Five long weeks of intense, competitive, and breathtaking water polo action will decide the 2025 SACS Nite Series champions in the Western Cape.
The much-anticipated annual series will see the best water polo-playing schools in the Western Cape assemble at the SACS Aquatics Centre from Tuesday, 21 January, until the final, which is scheduled for 25 February.
In action across the five rounds will be the hosts, along with Bishops Diocesan College, Wynberg Boys’ High, Rondebosch Boys’ High, Reddam House Constantia, and Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG).
The defending champions, Bishops, slayed SACS 14-11 to win the final a year ago and they head into this year’s event in good shape.
Coach Jabulani Sibiya’s side is the team to beat after ending 2024 with their maiden SACS Water Polo Tournament title.
They have turned it up a notch early on in the new season and impressed during the PRG pre-season festival and at their home event, the Bishops Water Polo Tournament, over the past weekend.
Led by Heath Blackwell, Bishops ran riot in home waters and emerged with a clean record after beating Paarl Boys’ High 7-1, Reddam House Constantia 8-3, Wynberg Boys’ High 7-2, and SACS 7-4 in the final.
Bishops, who kick off their SACS Nite Series campaign against Wynberg, will be one of the favourites to claim the Nite Series honours. Another side to keep an eye out for is Rondebosch Boys’ High.
Coach Jared Wingate-Pearse’s outfit has been on the up for the past two seasons, and it looks like everything is starting to click.
Their monumental triumph at the KES Water Polo Tournament last season laid a sturdy foundation from which to build for ‘Bosch.
They’ve retained some of their top talent while integrating exciting youngsters into the team. Some of the young players to keep an eye out for include Zack Labuschagne, Dante Moore, and Kieran Bennewith, who all helped Rondebosch win the u15 Ian Melliar Cup late last year.
Noah Rieback is another player who will be aiming to make waves in the pool after a stellar season in 2024.
‘Bosch’s first Nite series assignment will be against coach Nick Tinkler‘s Reddam House Constantia.
SACS, meanwhile, will come into the Nite Series with a big point to prove after missing out last year.
Coach Devon Card‘s team will be captained by Matt Forbes, who represented Western Province at the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial tournament.
Forbes has been entrusted with leading a youthful squad featuring exciting players, like Benjamin Bigara, Connor Mortlock, and Aidan Turrell.
SACS will also bank on the experience of Finn Lecuona and Jandro Rojo-Roos, who proved to be a handful for their opponents last season.
PRG, Wynberg, and Reddam House are also in with a chance in the series, where the result of every match will be crucial.
Head coach of PRG, Vaugh Marlow, will expect a much better showing from his side after they struggled at the Bishops tournament.
There, Marlow’s troops were far from their best and finished in fifth place behind Reddam, after going down 3-7 against the Constantia school.
The opening round of the series will also provide SACS, Bishops, Rondebosch, and PRG with much-needed preparation for the SAC Shield, which kicks off in Makhanda, at St Andrew’s College, on Thursday, 23 January.
SACS Nite Series fixtures
21 January
17:00 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Reddam House Constantia
17:50 – Wynberg Boys’ High vs Bishops Diocesan College
18:40 – SACS vs Paul Roos Gimnasium
29 January
17:00 – Bishops Diocesan College vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
17:50 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Reddam House Constantia
18:40 – SACS vs Wynberg Boys’ High
5 February
17:00 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Paul Roos Gimnasium
17:50 – Bishops Diocesan College vs SACS
18:40 – Reddam House Constantia vs Wynberg Boys’ High
12 February
17:00 – SACS vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
17:50 – Wynberg Boys’ High vs Paul Roos Gimnasium
18:40 – Reddam House Constantia vs Bishops Diocesan College
19 February
17:00 – Rondebosch Boys’ High vs Wynberg Boys’’High
17:50 – SACS vs Reddam House Constantia
18:40 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Bishops Diocesan College
25 February
17:00 – SF1
17:50 – SF2
18:40 – 5th/6th playoff
19:30 – Final
Avuyile Sawula is a multimedia sports journalist, broadcaster, and writer. He possesses a journalism qualification from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. During his time in the media industry, he has worked for various online media publications covering a variety of sporting codes. He also has a broadcasting background having worked as a news journalist at one of Cape Town’s commercial radio stations. His reporting beats include hockey, rugby, water polo, and cricket. Apart from writing, he has a knack for creating sports content, and video editing.
Avuyile Sawula
ssschoolsplus.co.za
