WAP crowned U19 Super League champions

Schools rugby
Windhoek Affies produced a dominant second-half display to claim a first national title since their 2018-2019 double.
Brian Munango
  • 10 Hours Ago

The first team of Autohaus Windhoek Afrikaans Private School (WAP) were crowned Momentum NSSR My Zone U19 Super League champions for 2026 after defeating King Price Windhoek Gymnasium 50-24 in Saturday's final.

The two sides were perfectly matched in the opening half, going into the break level at 17-17, and again equalising at 24-24 twelve minutes after the restart. WAP, however, turned up the intensity and pulled away to secure a convincing victory.

The result capped an impressive campaign for WAP, who finished second behind Windhoek Gymnasium in the regular season before similarly overturning the defending champions, OK Foods Bere, in the second half of their semi-final.

WAP captain and scrumhalf Malan Esterhuyzen was named player of the match and also rewarded among the outstanding players of the finals weekend. His leadership and tactical kicking were significant factors in the outcome, while his two tries from sniping breaks epitomised the determination of Windhoek Affies on the day.

Flank Dian Delport, centre Derick Nell, right wing Luca Micillo, fullback Jeray Cloete and left wing Sergio Steenkamp were the other try scorers as Affies went on full-on attack in the second half. Flyhalf Noëlle (Carter) Loubser contributed six conversions and a penalty.

Windhoek Gymnasium’s reply were tries by centre Fourie Steyn, flank Janro Greeff and lock Buhlem Oelofsen, with three conversions and one penalty by fly-half Farenzel Cloete.

Afterwards, Esterhuyzen was delighted with his team's performance and paid tribute to his teammates.

“First of all, I want to say thank you to our Heavenly Father. I'm so proud of the guys. Today we all showed up, and everyone gave their best.”

Esterhuyzen, who was also playing his final school match, said the team had shown remarkable determination throughout the final.

“Every time we stood up, we came back again and again. I can't thank them enough. I'm so proud of them."

Windhoek Gymnasium captain JD Jankowitz praised WAP for their performance and admitted his side struggled to match their tempo.

“It's never nice to lose in the Super League, but well done to WAP. They did well. They played with intent, and we could not keep up with the tempo. It was a good final for them,” he said.

For Jankowitz, the final also marked the end of his school rugby career, as he strives to go play club rugby in France next year.

"It was always an honour to play in the Lions jersey. Every man who wears this jersey plays with pride and honour. It's a tradition that has been going for years, and I'm grateful to have been part of it."

The victory completes a memorable season for WAP and its coaches Bakkies Rossouw, Willem Linde, Wimpie van der Merwe, Dirk Human and team manager Johan Zaayman, who can now celebrate their status as U19 Super League champions again, after the school’s previous double in 2018 and 2019.


Bronze final

The 2025 title holder OK Foods Bere secured the consolation prize of a third-place finish when they beat PSG Roots Gymnasium 38-22, overcoming stubborn opposition from the Stampriet team (halftime 26-17).

The Bere captain and scrumhalf Du Rand Louw was named player of the match, with team mate Romario Hoëseb (lock) as the best forward in the match.


U19 A League

Windhoek High School completed their own successful campaign by claiming the U19 A League title with a commanding 83-21 victory over Hollard Tsumeb Gymnasium (halftime.

WHS dominated the final to finish the competition as A League champions, while Tsumeb had to settle for second place.

• Windhoek Gymnasium’s team captained by lock Andre van Deventer impressively dominated the U14 A final 48-0 against Windhoek High School, with centre Natie la Cock a significant factor with his kicking and general play.

• One of the tightest finals was in the U15 A League. M&K Gertze, who finished top of the log and won the previous year’s U14 title, led 18-7 at halftime and 31-25 with one minute to go. But Windhoek Gymnasium’s flank Ngarukue Kamunguma broke off a maul to score, with centre Eric Quest’s conversion landing the decisive blow for a 32-21 win.