DHS took a young side to the Pionier Sevens this year to defend the trophy they had won for the previous two years. It was an important learning curve for the younger players and a necessary exercise to ensure the DHS Sevens programme continues to be one of the best in the country. This process allowed these younger players to get a taste of top tier Sevens Rugby and orientate them to this level of play for the upcoming years. Although the tournament didn’t yield the same fruitfulness as previous campaigns, this young group sporting six U16 players were able to come home with some silverware, winning the Bowl trophy in an emphatic 33-19 victory against Vryheid in the Final.
The tournament began in a highly competitive manner as DHS were drawn in a group that sported some very good Sevens schools. DHS took some time to click as a new team and found themselves 23-7 down at halftime their first fixture against Wilgerivier. An inspired comeback, however, led to a last second try to claim a 33-28 victory, with Captain Lwandile Menze performing admirably throughout.
The team, however, failed to build on this momentum and struggled, with losses against Noordheuwel and HS Middelburg in their next two games. After a disappointing group phase the team was determined to right their wrongs and did so by easily overcoming a Ladysmith team 45-10 in the Bowl Quarter Final. DHS marched on to the Semi Final where they played HS Middelburg again. The team turned around their previous loss and recorded a resounding 31-5 victory in the Semi Final.
It was to be a tournament which will stand the DHS youngsters in good stead for the future and we are excited to watch them progress through the ranks.
The U15 team also participated in the Pionier Tournament. Their results were as follows:
vs Pionier DHS won 33-5
vs Middleburg DHS lost 0-24
vs Westville 2 DHS won 40-12
vs Ladysmith DHS lost 14-19
vs Die Anker DHS lost 12-21 (Cup Semi Final)
The 2nd Sevens team played in the Maritzburg College Tournament and their results were:
vs Hilton DHS lost 0-56
vs Voortrekker DHS lost 7-40
vs Pinetown DHS won 45-0
