April 2024
Paarl Boys’ High versus Paul Roos Gymnasium is one of the biggest schoolboy rugby rivalries in SA. Surprisingly it does not register nearly as high as it should on the leaderboard of top annual local derbies.
It has always been a big meaningful game. Then recently, pre-Covid, Boishaai developed the concept of an international schools rugby tournament, pioneered it and from under their noses lost the hosting rights to Paul Roos. This created tension and added some spice for a while.
So it is not a bitter rivalry. It’s not a grudge match. It’s a healthy one with an extra dimension. As a result both teams, their sectors of passionate old boys, dedicated staff members and other vested interest supporters want this win badly. Maybe not as much as winning their respective season ending derbies but probably a good bet for second place in each camp.
In 2022 Boishaai found their form as the season progressed and got a good 35-15 win against Paul Roos. A year later in a bit of an upset the Maroons completely turned the tables on a Boishaai team containing what felt like a record 11 provincial players that would go on to represent WP at Craven Week. The stunning 35-17 victory was a turning point for second year head coach Corne Uys at PRG. It transformed opinion of him from transition coach at a school notorious for chopping and changing head coaches to that of a mainstay who had earned the right to become long term like those HC’s at other national powerhouses. The rest of that 2023 campaign wasn’t a deal sealer though.
Compounded by the misery of the Paul Roos defeat, the struggles of Boishaai 2023 1st XV containing all those pedigree players also proved to be a reputation denting one for Sean Erasmus, once heralded as the best coach in schoolboy rugby before his departure for pro rugby in 2018.
Now heading into this high profile match, the two men in arguably the two most pressurised jobs in schoolboy rugby in 2024, once again find the perceptions surrounding them and their team’s chances altered. Paul Roos are the firm favourites in a destiny is calling type season. A radical changed approach to grade-8 recruitment five or so year back paved the way for this first in line of Maroon teams to challenge for national top honours, Ranked number one overall is something that eluded Paul Roos for a very long time. Needless to say expectations are huge and growing as they continue to deliver on their promise this year. As is the nature of this tough pro coaching occupation now, anything other than a win against Boishaai will raise question-marks about whether the direction Uys is moving the team in is really still pointing upwards.
Boishaai entered 2024 as one to make up the numbers in the Top 10 but no one spoke about them as an overall summit threat. An excellent start to the season helped lift their support base’s excitement of where their peak lied. However this was brought down several notches by an untimely defeat to Wynberg and a reminder that the Blue Train were not actually the team to watch when 2024 started. So they get to wear the much sort after underdog tag at Markotter Field now. But somehow this does not translate into reduced expectations of the coach or his team. As unreasonable as it may seem, the team simply has to perform or else the coach continues to lose merit points. The ability questions become tougher and the pressure continues to build.
This is not an easy industry to be part of, that is for sure. Unreasonable expectations and job instability. There are plenty of coaches who will testify to this.
On a brighter note, get ready to fasten your seat belts. Unbeaten Paul Roos against Paarl Boys’ High, playing their third highly ranked undefeated opponent in as many weeks. It is going to be a pulsating test match with attention to detail in most facets of play and strategies played out by two extremely good schoolboy teams coached by two extremely good coaches.
| TEAM | PAUL ROOS | TEAM | HJS PAARL BH | ||
| 1 | Oliver Reid | u18 | 1 | Bernard du Toit | u17 |
| 2 | Altus Rabe | u17 | 2 | Christiaan Grundling | u17 |
| 3 | Gerrit van Vuuren | u17 | 3 | Juan vd Merwe | u17 |
| 4 | Truspe Schoeman | u18 | 4 | Dian Smal | u18 |
| 5 | Jesse Stegehuis | u18 | 5 | Jayden Joubert | u17 |
| 6 | Gert Kemp | u17 | 6 | Anroux du Plessis | u18 |
| 7 | Riley Norton | u18 | 7 | Rubin Dames | u18 |
| 8 | Reuben Kruger | u18 | 8 | Douw Wessels | u18 |
| 9 | Adeeb Boraine | u18 | 9 | Keagan Smith | u19 |
| 10 | Joshua Dampies | u18 | 10 | Viaan Mentoor | u18 |
| 11 | Keenan Stoffels | u18 | 11 | Ashwin Swarts | u18 |
| 12 | Sam Badenhorst | u18 | 12 | Tristan Fransman | u18 |
| 13 | Matthew Kleyn | u17 | 13 | Tristan Joubert | u17 |
| 14 | Hugo Coetzee | u18 | 14 | Aiden Jacobs | u18 |
| 15 | Matthew Seymore | u18 | 15 | Francois vd Merwe | u17 |
| Coach | CORNE UYS | Coach | SEAN ERASMUS |
@Bungee (Comment #57)
Uitgevang. Almal maak foute, party net groter as ander. Ons gesels nou maar oor sokker (obviously nie HJS s’n nie).
@Bungee (Comment #57)
@Snelvuur (Comment #47)
Indien ek nou jou kommentaar reg lees, is ek reg as ek sê jy het ‘n broer in die blouskool? Wat is sy kommentaar na die game?
Die junior spanne van PRG was deur die bank goed Saterdag en die toekoms lyk Rooskleurig. Na my mening was die 1ste span se performance mixed en het hulle nie oortuig teen ‘n Boishaai span wat ook nie op hul beste was nie. Die PRG voorspelers was goed, veral die losvoorspelers, maar dinge het agterlangs gelol. Ek vermoed Samuel se besering kort voor rustyd het ‘n groot rol gespeel. PRG sal vinnig moet oorskakel na 5de rat indien hulle enige aspirasies het om Gim en Grey te klop.
@JongMatie (Comment #54)
Ek sal eerder se dis die lug wat hulle inasem.
@OomPB (Comment #53)
Ek weet nie of jy dalk gesien het hoe naby die tellings aan mekaar was nie.
Regdeur die bank.
Makroskool teen makroskool
Klas teen klas
Skolerugby uit die heel boonste rakke.
Ek sal geld daarop sit – die kwaliteit se oorsprong – wynlandwater.
@JongMatie (Comment #51)
As al jou ouderdomsgroepe sterk is , dan is dit n lang siklus.
Bere nog in hibernasie?
@PRondersteuner (Comment #50)
Die ding loop ook maar in siklusse..
@Snelvuur (Comment #47)
Baie waar wat jy sê. Toe Hein Kriek by PRG was, was dit ook so, maar net by 1ste span. Nou is dit by al die spanne.
@JongMatie (Comment #48)
Ek het self saterdag na die game gedink oor dit. In die verlede was dit HJS en Gim wat PRG gewurg het met hul spel patroon. Die wiel het nou gedraai. PRG speel nie meer daai wilde hardloop rugby nie maar fase op fase en beheer meer die besitting. Dit kan werk teen Grey wat se pak lig lyk maar kan sukkel teen Gim wat ook n goeie pak het. Daai wen teen Affies was net die regte medisyne.
@Snelvuur (Comment #47)
Stellenbosch water.
@PRondersteuner (Comment #46)
Wat my die meeste beïndruk van al PRG se A-spanne hierdie jaar, maar veral van die eerstespan, is dat hulle lelik kan wen. Ek dink nie hulle het een wedstryd al fantasties gespeel nie, maar hulle het reeds vir Affies (in ‘n elektriese atmosfeer voor ‘n partisan skare) in Pretoria en vir HJS gewen. Daar was elke rede hoekom PRG die wedstryd teen Affies moes verloor, maar het dit by hook or by crook deurgetrek. PRG het selfs in die maer jare talentvolle spelers gehad, maar het nie altyd geweet hoe om te wen nie. Dit voel asof hulle dit nou goed weet.
@Snelvuur (Comment #33)
Voor Covid sou PRG baie gelukkig wees as hulle 5 uit 29 wedstryde wen. Corné maak ‘n groot verskil met sy strukture en beplanning. Well done aan al die coaches en spelers. Ek is seker HJS sal volgende jaar hard terugkom.
In my beskeie opinie is PRG nog nie afgeronde span wat hulle kan wees nie. HJS se verdediging was uitstekend, maar oor 2 weke is dit Gim in Paarl en dit kan ‘n harde een wees. Veral in die lynstane sal PRG moet begin regkom. Weereens te veel wat daar verloor was.
@JongMatie (Comment #44)
Behoort in te stap in the WP CW span.
@Deon (Comment #43)
Ek beweeg naby aan die skool so ja, dit is die naam wat ons vir daardie blitsige vleuel van ons gedoop het.
aka Stoffels..
Maak skade.
@JongMatie (Comment #42)
Môre. Wat is Twinkle Toes?
Ons doen die praatwerk op die veld.
2 3 Maroon Masjien.
2 3 Jolla Bolla.
2 3 Wynlandwater.
2 3 AF Markotter.
2 3 Twinkle Toes.
Gedog Jong Matie sou al ingeloer het.
ja geluk aan PRG -welverdiende wen- al die wedstryde was kompeterend en in goeie gees gespeel
@Strepie (Comment #38)
PRG se strukture is gesond. Dit vat harde werk, krediet aan Corne.
Nou ja, Baie geluk Paul Roos met n welverdiende oorwinning.
In my boeke het Boishaai puik verdedig, Paul Roos eenvoudig net te goed!
Boishaai het n swaar dag in Stellenbosch beleef, slegs 8 uit 29 wedstryde gewen..
Verlig dat daar geen ernstige beserings was nie.
Koppe op manne!
Slow poison by Paul Roos today. Boishaai just could not/were not allowed to get into their stride today. At 17-10, Boishaai came up with this excellent passage. Found width on the right. Brought in back to the left from breakdowns inside the 22. At 5m out got pinged for holding. If they got 7-points there it might have been a big momentum swinger. Otherwise Paul Roos were composed, trusted the plan and had the confidence as in each other. It felt like they had a good measure of control. Their forwards were good. Hard to fault their backrow. PRG scrumhalf had a bit of an up and down time but overall he was a net positive player.
I still think PRG should play Stoffels at 15. He is electric with a bit of real estate in front of him.
@Snelvuur (Comment #33)
Dis uitstekend. Vir jare was dit net dalk die eerstes
Knap gedaan beide PRG en HJS en ek is bly ek lees niks van beserings nie. Ek is aangenaam verras want by my was daar geen twyfel HJS sou ons wen nie.Nog baie hekkies wat op PRG wag en volgende jaar is HJS terug. Sal aanhou loer wanneer ek kan net om te lag oor JongMatie se menings.
@OomPB (Comment #30)
Dankie Oom.
Briljante dag vir PRG vandag. o14A, o15A, o16A en Eerstespan gewen. Bitter taai, old school wynland rugby vandag. Baie dankie aan ons gaste van die Pêrel wat altyd strawwe, begeesterde en goedgeestige kompetisie bring.
Geluk Paul Roos. In full transparency I believed deep down we going to pull a surprise but it was not meant to be.
Baie geluk PR en supporters…was altyd op die kaarte vir n PR wen maar mens kon altyd net hoop. BH was nooit regtig in die game nie en PR alles beheer. Gelukkig is daar weer n volgende jaar!
25-10 PRG
Wanneer die wedstryd oor is pos asseblief die score enige-iemand. Ek weet beet pos dit nogal gou maar …….Dankie by voorbaat
@JongMatie (Comment #6)
So far, so good.
@Trots HJS (Tandem) (Comment #25)
Jy speel nie vir Boishaai 1st team as jy nie goed genoeg is nie ,en om op 16 daai span te haal beteken jy is damm goed….
“Schoolboy Titans on Collision Course in Cape Winelands” *Rugby 365
Four of the best schools teams on planet earth colliding within metres of each other today…Geography teachers predict earth tremors or worse.
@Kaya 85 (Comment #24)
Impossible to predict. Tight 5 very young with 4 grade 11’s. I think there are 5 boys who are still 16 years old in the team. That is however no excuse as they represent the first team of Paarl Boys High. I believe it will be a jam packed stadium so it will be a high pressure game. How blessed are we not in SA to see games of this caliber and the Paarl Gym vs Grey game a few kilometers away.
@PRondersteuner (Comment #17)
I don’t know how old exactly the forwards are, but I sat in the 2nd row at one of
BoysHigh’s games a few weeks ago and they ain’t small, they ain’t small at all…even the four reserve forwards were very large units by almost any standard except previous HJS teams, or Affies maybe…OK Monnas this year. Having said that, the Paul Roos game I saw v Affies, they were steely hard and physical, mentally strong, ‘wild dogs mentality’ …and then the skills to back it up.
So my feeling is that PR could win a close one..but there are always so many different dynamics at play and someone could just bring big X factor on the day…
@Deon (Comment #22)
Wonder of die skeidsregter weer die belangrikste speler op die veld gaan wil wees en of ons weer hordes penalties gaan sien,soos met Noord Suid.
Weereens, Boishaai met 5 minimum.
My hoop is egter dat dat geen beserings is in die eerste plek, tweedens dat PRG nie oorgerus is nie en dat die weer hou en dit skouspelagtig is.
@OomPB (Comment #20)
Een ding waaroor ons Maroon manne nie kan stry nie – Boishaai is so ver voor met wenne, dit is tyd dat ons n slag bietjie inhaal..
Boishaai het PRG genoeg gedomineer in die verlede om hulle enigsens te onderskat. Dit gaan n taaie wees.
@Snelvuur (Comment #18)
After watching last week’s match, I think the Bois high flyhalf is either carrying an injury or he’s not the best defender. Basically everytime on defence he drops back into a fullback role. The Berg flyhalf exposed him in this role with one of the big up & unders that were put on him that he totally misjudged & the Berg winger picked up & scored. Not seen him run with the ball so I can’t comment on that but his distribution & kicking out of hand are good. His goalkicking & drop kicking from the restarts were poor. Missed 4 conversions & 2 restarts kicked directly into touch. Hopefully he sorts that part of his game out moving forward.
@PRondersteuner (Comment #17)
Stem! HJS se losskakel is ook topklas. Hy het laas naweek ‘n af wedstryd gehad (soos maar met enigiemand van tyd tot tyd gebeur), maar as hy die wiele aan die rol kry in daai agterlyn kan hulle groot skade maak. Beide hulle vleuels is puik.
Môre almal. Sterkte vir al die skole se rugbyspanne vir 2024.
Daar bestaan nie so iets soos ‘n swak of selfs middelmatige of “swakker as verlede jaar” HJS rugbyspan nie. Nog meer ‘n 1ste span. Hulle is miskien jonk en lig voor, maar was hulle nie verlede jaar ook nie? Gim het baie groot geskrik met interskole. Dit gaan baie naby wees by al die spanne. PRG was maar baie “undercooked” nog hierdie seisoen, behalwe vir die laaste 20 min verlede week.
Sterkte vir al die spanne.
@Snelvuur (Comment #15)
ja en elke game gaan naby wees- dink egter by eerste spanne- prg bietjie sterk voor- maar wie weet-2 like minded skole teen mekaar
Fantastiese dag van rugby wat wag môre. 29 wedstryde oor die ouderdomsgroepe: o14A-G, o15A-F, o16A-F en o19A-J.
@Trots HJS (Tandem) (Comment #13)
Niemand kan so ‘n koos wees in die regte lewe nie.
@JongMatie (Comment #6)
Jou voorspelling is aan die konserwatiewe kant dankie! Het vandag met paar Maroon manne gepraat wat gepraat het van ‘n rekord wen met 30 plus !
@Rainier (Comment #8)Ek dink jy is verkeerd
Sterkte aan HJS met die naweek se sport teen PRG.
Dit is n styl bult – maar oorkombaar.
Gee jul bes, los als op die veld! Maak ons manne trots.
Mag die sport in n goeie gees gespeel word en mag daar ook geen ernstige beserings wees nie.
ETFG.
@JongMatie (Comment #6)
So het Jorenzo uiteindelik herstel van sy beserings…..
@Rainier (Comment #8)
100%
@OUD ANKER (Comment #7)
Ek is seker dat, soos in die verlede, JM ‘n doppelganger persoonlikheid is en net bestaan om die res van ons te irriteer. Ignoreer hom/haar/dit.
@JongMatie (Comment #6)
En jy kan by jou lys byvoeg en miskien moet jy dit heel bo inlas:
Uiters arrogante ondersteuners (net sekere van ons)
Paul Roos gemaklik met so 20 tot 25 punte.
Uitgerus
Uitgehonger
Geen beserings
Great werwing
Great strukture
Great coaching
Great fasiliteite
Tuis game
Wynland water
Geen beker op die spel nie.
Makroskool rugby op sy heel heel beste.
@Snelvuur (Comment #4)
Sien nou PRG net 5/16 wedstryde tuis – gelukkig is Oakdale eers na vakansie. Daai is rof!
@Kantman (Comment #1)
Ek dink Gim se skedule is nicer – die enigste groot wedstryd wat hulle weg van die huis af gespeel het was Affies. Landbou, PRG en Grey tuis, met HJS op Faure (soos altyd). Die toughste deel van die seisoen is om Affies en Grey back to back te speel. Ek is maar nervous vir PRG se trippie Paarl toe. Net so vir PRG se wedstryd in Riversdal.
@Trots HJS (Tandem) (Comment #2)
Sheesh, not sure about “overwhelming favourites”! Think it will be a pretty tightly contested game. If BHS’ kicker kicked any better vs Wynberg (any better than 1/5), BHS would have won that game. I suspect the kicker might be the difference on the day again. PRG hasn’t managed to string together a full game of 70 minutes this season – mostly playing one good half per game, and their discipline has been poor. If BHS can capitalise on those errors, there is no reason why they can’t win.
It will be a cracker of a game with Paul Roos the overwhelming favourites with some game changers in their team and a very strong pack and playing at home. Saying that , our young team will give their all for the school and at the end it remains a game and a step in their educational journey.
Paul Roos probably has the best planned (handed?) season of all the Top5 teams – right number of games, not playing top opponents on consecutive weekends, nice balance of home/away, and Grey at home.
They have good depth in the forwards and face a youthful HJS pack at home. Add some exciting backs and that rightfully makes them firm favorites.
But HJS has the fight, some future stars and do not care about reputations or playing in Stellenbosch.
Massive game – it will not be over until the fat lady sings.