Grey College will head into their traditional season ending interschool against Paul Roos minus six of their best players, who will be on national duty for the South Africa under-18 team.The following Grey players:
1. Ranon Fouche
3. Jean Erasmus
5. Marno Stopforth
8. JJ Theron
9. Christiaan van der Westhuizen
10. Ian van der Merwe
will all miss the clash in Bloemfontein on Saturday, 19 August 2023.
This is a norm for this fixture.
The question remains should the schools move the match or should SARU’s schools body try to be more accommodating by delaying the international series by a couple of weeks?
As a neutral, I’m pleased that GCB 1st XV won today & finished the season unbeaten. They have been outstanding this season & are worthy of their No 1 status. To beat PRG with 6 top players out is very impressive. I’m aware that PRG were also missing players but not as many. At least there will be no “hard luck” stories as there would have been had GCB lost. I know that people say you shouldn’t make excuses but if most schools lose their 2 best players they are seriously hampered – so losing 6 is a massive handicap. I’m glad we are not having this debate…..
Goed gedoen Grey – lekker diepte by o.19’s!
Eks bekommerd oor Smallies se stilte. Stilte voor die storm.
I saw a vid of the 18 buses leaving Stellenbosch at 4am this morning and heading to the Gariep Dam (old HV Dam).
There is quite a cost involved and to think Grey College make these sort of trips several times every rugby season.
Lekker baie sport die naweek
@Bush: 😂
Will the GCB 1st team that takes the field play in their traditional jersey? Or the Province Jersey they used in the SB World Festival
Meestal Stellenberg se seuns.
@PRondersteuner: Waar kan ons die span sien?
@OomPB: Dis jammer hy moes onttrek. Ek sien die WP XV is bekend gemaak. Net spelers van skole wat reeds klaar is, is gekies
@PRondersteuner: Fuller moes onttrek.
@PRondersteuner: PRG het already helped nodig vir saterdag. Ongelukkig speel Landbou ook interskole
I am gonna call the 1st Team game for Grey, with u16 going to PRG.
@OomPB: Ek het iewers gelees dat dit meestal Paarl Gim en Boishaai spelers in die WP XV is. Ek het egter nog glad nie gesien hoe die squad lyk nie.
@PRondersteuner: miskien vir die WP XV?
I saw yesterday that PRG will also lose 1 player to SA u18. Riley Norton has been called up. I am not sure which player withdrew.
@Gold: I don’t think that game will happen this year. After the original date, all the games were postponed. After last week’s rescheduled date, it is now cancelled. It is very unfortunate.
@Kaya 85: Apparently, SA Schools and SA Academy are selected exclusively from Craven week.
SA U18 include players who may not have been part of Craven week or were not considered for SA Schools and who were not part of the SA Schools vs SA Academy game (e.g involved in Sevens, or were injured).
@Snelvuur: Ek verstaan 100% ! Ek ondersteun ook jou denke . Die ding is egter dat SA Rugby nooit hul planne sal verander nie so die situasie gaan nou elke jaar herhaal word. Die verloorders is die seuns wat iets spesiaal gaan mis.
@Kaya 85: basically its the same thing
@PRondersteuner: Do you have any idea of the Paul Roos v Wynberg game will be rescheduled again? The taxi strike ensured the Tuesday afternoon fixture didn’t happen this week … and I think it would be a real shame to lose that game this year
If you know, can someone please explain the difference between the South African Schools team and the SA u18 team?
How many players access the SA u18 team from another pathway?
Is there another pathway, …?
@Trots HJS (Tandem): Hierdie is die tradisionele tyd wanneer dit gespeel word – sodat die seisoen eindig met hierdie wedstryd. Na die herrie wat laasjaar in die Paarl afgespeel het oor daardie interskole een week vroeër gespeel moes word (vanweë Faurestraat se onbeskikbaarheid), sal ek raai dat jull begrip sal hê vir waarom skole sekere wedstryde op sekere tye wil hê.
Dit sal antiklimaties wees om jou groot interskole een week te speel en dan, byvoorbeeld, Wynberg die volgende week.
@Gold: I hope they only select Paarl Gim and Boishaai players. Those two are finished for the year.
PRG will need a full strength team for Grey this year. Even without those six players, they are still a very, very good team.
Hierdie situasie gebeur elke jaar. Die SA skole span gaan elke jaar hierdie tyd bymekaar kom. Hierdie twee skole sal tog elke jaar SA skole spelers hê ? Hierdie wedstryd behoort met vol sterkte spanne gespeel te word. Hoekom kan hierdie wedstryd nie vroeër die jaar gespeel word nie ? Selfs een week vroeër speel sal hierdie teleurstelling voorkom.
@Smallies: Dit is ook waar ja!
@Smallies: Ek is bevrees jy kan reg wees. Dan maar aanvaar dat hierdie interskole altyd sonder ‘n paar staatmakers gaan wees. Sien uit na die game, veral die stryd tussen die 12’s.
@OUD ANKER: dink dis moeilik om daai game te skuif ,dis sekerlik een van die drie grootste interskole games in die land en geniet n groot tv kykerstal ,kontrakte is waarskynlik vir n paar jaar vooruit al geteken …..
Does anyone who where to see the WP U18 XV squad that will also be playing England and France? Perhaps Paul Roos will loose a few to that team?
@Smallies: Ek hoor wat jy sê, maar as jy wen of verloor moet ‘n “ja maar” kaart nie eers ter sprake wees nie, ek dink net nie SARU sal OOIT budge nie en is dit dat dalk net beter vir die geloofwaardigheid van so groot game dat die skole dan maar budge.
@OUD ANKER: ek dink nie Grey het al ooit die ja maar kaart gespeel nie ,meer die ons jol met wat ons het en laat die kaarte val waar hulle val kaart…
@Kantman: Ek stem saam, SARU sal nie compromise nie, so ek sê ook wees die minste en skuif die fixture, want soos met die huidige datum en spelers (gewoonlik die top spelers van die betrokke skole) gaan die wedstryd uitslag se geloofwaardigheid altyd effens in gedrang wees in terme van “ja maar ons het verloor, omdat soveel en soveel van ons spelers nie beskikbaar was nie”
@PRondersteuner: If after 10 years SARU has not moved, then my point is they are probably never going to.
Ek her al baie gese saru wil net die room skep maar is nie bereid om enigsins bietjie op te offer van hulle kant af nie ,hule gee eenvoudig nie om nie ,ek het ook al baie gese ons skole moet saru ditch en hulle eie skole rugby beheerligaam skep wat uit skole bestaan en na skole belange omsien ,F2xk saru
Losing both props and 9/10 will be tough – its going to be a great match.
isnt it 19 August?
Reply from Beet: Thank you. Fixed
Not good, for a schoolboy their last game is important and especially a derby like this. The players should be released to play it, strength vs strength.
Agree, it is a crying shame that SARU thinks it can dictate to schools. It’s not pro teams and by taking sa schools players out of this derby both schools are disadvantaged and that is unfair. On the other hand, most players already have contracts for next year, so the players when asked would most certainly say they would rather play their last schoolboy game than playing for SARU.
@Kantman: This was and will always be traditionally the last game of the year for both schools. Just like all other interschools games played in August. Paarl Gim vs Boishaai, Boland Landbou vs Oakdale, etc. Why should the schools change?
@Snelvuur: I have been saying this for more than 10 years, but SASRA just refuse to listen. Believe me, both schools have tried and threatened to withdraw their players from the SA u18 team. Last year both schools’ SA u18 players were next to the field watching the game. One PRG boy was a waterboy. Really ridiculous.
Change the fixture date, that is what the schools have control over. How long have Grey played PRG in the current format?
Very frustrating for both schools. Personally, I think SA Rugby can just shift the SA u18 fixtures on a week or two – PRG and Grey aren’t the only schools playing on that weekend (only those most often affected).
There is no time pressure to have the SA u18 fixtures on that weekend. Not sure why it cannot be shifted on.