Paarl Gymnasium defeated Outeniqua 37-25 in an away game the many got to enjoy as a result of the Premier Interschools live T.V. coverage. By winning the game Gimmies effectively put a target on their backs as the new team to beat in SA schoolboy rugby.
The game was little like a “Rock, Paper, Scissors!” contest with the Kwaggas constantly opting for individual brilliance (scissors) and almost always being trumped by Gim’s teamwork approach (rock). Occasionally Outeniqua players like Dewald Human, Dian Koen, Warrick Gelant and Duhan van der Merwe got to show their individualistic abilities against a Gim “paper” hand thrown their way but for the most part it was the “rock” of Paarl Gim showing how the cohesion of 15 players working together for the cause, wins the day. This is not to say that there weren’t brilliant individual performances from Gim players either. Blindside flank Jacques Vermeulen was rightfully awarded the Mutual & Federal Man of the Match. His outstanding performance was backed up by notable eye-catching achievements from the likes of Ryan Oosthuizen, JD Schickerling and Rikus Bothma.
Outeniqua might well describe the game as their worst performance. The made errors that they don’t usually make. In terms of their team system failing them, this was most obvious in the lineout, where they appeared to lose complete confident in their ability to win aerial ball against Schickerling and Co. This despite the Kwaggas having 2-metre tall WP 2015 bound lock Euard Zandberg as part of their arsenal of jumpers. Instead the home team either avoided lineouts altogether from a point in the match and when forced to use the set-piece, they opted for non-jumping throws to the player in the front on four occasions.
8min: Kwaggas No.8 Dian Koen makes a good break off the back of a scrum inside his own 22 and then kicks ahead.
12min: 3-0. Gim fullback Murphy kicks a penalty after Kwaggas #7 van Schalkwyk concedes for falling over and slowing down ball from a rolling maul.
15min: 10-0. Gim scrumhalf Brendan Nell scores the opening try, this after Gim move the ball through the hands. Key is Murphy holding onto a pass and good carries by wing Leaviel Gouws and centre Grant Hermanus.
18min: 10-3. A bad pass into no man’s land by Kwaggas scrumhalf Remu Malan (the normally reliable #9 was to have a poor day as far as passing was concerned) is retrieved on the bounce by his teammate, flyhalf Dewald Human who then steps past a defender and offloads. He handles the ball a further 2 times during different phases in the move he initiated. Eventually Outeniqua wins a penalty for not rolling which centre Warrick Gelant converts.
21min: A timed pop pass puts Gim flank Rikus Bothma into a gap. From the next phase Hermanus chips over the D-wall but the touchline wins the race. Good enterprising rugga by Gim. Their kicks ahead into the corners were to prove very successful in the game, particularly in the second half when Outeniqua lost confidence in their own ability to win proper lineout ball.
25min: Gelant carries and Gim centre Ryan Oosthuizen is pinged for not rolling away after making the tackle. Gelant however misses the penalty.
26min: 10-6. Gelant makes a brilliant break to the right and feeds to his teammate wing Leighton Eksteen who Gim flank Jacques Vermeulen makes a potential try-saving tackle on. However the ref decides that the tackle was high and Gelant slots the penalty.
31min: 17-6. Gim plays with the sort of continuity that the Kwaggas lacked. Ryan Oosthuizen makes a midfield break. Then Jacques Vermeulen makes an excellent pick up of a pass that should rightfully have been dropped and carries well. Lock JD Schickerling is also in on the action with a good drive. From recycled ball Oosthuizen throws a near perfect cut-out long pass (something he proves to be really good at during this game) but left wing Dylon Fairbridge drops the ball cold with the try-line beckoning. The ref calls play back for a penalty to Gim on the right-hand side of the field. Here Gim taps and goes, catching Outeniqua offguard and receiver Vermeulen beats both props on his way to scoring a try that Murphy converts.
33min: 17-11. Scrappy play by both teams sees the ball rolling loose on the ground. Kwaggas’ Human retrieves the ball. He coolly and calmly identifies a hole, which he accelerates into before rounding Murphy, drawing a last defender and setting wing Leighton Eksteen away on a clear run in for a try.
Halftime Paarl Gymnasium 17-11 Outeniqua
39min: Outeniqua fullback Hennie Barnard makes a mini-break and feeds big wing Duhan van der Merwe. He makes good ground but as part of their error-riddled game, centre Douw Schoeman spills a pass to end the promising attack.
41min: 22-11. Ryan Oosthuizen’s pin point accurate long pass on attack finds Gouws on the wing, who is held up near the Kwaggas tryline. Man of the match Vermeulen is first on the scene and the big powerful flank is too strong in the contact for the Kwaggas defenders to prevent him from spinning around and over for the try.
43min: Kwagga Dian Koen is judged to be in front of the kickoff and a scrum is awarded to the Gim on halfway. Gim attack right and kick the ball ahead and into the box on the right where Koen has to come to the rescue and stop a promising play by Gim.
46min: 25-11. Murphy lands a penalty for Gim
47min: Kwaggas kickoff goes out on the full. Again Gim attacks right from the scrum but give away an easy penalty to the defenders.
49min: Gelant kicks ahead. Gim’s Hermanus clears but does not get distance. From the next set piece, Kwaggas get a good rolling maul going but ref calls “truck ‘n trailer” obstruction and Gim get the relief of a penalty.
52min: In one poor passage, ref Jason Jaffa seems to turn a blind-eye to 2 or 3 Kwagga knock-ons in quick succession but as an indication of how badly things were not going their way they managed to knock-on immediately after that which the ref does not ignore.
53min: 30-11. Schickerling makes a good carry for Gim. Ryan Oosthuizen pushes a kick ahead. Gim wins a penalty for Kwaggas being offsides. They set up a lineout which Schickerling takes and Bothma controls at the back to crash over after the rolling maul does its job.
56min: The Kwaggas captain at flank Geor Malan starts to opt for quick tap penalties as opposed to going for lineouts. From this tap’n go, Koen carries strongly through tackles but Human knocks the ball on in the offload.
57min: Gelant turns a desperate defensive situation into attack by first toeing a hard chased after ball from a Murphy tactical kick, back towards his own try-line, then collecting it on a favourable bounce and outsprinting the would-be tacklers.
58min: Yellow card to Gim’s Leaviel Gouws.
59min: 30-18 Leighton Eksteen having replaced Remu Malan at scrumhalf weaves his way past defenders and in for his second try. This after Outeniqua opted for another tap and go. Gelant converts.
62min: Duhan van der Merwe makes a nice break cut Gim crucially turnover the ball and kick it back towards the right corner again.
63min: Outeniqua’s fullback Hennie Barnard break out from deep but he fails to find a support player with his pass. Outeniqua showed plenty of individual brilliance flair on the day but Gim’s well organised defense did not allow them to produce the necessary continuity once again.
66min: 37-18. The now desperate Kwaggas attempt to run the ball from deep. Human goes for a chip over the top but his kick lacks elevation and one of the stand outs of the day, Ryan Eksteen charges it down and runs in for the try unopposed. Murphy converts.
68min: Dian Koen with yet another linebreak, this time off the back of a scrum.
70min: 37-25. Duhan van der Merwe scores a consolation try after he produces good hand-offs on both the Gim centres. The try is converted.
Full-time: Paarl Gymnasium 37 Outeniqua 25
@Speartackle: GYM have always been a Top school even in the Old era
I think that there’s no doubt that Paarl Gym has become the Super School of the modern era.
@Umtata: And they have been doing that for a very long time too….
Gim has to be the best co-ed rugby playing school in the country. Competing with Boys schools and beating them every weak is no small feat. Looking forward to WK some big games
@Speartackle: As ek na daardie vraag van jou luister, was jou “afrigting” in Frankryk oorwegend rondom die “dames” met die kort rokkies en hoe hakkies in die omgewing vd Eiffel toring.
@BoishaaiPa: 3 Aug is inderdaad ‘Die Grote’. Die onlangse verlede het vir ons gewys het dat dit baie moeilik is vir die span met die hoër ranking om te wen.
@BoishaaiPa: very true
@BoishaaiPa: Lol – My money is on Gym
@BoishaaiPa: Baie dankie.
@Woltrui: Dit word Dinsdag 4:40vm op SS6 gewys en weer Woensdag 1 Mei om 10:30 op SS1.
@Woltrui: Hulle wys gewoonlik in die week weer die wedstryd. Ek is egter nie seker van die tye nie. Sal uitvind vir jou.
Hoeveel games het Hoer Jongenskool Paarl en Grey Kollege Bloemfontein al verloor vanjaar?
@BoishaaiPa: Hi BHP. Gaan daar moontlik ‘n heruitsending van die wedstryd wees? Was by Nu Power en het wedstryd gemis
@Amalekite: Hang on a bit…There is still a small matter of a an Interschools to settle on the 3rd of August in Paarl and on that day form and ranking gets blown out the door…That match is of greater importance to both schools than any other match or ranking!
@beet: Uhum..Just to remind you, there was only one ranking system that had Gim at No 1 above Outeniqua before this game…I think Saterdays game justified that ranking did it not?
@GimOB: I think you spot on Gym looked the much better coached and drilled team i think Paarl Gym beleive in themselves and have a well balanced team were as the Kwagga,s seemed a bit ragged with what they do also the Kwagga,s depend to much on a few players brilliance to perform well still see them losing more games or game during the year.
@Grey Brak: @Hanswors:
Wat kan ek se?? Met n Paar duisend Rand wat die seuns moet betaal, wil hulle teen die heel bestes speel die komende naweek!! Wen of verloor, dis waaroor ALLES gaan!! Jol die beste en onthou die game vir die res van jou lewe!!
The Westville players were right in saying that Gym were the better team, having played against both within 2 days at KERF.
My guess is that they will remain unbeaten in 2013 and finish in the no. 1 spot. Very impressive team.
@Hanswors: Alhoewel daar ‘n hele paar goeie wedstryde gaan plaas vind by die Wildeklawertoernooi glo ek dat die wedstrydbepalings selfs nog meer opwindende rugby kon voorsien. Met al die goeie spanne wat deelneem aan die toernooi kon die wedstrydbepalings dalk so wees om heelwat meer wedstryde sogenaamde “Big matches” te doop. Soos dinge lyk is dit net Waterkloof wat werklikwaar twee harde wedstryde gaan he op die toernooi…
Ek sien tog uit na die toernooi en veral om te sien wat van die uitslae gaan wees.
Ja nee die naweek wat kom se Wildeklawer gaan die waterskeiding vir ‘n paar skole wees. Soos GreyBrak tereg uitgewys het, Waterkloof gaan sy hande vol he in die 2 wedstryde wat hy moet speel binne 2 dae teen 2 baie sterk oponente. Ek dink Klofies het die moeilikste taak op hande wat opponente aan betref, die ideale kans vir die skool van die noorde om te wys wat in hulle steek. Sterkte aan al die spanne en mag die beserings min wees!!
Weet enige een dalk of die Donderdag wedstryde gebeeldsend gaan word, ek weet Saterdag se wedstryde word gewys.
@Tjoppa: Aitsa Aitsa! Lyk so oulik Matertjie.
@beet: I do not mind the pink except that maybe people will think I am Grey.
Ooo en klaar gereel met Aasvoel om n “restraining order” op sy kind te sit!!!
Goed gedoen Jaqutjie!!
@Grey Brak: Just reading our names against those teams make me shiver!!
Baie geluk Gim!! Klinies en tot die spreekwoordelike “tee” uitgevoer jul aanval en verdediging. Nie n span in SA wat julle sal wen.
Dankie n Outeniqua ook vir baie opwindende fases en spel wat julle tentoongestel het!! Hope talent!!
Die gees op en van die veld het boekdele geskryf van gesonde harde rugby deur die twee skole!!
Welgedaan!!!
I love the metaphorical use of “rock”, “paper” and “scissors” in the match report. Sounds spot on!
Well done to Paarl Gym on what sounds to have been an excellent performance. I agree with Gimmie in that is is a dissapointment that Grey Bloem and Gym are’nt playing each other this year. Could have been another massive match-up.
I believe the following matches will determine the rankings most significantly come the end of the season:
Outeniqua vs Waterkloof (Wildeklawer)
Waterkloof vs Paarl Gym (Wildeklawer)
Grey Bloem vs Affies
Grey Bloem vs Paarl Boishaai
Paarl Boishaai vs Paarl Gym
Affies vs Outeniqua
The way in which the Kwaggas lineout lost confidence was very surprising, especially given that they have 2 very tall locks. The quick throw option to the front enabled Gym to use their loose forwards as extra defenders against the quick silver backs. I was concerned that Lotter made 3 changes to replace Visagie at 13, especially as Murphy does not have the same artike power as Hermanus at 15. Interestingly the Gym first choice 13 , JD du Toit, got injured in the first minutes against Westville at KERF. He should be back in 10 days and his return will pose interesting selection choices. Both teams play Waterkloof at Wildeklawer, I am sure the Kwaggas will bounce back strongly. It a real pity Gym is not playing Grey College at Wildeklawer, these two schools should play each other every year.
@GimOB: Definitely. The praises need to be dished out to Gim.
Firstly they had to reorganise at the last minute with Wayno Visagie falling out. A reshuffle of 10 to 15, 15 to 13 and a new 10 in. That should have been disruptive to no end but hardly seemed to faze Gim.
Secondly there always appeared to be method to what they wanted to do on attack. They exposed defensive weaknesses of Outeniqua time and time again.
Thirdly Outeniqua was try scoring machine coming into this game but under pressure from Gim’s defence esp at lineouts, they just could not settle into a rhythm at all.
Gim where tactically very good. Good coaching, perhaps?