Paul Roos and Garsfontein now both stand a chance of overtaking Grey College and winning the 2014 title race.
Before getting into detail, it just has to be said that “title race” is probably not any school’s favourite term when referring to the motivations they provide their players with to do well on the rugby field. Many coaches and school officials not to mention parents and supports actually frown upon the national rugby rankings, wishing it did not exist. On the other hand there is a large sector of the schoolboy rugby loving public that take great interest in knowing who the number one ranked 1st XV in South Africa is and where all the others are on the ladder. So this blog is definitely for the latter.
Up until the afternoon of Saturday, 02 August 2014 it seemed like no.1 spot in SA was a done deal. Grey College were unbeaten with only a 10-all draw against the ever-physical Monnas inspired on that match-day by the big bruising carries of Witbulle loosies Gavin Delport and Ruan Lemmer, getting in the way of the Bloemfontein powerhouse rugby school and a perfect aka 100% record.
Then along came the game against underachievers of 2014, Grey High of Port Elizabeth, a team filled with numerous X-factor players alongside hardworking contributors that had helped their Eastern Province under-18 provincial team win the unofficial Craven Week 2014 two weeks earlier. In front of a capacity home crowd, the Grey PE boys sowed the seeds of destruction, beating Grey College 27-20 in a thrilling match.
Soon after the start of the season Grey High had also beaten SA’s current no.2 ranked team Paul Roos Gymnasium in a contest involving a dramatic comeback from 0-26 down with just a few minutes left to win 27-26. Based on these impressive wins, one would have assumed that Grey High themselves would be “title” contenders now. Not the case! Somewhere in the middle part the wheels fell off. Although 2014 will be looked back on with fond memories of a season filled with plenty of highlights, some thoughts will seep in of what might have been for an age group with a core of boys that had apparently been together since under-9 and had been successful every season since 2005.
In spite of their recent defeat Grey College will hold onto first place in the rankings. In their own right Grey Bloem are already winners this season. Without containing the same kind of superstar players that helped shape many of the previously unbeaten Grey teams, this 2014 team has found its strength in good coaching, captaincy, cohesion, commitment, conditioning and composure – and probably a whole lot of other “C” that can be used to describe how their oneness has help them to live up to reputation of a Grey College first team. The home straight contains two relatively difficult games. First up will be the revived fixture against an improved Maritzburg College on 16 August. That will be followed a week later by the big one: a potential title deciding season ending match against Paul Roos. It could be No.1 versus No.2 to decide who ends the season on top. A win on home soil on that traditional derby day will see Grey finish 1st for the first time since 2011.
2014 was meant to be the quiet before the storm for Paul Roos. They are regarded as a powerhouse, which translated means “almost always fields a strong 1st XV” In that regard 2014’s team looked like they would fit the powerhouse profile right from the start of the season without over-delivering on expectations. It’s the 2015 team which has been that age group’s national pace setter all along and who will form part of the school’s 150th birthday celebration that has all Maroon-machine supporters excited and also hoping will deliver the goods in a special year for the school. However suddenly, unexpectedly, if Paul Roos 2014, still undefeated in the Western Cape this season, gets by Boland Landbou in a fortnight’s time, they’ll claim a prestigious Winelands Grand Slam with wins against Paarl Gim and Paarl Boys High already secured. They also have to negotiate possibly two very tricky games in Die Burger, with Drostdy being first up. Beat Drostdy and Boland Landbou and Paul Roos will travel to Bloemfontein knowing that victory at altitude could-should bring them to the verge of securing the “title”. Talking about winning in Bloem is lot easier said than done for various reasons. One thing that can’t be disputed is that Paul Roos has been playing good rugby this year. Apart for the defeat to Grey PE mentioned above, the only other school that were able to stop them this year has been Waterkloof (13-19) during the St John’s Festival.
Apart from Grey Bloem and Paul Roos, the only other school that might still have any kind of say in where the title should end up is Pretoria based Garsfontein. The 2014 Noordvaal experience has been optimistic. The region’s schoolboy rugby has been described as on the up. It’s been driven by a few schools working hard to improve their rugby, which in turn has given rise to a high level of competitiveness amongst the leading schools with just about any one of them being able to beat the another on any given Saturday. Garsies are the best of a quality bunch this year so far. Their only two losses have come in the under-18 Tuks-Reeks at the expense of Pumas big guns Nelspruit (27-28) and HTS Middelburg (33-34). When the Garsies have had their two under-19 “ysters” Le Roux Roets and Ruan Ackerman eligible to play, they have been unstoppable. Garsfontein’s excellence has been rewarded in the form of SA Schools call-ups for Jan-Henning Campher and Embrose Papier. This means the team goes in search of its first ever under-19 age group Macro Schools Beeld Trofee title minus these two key players for a few weeks. Three Beeld knockout games lie ahead. First up is Pretoria neighbours Centurion. If they win that quarterfinal, thereafter is one or two extremely difficult matches against top Noordvaal opponents, bearing in mind that often hard to simulate or mentally prepare for cup knockout conditions prevail.
Garsies needs two things to happen to improve their chances of being crowned No.1 in South Africa: they have to win the Beeld and Paul Roos (and/or Maritzburg College) has to beat Grey Bloem. If these conditions are fulfilled, get ready for one “moerse groot Noord-Suid” debate about ultimate bragging rights this season – Paul Roos or Garsfontein! For now though Grey College, the Springbok factory in Bloemfontein is still in pole position.
@BoishaaiPa: Heard you loud and clear, Oom. I am always willing to learn.
@Playa: @BOG: Between 1920 and 1970 the story looks about the same…GCB 6, BH 12 and PRG 18….What I am trying to show here is that there were always quality players around…Remember that they picked players from Provincial sides, not school sides…and in those days most good rugby players moved from home provinces to Maties or Ikeys to come and play rugby down in the Cape…. a fact as stated by Paul Dobson himself in his history of WP rugby. Many good players from inland provinces landed up in these two Cape Uni’s and that is why WP was so strong on those early years…only with the advent of TUKS, Kovsies etc did the provinces keep their young rugby players. Three of those 6 GCB Boks played for WP, one for NTvl, one for Griquas and one for OVS…
@BOG: Ja, those are the dynamics I was talking about. The “of all provinces” bit was a bit unnecessary
@Playa: @BoishaaiPa: In those days, I dont think that they selected Springboks outside the Western Province- later they added EP and Border (of all provinces). If there are disagreements on selections today, I assure you, back then, it was worse.@Andre T: When responding to Pinotage above, I wanted to give an example of a small town to his west- the one with the infamous foefieslide, but inherent decency stopped me from doing so
Vrede beat Grey home and away and even in Memel……………what is so special winning in Bloem?
Not even a one horse town………….they share a horse with Bultfontein
@BoishaaiPa: Not that I agree with Queenian…I don’t qualify to comment on what could have happened in the early years. But I don’t think one can measure the strengths of schools based on the number of Boks produced, especially back in those days…given the dynamics back then
@Queenian: I am not so sure about your assumption that GCB would have “flattened” teams like PRG etc. in the early years..Some of those teams produced pretty good rugby players. The amount of Bok players produced would be a type of indication of the quality of players in those school teams…betweem 1896 and 1970 GCB produced 8 Boks…PRG produced 35, Bishops 27 and Paarl Boys 14…I think GCB would have had their work cut out to beat some of those early PRG , Bishops and Paarl Boys teams.
@BOG: Ek “catch jou drift” maar al te goed.
But otherwise, I hope that you “get my drift”,as we use to say- regarding the decline of education on the platteland and its consequences
@Deon: I do agree- my reference to these people , was just a “passing comment” and not meant as a meaningful contributing factor to the decline of education on the platteland.The fact that their diabolical activities (majority) impact childrens lives so adversely, is altogether a different matter.
@BOG: @Pinotage: Jeez kêrels, I sense some xenophobic sentiments with a slight Klan and lynching squad flavour in the air. I have rendered services to people of some of the nationalities you mention, and I really cannot tell you that they were exceptionally good or bad people. They were mostly merely ” people” . I do detest the scum peddling drugs, rhino horn, perlemoen etc, but these are primarily social issues, effect more often than cause. I fail to see how these “tuck shop” owners contributed to the demise of the platteland schools and sbr. Most of these people to my experience are hard-working people making a positive contribution to our economy, sometimes intentionally, mostly not intentionally. Generalisation, stereotyping and racial profiling can make positive contribution. These people cannot be blamed for Government’s immense failure wrt education.
@Pinotage: Yes, and Im “sure that they all comply with the immigration requirements of highly skilled labour” All in the “import business”. The Nigerians in the cocaine trade, and what many dont know, the Tanzanians in the heroin side of things. I dont dispute the high standards of the schools you have mentioned, and I was referring to the really small towns which still offered a good education and an alternative to boarding school. And Im afraid, that even those larger centres will come under pressure over time. The erosion will begin (has already) at the “bottom”, and gradually work upwards.
@BOG: You can add a few Nigerians and a number of Bangladesh people operating their tuckshops all over the province.
Fortunately schools like Voortrekker and Witteberg in Bethlehem, Rooiskool in Kroonstad, Goudveld and Gim in Welkom and Henties are all still Centres of Excellence.
@Rugbyman: EK wil nie n argument begin het nie wat ek net wou se is dat van die mense die verskoning gebruik het dat julle 2 verlore die twee seuns se skuld was wat gespeel het, wat volgens my onregverdig is want ek het albei daardie wedstryde gesien en my punt is daar is 15 in n span en jy speel met wat jy het. Maar daar gelaat ons sal nog ontmoet en dan sal ek dit mooi aan jou verduidelik, voorspoed vir Saterdag.
@BOG: Could not agree with you more that is the sign of the time’s I am afraid. Watching Grey Bloem this weekend really brought back good memories was really impressed by what I saw besides always been a Queenian at heart GCB always was my second choice.(Well maybe beside my beloved JJS and Tick Birds)
@kosie: Just taking the FS as an example. For decades, the schools in the larger cities/towns attracted the kids for different reasons, one being technical education. But the truth is that boarding school is not for every kid. Virtually every small town is being run down with at least one Chinese and one Pakistani doing some kind of (dodgy) business. Virtually all of those recent arrivals (planned and orchestrated) are involved with some kind of criminal activity and connected to syndicates and/or governments.
@BOG: I agree with you regarding the “platteland”. Its a real pitty that the structures are not in place to “catch” the talent that develops later.
I was shocked this weekend driving through the cenral region to see the state of the sports grounds in Theunissen.
Fortunately the game between Goudveld and Welkom Gim was a good showpiece of SBR with the underdogs winning a great game.
@Queenian: I think that they could claim to have been a “powerhouse” before 1925- there could not have been more than 10 in the whole country. Sadly, and I have said it before. What we are seeing in SA schools right now, goes beyond rugby. Its a scramble for survival. With the dramatic decline in education, we are going to see only a few “centres of excellence” surviving, where all your talent (with money)- academic and otherwise, will be concentrated. The rest will just waste away, as we are already seeing in the platteland schools(Im sure there are a few exceptions). Its a real tragedy but unfortunately a reality. And I feel sorry for the kids who are average and without money to gain entrance into those “centres” Think back- how many “late starters” and “average” kids did not excel in later years? Its going to become more and more difficult to do so.
@BOG: @rugbyfan: I think GCB as always being top of the pile if you look at the period 1960/1972 they only lost like 7 games, 1949/54 they only lost 4 games and 1931/1940 only like 4 games so to say they have only being a force post 1970 would be very far from the truth.
GCB is the only school I think they can say they have been a power house since 1925 and I think will still be in 50 years time. Basically the back bone of SA school rugby.
Also for schools like Monna’s/PRG and co to say if they had played GCB since the 1920’s things would look different I doubt that very much Grey in the old days would have quite simple flattened those schools.
@BOG: See what happens when you have the support of a great feeder school like JJS.
@kwartlyn: The part about the 2 missing Garsies players for Tuks Reeks wasn’t intended as an excuse for losses, it was included to point out the strength of the Garsies team when they are available.
Uniquely Grey and Paul Roos are not disadvantaged by SA Schools absentees as is often the case. Grey has a prop absent but I believe he is a not a 1st XV starter. What perhaps has to be added is that Paul Roos are bound to lose players to the WP XV to play Italy. In the face of challenging fixtures ahead, it’s a point worth noting.
Neither Garsies nor Grey, Paul Roos affiliates provided input for the blog above.
@kwartlyn: hokaai broer… eerstens het nie een van die twee manne waarna beet verwys enigsins vir die cravenweek span of akademie week span gespeel nie… hulle is o/19… beide sou egter in die span in gestap het sonder probleme… tweedens het beet die berig geskryf en NIE garsfontein nie… ons het in die tuks reeks op n stadium sonder soveel as 9 van ons normale beginspan gespeel maar nooit daaroor gekla nie, dis immers deel van die game… ek gaan nie betrokke raak by die argument nie, ek wou jou net reghelp oor die 2 manne waarna Beet verwys! Hoekom nou ons aanval oor iets wat Beet geskryf het? Ons het nooit gekla nie…
Terloops moet ons in die res vd beeld uitspele, sou ons verder as die kwarteind rondte kom, sonder ons 2 SA skole manne moet klaarkom! Seker maar een van daai dinge…
@BOG: Monnas has won 7 out of 24 game that does not include the draws, QC has won 21 out 59 not including draws so that is still a better win ratio. There ratio is still better than anybody else which is surprising never looked at like that.
Garsfontein het alles om nr1 een te wees maar wat my dwars in die krop steek is dat daar gese word dat hulle twee verlore was omrede hulle 2 grotes nie gespeel het nie, as ek dit nie mis het nie is die twee wat op die bank gesit het toe die 2 weer kon speel altwee by die bulle betrokke gewees. Die een slot wat akademie week gespeel het was volgens inligting een van die ongelukkiges gewees om nie die 55 tal na die sa proewe mee te maak nie. Al die spanne inSA het soms beserings ens maar speel met hulle reserwes en daar kraai geen haan, dit klink na verskonings en ek hoop nie dit gaan nou die geval wees as hulle sou vasval deur te se hulle het 2 spelers in die Sa groep en moes met hulle 2de bestes speel nie, dit laat hulle afrigters swak lyk. Voorspoed rugbyman met jou manne, maar ongelukkig sal Grey nr1 bly
@badboy:
@Maroon:
It was 1994, 95 was played at Markotter.
@rugbyfan: The QC 97 side would have really been a tough bridge for Grey. That was one special side. I still vividly remember hem giving Dale two rugby lessons. They replaced GCB with Pretoria Boys that year and beat them in Tshwane. The 98 side was also good, but not as good as the 97 one, but they had huge forwards.
@Knight_CHS07:
good thing we can only stick to the grass fields then.
@Queenian:
@BOG: “combined side from Selborne, Dale and Queens? (In pink)”
LOL!!! I’m sorry I couldn’t help but laugh at that one…lol.
@Playa: I agree on that one bra, I don’t think it will happen anytime soon. Unless they play online, now that travelling is expensive these days
. If they go online, then CHS will dominate the Border Region. After all they have a very good programmer on their side (ME 8) ) lol
@Queenian: I know that some games were tight. I looked purely at win/loose- that is what was discussed. If you smack a four over the WKs head, its still a 4 – there are no comments. But, no question, the competition was good@rugbyfan: What I meant was percentage wise. There were many more games between QC and GCB, so the numbers would be greater- both ways.If it were 7 or 8 times out of 20 matches,,its around 30%
@Queenian: @BOG: Always worried me why they stopped as well the year after they stopped I think 97 or 98 QC had a very good team with enormous forwards and Grey would have had there work cut out for them also remember in 95 they beat Grey with ease although Grey were not great that year in 92 Grey only just beat QC in Bloem 6-3 which I watched so I think nobody know’s the true story.
All I can say one thing QC always had was the believe they could win against GCB which many a other team don’t.
@BOG: Monnas have beaten GCB 7 or 8 times.
@Playa: @BOG: @rugbyfan: I am not sure why they don’t play QC still has 4 teams per age group and can raise 8 open teams so that is 20 teams. Agree with Bog there has been a lot of noise amongst Old Boys from both schools to get this going.
@BOG: To say it was all in the first half of the century is a bit misleading they had beaten GCB 4 times after 1970 and another 11 games in this period were losses of 5 points and less don’t think any other schools have done much better. And who knows I sure if they had carried on playing a win or two would have been possible, the year after they stopped QC had a very good team with big forwards which would have pushed Grey all the way so I am not sure why they stopped. Also think it makes sense as the 360 km’s is quiet close, also I am sure QC would have put up a much better fight than a lot of GCB oppenents do.
@PRondersteuner:
thanks for that!
Yup if done properly & the entire squad buys into it
@Playa: @BOG: @rugbyfan: I think they stopped playing because myself and Bog were out of the picture.
@bhkgpa: I just heard yesterday that’s the games that will be played. Can’t confirm the Grey/Oakdale fixture.
@phat55: Yes, it has been confirmed for next Tuesday. It’s “uitnaweek” this weekend. It really looks like the squad system worked this year. I was very critical of it, but if it’s done properly, it can work.
@rugbyfan: WOW! That changes things a bit. I don’t see anyone catching up in our lifetime, unless GCB goes into an unexpected slump for the next 20 years.
@Playa: @Knight_CHS07: Too late- you are in trouble already. You blokes need to check out the record of Monnas against GCB. I think that they may be on top of the pile as far as wins vs GCB, are concerned. The contest between QC and GCB, goes back to the 1800s, and apart from the “Cullinan” years in the 80s, most of the QC wins were in the first half of the century(My period) . Why did it come to an end? Speculation. I know Playa mentioned politics, but Id be surprized if this was the case. They still compete at cricket and hockey and GCB and they (GCB) compete with other schools similar to Queens. I heard that QC could no longer raise enough teams to make it a true derby. Others suggested that QC did not enjoy the scores in the later years? There are so many OBs on both sides of the fence who would welcome a resumption of rugby ties. If numbers, were such an issue, then surely they could do what they did when Selborne went up to Bloem. If I remember correctly, where Selborne were unable to present a team, Diamantveld in Kimberley supplied some teams. There were cases eg, where GCBs E team, played Selbornes C team. They could draw in Hangklip for example. What the heck, what about a combined side from Selborne, Dale and Queens? (In pink)
@Knight_CHS07: @Playa: Why did they stop playing is any body’s guess I know there has been a strong thinking in Grey circles the last two years why this happened and a strong will to get it back on track. I think a rash stupid mistake was made which I am not proud of.
@Playa: @Knight_CHS07: The actual record is actually 69 games in 1936 they played twice in 3 days the one that is not recorded QC won 6-3 suppose that does not make much of a difference and I doubt anybody will catch up to that anyway not for a 100 years odd.
@Playa: Remember of those 136 games lost 48 were not to schools sides so QC hold nearly 30% of all games lost by GCB.
@Knight_CHS07: To avoid getting myself into trouble, I’ll let the GCB Old Boys answer that…
@badboy: @Playa:
WOW! 20 Wins for QC? WOW!! Why did they ever stop playing though?
@Knight_CHS07: That’s correct. They admittedly have played them the most times (68), boasting 20 wins. GCB head to head vs QC:
P 68 GCBW 38 QCW 20 D10
Out of GCB’s 1266 matches played between 1894 and 2014, they have lost 136. 15% of those to Queens. No other school has been GCB 10 times. Grey PE are the closest now with 8 wins. Paul Roos next with 7. It’s gonna be a while before anyone catches up with QC.
@Knight_CHS07: As far as I can see the GCB vs QC stands at Played 69 Won 40 Lost 21 Drew 8 there does seem to be some descrepency between what GCB have and QC have but that differs by 1 or so.
@badboy, Affies have beaten Grey College in Bloemfontein in 2005 (27-20) and in 2013 (37-31), also drew in 1993(26-26) and 2001(12-12)
@badboy: Impressive!
. So they (Queens College) hold the record for most wins against GCB? Overall wins, not necessarily in Bloem/ at the REc.
@Knight_CHS07: Queens through history seemed to have a habit of beating GCB. One of Grey Bloem’s golden periods through history started after losing to Queens at the Rec 6-9 on the 4 June 1969 and did not lose another game till the 14th August 1972 to Queens 10-12 in Bloem.
As far as I can see in the records Queens also got 5 draws in Bloem so quite a record from the “Souties” of the Stormberg must be something in the water.
@Maroon: You are correct I think Paul Roos won in Bloem in 1995.
@PRondersteuner: normally Grey PE is not part of this competition. Is it confirmed that they will play the winner of SWD?
Garsies have not played any of PRG, PG, Boishaai, Grey C, Grey PE or Glenwood etc so think lots of people will argue with Garsies being #1 ?, yes they have beaten Waterkloof an Outeniqua but surely you must play against more top teams to have a shout at number 1 ?
Just my opinion.
@badboy: Wow, Queen’s were happy hunters in Bloem hey. Interesting Stats. Maybe it’s because of the similar altitude…maybe Bloem was home away from home for the Queenians.
@badboy: Paul Roos won in Bloem in 2004 and 2006. Also an away win in the 90’s, not sure what year though.
@Ploegskaar:
Everyone expected PRG to give Rondebosch a big hiding,but on the day anything can happen especially with a few regulars out & one or two off their game etc.Having said that,i am confident we’ll get the desired result against BL,but i honestly feel it wont be at a canter.
That’s when the crap starts
@PRondersteuner:
So has the Drostdy game been confirmed now? was proud of the boys who stood in for the injured players on saturday against Bishops,so hopefully we can do it again against BL.
@PRondersteuner: @phat55: Seriously guys, there will be nothing tricky about the PRG fixture against Boland, as the two teams’ vastly different results season to date show. PRG has been playing some great rugby this year and should win at a canter.
@rugbyfan: @BOG: As far as I can see GCB have lost the following games against school teams in Bloem since 1925.
Paul Roos 1
Paarl Boys 1
Dale 1
St Andrews 1
Affies 1 or 2 (Not 100% about this one.)
Maritzburg College 1
Queens 9
Other 1
Not sure if this 100% but very close.
@phat55: Yes, that game against Boland Landbou will be tricky. The WP Cravenweek side play Italy on 15/8/14. That’s the Friday before the Boland Landbou game. A lot of these PR CW players will either be on the bench or not playing at all against Boland Landbou.
PR has been very impressive this year. They might have a game against Grey PE in “Die Burger” trophy after the Grey College game. PR play Drostdy 12/8/14. Grey PE play Oakdale (date unknown). The winners will play the final.
PRG have a very tricky fixture in a fortnight’s time against Boland Landbou. A definite mouthwatering prospect of a possible 1 vs 2 down in Bloem,where its easier to maintain world peace than get a victory against the GCB 1st XV!! The boys need to believe they can do it, as it is highly improbable but not impossible…….and we’ll keep praying the stars align as well
Or was it 2004? I know that Wayne Stevens was captain on the day and I watched. Was a small margin- something like 14-11
@Queenian: @rugbyfan: PRG won in 2006 in Bloem, but that was 2006.
@Queenian: As far as I know GCB have lost 14 home games since 1925, I am not sure if Paul Roos have won there I will try and find out.
Now I would say asking a team to win in Bloem is another story as far as I know only 11 or 12 losses in Bloem ever so Paul Roos have a mountain to climb, have they ever beaten GCB in Bloem.
Good write up.
Once again well done to Grey PE you defended like demons maybe they just wanted it more. Ward’s body must be really sore as he put everything on the line on Saturday all I can say is outstanding efforts like this need a champion and that was him.