Paul Roos Gymnasium face a potentially tricky start to their 2026 season when they take on HTS Drostdy, a side that showed last year they are more than capable of competing with the traditional heavyweight.
Drostdy gave Paul Roos a real scare in 2025 before eventually going down 20–25 in a tight contest. That performance raised expectations around the Worcester school, with many believing the current group could form the backbone of a strong cycle over the next two seasons. If they can build on last year’s effort, an upset is not out of the question on Friday the 13th (March).
For Paul Roos, the fixture comes at the start of a demanding opening to the season. The Stellenbosch side have a massive interschools clash against Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) looming on 21 March — an occasion that features 31 rugby teams and 17 hockey teams and probably ranks as the biggest winter interschools sporting events in the country.
Affies, meanwhile, begin their campaign with an away match against Pretoria neighbours Waterkloof on the Saturday. According to the Affies rugby archives at the excellent website www.AffiesRugby.co.za , the Wit Bulle have historically dominated the rivalry, winning 38 of the 48 meetings since 1987.
There was a time in the 2000s and early 2010s when this fixture was a headline act, with Waterkloof highly competitive. Their last win came in 2017 at the Plaas, but since then Affies have taken control of the rivalry, winning the last five encounters and averaging 48 points per game. With the size and attacking power in this year’s Witbulle side, they will be confident of keeping the scoreboard moving again.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.