Paarl Boys’ High defeat Grey College 25-10

The 12-Player rolling sub rule in schoolboy rugby

Let’s cut to the chase — the biggest takeaway from this thrilling match was undoubtedly the Sean Erasmus masterplan. In a season where the front row has already become a talking point — thanks to efforts to contain a certain wunderkind from Garsfontein — Boishaai added a new dimension to schoolboy rugby by cleverly using the laws of the schoolboy rugby game to their advantage.

The rule allows teams to name eight players on the bench and make up to 12 substitutions during a match. This effectively creates the option of rolling substitutions, provided the total number of changes doesn’t exceed 12.

Erasmus 3.0
Now free from the overload of previous seasons — thanks to the appointment of Neil de Bruin as Director of Rugby — Erasmus has more time to focus on strategy. And he hit this one out of the park. His rotation of the front row was devastating. Boishaai dominated the scrums, won penalties and even secured tightheads — laying the perfect platform for a win in a match expected to be decided by forward power.

Sean Erasmus vs Grey College
In the world of schoolboy rugby, Grey College remains the gold standard. A single win over them can cement a coach’s legacy, simply because it’s such a rare feat.

With this 25-10 victory, Erasmus now boasts four wins over Grey (2015, 2016, 2017, and 2025), pulling one ahead of Paarl Gim’s Pieter Rossouw (2021, 2022, 2025). Without a doubt, the HJS Head Coach is among the most successful coaches ever against Grey.

Two legends of South African schoolboy rugby have each achieved great success against Grey College.

Hans Coetzee, now serving as Director of Rugby at Marais Viljoen, defeated Grey five times during his tenure at Monument High School (in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 2015). He also recorded two draws and suffered only four losses — an astonishing record against the world’s top rugby school.

Not to be outdone, Sakkie van der Walt of Affies spent 17 years as head coach of the Witbulle, overseeing a total of 371 games with an impressive winning percentage of nearly 85%. He also notched three wins over Grey (in 1996, 2012, and 2013) as well as three draws (1998, 2000, and 2001). Sakkie still assists with the Affies U14A and B teams and is set to retire later this year.

Affies coaching duo Fanie Grobler and Karel Stander also managed it twice in 2005 (27-20) at Grey and in 2006 (18-13) at Affies with the Jacobs twins, who are now coaching Affies, both playing in the latter against the Ebersohn twins – with Robert now an u14A/B coach at Grey.

The Brugstraat Field’s drainage system works!
Despite heavy rain, the Brugstraat surface in Paarl held up superbly. It looked great and played even better. The effort to improve the field was evident and widely appreciated — especially when compared to the muddy strain endured by Paul Roos’ Markötter Field on the same day.

Headmaster Nollies de Vries and the wind
Acting rector Nollies de Vries was a breath of fresh air during the halftime interview in the King Price Derby broadcast. Wearing a staff jersey, he came across as relatable, humble, and a great ambassador for Boishaai. He pointed out that while the wind wouldn’t win them the game, it would help them play in the right areas of the field — and he was spot on.

At halftime, Grey led 10-5, but had failed to capitalise on the wind advantage. Boishaai, despite playing into the wind, had enjoyed the better of the territory and possession. They went on to dominate the second half 19-0, after Grey made a useful start to that stanza.

Lamla on defence
If you take 2025 schoolboy rugby sensation Marvelous Markus Muller of Paarl Gim out of the equation, then Grey’s u17 star Lamla Mgedezi would arguably be the most dangerous attacking player in the country. Lamla’s pace, spatial awareness and footwork make him a nightmare for defenders.

But in this match, it was his defence that stole the show. He was solid under the high ball, made strong carries after the catch, and gained metres in contact — no small feat given his smaller frame. And who could forget the textbook try-saving tackle he made on Jeneal Davids in the right-hand corner?

Good play in trying conditions
While this match may have warranted a forward as King of the Match, both teams deserve credit for avoiding one-dimensional tactics. They made a concerted effort to vary their play—stringing passes together, holding onto possession, and looking to play positive, front-foot rugby whenever opportunities arose. Boishaai’s wings certainly saw more of the ball out wide, and the tackling from both sides was, for the most part, of a solid standard. Boishaai can also take pride in their work at the breakdown, where they showed real commitment and technique.

Steve Larkham-Like Francois van der Merwe
In the first half, flyhalf Francois van der Merwe stood out — particularly for his calm decision-making and the extra time he seemed to have on the ball. It’s rare for young flyhalves to draw comparisons to greats like Dan Carter, Jonny Wilkinson, Naas Botha, or Andrew Mehrtens. But comparisons to icons like Henry Honiball or Steve Larkham are more common — and van der Merwe is certainly trending in that direction.