Affies head into 2024 expecting to field a coming of age team that will set their sights on a top-3 national finish.
Jersey numbers 3,4,6,8,9,10,12,13,14 (9 players) were either permanent or did regular duty in the 2023 Witbulle 1st XV that definitely gained plenty of experience along the way and paid their dues, sometimes via hard lessons. Amongst them is the big SA Schools inside centre Janco Purchase, whose diverse skillset offers the playbook a range of options. This core team from 2023 is set to be joined by a handful of boys with double-digit 2nd XV caps and will no doubt be pushed hard for starting places by a few very talented u16’s from 2023.
The team is expected to be tested thoroughly during the early part of 2024 in away matches at a more rugby-focused Diamandveld in Kimberley and top Noordvaal private Helpmekaar who always lift their game when playing Affies. However the mouthwatering prospect is without any shadow of a doubt, that first “test match” of the season against the big and equally talented top-3 contenders Paul Roos Gymnasium at Noord-Suid tournament, hosted by Affies.
The 2024 batch will also be the first to have started with the quickly rising coaching duo that are brothers Jacobs, twins who themselves represented the Affies 1st XV back in 2006.
With rugby guru Ryno van der Merwe taking on the arduous responsibilities of Head of Sport after the departure of Deon Botes to Paul Roos, a work load redistribution paved the way for Ruan and Niell Jacobs to move up from the juniors into very senior roles at number-1 Lynnwood Road, which separates Seunskool from Loftus.
The promotions completed a somewhat unconventional but nevertheless meteoric rise in schoolboy rugby, considering the Jacobs brothers only ended their respective pro rugby careers as recently as 2014, as well as the years of Covid that severely limited two school rugby seasons and stunted a lot of growth across the board.
Ruan has now completed his rookie season as the Affies 1st XV head coach where he teamed up with one of really good guys of school rugby, the loyal, standout coach Jaco Koch, a gentleman that all the Affies community can be extremely proud of. Both Ruan and Jaco are World Rugby (IRB) Level 3 candidates.
Niell’s portfolio is that of Head of Coaching, an onerous task that will see him interacting with all Affies coaches over and above his own u16A coaching responsibilities.
The twins and Jaco are part of the Blue Bulls youth week coaching setup and for Ruan there is the added responsibility of serving as an SA Schools selector.
Ryno is likely to become one of, if not the most qualified u15A coach nationally, where he will team up with another rising star and former Witbul in the form of Hanco Deale.
After their rugby playing days ended at the Border Bulldogs in East London, the twins joined Stirling in the Eastern Cape. Here they paid tribute to Reinhard Gerber as a mentor of note, who assisted with their transition to coaching. There was also much praise for Stirling and the efforts the school’s rugby programme makes as contribution to keeping SA rugby healthy. It proved to be a very good school environment to develop as coaches and hone skills while working with kids and interacting with parents. They were also involved at the Border Academy Week team in 2016 and 2017.
From Stirling, the brothers followed Reinhard to the very high profile Glenwood in KwaZulu-Natal. They were appointed as junior coaches, working with u14s and u15s and played a part in recruitment of Grade-7’s for the all-boys high school. There were fond memories including some very good Saturdays along that journey.
The exposure that Glenwood offered soon caught the attention of Affies, who contacted the twins with a plan. For the high standards that AHS set for themselves, they were not in the best place rugby wise at that stage. The brothers came on board as junior coaches with the Affies junior teams performing very well. And now they have their focus set on emulating that success with the seniors.
2022 was a great year for Affierugby but their last national ranking top-3 finish was in 2016.
National Rankings 2010 – 2023
Affies Provisional Fixture List for 2024
| Sat.09Mar | FSG | Diamantveld | vs | Affies | NV | |
| Sat.16Mar | NV | Helpmekaar | vs | Affies | NV | |
| Sat.23Mar | NV | Affies | vs | Paul Roos | WC | NMI Toyota Noord Suid |
| Tue.26Mar | NV | Affies | vs | Stellenberg | WC | NMI Toyota Noord Suid |
| Sat.06Apr | NV | Garsfontein | vs | Affies | NV | |
| Sat.13Apr | NV | Affies | vs | Paarl Gim | WC | |
| Sat.20Apr | NV | KES | vs | Affies | NV | |
| Wed.01May | NV | Affies | vs | HJS Paarl BH | WC | Absa Wildeklawer |
| Sat.04May | NV | Affies | vs | Oakdale | WC | Absa Wildeklawer |
| Sat.18May | NV | Affies | vs | Grey College | FSG | |
| Sat.25May | NV | Affies | vs | Jeppe | NV | |
| Sat.01Jun | NV | Affies | vs | Menlopark | NV | |
| Sat.13Jul | KZN | Maritzburg College | vs | Affies | NV | |
| Sat.20Jul | NV | Waterkloof | vs | Affies | NV | |
| Sat.27Jul | NV | Pretoria BH | vs | Affies | NV |
@Cappie (Comment #3)
Thanks I seem to have forgotten that.
@Grizzly (Comment #9)
Ek sal net eerder verkies om te wag tot die seisoen klaar is voordat ek sal sê dit was ‘n goeie seisoen. BV. Ek dink nie minder van Helpmekaar se rugby nie, maar voel vir die span van 2023 nadat hulle as ‘n Dream Team afgemaak is, al die talent en spelers gehad het en net nie die seisoen gehad het wat hulle moes nie. En dit help nie dat hulle as so ‘n droom span gebrandmerk was in Maart nie. Dit is een ding wat ek van Affie rugby tussen 2017-2023 geleer het, moet nie verwagtinge en voorspellings meng nie. jy gaan huil. Ek sien egter baie uit na die volgende 5 jaar se Affie rugby en dink dat die werk wat Ryno en Co ingesit het gaan afkom. Maar ek gaan stop voordat ek ‘n voorspelling maak.
@OudAffie (Comment #7)
As jou onder spanne waves maak soos Helpies n paar jaar terug kry jy outo daai etiket.Voeg daarby so baie gr11 wat volgende jaar weer speel en dis n gegewe.
Dis net tong in die kies.Moenie n groot ding daarvan maak nie.Ek verstaan die Bere gaan nie so wild wees volgende jaar nie so die Wit Bulle moet die fakkel dra en die Wynland uit die nr 2 posissie hou😁
@4×4 (Comment #6)
Ek sien Oakdale ook daar en dan soos Beet genoem het die 3 games wat hulle nog oponents soek miskien gebeur daar iets.
Die Bere speel beker rugby so behalwe vir die feeste is daar nie ander geleentheid om hulle te speel nie.
Vir my persoonlik sal Grey great wees,500 km kan hanteer word maar ek sal verkies maak nie saak wat gebeur nie om in beker rugby te bly.
En dan net 2 goed oor die “Dream Team” term. 1. Dit word hopeloos te veel gebruik en te veel spanne word dit genoem, naderhand gaan ons op Beeld se sport lees dat Pretoria se Dream team speel vandag teen Bloemfontein se Dream Team terwyl Paarl se Dream Team die naweek af het en Durban se Dream Team vir PE se Dream Team aanvat in reën. 2. Dit is ‘n aaklige term om ‘n span te beskryf. Jy plaas onsaglike druk op daai seuns om die beste seisoen ooit te hê. – Niks sal ooit so goed wees soos hierdie jaar se Dream Team nie, tot volgende jaar se Dream Team bekend gemaak word. Wat beteken dit dan… Sekerlik streef elke span daarna om ‘n suksesvolle seisoen te beleef, bekers te wen of onoorwonne te gaan.
@Grizzly (Comment #4)
Ver van ‘n dreamteam af. Daar is posisies wat kort skiet, maar hulle het verder tekort geskiet om nie verwering te dien vir daai posisies nie.
Daar is 2 roosters uit, volgens die een speel Garsies net vgl jaar teem Stellenberg en Boishaai van al die Kaapse skole, is dit korrek?
@Grizzly (Comment #4)
Ek sal nou nie so vêr gaan as om te sê ‘Dream Team’ nie, maar wel dat baie verwag word vir die volgende 5 jaar se groepe. Beide die St10’s en St9’s van volgende jaar het uitsonderlike onder 16 jare gehad en top 4 in SA geëindig. So defnitief baie verwag, MAAR, siende sedert 2017, 5 seisoene (2020 en 2021 uitgesluit) het Affies net 1 top 4 seisoen beleef gaan ek baie versigtig wees om te sê Dream Team. Meer net dat met die Ryno groepe wat nou deurkom na Senior rugby, die volgende 5 jaar se Affie rugby baie het om te bewys, dit sal Ryno en Co se aanstellings bevestig of nie.
So dream team vir Affies in 24,great!!
@beet (Comment #2)
Hulle noem dit “Die Plaas”. Welkom op Die Plaas!
@Kantman (Comment #1)
It is going to be a HUGE game!
In London English premiership club, the Harlequins, have their home ground just across the road from Twickenham and it’s called The Stoop.
Affies should call their A field the same – The Stoep!
It will be jam packed for that Paul Roos game for sure.
Affies vs Paul Roos kan dalk die grootste wedstryd van 2024 wees.