The House of Paint Premier Division club rugby season kicks off in earnest this evening with a complete round of games with the 2008 Moor Cup champions House of Paint College Rovers up against ChemSpec Jaguars who beat Maritzburg Varsity in their opening league game played as a curtain raiser to the Super 14 game between the Brumbies and the Sharks at The Absa Stadium Durban two weeks ago.

With a win under their belt in their opening encounter of the season, Jaguars will be feeling upbeat. With home ground advantage at Capel Road in Syndenham the Mighty Cats will be a particularly tough nut to crack for the visiting Rovers outfit that will be taking to the field with a well below full strength line up, with skipper Alistair Schwikkard and a host of other key players sidelined with injuries. The Rovers side in fact open their 2009 campaign with a very young side that thankfully for them do have a few experienced players in their squad to help blood the youngsters into the big league.

In the other games Jonsson Crusaders travel to Washington Road in the Capital to face Maritzburg Varsity, Durban Harlequins Airtron Coastal host Thanda Zululand Rhinos and Envirosan Old Boys travel across the Umgeni to meet Acer Durban Collegians.

In First Division South Section games played last weekend, Amanzimtoti have stepped up another gear this season comfortably beating Gestetner Maritzburg Collegians 45-15. The South Coast Terriers are recapturing some of their glory moments of days gone by when they were a force to be reckoned with in their competition. When one considers that their Under 21 side once won the Frank Norris Cup with the likes of Paul Praschma, Rory Taylor and our very own rugby scribe Mike Greenaway in their line up it’s good to see the club returning to the level of their former glory days.

Toti head coach Jeff Harper will however, no doubt, keep his troops feet firmly planted on the ground after a hugely solid start to their season-after all its early days yet with still a long road ahead but never the less the signs look good. In the other games Hillcrest hammered Ballito Dolphins 68-6 and South Coast Warriors beat Wentworth 37-0

In the North Section Piet Retief beat Sentraal in Dundee and Vryheid disposed of Ladysmith 79-12 on their home turf. It is also good to see Pongola and Utrecht being given an opportunity with Utrecht beating the Newcastle Highlanders second stringers 27-10 and Pongola going down 17-5 to Volksrust’s second side.

In the Frank Norris Under 20 ‘A’ league College Rovers went on the rampage beating a never-say-die Crusaders line up 91-0 with their fleet footed Eastern Cape express wing Roscoe Steenkamp crossing for three tries in the 14 try rout. The other try-scorers were Angus Kramer (2), Craig Kolarik, Mark Richards, Arno van Zyl, Kurt Mavrodaris, Nick Pearson who also kicked two conversions, Hendrik Hogenbozem, Gerrit Fourie, Monde Hadebe and Roy Godfrey. Patrick Lambie kicked 7 conversions and a penalty.

In the other games, the other side to watch, Harlequins beat Midlands 53-3, Old Boys accounted for Empangeni 33-3 and Jaguars went down 34-0 to Durban Collegians.

- Jos Robson - The Mercury