The 12 planned fixtures for the year are as follows:
1. Paul Roos vs Affies – 28/03/2015 @16h45 :Markotter Field Paul Roos
We start off with a huge match on Paul Roos’s 150thcelebratory rugby day. Affies will be smarting from a below average 2014 season and keen to prove that they are back where they belong among the top 5 in SA schools rugby. They take on a Paul Roos side that is brimming with talent and of whom great things is expected in this season. Expect this to be a great exhibition of running rugby that will set the tone for the rest of the matches to come!
2. Glenwood vs Maritzburg College – 18/04/2015@14h00 :Kings Park (TBC)
Our second game of the season features the age old derby between Maritzburg College from PieterMaritzburg and Glenwood from Durban. This match might possibly be played at Kingspark as a curtain raiser for a Sharks Super 15 game. Glenwood has had the better of the derby of the last few years, but College has a proud rugby tradition and is showing signs of revival to equal their former glory years. This game might just be the best rugby on offer at Kings Park on the day!
3. Grey College vs Paarl Boys High – 02/05/2015 @ 14h00 :Grey College
The Paarl Boytjies will take the long road to Bloemfontein again in their annual derby against the might of SA rugby schools. This encounter is seen as one of the toughest on the Grey fixtures as the Galpille is usually a team that doesn’t know when they are beaten and seldom gives their opponents an easy match. They have one of the best records against Grey in recent years as they drew in 2011 in Bloem, won in 2012 in Paarl and lost with 7 points or less in 2013 and 2014. The Paarl team will again have a very strong set of forwards and rely heavily on them to dominate up front while Grey will as per usual, have a good set of forwards backed up by some sublime backline players.
4. Paul Roos vs Paarl Gim – 16/05/2015 @ 14h00 :Markotter Field Paul Roos
In mid-May we move back to Markotter fields in Stellenbosch to show the derby between old enemies Paul Roos and Paarl Gim. This will be one of the few home games Paul Roos have in their 150th year. Paarl Gim will be keen to put one over the maroon machine in their celebration year after Paul Roos put one over them on their home turf in 2014. The Paarl team has yet to win against the Stellenbosch lads in this age group but coachChristoffLotter from Gim knows how to assemble a winning team and this year will be no exception.
5. Glenwood vs Monument – 06/06/2015 @ 12h00 :Glenwood
The Krugersdorp Witbulle travel down to Durban for this next fixture against great rivals Glenwood. The Grasshoppers will hope to put one over on their guests from up north as they lost the last two encounters. They will have their work cut out as rumour has it that the Monnas team has one of the biggest set of forwards in schoolboy rugby this season. It should be a case of the Monnas forwards vs the agility of the Glenwood backs. No inch will be given in this clash of the titans!
6. Paarl Boys High vs Paul Roos – 20/06/2015 @14h00 :Brug Street Paarl
We end of the first half of the season with a cracker of a match between great rivals and friends from the Winelands. This will be Paul Roos’s 3rd appearance on Premier Interschools and by now their team will be household names in schoolboy rugby circles. After 3 dry years Paul Roos got one over Boishaai last year by scoring the winning try in the final seconds of the match. The Paarl boys will love to return the favour in the maroon machines celebratory year and spoil the party for them. A difficult game to call as matches against one another is always very close.
ADDED DUE TO KES vs JEPPE MOVING TO 08/08/2015
7. Affies vs Maritzburg College – 25/08/2015 @ TBC, Affies, Pretoria
8. Paarl Gimnasium vs Paarl Boys High – 01/08/2015 @ 15h30 :Faure Stadium Paarl
August sees the start of the great tradional “Interskole” games and to kick off this month of madness Premier Interschools televises the biggest of them all. The Bloedworse vs The Galpille…Northern Paarl vs Southern Paarl…Twenty odd thousand old boys, old girls, moms, dads and fans will pack Faure stadium to the rafters to watch the famous derby between these two great schools. There is no neutral ground on this day; you are either blue and white or green, gold and red. You sit on the North side or on the south side. Tough, hard and no compromises, but rugby always wins at this derby.
9. King Edward VII vs Jeppe – 08/08/2015 @ 14h00 :KES
For the first game after the season break and holidays we move up north for the traditional derby between Johannesburg’s oldest rivals. Schoolboy Rugby doesn’t get much bigger than a KES vs Jeppe rugby match. The Reds vs Black n Whites. Last year Jeppe could not pull off the hatrick as the two teams played to a draw. KES will be hungry for a win as the last time achieved it was in 2011 when these matrics were in Gr 8. They would see it as a fitting end to their high school rugby career to get one over the old enemy.
REPLACED DUE TO KES vs JEPPE BEING ON THE SAME DAY
9. Maritzburg College vs Grey College – 08/08/2015 @ 14h00 :Goldstones MCollege
The next big one sees the return of SA No 1 Grey College in their revived interschools with Maritzburg College. Last year the boys from Maritzburg received a rude awakening on their return to Bloemfontein. They are however playing on their hallowed Goldstones and as many a Grey team before them can atone; it is always tough to play there. College will recall the great feats of players like Joel Stransky and Shaun Glover who help won a memorable game for them in 1985. Grey will have to be at their best to keep their good record against College.
10. Grey PE vs Selborne – 15/08/2015 @ 12h00 :Grey PE
This year Premier Interschools will for the first time broadcast this great derby between two of the Eastern Cape’s best rugby schools. The team from PE will have two of their SA School players back and Selborne will field the bulk of their age group team that were very successful from u/14 to u/16 in the Eastern Cape and Border area. Selborne also retained many of their 2014 team key players and will be settled and strong unit.
11. Paul Roos vs Grey College – 22/08/2015 @14h00: Markotter Fields Paul Roos
Paul Roos will feature in the last game of their season against their ultimate rival. This game will be the cherry on top of their 2015 rugby cake and Premier Interschools will be there to showcase this great event. By this time the maroon machine will know if their 150th year have been a success on the rugby field or not and this game will end it off for them on a high note. They should expect no favours from Grey as the Bloem boys will also be keen to end their season on a high. This might just turn out to be the match of the season for pride and passion of the schools will be at maximum.
12. Oakdale vs Boland Lanbou – 29/08/2015 @12h00 :Oakdale Riversdale
Our last match of the season features the two agricultural rivals of the Western Cape. These two schools regularly produce teams of outstanding quality from a very small player pool. This all comes down to the commitment of these players to their team and to their school. They are rarely out of the top 20 rankings and have produced numerous Craven week players for their two provinces. Their Interschools is usually a very close affair with neither team having a clear upper hand. Last year Boland won against all odds at home playing with shear guts and prowling on every mistake the Riversdale team made. This year the Oakdale Bulls will again have a very strong team and at home they will be very hard to beat.
@beet: Thank you Beet. The biggest problem with televised games at Affies is that the commentary box is right in front of the western pavilion, blocking the view of almost the entire crowd. They will have to make a plan about that in future.
Good news for Affies supporters, the Witbulle now have an extra game on TV – the Maritzburg College match
Unfortunately due to a timetable clash with KES vs Jeppe, the Maritzburg College vs Grey College game had to fall away
@BoishaaiPa: Thank you for the explaination. It makes perfectly sence now. My ticket has been booked for the 28th.
@Cappie: The Paul Roos vs Affies game is a one-off because of PR’s 150th Birthday celebrations. We were the successful ones to get the rights to that match. The Affies vs PBHS is in the same category as the Grey vs PRG matches. We have the rights if the game is played at Affies or Markotter, if played at PBHS and Grey, it still belongs to Classic Clashes.
@Ooorkant Loftus: Jy kan hulle egter nie fouteer op hulle oordeel en goeie keuse nie, ne? Met skole wat hulleself kontraktueel verbind het, is hulle hande maar afgekap. En die spektakel wat FNB se aanbieders van rugby maak, verkies ek eerder om NIE te kyk nie
Dankie vir PI vir die twaalf wedstryde.
Ons waardeer voorwaar.
Maar die karige dekking van ou Transvaal en Natal skole is n groot jammerte.
Dis ook nie die eerste jaar wat dit gebeur dan nie. Ek voel PI kan so bietjie meer doen aan die saak. Dis nou net as hul wil ne!
Sterkte aan al die skole vir 2015.
Ons kan nie meer wag vir rugby dink ek nie…
@Cappie – I think the PBHS vs Affies fixture was an FNB classic clash last year and will probably be a classic clash this year.
@BoishaaiPa: Last years match between Affies and PBH formed part of the Premium Interschool matches. Why is it cancelled this year. Affies vs Paul Roos is not a traditional derby and only Paul Roos would be represented on the pavilion in the scheduled match?
Premier Interschools is about derbies and rivalry with a history behind them. That is why their is also a magazine program the week before. Some of these old derbies are under contract with Classic Clashes or the rights belong to someone else. PI can only slot in around 12 games a season as provided currently by Supersport.
Van die hardste wedstryde wat jy ooit sal sien vind hierdie week plaas by die Boereplaas. Die proewe het Maandag begin, en maak Saterdag klaar. Elke skoolkind wat rugby speel het nog ‘n kans om sy plek oop te speel in die hoogste moontlike span wat hy kan haal.
Na die indelings begin die amptelike oefeninge en voorbereidings vir 2015 Maandag. Die eerste wedstryde sal volg na twee weke se strawwe oefeninge.
Why are there no Premier School televised matches for Waterkloof and EG Jansen, though? They are both constantly in the top 20 each year.
Glenwood and MC seem to get a lot of TV Coverage year on year. Is there any particular reason why a GW vs KC does not get televised – KC seem to only get an odd game covered every 3 or so years?
@Djou: Sorry Djou, I lost count, so did the referee… I asked him
About a try every 3 minutes or so, with one unconverted reply from Elarduspark at the final whistle. May sound like a run-away game, but it wasn’t. Garsies primary had to work hard for every try. Elardus was not humiliated.
@GarsieOuer: What was the score?
@BoishaaiPa: Garsies has no contract with anyone. Menlopark has a contract with FNB, but only for their St Albans match.
So, here is an opportunity for you. It can also balance the north south matches and enable the south to judge whether quality school rugby exists in the north.
@beet: I Agree 100% Schoolboy rugby sooo much better than seniors. Speed, agility, commitment…
I saw an amazing primary schools match yesterday. Garsfontein Primary 1st team vs Elarduspark. Wow! Garsfontein team has been groomed for 4 years now. It shows. Elarduspark MUCH bigger unit, but the intensity, speed and skills of Garsfontein just blew them away. Hoendervleis!
@beet: Normally its 3 years, depends on the situation. Don’t know about the FNB ones. Festivals and competitions like TUKS reeks have their own sponsors and they usually own the TV rights as well so there is no way in except for the owners of the rights to negotiate a deal with Supersport. Seems they don’t have the knowledge or will to do this.
@beet: Not tradition per se…It was introduced a few years ago (with the advent of digital cameras and photos) to introduce the 1st team players to the old guard and spectators. I don’t see what your problem is with the big photos…it’s the same as introducing the players faces on the TV screen before a match… They have it at the Interschools cricket as well and there is no TV camera close by…
@BOG: @Maroon: @BoishaaiPa: How long do these contracts generally last for?
@BoishaaiPa: I guess some rituals will never be understood by outsiders but if as you say it is tradition then I guess it would be more out of place if it was left out.
@BOG: Yes Bog..here we go again!..Most schools have sold their games to FNB Classic clashes, so they must ask them to televise their matches for them. We can only televise games for those we have the rights to. The Grey Bloem vs PRG game when played in Bloem for instance still belongs to Classic Clashes and they televise that game…we have the rights for the Markotter games.
5 years ago when we went around to most of the schools to negotiate the deals, only these were willing to put hand to paper.
@beet: It’s only the Paarl Interschools where you will see the the big placards of the players faces..its been part of Interschools for many years, its not something new or something brought along by Premier Interschools. It was done long before the matches was televised as well and forms part of the whole week long built up to the main event. If some other schools starts doing it, it is of their own accord and not something prescribed by PI. Maybe if you spend one week of Interschools in Paarl you will understand what it is all about. There are many events and get-togethers during the week where old boys gather and the 1st team cannot be present at all these functions. The placards are there to introduce the old boys to the current crop of players who will represent their alma mater at Interschools so when the big game kicks off, the players faces are not totally unfamiliar for the old boys. Remember there are age groups and old boys who have been out of school and a Paarl for 30 years or more. This helps to bring about unity and familiarity with the current players. When those boys run onto the field, the old boys can put a name to a face. It is definatly not about being big-headed and all about camaraderie.
@beet: No such posters exist at PRG. I have not seen these at any Grey College games either.
@BOG: 100%!!
I think BHP is in a better position to give his annual explanation of how the schools who are involved, are “selected”. Its got all to do with contractual obligations and commitments and NOTHING to do with favouritism. Perhaps his explanation should be posted monthly for those whose memories are beginning to fade.
@GarsieOuer: @Maroon: I’m not going to complain coz I would rather have the rugby than nothing at all. More than that I really enjoy it all except for the inflated pics of the first team players faces being paraded around before the games. I don’t really get it either – none of the schools featured encourage their players to have a “big-head” or show off. That bit of money should rather be spend on a worthwhile charity cause.
Anyway apart from the PRG vs Affies game, its more or less the same fixtures as last year. There is plenty of opportunity for other organisations to get involved and broadcast some of the other great derbies.
@GarsieOuer: Grey College 4, Paul Roos 4, Boishaai 3 games
Grey and Paarlboys seem to get their fair share of exposure.
I’m holding thumbs that FNB and others can bring us Grey College vs Affies, Klofies vs Affies, Grey High vs Paul Roos, Outeniqua vs Oakdale, Queens vs Dale, KNK vs Diamantveld and please please please Menlopark vs Garsfontein!!!
@4×4: Ongelukkig ja.
Ek neem aan dat daar weer FNB Classic Clashes ook sal wees!
@Woltrui: Dit is een en dieselfde. Mutual & Federal het laas jaar as hoofborg opgetree.
Is die reeks die een wat laasjaar deur Old Mutual geborg was? Was n puik reeks laasjaar. Baie goed aangebied. Die idee dat skole die week voor die tyd besoek was en n insetsel gemaak is tov die agtergrond en geskiedenis van die wedstryde was puik. Sal bitter graag die Grey Bloem/Affies, Pretoria Boys High/Affies en Maritzburg College/Pta Boys High wedstryde ook onder die reeks wou sien.
Seisoen kan nou maar begin.