After the success they’ve enjoyed against schools from other provinces during the Easter holidays, Western Cape schoolboy rugby is looking stronger than ever. Now starts the process of battling it out against each other as most of the province’s leading rugby schools take to the field on Saturday. Here is Ploegskaar’s take on what’s to come.
Grey High (PE) vs Paul Roos
PRG are playing good rugby and have knocked over some big guns thus far. Grey PE have two really talented X-factor players and home-ground advantage to even the odds. Grey PE won the last 3 encounters: 23-19, 23-18 and 27-26. Bar any unfortunate last minute drama’s or another off-day from the tee though, PRG by 15.
PRG Squad from Easter, Grey PE starting XV :
| PAUL ROOS | GREY HIGH (PE) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muammir Salie | 1 | Tiaan Coetzee |
| 2 | Robert Matthee | 2 | Aphiwe Febana |
| 3 | Dre Calitz | 3 | Dylan Barendse |
| 4 | Louis Conradie | 4 | Joe Rooyakkers |
| 5 | Joa Swart | 5 | Kamva Dilima |
| 6 | Dean van Tonder | 6 | Matthew Lawson |
| 7 | Roelf Burger | 7 | Michael de Marco |
| 8 | De Wet Castelyn | 8 | Kwezi Mafu |
| 9 | Tiaan Coetzee | 9 | Anavuyo Moyikwa |
| 10 | Damian Willemse | 10 | Lubabalo Dobela |
| 11 | Jason Myburgh | 11 | Sihle Njezula |
| 12 | Sebastian Uys | 12 | Josiah Boafo |
| 13 | Nico Leonard | 13 | Keanu Vers |
| 14 | Troy Payne | 14 | Mohamed Connelly |
| 15 | Joshua Vermeulen | 15 | Curwin Bosch |
| 16 | Christiaan van Deventer | ||
| 17 | Abrie Coetzee | ||
| 18 | Stephan Annandale | ||
| 19 | Lazlo Pschorn | ||
| 20 | Malan Basson | ||
| 21 | Jacques Hanekom | ||
| 22 | Hein Steenkamp | ||
| 23 | Adrian van Niekerk |
Paarl Boys’ High vs Outeniqua
Well coached Boishaai at Brugstraat, against a talented, less structured, but gutsy Kwagga outfit. Boishaai’s strong set-piece and organized defence to win the day, Boishaai by 10.
Squads from Easter (match day teams to be announced):
| HJS PAARL BH | OUTENIQUA | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wikus Groenewald | 1 | Andrew Kuhn |
| 2 | MC de Jongh | 2 | Stefan Gerber |
| 3 | Leo Kruger | 3 | Roux Swart |
| 4 | Salmaan Moerat | 4 | Henco Meyers |
| 5 | Ruben de Villiers | 5 | Petrus Steenkamp |
| 6 | Andreas van Wyk | 6 | Niel Otto |
| 7 | JC van Schalkwyk | 7 | Andre Coetzee |
| 8 | Khanya Ncusane | 8 | Joagim van Wyk |
| 9 | Bradley Thain | 9 | Derick Minnie |
| 10 | Rayhaan Lombaard | 10 | Darryle Kameel |
| 11 | Elester Becker | 11 | Logan Stoffels |
| 12 | Jan-Louis La Grange | 12 | Johannes Duvenage |
| 13 | Manuel Rass | 13 | Lance Lambrecht |
| 14 | Tyreeq February | 14 | Damian Bonaparte |
| 15 | Jeanluc Cilliers | 15 | Immanuel Libbok |
| 16 | Daniel Jooste | 16 | Sean Swart |
| 17 | Reece Bezuidenhout | 17 | Danco Fourie |
| 18 | Adam Neethling | 18 | Justin Levendal |
| 19 | Ruan van der Merwe | 19 | Luvuyo Ndevu |
| 20 | Kristo Sadie | 20 | Isaiah Davids |
| 21 | Jandre Grobler | 21 | Justin Witbooi |
| 22 | Hugo Slabber | 22 | Zarco de Beer |
| 23 | 23 | Cecil Rittels |
Bishops vs Paarl Gim
Paarl Gym’s fitness, high-tempo game and strong mauls will eventually be too much for Bishops. Paarl Gym by 20.
Squads from Easter (match day teams to be announced):
| BISHOPS | PAARL GIM | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Day | 1 | André Booysen |
| 2 | Gregory Willcocks | 2 | Johan Grobbelaar |
| 3 | J-P Smith | 3 | O’Neil Thiart |
| 4 | Connor Osborne | 4 | Muller Uys |
| 5 | Nic Frankenveld | 5 | Ernst van Rhyn |
| 6 | Joel Paarwater | 6 | Johan Visser |
| 7 | Jarryd Lurie | 7 | Gustav Marais |
| 8 | Francois Stassen | 8 | MJ Hayes |
| 9 | Brandon Salomo | 9 | Keenan Abrahams |
| 10 | James Macdonald | 10 | George Lourens |
| 11 | Andre Manuel | 11 | Max Thalwitzer |
| 12 | Cornel Smit | 12 | Taigh Schoor |
| 13 | Seb Hanekom | 13 | Estian du Preez |
| 14 | Lubelo Scott | 14 | Charl du Toit |
| 15 | Tristan Leyds | 15 | Wian van Zyl |
| R | Luciano Da Graca | 16 | Emile Booysen |
| R | Keanan Alexander | 17 | Rohan Hamman |
| R | Liam Blackstock | 18 | Jan Neveling |
| R | Nicholas Frankenfeld | 19 | Nicolaas Uys |
| R | Siya Qamgwana | 20 | Anrich Stoman |
| R | Ross Church | 21 | Theo Boshoff |
| R | Sebastian Prentice | 22 | SJ Groenewald |
| R | 23 |
Wynberg vs Rondebosch
Bosch should have too much firepower for a young but gutsy Berg side. Home-ground advantage may keep the score respectable, but Bosch will be disappointed to take it by less than 20.
Squads from Easter (match day teams to be announced):
| WYNBERG | RONDEBOSCH | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adeeb Isaacs | 1 | Ashwyn Adams |
| 2 | Chris Botha | 2 | Russell Eaby |
| 3 | Romario Henriques | 3 | Jordan Diekmann |
| 4 | Yanga Ngcayisa | 4 | Dylan le Roux |
| 5 | Shaine Orderson | 5 | Byron Bowes |
| 6 | Connor Thalrose | 6 | Pieter Slabbert |
| 7 | Steve Mathew | 7 | Jamie King |
| 8 | Michael Scholtz | 8 | Liam Greenhalgh (c) |
| 9 | Labib Kannemeyer | 9 | Nicholas Potgieter |
| 10 | Dominic Coetzer | 10 | Rory Thomson |
| 11 | Brian Foster | 11 | Mike Mavovana |
| 12 | Daniel Jamieson | 12 | Zain Davids |
| 13 | Mika Ekstrom | 13 | Kyle Ballikstan |
| 14 | Tristan Turner | 14 | Ryan Klein |
| 15 | Jordan Holgate | 15 | Yaseen Jacobs |
| 16 | Daniel Simpson | 16 | Josh Emslie |
| 17 | Callum Steyn | 17 | Daniel Pearson |
| 18 | Craig Vinnecombe | 18 | Leo Figueira |
| 19 | Dian Fourie | 19 | Matthew Grobler |
| 20 | Timothy Davids | 20 | Felix Reinhold |
| 21 | Rayaan Meyer | 21 | Shaldon Smith |
| 22 | Matt James | 22 | Ferhad Ahmed |
| 23 | Gideon Boshoff | 23 | Amani Minani |
SACS vs Boland Landbou
Brimming with confidence after a memorable win over Affies and with home-ground advantage, SACS are favourites for this game. Too close to call.
Squads from Easter (match day teams to be announced):
| SACS | BOLAND LANDBOU | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sihle Lonzi | 1 | Bertus Smit |
| 2 | Liam Larkan | 2 | Heino Strumpher |
| 3 | Moegamad Semaar | 3 | Tristan Hill |
| 4 | Elliot Avery | 4 | Joppie du Pisanie |
| 5 | Cameron Laurenson | 5 | Le Roux Kriel |
| 6 | Dylan Hadzigrigoriou | 6 | Athi Magwala |
| 7 | Thomas Posen | 7 | Johan Lubbe |
| 8 | Alexander Halvorsen | 8 | Heinrich Brendel |
| 9 | Moegamat Arendse | 9 | Jondré Williams |
| 10 | Jordan Chait | 10 | Danrich Visagie (c) |
| 11 | Thomas Waterkyn | 11 | Slabber la Grange |
| 12 | Liam Abrahams | 12 | Henlo Marais |
| 13 | Ciaran Dayaram | 13 | JT Potgieter |
| 14 | Reitumetse Mogoje | 14 | Sergull van Niekerk |
| 15 | Athi Gazi | 15 | Luke Philander |
| 16 | Lance Steytler | 16 | Stefan Alberts |
| 17 | Sebastian Schultz | 17 | Wessel Fourie |
| 18 | James Brewer | 18 | Kevin Reed |
| 19 | Dane Brouwer | 19 | Jaco Conradie |
| 20 | Michael Haasbroek | 20 | Deon Carstens |
| 21 | Nicholas Redlinghuys | 21 | Janlu Steenkamp |
| 22 | Matthew de Villiers | 22 | MC Erasmus |
| 23 | Duncan Ferguson | 23 |
Monument Park vs HTS Drostdy
No contest, that is if the contest takes place at all. Donkeys by 50
Stellenberg vs Tygerberg
Stellenberg’s structured approach on attack and defence vs an unpredictable Tygerberg side. Home-ground advantage for Stellenberg is balanced by juggernaut Juanro Augustus at 8 for the Tiere. Too close to call.
Bellville vs De Kuilen
Bellville’s strong set-piece and big ball-carriers will dominate the Kuile. Bellville by 30.
Dirkie Uys vs Hugenote
Hugenote to win by plenty.
Swartland vs Worcester Gim
A comfortable win for the Bosvarke from Worcester.
Great to see the Southern Suburbs teams doing well. I think it is good for WP Rugby and the kids themselves. Just hope they can do the same away from home and don’t get “N1 Fever”.
Really enjoyed the Rondebosch/Wynberg fixtures. It gives you everything that is good about Cape Rugby. Well matched sides, ( 15 games played and each school won 8 games and one was drawn – 2 Bosch A teams won and 2 Berg A teams won), well behaved parents and the games I saw were played in a great spirit by the youngsters.
With regards to the1st team game, this is a very good Bosch team. Lots of good ball carriers and a solid pack. The flyhalf and no 14 were good on attack and Zain Davids was the MOM. He set up tries as well as scored and was great on defence. They will beat a few of the top teams this year. I did pick up one or two weaknesses that will be shown up against stronger opposition.
Wynberg could have come closer on the score line . Some key areas of concern were the set pieces and in particular losing the ball in contact. There were a number of occasions where the ball was ripped in the tackle or where the ball carrier went into contact to upright. I am sure the coaches will work on this. One of these instances led directly to a try.
@Ploegskaar:
noted
@phat55: To clarify, losing is not a problem, not hearing the end of it is. But the season has just started for us, sure we’ll surprise a team or two
@BuffelsCM: nice article
This piece by Tony Stoops is a fair reflection of the Bishops / Paarl Gim match: http://www.stoopstats.co.za/articles/bishops-clinch-cliffhanger/
I particularly like the last sentence: “rugby was the winner” – what an anti-climax when I got home and watched the last 25 minutes of the Western Force v Stormers match.
I spoke to mr Basil Bey afterwards and he was quite pleased with the type of rugby that was played.
@coach15: is “different” in reference to the ref finding some added injury time today?
Seems my faith in Bishops paid off everybody, they were brilliant against a very good Gim side. Playing int he southern suburbs is very different to out in Paarl and with Bishops home support teams will definitely find it tough coming to the Piley Rees
Bishops beating Gim, big result that, well done. The Paarl schools must take note of Rondebosch this year, they have a solid side. Z Davids at 13 will threaten any backline and is a massive threat
@phat55: Neither my thoughts or words are fit to post here
@Ploegskaar:
your thoughts on the SACS vs Landbou game because it seemed really tight?
congrats Balikibaba on that big win! would’ve been agonising if Gim came from behind to steal that one.
Cornel Smit is a classy player…..always liked him!
and to my PRG boykies on an impressive 34-3 away win, lovely stuff with the flyhalf scoring 2 tries as well!
Paul Roos 34 – 3 Grey PE, great result boytjies, keep it up!
Bellville 56 De Kuilen 10
Stellenberg 38 Tygerberg 12
Well played SACS!
@Balikibaba: Kes Bishops Sat Bali – give us a prediction?!
@Balikibaba: Well played Bali!
How was Cornel Smit’s goal kicking ? At least 3 from the corner. I believe he hasn’t missed a kick this (short) season yet.
Take your pick where he’ll play in this year’s WP’s side: @ 10 or 12?
Both sides scored 5 tries each but 3 conversions missed by Gim.
@Balikibaba: Good win Bali…very unpredictable season this year…watch out for Sacs…
Boishaai 23 – 17 Outeniqua
So, Bali can crow a bit. I see loads of people predicted the Bishops vs Paarl Gym game wrong.
Bishops 35-Gym 33
@Andre T: en nog ‘n punt, is dieselfde Monnas mpy (waarna jy verwys) nie nou daar by Menlo nie? As dit waar is, wie doen nou jul werwing? Of is dit nie nodig nie, want jul naam is sterk genoeg om die bestes te trek (soos ‘n paar “tradisionele rugbyskole” more beweer)?
@Andre T: Haai sies Andre T, jy sit dan stertjies by jou storie! Was dit nie die game waar Taute en Brad Moolman hul deurmekaar gehardloop het nie, en toe score AHS 2 driee in die laaste paar minute nie? As ek reg onthou was die game al halftyd gewen, maar ek kan verkeerd wees. Andre T, wanneer laas het die Witbulle dan laas teen AHS verloor?
@Woltrui.
Dankie vir jou.
Help tog daai Monument ook voor iemand hom ook verf of verwyder !!
@Andre T: Sak Sarel, sak. “Daai 50 tal in 2010” was nader aan n 42-38 eindtelling na n skitterende wedstryd deur twee baie goeie spanne.
@Die Ken: Ek dink hulle is steeds kwaad vir die Monna Maatskappy wat blykbaar tydens daai 50 tal in 2010 spelers probeer rekruut het
Ek dink hulle is steeds kwaad omdat Affie outjies so graag met Monna scouts wou gesels het daai dag toe Monnas 50 teen hulle opgesit het
@Andre T: so van die os op die jas, waarom speel hul nie meer teen julle nie?
@Andre T: ekt gewag vir die welbekende Affie-guts om hul deur te trek, maar o wee, jy kan net soveel keer teen ‘n muur vashardloop, dan moet jy op ‘n stadium ‘n plan maak om om die muur die hardloop.
@Andre T: So was dit dan die 80% Witbulle?
@Die Ken: Aangevul deur so 12 A span spelers
@Andre T: Oooooo, reg so, dan trek ek my woorde terug.
@Die Ken: Ja maar dit was blykbaar die 2de span
@Andre T: Jy weet mos die manne speel vir die genot van die spel, en soos n ene Dr daar in die Noorde beweer – kompetisierugby stel “die wen” as prioriteit, en lei tot ons seuns se swak balhantering ens ens… die einste Dr se manne het bra vervelige rugby teen PRG gespeel
Is dit nou die Liga sonder Wenners kompetisie of gaan daar n puntetabel die jaar wees?
@Vleis: Yeah Vleis. With Rondebosch having beaten PRG at Newlands, they have attracted a lot of the limelight whereas Wynberg seem to have quietly gone about their business. I guess from far away that counts for something but I can well imagine that this S/Suburbs derby will take on a life of its own and records leading up to the game will count for nothing this early on in the season.
@coach15: In the WPPL I would say that if you can start the season as the underdog you should be satisfied. I watched Bishops against Glenwood at Grey PE last year. Bishops weren’t able to catch Glenwood unawares after they had beaten HJS at Newlands and everyone was talking about what a great side they had in 2014.
With Gim having steamrolled a couple of Noordvaal heavyweights in the last few days and Bishops having had a quietish start, who knows…
@PRG 4 Life: It will definitely be a tightly contested game on Saturday at Bishops. Bishops have only played 2 games this year so far which could be to their disadvantage, but with them going up to Jeppe next week it will be very good for the team. They play against KES and Pretoria Boys High which will definitely show where their skills are at. I still would not rule out Bishops this weekend. A very strong front row, it will be a very good game.
PRG vs Grey PE what are your thoughts?
My predictions:
Grey v Paul Roos:
Based on the stuttering performances of Grey at Saints, I think that PR will win this one, but it will be tight as it’s in PE.
Bishops vs Paarl Gim
Based on the strength of this Bishops age group (e.g. they beat HJS quite easily at u16 level), this should’ve be quite tight at the Piley Rees; however, they’re a bit underdone and have not been convincing thus far, so I’ll go with Ploeg’s: Gim by 20.
Paarl Boys’ High vs Outeniqua
I agree with Ploeg’s: Boishaai by 10
Wynberg vs Rondebosch
Bosch were underwhelming at KES and in Namibia, while the young Wynberg side have gained a lot of confidence. They have massive outside backs, so if it is dry then Berg by 10, but if it is wet then Bosch by 10.
SACS vs Boland Landbou
While SACS have a very good side this year, I think that they are a bit overrated. BL also have a very good team this year, but are flying below the radar but. On neutral ground, I would favour BL, but home ground for SACS means that I agree with Ploeg: too close to call.
@coach15 I think using the word strong is a bit strong, they a were a descent side at age group level beatung the southern suburbs teams mostly.I think one win against Gim at home in 4yrs,They wont be easy at home ,but not strong enough
Everybody seems to be underestimating Bishops this year, this age group was a strong under 16 side and they had a close result against Grey PE at the Graeme College Rugby Day. Thoughts?
@QBE: Ja, het gistermiddag gehoor Carlu is uit en vanoggend dat Marco ook moet uitsit, maar glo steeds met sterk baldraers in 2, 6 en 8 en goeie besit van hul lynstane behoort Bellville te veel skietgoed te hê. 12 is boonop goed op vorm hierdie jaar en 15 (wat in my opinie posisies met 13 moet ruil) is ook due vir ‘n grote.
Hi Ploeg,Ek kan nie fout vind met jou voorspellings nie. Ek glo egter Landbou gaan maklik wen. Altwee Bellville se stutte is uit vir Saterdag, so dit sal moeiliker gaan as wat jy gedink het. Stellenberg om redelik gemaklik met Tygerberg af te reken. Ek dink hulle is beslis die Groot Hond in die noorde die jaar. Die ander spanne sal sukkel om by te bly. Daar sal nie veel kompetiesie vir hulle wees van enige van hulle nabye bure nie.
@PRondersteuner: Nee jong, as ek kyk hoe die drie Groot Super Powerhouse Wynlandskole almal verpletter en verwoes het tot op hede en die Top 5 eien, bly ek liefs nederig!
I think most of the predictions are spot on, except for the games at SACS and Wynberg. I reckon Landbou will win fairly comfortably and think that the Wynberg game will be very tight, with Rondebosch as slight favourites.
Sien uit na die PE tog.
Sterkte aan die PR seuns. Hopelik word daar uit verlede jaar se foute geleer!!!! Ek het gedag jy sou so ‘n bietjie meer vertroue in die manne van die plaas gehad het Ploeg!! SACS het goed gedoen teen Affies, maar ek dink die span van die suide wat dopgehou moet word, is Rondebosch!! Sterkte aan almal. Ek hoop ons sien weer goeie rugby vanjaar.