The brothers are best of mates but fight at home as well as the on the mat. They fight over "small things mostly", Tony said. But they also confront each other in competition.
Normally Tony, who was born 3min earlier, comes out on top.
He is a former South African age-group champion, beating his brother in the final, and is the more aggressive of the two.
He took the fight to his brother but Rhudi wriggled out of the holds and scored enough points to win 4-3.
The family moved from South Africa to New Zealand in 2005 and lives in Hamilton.
The boys gave wrestling away for two years but took it up again recently to improve their tackling.
The 16-year-olds love rugby. Rhudi plays halfback or fullback and Tony plays on the wing for Hillcrest High first XV.
The siblings often avoid fighting each other in competition by competing in different weight divisions.
But Rhudi could not lose enough weight this time and both fought in the 60kg class. The pair decided to step up to the junior division (17- to 20-year-olds) for the competition to get experience fighting better wrestlers.
Taieri's Ricky Welsford won the category with Rhudi second and Tony third. The nationals continue with the seniors competing today.
