The NMI Toyota Noord-Suid tournament 2024 is set to be remembered for the surprise package team of tournament Jeppe defeating Grey College 22-19. Yet there plenty of very good match-ups and other teams who surprised with their match day performances.
Of the 23 matches, more than half were decided by two-scores or less. This is excellent considering that a number of other matches over this threshold, also produced valued entertainment and were perhaps closer than the final scores suggest. The two best examples are probably Jeppe going into halftime level with Boishaai before going down 45-19 and Monnas giving Paarl Gim plenty to think about in 38-21 defeat that raised several “if only” questions revolving around the Witbulle’s missed opportunities stemming from defensive lapses and composure on attack. However this was the general theme for the Noord in close matches.
No one really keeps count but of 23 matches, the “Suid” won 14 to the Noord’s 9. In the eight matches determined by one-score or less – the swing results – the “Suid” won six of these.
Included in those six victories were the following three high profile Top 10 ranking schools matches:
1. Garsfontein leading 36-24 with 66min played and then having to endure the heartache of Boishaai producing an amazing BMT comeback to sneak it 38-36 with a conversion after time was up.
2. Garsfontein going into the break at 10-10 and then slipping 23-10 behind in an unforced handling error-riddled showing and eventually losing 23-17 to Oakdale.
3. Affies in the game of the season to date, dominating forward exchanges and the match as a whole but somehow falling 27-11 behind at one stage in the second half before clawing their way back and ending the match at 30-25 where a much higher than expected percentage of it was played – in the Paul Roos red zone.
On the other end, one of the eagerly anticipated matches saw KES unable to find the defensive solutions to Grey College’s high tempo attacking play, resulting in a disappointing 51-16 outcome.
| DAY | NOORD | “SUID” | MARGIN | NORTH | “SUID” | ||
| DAY 1 | Helpmekaar | 19 | 20 | Voortrekker (Beth) | 1 | W | |
| DAY 4 | Noordheuwel | 33 | 32 | Duineveld | 1 | W | |
| DAY 3 | Garsfontein | 36 | 38 | HJS Paarl BH | 2 | W | |
| DAY 3 | Jeppe | 22 | 19 | Grey College | 3 | W | |
| DAY 3 | Nelspruit | 20 | 24 | Welkom Gim | 4 | W | |
| DAY 1 | Garsfontein | 19 | 24 | Oakdale | 5 | W | |
| DAY 2 | Affies | 25 | 30 | Paul Roos | 5 | W | |
| DAY 1 | Nelspruit | 27 | 34 | Drostdy | 7 | W | |
| DAY 2 | Waterkloof | 27 | 19 | Durbanville | 8 | W | |
| DAY 1 | EG Jansen | 36 | 26 | Welkom Gim | 10 | W | |
| DAY 2 | Noordheuwel | 27 | 17 | Stellenberg | 10 | W | |
| DAY 2 | Pretoria BH | 12 | 24 | Outeniqua | 12 | W | |
| DAY 2 | Monument | 21 | 38 | Paarl Gim | 17 | W | |
| DAY 3 | Helpmekaar | 22 | 41 | Oakdale | 19 | W | |
| DAY 4 | Menlopark | 17 | 37 | Outeniqua | 20 | W | |
| DAY 2 | Menlopark | 50 | 28 | Duineveld | 22 | W | |
| DAY 4 | Waterkloof | 24 | 47 | Paul Roos | 23 | W | |
| DAY 1 | Jeppe | 19 | 45 | HJS Paarl BH | 26 | W | |
| DAY 4 | Affies | 38 | 11 | Stellenberg | 27 | W | |
| DAY 4 | Monument | 48 | 21 | Durbanville | 27 | W | |
| DAY 3 | EG Jansen | 44 | 15 | Drostdy | 29 | W | |
| DAY 1 | KES | 16 | 51 | Grey College | 35 | W | |
| DAY 4 | Pretoria BH | 10 | 66 | Paarl Gim | 56 | W | |
| TOTAL | 368 | 9 | 14 |
Well done South! Especially the ‘Big Three’ PR/PG/PB…But I claim Grey being north of the Orange as spiritually and culturally north.
Thank you for accepting me Beet. Is the Gim/PBHS score correct? Have it as 75-10.
Beet, we need a weighted scoring system – Jeppe’s victory over Grey is worth 10 points on its own!
Knap gedaan Suide 💪🏻
HJS and Oakdale enhancing the Top5 status