Hoërskool Nelspruit beats Kempton Park in School Sports Series clash

Hoërskool Nelspruit and Hoërskool Kempton Park supporters created an uplifting atmosphere during the School Sports Series held on March 21 at Hoërskool Kempton Park, as fans travelled from Nelspruit to back their rugby A-team.

The visiting side’s support proved valuable as Hoërskool Nelspruit secured a hard-fought victory over the home team, Kempies.

Both teams started strongly in the first half, with Kempton Park initially finding attacking opportunities through structured play.

However, Nelspruit’s defence proved difficult to break down, as they absorbed pressure and gradually settled into their rhythm.

Kempton Park managed to open the scoring after identifying and exploiting a gap in Nelspruit’s defensive line.

Hoërskool Kempton Park head coach Henno Coetzee said discipline played a key role in the outcome of the match.

“It was a good game. We did not stick to our guns and poor discipline led to a lot of penalties against us. I wish we could have had better discipline and stayed consistent in our approach,” said Coetzee.

“To the boys, I’d like to say keep your heads up. We have hard work ahead, but we must focus on the next match.”

As the match progressed, Nelspruit began to assert dominance, creating more attacking opportunities. Although they struggled initially to convert their chances into tries, they improved their execution as the game continued.

Kempton Park, meanwhile, spent extended periods defending, which limited their ability to build sustained attacking momentum.

Nelspruit head coach Johan Pretorius praised his team’s ability to adjust during the match, particularly after being placed under early pressure.

“Kempton Park put us under pressure in the beginning and we did not control the game the way we wanted to,” said Pretorius.

“However, we adjusted in the second half, played in the right areas and managed the game better. I’m proud of the boys for their effort and growth.”

He added that overcoming the challenge of playing away from home was a positive step for the team.

“At the end of the day, we want to develop these players into good individuals, and this group is on the right path,” he said.

At half-time, Nelspruit held a narrow lead, having capitalised on penalty opportunities and improved territorial play. The scoreline reflected a tightly contested match, with Kempton Park trailing by 10–12 at the break.

Kempton Park captain Ethan Botha acknowledged that there is still work to be done as the team continues to develop cohesion.

“There is a lot of work ahead of us. Week by week we are improving, but we need more focus and consistency in training,” said Botha.

“We also need to play more as a unit. At this stage, we are still finding our connection as a team, but that will come with time and hard work.”

He added that motivation within the squad remains strong despite the result.

“Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard,” he said.

Early in the second half, Nelspruit extended their control of the game, building a more comfortable lead by capitalising on opportunities and maintaining pressure on the hosts.

Despite this, Kempton Park continued to fight and added points of their own, showing resilience throughout the remainder of the match.

Nelspruit maintained their advantage and closed out the game with a final score of 25–15.

Although Kempton Park fell short on home soil, the team remained positive and focused on lessons learned from the encounter as they prepare for upcoming fixtures.

Nelspruit captain Rian Botha said the match was a valuable learning experience for the team.

“It was a really good game. We made a number of mistakes, but it’s only our second match, so we are still building,” said Botha.

“We improved compared to last week, especially in our forwards. Our backs still made a few errors, but we stuck to the basics and managed to score from that.”

He added that Kempton Park applied pressure at times, but his team handled those moments well and adapted accordingly.