Wynberg on the Markotter
After that brilliant unbeaten start which included beating Paarl Boys’, the Wynberg star has faded quite a bit, and to the extent that they are considered the biggest underdogs of the Southern Suburbs big four who will be in action in the Winelands this weekend. The 32-10 defeat to Boland Landbou looks particularly bad, however two late scores pushed that result up from 18-10, a scoreline which told a better story of their competitiveness. They missed players in the frontrow and at scrumhalf who will be back for this Paul Roos match. Even though the Hawthornden Field surface was not great, one has to feel that Berg lacked a much needed level of accuracy in the execution particularly passing and kicking-out-of-hand. Far higher levels of precision are required on Markotter. Ideally the visitors need to stem the tide with regards to points conceded but if The Maroons, the number one team in the land, continue in the same vein of rich form, Wynberg may need to engage in a high scoring shootout to stay in contention. Whether or not they can do this is in doubt. It would require them to turn over a new leaf in terms of diversity in their play.
For Paul Roos one expects more of the same. It will have to be achieved without backrow standouts Reuben Kruger and Gert Kemp though. The two have been a big part of the systematic destruction of opponent D-lines and they don’t seem to be shy when it comes to getting their names on the scoresheets or shortlists for MotM. Berg have no issues here as big rated blindside Aden da Costa and lively No.8 Torren February are fit and can both add significant shape to the go-forward play.
Rondebosch on Brugstraat
This will hopefully turn out to be one of the matches of the day in the whole country. Rondebosch made a bit of history in 2022 by winning on Brugstraat for the first time since 1997. This year they have put Wynberg away at Wynberg and played reasonably well against Paarl Gim at home. Form wise they are more than decent heading to Paarl. Importantly they have size and power too. It might be a case of how good their depth is. This time of the year is hectic. Big interschools games on weekends and energy-sapping physically demanding midweek Craven Week trials. Attrition and injuries have an influence on results.
One known fact is that Boishaai usually have more depth. Also this season is a bit different to 2022 in the sense that Boishaai had played badly that year and lost to Bosch. This appeared to be a wake up call. They pulled themselves together and achieved good results after that. In Bloem in 2022, the Grey may have ended in defeat but they played some inspiring rugby up there. No doubt the highlight of that campaign was winning the 2022 Paarl Interskole. This year they’ve been to Grey and played some good rugby in Bloem once again. So Boishaai come into this Bosch game with the confidence of knowing what they can achieve on the field. They are a young HJS side though, so maybe still room to grow and be thrown off track. Coach Erasmus is sticking with the same starting line-up that ran on versus Grey. One of the things observers will be looking for is more signs of the new Boishaai signature playing patterns that are being implemented across all their age-groups.
SACS on Perdeberg
SACS has not beaten Boland Landbou in a while, home or away (2017). That said, their last two trips to Paardeberg were not too bad. In 2021 they came close. BL is a bit of a moody team as well. Catch them in a bad mood like Wynberg and Maritzburg College did and it is hard to keep up with their twin-threat up front and using width when they sense the urgency and execute in line with it. The Farmers can also be very friendly and accommodating, doing things like keeping an opponent in the game or offering up cheap points. The big question might be is the team going to take a step up in consistency now that new head coach Schoeman du Preez has the reins? Apart from a balanced starting XV, BL has a really good bench to call on now. They have this deceiving look of a ball-carrying team built for the wet weather. In truth they have a sophisticated kicking game and appreciate quick hands when its on out wide. You won’t find too many better 9’s in SA than BL’s u17 halfback Jayden Brits. So his matchup with fit again flashy Seth Bradford of SACS will hopefully be a highlight. The SACS line is close to full strength with only wing Quewinn Lackay missing the chance to test his mettle against big BL wing Enslin Claassen. In the forwards SACS are without flank Tashriq Bailey, who has impressed since being offered a debut against Paarl Gim. In this department lookout for underrated Hans Verster of BL.
| TEAM | PAUL ROOS | TEAM | WYNBERG | ||
| 1 | Oliver Reid | u18 | 1 | Luqobo Makwedini | u18 |
| 2 | Altus Rabe | u17 | 2 | Xabiso Mkiva | |
| 3 | Hendry Du Plessis | 3 | Benjamin Matthews | ||
| 4 | Truspe Schoeman | u18 | 4 | Jaythen Orange | u18 |
| 5 | Jesse Stegehuis | u18 | 5 | Tjeripo Karuhumba | u18 |
| 6 | Malan Erasmus | u18 | 6 | Jamie Stride | u17 |
| 7 | Riley Norton | u18 | 7 | Adan da Costa | u18 |
| 8 | Christiaan Kolbe | 8 | Torren February | u18 | |
| 9 | Adeeb Boraine | u18 | 9 | Tyrone Gombe | u18 |
| 10 | Joshua Dampies | u18 | 10 | Yaqeen Ahmed | u18 |
| 11 | Keenan Stoffels | u18 | 11 | Levi Brown | u18 |
| 12 | Sam Badenhorst | u18 | 12 | Brandon Ashburner | u18 |
| 13 | Matthew Kleyn | u17 | 13 | Ezra Antonio | |
| 14 | Hugo Coetzee | u18 | 14 | Albert Lourens | |
| 15 | Matthew Seymore | u18 | 15 | Morne Noble | u17 |
| Coach | CORNE UYS | Coach | JUSTIN VAN WINKEL | ||
| TEAM | HJS PAARL BH | TEAM | RONDEBOSCH | ||
| 1 | Jordan Jooste | u17 | 1 | Luke Pretorius | u18 |
| 2 | Christiaan Grundling | u17 | 2 | Justin Amos | u19 |
| 3 | Cruz Davey | u17 | 3 | Matthew vd Merwe | u17 |
| 4 | Gershom Pieters | u17 | 4 | Danil-Nicolas Oosthuizen | u17 |
| 5 | Jayden Joubert | u17 | 5 | Tom Barnard | u18 |
| 6 | Steph vd Merwe | u17 | 6 | Matthys du Plooy | u18 |
| 7 | Rubin Dames | u18 | 7 | Josh Neill | u17 |
| 8 | Douw Wessels | u18 | 8 | Collin Paul Kemp | |
| 9 | Keagan Smith | u19 | 9 | Travis vd Berg | |
| 10 | Jeneal Davids | u17 | 10 | David Simon | u18 |
| 11 | Shane Lee Simonse | u18 | 11 | Shakeel Abrahams | u18 |
| 12 | Viaan Mentoor | u18 | 12 | Alutha Wesi | u18 |
| 13 | Tristan Joubert | u17 | 13 | Ewan Lawrie | |
| 14 | Aiden Jacobs | u18 | 14 | David Kadima | u17 |
| 15 | Francois vd Merwe | u17 | 15 | Dylan Miller | u18 |
| Coach | SEAN ERASMUS | Coach | JOEL CAREW | ||
| TEAM | BOLAND LANDBOU | TEAM | SACS | ||
| 1 | Derik du Preez | 1 | Ethan Combrink | u18 | |
| 2 | Tihaan van Zyl | u18 | 2 | Sango Zangqa | u17 |
| 3 | Henry Rudder | u17 | 3 | Ikhona Maxegwana | u18 |
| 4 | Chad Meintjies | u17 | 4 | Callum Hirst | u18 |
| 5 | Ruan Viviers | u18 | 5 | Pierre Van Selm | u18 |
| 6 | Hans Verster | u18 | 6 | Zac Wilson | u18 |
| 7 | Blake de Kock | u17 | 7 | Qawe Sawuka | |
| 8 | Daniel Blom | 8 | Daniel Grant | u17 | |
| 9 | Jayden Brits | u17 | 9 | Max Bester | |
| 10 | Pieter Bergh | u17 | 10 | Rayaan Solomons | u18 |
| 11 | Enslin Claassen | u19 | 11 | Endi Sidinile | u18 |
| 12 | Juan Swart | u18 | 12 | Matt Carrick | u17 |
| 13 | Xavier Vorster | u18 | 13 | Nic Reynolds | u18 |
| 14 | Wehan Lume | u18 | 14 | Imtiaz Abrahams | u17 |
| 15 | Lyle Lewis | u18 | 15 | Jack Benade | u18 |
| Coach | SCHOEMAN DU PREEZ | Coach | NICK MAURER |
@Bungee (Comment #36)
OK
@Snelvuur (Comment #31)
Ek stem redelik met dit. My berekening is ook so 3-6 vir Grey en 2 tot 7 vir Paul Roos.
@Smallies (Comment #30)
15 is n belaglike stelling- gaan hulle ook anders opdraf
@Snelvuur (Comment #33)
Daai is futup,daai loosies van die “B” span in moontlik die bestes in die land virseker die beste in die WP …
@Smallies (Comment #32)
Die probleem is dat van my kandidate nie eers WP se A-span gehaal het nie! Twyfel darem sterk of Grey se contenders dieselfde probleem in die Vrystaat sal hê…
@Snelvuur (Comment #31)
Dis mos wat ek se 15 tussen die twee spanne is nie vergesogt nie….
@boerboel (Comment #29)
Ek dink ook 15 tussen die twee skole is ambisieus, maar ek dink ten minste Pieter van der Merwe, Theron/Meyer en McLaren van Grey. Santos, Ekeji en ‘n paar ander sal ook naby wees. PRG sal ten minste Norton en Reid afstaan. Schoeman, Badenhorst en Rabe/Kemp sal ook naby wees. Die lollery is dat hulle deesdae mos nou twee spanne kies. Dit kan eina maak.
@boerboel (Comment #29)
Kom ons wag en kyk…ek sal weer comment as daai spanne uit is ,maar ek dink jy gaan verkeerd bewys word ….soos gewoonlik
@Smallies (Comment #28)
grey moontlik 2 prg miskien 3/4
@Bungee (Comment #27)
Tussen PRG en Grey die jaar kan dit maklik 15 seuns wees …
@Smallies (Comment #26)
Wat is die rekord aantal spelers wat al verlore gegaan het van die wedstryd? Kan ons die jaar n nuwe een stel?
@Snelvuur (Comment #25)
Die magtige saru, heersers van alle rugby kan mos nie hulle weg oop sien om dit te laat gebeur nie…ek sweer hulle gaan kyk eers wanneer die game geskeduleer is voor hulle hulle ou toernooitjie reel…
@Smallies (Comment #24)
Ja-nee! Na vanaand mag jy maar die wind in jou seile hê. Dit sal regtig, regtig baie jammer wees as ons nie twee volsterkte spanne teen mekaar kan sien weens SA Skole nie. Dit kan regtig ‘n great spectacle wees.
@Snelvuur (Comment #23)Laat my tog een aand van windgat wees toe,ek sal more weer my nederige self wees
Eks bietjies te oud om n jong kovsie te wees🤣🤣maar ja dinge begin mooi opbou na Augustus toe…dit gaan n wille besigheid afgee daai.
@Smallies (Comment #22)
Jy begin nou amper soos ‘n Vrystaatse JongMatie (JongKovsie?) klink!
@JongMatie (Comment #13)
Daar is n stoomtrein op pad Stellies toe…. oppas …..
Samuel Badenhorst really stood out to me today. Excellent game from him. The 3-horse race for SA Schools between him, Van der Merwe (Grey) and Purchase (Affies) looks to be the most exciting battle at this years Craven Week.
The thing that stands out for me the most about Badenhorst is the drop off in the Paul Roos backline when he is not there though.
@Snelvuur (Comment #19)
He really looks to be a gem of a player. I cannot wait to see him play with a stronger support class around him (presumptively and CW and SA Schools).
@Trots HJS (Tandem) (Comment #18)
I love the style of rugby Wynberg is trying to play – lovely, lovely running rugby. Their first team’s 10 is a gem. u16As very nearly got up against PRG.
@Snelvuur (Comment #16)
Very strong result ! Well done. Wynberg has a strong team so the result is a great one.
@Snelvuur (Comment #16)
It’s a good team…they have not yet played to full potential. There were some promising signs today.
@Kaya 85 (Comment #2)
I guess they are that good then…won 50-25.
Na ‘n baie stadige begin het die Maroon Machine goeie ritme gevind. Selfs die agterlyn het met meer selfvertroue begin speel. Samuel was yster vandag!
@JongMatie (Comment #13)
…not by 22?
Dit is weer die Maroon Machine show die naweek!
Wynland water.
Roos by 18
@Toffee (Comment #10)
Lots of useful players in the Berg team but they are just not clicking.
No doubt the 10 is an extraordinary player. Very enjoyable watching him back himself when he sees a gap having the speed off the mark and strength on his feet able to advance past the first line of D. Gombe back at 9 is vital.
I like Ashburner at 12 a lot but not certain if he is one for flowing rugby as much as he his for direct play. Wings underutilised.
Big test for the tight-5 tomorrow. Expect the two senior backrow players to have their moments. Stride is not the biggest boy around and he will have to find ways to count in the physical battles that PRG will want to dominate.
@Bungee (Comment #9)
Lol….well said sir, you discerned the true meaning!
No doubt all three Winelands Schools are the favorites. I think the challenge for them is that they have had so many big games in the past two months, and to get yourself totally motivated to the same levels will be difficult and that could open the door for one of the S/Suburbs schools to pull of a surprise win. My money would be on Bosch as the most likely to pull off a surprise win.
@Kaya 85 (Comment #2)
If the booster is JongMatie, then the margin should be 22+ against the likes of Grey, Gim, Affies and Boyshigh, 50+ against everyone else.
If the booster is your more reasonable (read level-headed, logical, sensible, not arrogant) PRG booster, then the margin for this game should be in the 5-15 point range (depending on how big of a loss you deem Reuben Kruger and Gert Kemp to be).
My gut estimate is Paul Roos by 6.
@beet (Comment #5)
Yep – the injury to Divan Lamprecht, the first-choice winger, caused that reshuffle. Seymore (who is u17, by the way) is quite clearly being groomed to be the flyhalf next year, I think (he played 10 against SACS when Dampies was out), so it probably makes sense to have him at 15 while Divan recovers. Think we might see Stoffels at 15 next term (I hear whispers that Divan might be recovered by that time).
@beet (Comment #5)
Agree with this. But I do think it is more to do with the injuries on the wings than the game plan to play Stoffels on the wing. If I remember correctly, Stoffels started the first game of the season on fullback, with Divan Lambrechts on the wing (and got injured) and Seymore playing off the bench. It was only after the injury that they moved Stoffels to the wing. Maybe the overall quality on the wing is down this year compared to those years you mentioned before?
Recurring bad news for SACS is that Seth Bradford is out again. Man is he having rotten luck when it comes to fitness this season. Game changer player! Multi-talented 9’s and 10’s really do fire up backline play at 1st XV level.
@Snelvuur (Comment #4)
I still feel the big miss for PRG is not playing Stoffels at 15. He’s the X-factor you want to give a bit of time and space to. He does not get to be as influential as he should be at 11. As you mentioned The Maroon Machine is not the same kind of expansive team this year like the ones that made the likes of Luke Graham and Remi Engelbrecht homeowners in the opposition in-goal areas in past.
@Kaya 85 (Comment #2)
Sheesh, not sure about that. Very different type of side – don’t play that sort of expansive rugby. They win a lot, but they don’t put up massive scores like, for example, Grey. Unless I’m mistaken, only 3 of their 10 victories have come with a margin of more than 20 points (Waterkloof, Maritzburg College and Drostdy). Also, Wynberg are no walkovers, led by (potentially) the SA Schools flyhalf.
Daardie 6,7,8 van Boishaai…..
If P Roos are as good as their boosters say, they should win by 22+
Aiden (HJS) and Jack (SACS) fantastic talent amongst many others.