The 2013 schoolboy rugby season has produced quite a few unanticipated results to date.
Here is a list of 20 surprises.
| # | SCHOOL | SCHOOL | DETAILS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Menlopark | 25 | 14 | Centurion | Menlopark have a decent team but one would have expected Centurion to win this one |
| 20 | Grens | 27 | 19 | Dale | Even though Dale has had a disappointing season by their standards, no one saw a result like this one coming |
| 19 | Glenwood | 17 | 15 | HJS Paarl BH | The game during which Glenwood went from being labelled as “overrated” to “good team” in the eyes of the W/Cape SBR community |
| 18 | Noord-Kaap | 10 | 12 | Marlow | An outstanding win for the EPCD team considering the fortunes of both teams so far this season |
| 17 | Kempton Park | 20 | 30 | Jim Fouche | Kempies are a team that threatens to become highly rated but they ran into problems at sea level in Durban |
| 16 | Garsfontein | 61 | 21 | Centurion | On there day Centurion are capable of giving top teams a go. Against Garsies it quite obviously was not their day. The margin was huge. |
| 15 | M. College | 23 | 34 | Queens | After useful results against Grey High & Noord-Kaap, College were heavy favourites to beat Queens at their festival but came unstuck by some excellent lines run by the Queens back 3. |
| 14 | Oakdale | 9 | 13 | Daniel Pienaar | This one was right at the start of the season. DP seemed to catch Oakdale unawares. |
| 13 | Kempton Park | 12 | 20 | Tygerberg | Tygerberg have struggled for the best part of the season but seemingly have huge upset causing potential |
| 12 | St Andrews | 14 | 39 | Grey HS | No one disputed that Grey PE had a chance to topple SAC but the margin in this one was a jaw-dropper |
| 11 | HJS Paarl BH | 21 | 19 | Union | HJS won the game and the match itself was perhaps not as close as the final score suggests. Nevertheless a huge surprise to see the little EPCD team come within 2 points of beating a “Powerhouse” |
| 10 | HTS Middelburg | 30 | 30 | Centurion | Centurion pushed then unbeaten NuPower Champs elect HTS all the way in the semi-final |
| 9 | Centurion | 16 | 12 | Monnas | Proving the theory of Centurion being the most unpredictable side in SA was this shock result. |
| 8 | KES | 31 | 31 | Monnas | Monnas are proving to be one of those teams that could scare an SA Top 10 team the one day and get the fright of their lives the next |
| 7 | Glenwood | 31 | 34 | Drostdy | Drostdy battled back to achieve an unbelieveable come from behind win at the death at the Pukke Skouspel |
| 6 | Waterkloof | 25 | 20 | Sentraal (FS) | Incredibly Sentraal went to Pretoria, ran highly rated Waterkloof close, then lost to the Grey College Cherries a week later. |
| 5 | SACS | 0 | 15 | Bellville | Here’s one of the reasons why SACS are right up there alongside Centurion as the most unpredictable team of 2013 |
| 4 | KES | 24 | 35 | Trinityhouse | It hasn’t been KES’s best season but this one still went down as a shock. |
| 3 | Boland Landbou | 25 | 28 | Stellenberg | Stellenberg have been pitting their talents against some of the best that the WP Premier League has to offer. This result at Boland Landbou was however totally unexpected. |
| 2 | Wynberg | 36 | 39 | Tygerberg | Tygerberg have had some nightmarish results in 2013. This one against well ranked Wynberg was stunning to say the least. |
| 1 | Noord-Kaap | 34 | 30 | Waterkloof | Noord-Kaap had a player who was later banned for 80-weeks sent off inside the 1st 10 minutes and still managed a home win |
@Ruggersake and Grasshopper: That game must rank as the most exciting game of school boy rugby I have ever seen!
It was as exciting and intense as you could get
@Djou: Djou didn’t Nellies play Transvalia at Transvalia.
I saw Nellies’s first team stayed over at the Affies hostel during the play-offs and final of Nu power series. Traveling long distances is a big disadvantage in SBR.
@Grasshopper: Valid point and all applicable to Kearsney to. A rematch would be a great spectical……also nice to have a spread of strength in KZN
@beet: Sure do both
@Wollas: Just show the difference in opinion. I expected Nellies to beat Garsies by an even bigger margin. It is that special 2011 u.16-team of Nellies now playing firsts – and as another blogger put it, when any team travel to Nelspruit from Pretoria (leave 3 a.m. in the morning and play three to four hours after arriving) chances of winning are slim. I think Affies know that very well having had to do that several times in the past. Must say, I was also surprised by Transvalia, who only just lost to Nellies, having also had to travel during the early hours of the morning and playing a couple of hours later.
@Ruggersake: That was then, early season. Now with 6 wins in a row Glenwood is a different kettle of fish, if there was a rematch even with the Doops I think it would be tight again. Remember Glenwood was in the lead with a minute to play….and it was at Kearsney….
@Ruggersake: Can I change your jersey to a one-stripe, even put the no.8 on it if you like
@Woltrui: That’s right it was definitely a surprise at the time. If fact I found it hard to believe. Should be on the list for that reason. In the context of where we are right now tho, Nelspruit are ranked very high up so it’s not going to make much sense to say they beat a team lower than them by a few points at home nogal.
Nelspruit’s win over a red hot Garsfontein in the Nu power was for me also a surprise.
Kearsney 26 Glenwood 25 without the Doops…the scorline not a true reflection on the game, Kearsney dominated and unlucky not to have scored 4 more
If 9 first-choice players out does not put a result into context (as well as having a minimum of 4 first-choice players out every game season to date), I suppose every Boland loss will be a surprise this year, and strangely by the same token, every win as well. Pffft.
@BOG: Boggie definitely Beet did not contact you before publishing this. It was for sure not only a surprise but a shock I presume.
I know that this has nothing to do with results but the biggest surprise is that Tjoppa very occasionally talks sense, and this question is not a good example.
@Tjoppa:
I had them 3rd to start and they have since dropped maybe 1 place on every ranking system available in SA.
I tried to look at the results from the perspective of was that a surprise. Affies and Kwaggas beating Grey was a possibility before kickoff. Also would not have helped my cause that one blog from March was headed are Outeniqua the best team in SA.
One result that has been overlooked and does deserve inclusion is Gimmies vs Kwaggas. The margin there was biggish but in terms of what happened on the field, it was a surprise to see Gim dominate in that fashion. I might have to make an adjustment for that game.
So Beet can we then say the “upsets” of Affies and Kwaggas whipping Grey Bloem was not an upset nor surprise? What do you predict for the rest of the season for Grey. As they seem to be one of your favourites regarding your Thumbsuck Rankings.
Ye agree nobody expected Queens to beat MC saw the game and have seen Queens play a total of 5 games this year they must be one of the teams going for the hot and cold award of the year. When they click there backline has no equal in SA this year but when the handling errors start they will lose to a 3rd tier team.
Saw there gmae against Affies as well and if i remember the final score was something like 27-13 or something but that messed up at least 5 definete tries if they had been on song what a turn that would have been.
Have watched Marlow 3 times this year and they are alot better than people give them due.