertained in full Uruguayan hospitality. A very tired team left the club house to be hosted for a second night.

It was back to Argentina again and we traveled past the flat, pampas countryside on our way to the second largest city in Argentina, Rosario. After a day of leisure, the team had some time to relax and motivate themselves for a final onslaught under floodlights at the Gymnasia Y Esgrima Club (GER for short). The GER is found some distance out of town amongst plots and small-holdings. The club surrounds a lifestyle estate and boasts many rugby, tennis and hockey fields. The boys faced the customary set of 30 nineteen year olds. Uplands played out of their socks with some ferocious tackling and held the Argentineans to a half time score of 12 all. This infuriated their management team and a new set of forwards (the new eighth man looked like Ryan Kankowski) were sent on to re-inforce their team. This proved to be one hurdle too many for our valiant boys and we lost the game 24-12, with a try being scored in the dying moments of the game.

Just down the road from our hotel, a pedestrian mall/walkway stretched down to the waterfront for some eight or more blocks. This provided a safe haven for the boys to spend their Pesos. Many boys bought rugby and soccer shirts. Leather goods are also common, but all were in agreement that prices were not cheap and, in most cases, items were more expensive than in South Africa. Our flight back to South Africa and the good old Lowveld went without a hitch. The entire team and touring party were grateful to be home, following a very successful and memorable trip. This tour would not have been possible without the generosity of our parents and some of their acquaintances in high places. We thank the following sponsors: Mark Ball, Ralf Kalwa, Charl Pienaar Snr, Johan Horn, Jeff Wright, Jenny Dalais, Gerrie du Plessis, Gert van Rensburg, Kerneels Kruger, Ian Veldsman, Victor Picoto, Michael Raper and Danie Malan Pharmacy.

The beginning of the second term meant the start of the local league. Our first league game against Hoërskool Barberton ended 10 all. It was a very disappointing result considering that we started like a house on fire and were soon 10-0 up. There was a much spirited and improved performance against Lowveld High and we scored five tries in our 32-13 victory. Our next game was against Cornwall Hill from Pretoria. Cornwall hosted their annual Winter Sport Festival. It was a tough and bruising encounter, but we managed to beat our much bigger opponents 12-0. The taste of victory against Hoërskool Lydenburg in Lydenburg was very sweet. It was an extremely physical match, however, it was encouraging to see that our boys moved from absorbing pressure to applying pressure. The final result was 6-5 in favour of Uplands. The final 10 minutes added a few more grey hairs to the coaches. Sybrand van Niekerk (Sabie) was our next stop. It was a mid-week fixture and the Uplands boys were slow getting out of the blocks, but managed to secure a well-deserved victory 36-3. We scored 6 tries in the process and the bonus point was crucial for our league campaign. Our annual derby against St. Peter’s College was next on the cards. Dieter Kalwa came off the bench to score two tries in the second half. This injection was much needed and it was a comfortable victory 20-8. We played Penryn for the second time at our Founders Weekend. The final rugby match between the 1st teams of the two schools concluded the celebration. It was an exciting encounter with both teams prepared to play expansive rugby. The Uplands boys played with an imbedded determination. The scorers were locked at 3-3 at half-time. Penryn applied more and more pressure and scored minutes before the end of the game to secure victory 10-3. It was a titanic battle, but Penryn kept their composure and the score line was a fair reflection of the match. The final league match was against Hoërskool Bergvlam. Uplands overpowered a team who, up to that point, was still undefeated this season. The victory against Bergvlam enabled us to finish 1st in our league. In fact, both our 1st and 2nd XV qualified for the Mpumalanga ½ finals. The matches were played at Volksrust. The 1st team match against Piet Retief was a bridge too far. The 2nd team squandered a golden opportunity against Hoërskool Volksrust’s 2nd XV. The Uplands team were leading 13-3 with 10 minutes to go only to lose the match 16-13 in the dying seconds. However, their performance throughout the season bodes well for next year.

The 2nd team performed solidly this year. They won all their league games and drew 3-3 against Hoërskool Bergvlam. Their record includes victories over St. Peter’s College (12-7) and Cornwall Hill (23-10). The U15A XV participated in the annual Independent Schools Rugby Festival hosted by Woodridge College outside Port Elizabeth during the April holiday. After a very exhausting bus trip to PE, the boys played their first match against the host school, Woodridge College. It was a hard fought encounter. The Woodridge pack was huge and we had to pull out all stops. We managed to secure victory, beating them17-5. The following day they played against Thomas More College and had to dig very deep against a physical team. The boys stuck to their game plan and won comfortably in the end, 20-5. The final game was a tough one against one of the best independent schools in South Africa, Hilton College. The boys were clearly tired and drained after two gruelling encounters and lost 0-32, however, they enjoyed the challenge. The U15’s have had a very successful season and could have, with a little bit of luck, qualified for the semi-finals. Their best performance was, arguably, against Hoërskool Bergvlam. The boys played a superb brand of rugby, beating Bergvlam 31-7.

The Under 14 Rugby squad attended the Parktown Boys’ High School Under 14 Rugby Festival. All teams played five 20 minute matches over the two days. We came up against some tough opposition. We played against Parktown Boys’ High, St. Stithians College, St. Andrews College, Jeppe as well as St. Albans. Although we could only manage a draw against St. Andrews, we held our own on the field and competed with enthusiasm and pride. The boys gained tremendous experience, and other coaches commented on how much growth the boys showed over the two days.

The coaches and the players would like to thank our parents for their continued support and generosity. It is greatly appreciated and it does make a difference. We also want to thank the coaches for their time and energy. They inspire our boys to play way beyond their ability.