Paarl Gim will kickoff 2022 on Friday 18 March with a challenging match against a useful Stellenberg team. Although Stellenberg is only considered a Premier B-league team in the Western Province region, at a national level, they are competitive enough to finish in the Top 20 this year.
Gim will run on with five regular starters from their top rated team of 2021. Amazingly all five already enjoy high profiles as they were able to grab attention by being amongst the best players in their respective positions as under-17’s. Amongst them hooker Luca Bakkes who’s strength was already quite evident last season. Big flyhalf Liam Koen’s boot helped him to be a standout and its expected that as a confident senior, he may try to use his size to good effect around the gain-line. In the backline the elusive Janiel Losper makes the switch from fullback to outside centre, where he will partner the at times brilliant PA van Niekerk, who seemed like he could not put a foot wrong in 2021. PA’s head-to-head with Stellenberg’s star Damian Markus is perhaps the pick of the positional battles. Finally Niel Burger-like Logan Opperman stays on the right wing to haunt defences.
Unfortunately Stellenberg cant field enough teams to have regular fixtures against the powerhouses of school boy rugby in SA.
@beet: Well said Beet! I fully agree with the performance of Stellies, they were excellent and prepared to fight for the win.
It was good to see the two schools play each other again, our schools in Paarl do not usually get the chance to play against the schools in Durbanville and Brackenfell which is a pity because both Durbanville and Stellenberg have improved tremendously over the past couple of years!
I still think that Gim will be a top team this year, they faced a major challenge against Stellenberg with Stellenberg already played 3 games and it was Gim’s first game of the season. I was at the game and I think Gim was caught out by the wind, Stellies used the wind to their advantage but Gim tried to run everything out from their own half. But credit to Stellenberg it is good to see them competitive, hopefully they can beat the season of the 2017 team of them which was also great!
Looking forward to NS, however, I think it’s going to be a totally different team from Gim in terms of performance and skills!
There is nothing better than healthy competition. Whatever the feelings are towards the “powerhouses” be it support or oppose, it is good for SBR to see them being forced to work hard for a win and/or even losing along the way. This is good for the sport of rugby as a whole.
That said, well done to Gim for holding on for the 12-6 win and well done to the Stellenberg Jade Brigade for holding their own with resilient defence at times and coming within a score of Paarl Gim. I don’t think many people gave them a chance before kickoff, I know I certainly didn’t and for me they exceeded expectations to produce this 6-12 result.
The match was a bit like the Boland Landbou vs Outeniqua match last weekend where the weather combined with the time of the year and quality of the opposition made it difficult going for attacking team to gain a foothold. Gim gave early signs that they were going to systematically grow the score into something significant by the final whistle. They scored two first half tries and I expected 12-0 to be 24-0 then 36-0 etc. The forwards were doing a respectable job. Their scrumming was good. Lineouts went to plan. In open play they didn’t come close to matching that high standard of last year’s team who were a decisive and effective engine as collective but also stood out for individual form. Just think of a kid like Corne Beets who was so effective at bossing that advantage line and he had teammates in the pack who could do the same when required.
The major surprise was the Gim backline. This is where the experience lies and where it was expected they would gain a significant upper-hand with better handling, decision-making and tempo. They have the quality but the line never settled into any sort of front-foot attacking rhythm. Credit to coach Divan Batt and his coaching team for neutralising this aspect of Gim’s game which proved so “giftig” last season.
Between the two high profile matches, the Jade Brigade still needs to find their own best attacking form. I’m sure they are hoping their setpieces go better as well. There is so much heart in the way they play. Last week they won a game they looked destined to lose, this week they had the character to absorbed the blows and stay in the fight to the very end. Lots of respect to them. Grey College on the horizon and perhaps another chance to give another good account of themselves.
The expectation is that Gim will improve. On the balance of play, watching what Monnas were able to do against Welkom Gim, I cannot help but think Monnas looked better and the chances of them beating Paarl Gim have improved a lot in my opinion. A cliche but definitely lots of hard work ahead for Gim over this next week or so.
Baie geluk aan Gim met die oorwinning. Dankie Stellenberg dat julle ons ontvang het, dit was ongelooflik om weer skole rugby langs die veld te kyk
Daar was ‘n hele klomp games wat baie naby was en ek dink dat indien Stellenberg met dieselfde intensiteit gaan voortgaan, hulle verseker vir ‘n paar verrassings gaan sorg die jaar
Was baie lekker om weer skolerugby te kyk vanaand tussen Gim en Stellenberg, maar dit was skokkend hoe swak al die skeidsregters by Stellenberg was! Ek is nie sommer een om die skeidsregter uit te haal nie maar die eerstepan wedstryd was dood geblaas. Gim het die game oorheers maar die telling wys slegs 12-6. Stellenberg was seker eenkeer in die 22 van Gim. Dit is jammer want ek het so uit gesien om weer aksie te sien tussen hierdie skole maar ek twyfel of Gim weer binnekort by Stellenberg sal speel. Dit was Gim se eerste wedstryd van die jaar en hulle het baie goed gelyk toe hulle die bal in hand gehad het maar daar was n totaal en al “inconsistency” met die toepassing van reëls in hierdie wedstryd!
Soos ek sê ek is nie een om sommer te kla oor skeidsregters nie maar Gim het verdien om verder te wen. Maar n wen bly n wen!