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.
GREAT GAME
Grey sal volgende jaar terug wees.
@Wondermaar (Comment #15)
Hoekom moet ek ontspam ,ek spam jou mos nie….
@Snelvuur (Comment #14)
Dit is soos om te sê, die groot skole het n voordeel omdat n seun eerder hier sal skool gaan vs n medium skool want die groter skool gaan hom beter geleenthede gee.
Obviously….
@TWE (Comment #11)
Classic!
@Smallies (Comment #12)
Toemaar ontspam,ek gee jou die laaste sê, hy is joune……..😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@BoishaaiPa (Comment #4)
Regardless of whether they played for the Seccies, bigger schools still have a distinct advantage of having more depth than smaller schools (as numerous members of this blog were at pains to point out when PRG had loads of injuries). Many of the guys in the second teams of PRG, HJS or Grey could easily slot into the first team. This is not the same for schools like Stellenberg, for example. So, although it’s entirely within the rules (no one’s disputing that), I’m not sure whether it was intended to give the big schools as much of an advantage as it is.
What happens in the event that all 12 subs are made and a front rower gets injured? Because normally, you are still allowed to bring on a reserve prop again, since this is a specialist position. Is that still the same under these rules, or do you go to uncontested scrums?
@Wondermaar (Comment #10)
Jy klink nou nes Matt Williams
And there some schools thought they only had to buy 15 players.
@Strepie (Comment #5)I think from 2026 new rules: A squad of 50 can play one game,then the coaches can watch each other closely so that your third team don’t play against the opposition first team for to long.
No guys, what is the reason and logic for 12 subs???@Smallies (Comment #9)<br
Sal 20 subs ook reg wees?, Rassie het agt, of is daar ook nou 12?? Gee net vir my die logika agter dit en die voordele vir die skolerugby, ek weet dalk net nie soos die slim manne nie. ASB!!! ENIGE SKOOL MAG. maar daar moet voordele wees vir die 23 tal (GAME SKOLERUGBY)
@Wondermaar (Comment #7)
Wie keer n skool om dit te doen….ons cheer vir Rassie as hy dit doen maar wil kak en kerm as n skool afrigter dit doen ,as jou skool genoeg diepte het ….go for it…
@BoishaaiPa (Comment #4)
Don’t see the logic in this rule,what is the benefits for rugby?
@Strepie (Comment #5)I think from 2026 new rules: A squad of 50 can play one game,then the coaches can watch each other closely so that your third team don’t play against the opposition first team for to long.
No guys, what is the reason and logic for 12 subs??? I’m from Gauteng and love all the boys schools( country wide)
Ek dink Boishaai het die toestande perfek gespeel ,Grey kon nie aanpas nie en het die prys betaal…en soos Strepie se as jy die kans vat en dit kom af ,good for you.
Beet
Best to ‘paint’ the whole picture..
Should you substitute and injuries were to happen, you run the same risk the Boks do, with a possibility of a forward to play in the backline.
Boishaai is willing to take this risk.
Kudus to them if it works – well within the rules.
(I am waiting for the Boishaai haters to keep on moaning)
The subs all played for the Seccies, so it is not a squad system or anything to do with large player base. Just using the laws to your own advantage is not a crime.
Also think this extra sub rules needs to be scrap. Why?? rugby is rugby.
Not a fan of rolling substitutions at school level outside of tournaments. Privilege of the really large schools only. Nothing to do with rugby IQ in my opinion, more about bypassing the squad system.
Kids should be playing near full time for the team they are selected. If matric they are never going to be playing for their school again, should enjoy it.
Well done Beet. Very good article. Additional to the information in the post also some extra information. There are not many schools with the rugby IQ and EQ of the Boishaai 1st and 2nd team coaching team. You rightly point out the magnificent coach Sean Erasmus and he should get massive credit but then also Neil Du Bruin’s strong hand is evident in combo and then George Earle’s forward coaching ( he coached the 0/16’s last year ) has improved our line outs significantly and Old Boy scrum coach Janro Van Niekerk has made a huge impact. And off the field a caring supporting group is there to help and encourage. The boys are fortunate to have such great and very kind people to guide , mentor and coach them not only in rugby but life lessons as well. I am really very proud of them.