My school sport highlight of the weekend?
It has to be Jeppe vs Affies. You can’t but be awed by the quality and effectiveness of the Affies sporting programme.
Jeppe won the 1st team hockey game quite handily on Saturday, but this is an exceptional Jeppe team. I know their hockey people were nervous going into the day. They scraped a draw at 1st team level in Pretoria last year on a day when they lost more matches than they won, and this year Jeppe lost five and drew one of the 15 games – there haven’t been many schools that have done that to them this year.
Affies rugby is on a different planet. They won every game on
Saturday, as they did at KES last weekend, and against Jeppe the last three
years in row. Their strength in depth is quite amazing. The lower age group
games were played on a stagger, Jeppe Cs vs Affies Ds or Es, for example, yet the
Jeppe teams were still all beaten comprehensively.
Their available talent is dazzling – there are players in
their Cs and Ds that will walk into the A teams at most schools. And they are
well coached. They do the basics well, don’t make mistakes and stick to the
game plan with total discipline. None of that happens without good coaching,
and hours of practice.
Clearly, they do that at Affies and they deserve the results
they get.
That said, Jeppe have shown before, that you shouldn’t
underestimate a scrapper with a point to prove. Their 1st team has
played some big names this year and those teams came away knowing they had been
in a game. We were expecting more of the same, and they sure delivered.
In fact, they came within a whisker of delivering another Grey
College-sized upset. Affies slotted a penalty deep into extra time to clinch a
two-point win. Jeppe tackled like demons, stopped the much-celebrated Affies maul,
more than once, and scored a couple of scintillating tries.
The Affies team must have been shocked. It didn’t go
according to the pre-game plan, or as the rest of the day would have suggested.
Yet they were as determined not to lose as Jeppe was to win, and at the end
their kicker showed enormous nerve to kick the penalty to win it.
There was no fairytale ending, but it was a fabulous
game. Watching that, and seeing for myself throughout the day what they mean when people say the secret to SA rugby’s success lies in its great rugby schools,
was the highest of highlights for me.
I came through to Jeppe on Saturday to see if the school was all that I remembered (there is an advert for a post that seems interesting at the school), and I was not disappointed. At the upper fields, there was not a piece of litter in sight, boys of various ages, neatly dressed and with smiles on their faces greeted all and sundry - despite their toil on the field. I took a walk around the school buildings. The quads were neat, posters on doors crisp and aligned. A walk down to the main fields took me past the supporters' shop, with kit that I would love to buy - even as a day visitor... and past the famous dads' squad cooking up a storm that the ladies at the tuckshop were selling almost faster than the eye could see - A good school always has a good support system.
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In the corner of the field, a new scoreboard (I cannot remember it being there previously) proudly displayed the scores - no hiding the discomfort, but facing the challenge with fortitude. For example the Second XV who were playing their heart out for their school and each other. Despite being under pressure for long periods, their defence held out (more often than not) and their counter attacks were deep and incisive - in fact, the game felt very even, despite the score on the scoreboard.
I then needed to go visit a friend in a nearby clinic, so I did not stay for the main game. I had seen enough. Did I mention that I was lucky enough to chat to Mr Jackson for a few minutes? I expressed to him my thanks that his school still provided the same challenge to and for its students that it has for the past 20 years that I have been a coach against them for rival schools. I know that Mr Jackson is moving on to replace the head at another of the 'big' Joburg boys' schools, but the values that he has maintained and fostered in the school with be his legacy. I am confident that Jeppe will still be Jeppe for many years to come - able to provide a challenge to its foes, but more importantly, able to provide the challenge to its own staff and students - FORTI NIHIL DIFFICILIUS.
Great story. Thanks for sharing it
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