Paarl Gim’s 43–31 victory over Grey College in Bloemfontein is a headline in its own right. However, becoming the first team to breach Grey’s fortress since May 2017—when Boishaai grand Blue Train won 46–31—speaks volumes about just how formidable Grey are at home and how tough it is to beat them on their revered A-field.
It was an outstanding day overall for Gim, particularly their A-teams. Given how well Affies had performed at Gim just a few weeks prior, this result marked a significant turnaround.
Perhaps the best advertisement for Paarl Gim’s rugby pedigree was the presence of their spirited supporters—more girls than boys—filling the away stand. Many of them had just competed against Oranje Meisies. It served as a reminder that Gim is a co-educational school and, in terms of numbers, by far the smallest among the five traditional schoolboy rugby powerhouses.
By their own standards, this was a relatively youthful u19A Gim side. Typically, they back their Grade 12s, and it’s not uncommon for them to field only one or two Grade 11s in their 1st XV. This time, they started with six U17 players. All of them impressed, but it was left wing Thomas Saunders—also U17—who stood out on the day with several outstanding individual contributions.
The always enjoyable to watch Gim blueprint epitomise team play, especially among their forwards, which makes it difficult to single out individuals for praise. They truly embrace the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Character and self-belief played a big role in this win. Although Gim started well, Grey eventually gained control and led 21–12 at one stage in the first half. That lead felt ominous, as it’s rarely overturned by an away side at Jock Meiring Street. But Gim stuck to their well-drilled structures—structures many believe are part of the best coaching system in the country. Under head coach Pieter Rossouw, widely regarded as one of the finest in the schoolboy rugby game, they showed composure, regrouped, and fought back to take a 24–21 lead. Grey’s new flyhalf, Darius Erwee—who had a solid outing—levelled things at 24–all just before the break.
The second half, too, didn’t follow the usual Grey College script. Normally, the home team find an extra gear in the last 35 minutes, but this time it was Gim who turned up the heat, stretching Grey’s defence while the hosts seemed short of ideas.
Post-match, opinions were sharply divided about how the two 1st XVs performed. Gim received plenty of praise, while aspects of Grey coaching, selection and individual performances came under scrutiny. But in truth, the match was far closer than many were willing to admit. It wasn’t vastly different from the 2024 clash, which Grey edged 29–27 on the Jan Kriel Field. Like that game, this one turned on a handful of pivotal moments.
At 29–24 to Gim, Grey were mounting a dangerous attack when one of their standout players this season lost the ball close to the Gim tryline. It sparked a nearly 100-metre counter-attack that ended in a magnificent team try—arguably a 14-point swing that changed the course of the game entirely. No Grey supporter will soon forget a missed opportunity in the first half either, when one of their brightest young stars opted not to release his wing, who had a clear run to the line, botching a potential 7-pointer.
All-in-all it proved to be a most entertaining match of rugby played in good spirit. Congratulations to both teams and their respective coaching staffs for making the effort put in to produce this showpiece.
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