Andrew Howitt, 1st team rugby coach at Bergvliet High School
Bergvliet High School has experienced a remarkable resurgence on the rugby field in recent years. From the challenging times in the past, the school’s rugby team has shown exceptional growth since 2022, culminating in what we now proudly call Die Bloumasjien. This season has seen the school rise to new levels and achieve unbelievable growth for the rugby programme.
Coached by myself, Ryan Lok, and Clive Stephenson, the team has steadily climbed the official South African rugby rankings, propelled further by new sponsors.
The 2024 season kicked off with intense preparations starting in early February. The players were put through rigorous training sessions three times a week, including Sundays, to get them ready for gruelling festivals at traditional boys’ schools, including the prestigious Wynberg Rugby Festival and the Bishops 175 Festival.
Mentality has always been at the forefront of our coaching philosophy. As I often remind the team, “If your mind is not there, your body will not follow!” Coach Ryan Lok reinforces this with, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work,” while Coach Clive rallies the team with the demand to “see heart, intensity and bring the inner dog to fight for every inch on the field!” With the right mentality, the sky is the limit for this group of players.
Inspired by the successes on the rugby field by fellow co-ed schools like Milnerton High School, our ambition has always been to remain undefeated and climb the national school rankings, restoring pride to Bergvliet High School. Rugby is crucial to a school’s sports reputation, and we have worked tirelessly to elevate ours.
At the start of the 2022 season, Bergvliet High School was essentially unranked, hovering around 500th + place in the country. Fast forward to 2024, and we now sit at 138th in the national rankings and are the highest-ranked team in the Western Province Rugby A2 Division, surpassing rivals like Fish Hoek High School and Westerford High School. This leap of over 362 places is a testament to our hard work and dedication as a team.
As we reach the midseason point, the Bergvliet 1st rugby team remains undefeated. Our success stems from a combination of solid coaching foundations and clever rugby strategies. Our forwards have been formidable, with a scrum that intimidates any opposition and a lineout that rarely misses. Our defensive structures have been well organised, conceding few points, while our phase play has created space for our dynamic backline players.
Heart, commitment, attitude, and strategic coaching have been key to our success. Each player knows their role, and the team has fully embraced our philosophy. The boys can be tremendously proud of their season so far. Everyone in our under-19 1st team squad, which is captained by matric pupil Connor Mileham, has given 110% throughout the season. We as the coaches, parents, and those associated with Bergvliet High School can be tremendously proud of these gentlemen.
With the season only halfway through, we eagerly anticipate what lies ahead. Thank you to everyone for your support, messages, and kind words. We are just getting started.
