Schools rugby is back!
After the winter holidays and the various national youth weeks, the school derby days resume this weekend. The Craven Week at Rondebosch was a real treat, and the national selections were debated long and hard. It was clear that form throughout the season was rewarded, rather than excellence during the week. The team was clearly chosen long in advance as the sides were announced on the Friday before the final fixtures. The selections were justified by the scoreline in the SA Schools v SA Schools A clash at Hamilton’s last weekend, the first side winning 57 – 27.
Whilst the Boks have two weeks off before they begin their Rugby Championship campaign, there is plenty of brilliant schoolboy action to look forward to fill the gap in the next couple of weeks, so onto this weekend.
In the Western Cape, Bishops play Paarl Gim in the headline match. This should be a good test for Gim before the massive Interschools game next weekend. SACS have the unenviable task of facing Paarl Boys’ High this weekend, and after having conceded 66 against Gim, this should be another big score. An intriguing clash takes place in Stellenbosch as Wynberg travel to Paul Roos. This game is my #clashoftheweek, and it should be a humdinger. Boland Landbou are at home to Rondebosch Boys’ High in a fixture that is perhaps under the radar but should be a great game on the farm in Agter-Paarl. Both sides have had mixed fortunes this season and this match should be a close affair. Finally, Stellenberg are at home to Outeniqua in an interesting match. Stellenberg will need to be at their best against the big Outeniqua pack, sprinkled with national players.
Moving to the Eastern Cape, there are 3 regional fixtures that stand out. In the Battle of Gqeberha, Grey go to Framesby in a real grudge match to detemine the best side in the Friendly City. Moving along the coast, Selborne play Hudson Park in order to determine the best side in East London for 2022. Selborne are, as always, clear favourites but haven’t had things all their own way this year and Hudson’s Border representatives were strong at Craven Week. In an EP Country Districts fixture, St Andrew’s play host to Marlow on Lower. St Andrew’s will need to recapture their form from their last match against Kingswood if they are to avoid a miserable defeat.
In KZN, Maritzburg College welcome around 800 boys from Affies in the Premier Interschools fixture on SuperSport on Saturday. The College coach and boys seemed bullish on the preview show but this could be a long day for them against a powerful Affies side.
Finally, in Gauteng there are a number of fixtures, with the best two being Bulls v Lions clashes. Boys’ High are away at KES, with KES heavily favoured to put down a marker on their Reunion weekend, whilst Garsfontein are at home to Helpmekaar in a heavyweight clash in more ways than one.
Paarl Gim v Bishops
Paarl Gim welcome back a few of their star players in the backline in the form of Ray, van Niekerk and Koen, whilst Sherwood is only fit enough for the bench on Saturday for Bishops. Ray and van Niekerk have been excellent this season and their return will be a game changer. Koen’s return is bound to boost Boishaai for Interschools next week. Kyle Smith is a much better allround player, with Koen slow and limited compared to his replacement. It will be interesting to see if Bishops can stop the Gim lineout, like the SA Schools side did on Saturday and therefore prevent the Gim maul from rolling into action.
Bishops will need to be innovative up front to counter the strong Gim pack, and then take any chances they get, before Sherwood comes on in the second half. Bishops go into the game on the back of 4 consecutive defeats and Gim are far from ideal opponents to break this run. This season started so brightly for them but they have suffered a number of surprise defeats and confidence seems low.
Winner: Paarl Gim
Paul Roos v Wynberg
Wynberg have had a good season, despite taking fairly big losses to the two Paarl schools. Wynberg’s pack is feisty and now includes the SA Schools captain, in tighthead Zach Porthen. Asad Moos and Ridhau Bey are key players for them in the backline and will need to be well marked by Paul Roos. Wynberg’s defence put Paarl Gim under pressure and they will not stand back for this Paul Roos side.
The Maroon Machine have had an inconsistent season and their home record has not been as good as it usually is. They have a big pack as always and the battle up front is going to thrilling! This is my #clashoftheweek and I think home ground advantage may just be the key factor here, but I would not be surprised if Wynberg got the win.
Winner: Paul Roos
*the under 16A clash should be a cracker too at 10:20.
Boland Landbou v Rondebosch
Boland Landbou are home to the tricky Rondebosch side in Agter-Paarl on Saturday, both sides being well matched, with stars all around the field.
Landbou have a solid pack and look to give the ball air with their talented backline capable of shredding any team. Fullback Jandre Genis was excellent at Craven Week and any aimless kicking by Bosch could be severely punished. Landbou also have an excellent centre pairing and they are dangerous on attack and defence.
Rondebosch’s flyhalf, Jacques Jooste, looks to be ruled out for the rest of the season and his kicking game will be missed. Bosch have an abrasive pack and the forward battle here will be telling for the outcome. The head-to-head at inside centre between Ricketts and Dreyer is a mouth-watering prospect.
Winner: Boland Landbou
SACS v Paarl Boys’ High
SACS have had a woeful season to date and will have had an uneasy winter holiday, contemplating their return to action against the impressive Boishaai side. SACS are at least at home and pushed Paul Roos close earlier in the season, but this should be one-way traffic for the men from the Winelands.
Paarl Boys’ High may go into this game with more than one eye on Interschools next weekend, but even so they have far too much firepower for this SACS side. The side is packed with provincial and national players and they should have an easy day out before next week’s massive game against Gim.
Winner: Paarl Boys’ High
Stellenberg v Outeniqua
Stellenberg’s star scrumhalf, Aidan Muller, was excellent at the Craven Week and he has a bright future in the game. The Jade Brigade are never an easy prospect at home and they will be looking to cause an upset against the massive Outeniqua side, who can boast a number of national selections in their pack.
Outeniqua, with the size of their pack and the national call-ups, will be disappointed with their season to date, having lost comfortably against Bishops and also suffering defeat in their biggest clash of the season against Oakdale. They travel to Cape Town for a tough test, with Boishaai still to come. I still expect Outeniqua to have too much up front for Stellenberg and their backs could determine the margin of victory.
Winner: Outeniqua