Kearsney College centre Keanu Williamson on the break during his team's victory over Swartkop on Monday. Photo: Supplied
Image: Gabrielle Swanepoel.
The 2026 Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival (KERF) concluded on Monday following three exciting days of play, with three local KwaZulu-Natal schools going unbeaten during this 17th edition of the festival.
Durban High School (DHS) left Botha’s Hill with a 100 per cent record for the third year in a row, while fellow KZN sides Westville and hosts Kearsney also won all three of their matches.
Spectators arriving for the final day’s play would have been unaware of the extraordinary overnight recovery required to clear the devastation caused by high winds and 30mm of rain from Sunday night’s tornado, which hit Botha’s Hill and surrounding areas. Plumbers worked through the night clearing blocked drains and removing debris from the main water systems, while maintenance crews pumped water from the medical centre and changing rooms. Sponsors’ marquees were reinstalled and hay bales were strategically placed in high-traffic areas to stabilise ground conditions.
At the end of the festival, independent rugby selectors named Nhlanhla Ndlovu (Kearsney) as the festival’s best forward and Shaye Lourens (Helpmekaar) as the best backline player.
The Festival’s All-Stars Team: 1 Likho Konza (DHS), 2 Regan Blignaut (Zwartkop), 3 Karlo Steenkamp (Helpmekaar), 4 Sambesiwe Ndamase (Glenwood), 5 Lwandile Mlaba (Westville), 6 Nhlanhla Ndlovu (Kearsney), 7 Zion Smith (DHS), 8 Prosper Zimbango (Peterhouse), 9 Shaye Lourens (Helpmekaar), 10 Daniel Miskey (Kearsney), 11 Luxolo Sonkononkono (Westville), 12 Byron Klaasen (DHS), 13 Jadrian Afrikaner (Westville), 14 Amogelang Mataboge (DHS), and 15 Lwazi Mbebe (Kearsney).
Aiming for a perfect record for a third year on the trot, DHS faced a tough final outing against Helpmekaar on Monday afternoon, eventually winning 39-27. The "Horseflies" showed their intent in the third minute when hooker Iglisias Bruiners crashed over from a lineout. By the fifth minute, they had two tries after centre Nathan Aneke outstripped the defence to score.
Westville also secured an unbeaten record for a second successive year, taking little time to settle against Milnerton in a dominant 41-3 victory.
In the final match of the festival, Kearsney put their unbeaten record on the line against Zwartkop. Though the Pretoria side led 7-0 early through a Matthew Smith try, the hosts fought back to win 22-19. Zwartkop, meanwhile, announced themselves as a seriously good side on one of South Africa’s prominent rugby stages.
Earlier, Glenwood High secured their first win of the festival, beating Dr EG Jansen 14-12 in slippery conditions. The game saw "Jansies" lose fullback Renaldo October to a red card in the second minute for a dangerous tip-tackle.
Framesby finished KERF with back-to-back wins after defeating Transvalia, a massive turnaround for the Gqeberha boys who were thumped 83-0 by Westville on the opening day. Meanwhile, Rustenburg claimed their first win of the festival, beating Zimbabwe’s Peterhouse 26-17.
Festival director J-P Lubbe said Kearsney was delighted to have hosted nearly 700 boys and girls involved in 42 games of exciting rugby, contributing to an exceptionally successful weekend.