GRANT Bashford has experienced Old Boys’ Day from both ends of the field – as a rugby player, and now as a coach. This year is no different, as the 47-year-old gears up his first XV for their crunch fixture against Kearsney College, which will be aired live on SuperSport as part of the FNB Classic Clash series.

The Old Boys’ Day will take place on Saturday, 6 June and will also see the Northwood School first hockey team, currently ranked 12th in the country, also take on Kearsney.

“The results have been positive. I’ve had a young group of players which has started this year, and I’ve seen a lot of growth. We won two out of three matches in Johannesburg, which was amazing. I’ve always said confidence comes from winning, and this team is definitely starting to click.

“We have had a few injury concerns and we haven’t been able to field the same side for two weeks in a row. But that’s the game. Going into the match against Kearsney, we are definitely the underdogs. But it’s the perfect opportunity to make a name for ourselves,” Bashford said.

His counterpart and coach of the Northwood’s hockey team, Darren Gallagher, is in a similar position. His team has played 20 games this season, winning 14 of them.

“We are fairly confident going into the match. We have a tight record against them and we are under no illusions as to how tough it’s going to be. Old Boys’ Day is always a fantastic occasion to show what the school is all about,” Gallagher said.

Here’s what the first team rugby and hockey captains had to say:

Shane Bradbury (hockey): “This is one of the biggest days on our school calendar and we know what the coach expects and the boys know what is expected of them. I’m very confident we can replicate our successes from the year so far.”

Keagan Sparks (rugby): “This has been a dream of mine since Grade 8. To lead the team out on Old Boys Day is something every captain dreams off. We are going out there for the victory.”