Update: Reliable Paarl Gim scrumhalf Melt Viljoen, who is one of the surprise package players of 2024 due to his standout form, broke his arm at WP trials. A massive blow for Gim!
Affies Eagan Roux, the hardworking livewire left wing is still on a 21-day concussion protocol.
Paul Roos welcomes back Malan Erasmus who is expected to be a difficult customer at the breakdowns and their frontrow gets boosed by injury free Henry du Plessis at tighthead.
Riveting sporting spectacles is a good way to describe Saturday 18-May 2024. South African schoolboy rugby’s top four 1st XV’s for the season face off in what promises to be two invigorating games.
Affies vs Grey College op Die Plaas
Paarl Gim vs Paul Roos on the Jan Kriel Field
It is expected to be a battle of physical, mental, strategic, team and individual abilities.
Affies the power-foward pack,
Grey the explosive tempo,
Gim the intense tsunami,
Paul Roos the precision strike.
Some of the questions to be answered are:
How will the Affies backline perform? While their forwards have produced near-perfect performances, their line lack the same consistency on attack and now face Grey’s twin midfield threat.
What does Grey do to destabilise the Affies pack in the setpieces and the tight loose?
What does Gim do to neutralise the Maroon Triad Titans? Paul Roos’ three destructive loose-forwards seem to have it all their own way week-in, week-out.
How do Paul Roos plan to contend with Gim’s chaos creators in midfield?
Here are the rankings permutations based on four scenarios of close results of the two matches to be played on 18 May 2024:
| SCENARIO | NOW | WAS | SCHOOL | REG | P | W | D | L | AVG |
| W | 1 | 2 | Paarl Gim | WP | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4.76 |
| L | 2 | 1 | Paul Roos | WP | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 4.70 |
| W | 3 | 4 | Grey College | FS | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4.65 |
| L | 4 | 3 | Affies | BUL | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4.55 |
| SCENARIO | NOW | WAS | SCHOOL | REG | P | W | D | L | AVG |
| W | 1 | 1 | Paul Roos | WP | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4.84 |
| W | 2 | 4 | Grey College | FS | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4.65 |
| L | 3 | 2 | Paarl Gim | WP | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 4.64 |
| L | 4 | 3 | Affies | BUL | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4.55 |
| SCENARIO | NOW | WAS | SCHOOL | REG | P | W | D | L | AVG |
| W | 1 | 2 | Paarl Gim | WP | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 4.76 |
| W | 2 | 3 | Affies | BUL | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4.71 |
| L | 3 | 1 | Paul Roos | WP | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 4.70 |
| L | 4 | 4 | Grey College | FS | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 4.52 |
| SCENARIO | NOW | WAS | SCHOOL | REG | P | W | D | L | AVG |
| W | 1 | 1 | Paul Roos | WP | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4.84 |
| W | 2 | 3 | Affies | BUL | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 4.71 |
| L | 3 | 2 | Paarl Gim | WP | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 4.64 |
| L | 4 | 4 | Grey College | FS | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 4.52 |
| TEAM | AFFIES | TEAM | GREY COLLEGE | ||
| 1 | Werner Vrey | u18 | 1 | Dian Venter | u18 |
| 2 | Ethan van Dyk | u18 | 2 | Liam van Wyk | u18 |
| 3 | Ruan Smuts | u18 | 3 | Danie Kruger | u18 |
| 4 | Muntingh Hamman | u18 | 4 | Heinrich Theron | u18 |
| 5 | JD Hattingh | u18 | 5 | AJ Meyer | u17 |
| 6 | Stephan McDonald | u18 | 6 | Xander Smit | u17 |
| 7 | Albert Smit | u17 | 7 | Juliun Cosmo | u18 |
| 8 | Ruan Lippold | u18 | 8 | Liam Santos | u18 |
| 9 | Zirk Meyer | 9 | Philip McLaren | u18 | |
| 10 | Ruben Pienaar | u18 | 10 | Alzeadon Felix | u18 |
| 11 | Hugo Snyman | u17 | 11 | Ruben Cilliers | u18 |
| 12 | Janco Purchase | u18 | 12 | Pieter vd Merwe | u18 |
| 13 | Hendre Schoeman | u18 | 13 | Ethan Adams | u17 |
| 14 | Rikus Strydom | 14 | Pretorius Ekeji | u18 | |
| 15 | Ruben Groenewald | u17 | 15 | Heinz Stockenstrom | u18 |
| Coach | RUAN JACOBS | Coach | JANNIE GELDENHUYS | ||
| TEAM | PAARL GIM | TEAM | PAUL ROOS | ||
| 1 | JJ du Preez | u18 | 1 | Oliver Reid | u18 |
| 2 | Dawie Stemmet | u18 | 2 | Altus Rabe | u17 |
| 3 | Ely Williams | u18 | 3 | Henry du Plessis | u18 |
| 4 | Quintin Potgieter | u17 | 4 | Truspe Schoeman | u18 |
| 5 | Marinus Darling | u18 | 5 | Riley Norton | u18 |
| 6 | Jan Koegelenberg | u18 | 6 | Malan Erasmus | u18 |
| 7 | Wihan Kotze | u18 | 7 | Gert Kemp | u17 |
| 8 | Nicolas Nel | u18 | 8 | Reuben Kruger | u18 |
| 9 | Sebastiaan Ackermann | 9 | Adeeb Boraine | u18 | |
| 10 | Chandler Green | u18 | 10 | Joshua Dampies | u18 |
| 11 | Markus Moolman | u18 | 11 | Keenan Stoffels | u18 |
| 12 | Kobus Blanckenberg | u18 | 12 | Sam Badenhorst | u18 |
| 13 | Markus Muller | u17 | 13 | Matthew Kleyn | u17 |
| 14 | Freek de Kock | u18 | 14 | Hugo Coetzee | u18 |
| 15 | Josh o’Neill | u18 | 15 | Matthew Seymore | u18 |
| Coach | PIETER ROSSOUW | Coach | CORNE UYS |
@beet (Comment #8)
I think the fact that both teams played WP trials on Wednesday had a massive effect. The commentators remarked that the players looked flat (which I thought was a little unfair), but there was less intensity than expected – probably just because the guys were knackered from midweek. A few PRG guys also carried niggles from those trials. Badenhorst has to be in the running for WP 12. On his return from injury he put in another massive shift. Reid is outstanding – definitely the best ball-carrying loosehead in the country, and a strong scrummager too. Has to be in SA Schools contention, and I predict a very bright (perhaps green) future for him. Also agreed about Andries Strauss – it was very irritating to me that he kept emphasising how poor PRG was playing when, in fact, they were leading at the time! The upset comment was the cherry on top. The tweaking of the loose trio was interesting – this is the loose trio they started the season with before Erasmus’ injury. I like Erasmus as a player, but Norton simply has to play 7. He is far more influential there. With Kruger’s injury (and depending on its severity), we could possibly see Kemp at 8 with Norton 7 and Erasmus 6. There is good depth at lock: Stegehuis has done nothing to be left out, Schoeman’s work rate is off the charts and Holwill had a very good game for the Bituas, and made an impact when he came on.
@beet (Comment #9)
The PRG Championships?! In your heeeeeeead, in your heeeeeead, as the Irish would say! I agree with your sentiments though. You could really make the argument that Affies could and should be unbeaten at this stage. Slightly more composure and they beat PRG by 10. Had a kick to win the game against Gim and missed. (By the way, I am firmly of the view that they should have been awarded a last minute penalty against Gim – Gim’s coach clearly whispered and pointed to Gim’s kicker to kick the ball away from the posts (from the last penalty they kicked at goal) so that he kicks it dead to end the game. The rules require that a kick at the posts must be a genuine attempt at goal.) Lost in the last minute vs Grey. They are the season’s nearly men. They should win the rest of their games comfortably (the big test will be against Waterkloof). At the end of the season they will probably think about what could have been, if they are not doing so already.
I would hate to be a medium term Affies supporter because it feels like there is so much deja vu at the final whistle in big games. When the game is close, Affies are narrow losers always. Karma is like Haley’s Comet for them. It comes around every 88 games.
Flyhalf Ruben Pienaar lands the most incredible outside angle long range penalty to take the lead at 27-24 with very little time left. Grey then produce a textbook contestable kickoff – it was literally like getting a hole-in-one at the PRG Championships, it was so perfect. They win the ball back and I could have sworn that their forwards had trained their whole 12-year school careers to produce the BMT composure that followed. Systematic pick, drive with maximum effect. Cool, calm, collected to finish off the game.
Grey were 16-0 down at one stage with Affies looking good then just before and after halftime they got right. Super battle. Super crowd. Great advert.
I didn’t enjoy the Gim vs PRG game as much as I thought I would.
It was a chess match in strategies but not too much flowed or produced continuity. Unforced errors were higher than expected.
Before kickoff I felt the Gim pack were going to have to dig deep against a superior outfit and they did. No shortage of character there. But the Gim backs were not difference makers.
Cobus B hasn’t been the same influential player ever since his return from injury and Markus Muller who was equally brilliant at 12 while Cobus was away isn’t clicking either since WK. It felt like Sam Badenhorst made more metres with the ball than both Gim centres together. Melt Viljoen was missed and Manie Prinsloo who is capable of producing highlight reel plays is nowhere to be seen now.
It wasn’t Andries Strauss’ best game in the commentary box, especially when he suggested that Gim beating PRG would be the biggest upset of the season. Gosh! Before kickoff who was putting big money on either team to win? You don’t have to know about Jeppe, Milnerton is just around the corner.
But where I think he posed a good question is why tweak that PRG loose forward trio. They have been unstoppable. Riley Norton definitely looks the part as a 7. Ollie Reid was great again. The halfbacks of Roos had a part to play. Josh Dampies was pivotal while Chandler Green was quiet. Adeeb Boraine asked questions.
No getting away from it, the win was a big deal which ever way it came. Paul Roos still has destiny in their own hands. They cannot drop their guard with a few credible opponents to come but if they get to the last match of the season unbeaten, they should finish in first place irrespective of that result.
It will also be interesting to watch the games of the other age groups. Should be very close for most of those 6 games.
@JeppeZimD (Comment #1)
@OomPB (Comment #2)
Agree, but it’s going to be close
@Snelvuur (Comment #4)
5.5 for a win
4.0 for a close loss
PRG starts on 43.0 aggregate points (43.0 ÷ 9 = 4.78)
AHS starts on 41.6 aggregate points (41.5 ÷ 9 = 4.61)
PRG ends on 43.0 + 4.0 = 47.0 (47.0 ÷ 10 = 4.70)
AHS ends on 41.5 + 5.5 = 47.1 (47.1 ÷ 10 = 4.71)
Hoe werk die formule dat PRG van 1 na 3 kan val as hulle teen Gim verloor en Affies wen? PRG het dan een wedstryd verloor (teen Gim) terwyl Affies twee verloor het (teen PRG en Gim). In daardie hipotese sou Affies een van die top 4 (Grey, in 4de posisie) geklop het, en twee verloor het (dws ‘n success rate van 33% in die groot games), terwyl PRG een gewen en een verloor het (success rate van 50%). Ek weet die verskil tussen die twee spanne op daardie hipotese is marginal, maar dit maak vir my glad nie sin nie.
@OomPB (Comment #2)
Grey is ALTYD die gunsteling, home of away.
GROOT naweek. Tuisveld spanne die gunstelinge.
Grey will win….
Paarl Gym will also win….