Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool are going big—very big.
A staggering 31 rugby teams and 17 hockey teams are heading from Pretoria to Stellenbosch this weekend for a historic first-ever interschools clash against Paul Roos Gymnasium. And in true statement-making fashion, they’re all flying down.
That’s not just a tour—it’s a logistical and financial heavyweight.
Remarkably, each Affies sportsman is only contributing R3000, a figure that speaks volumes about the backing behind the scenes. Generous sponsors, along with the influential Klub 600, have stepped up in a big way to make what could have been an exclusive tour surprisingly accessible.
In many respects, these two giants feel like brother schools. Both carry immense pride, both demand excellence on the sports field, and both maintain high academic and cultural standards. It’s that shared pursuit of a balanced, all-round schooling experience that makes this fixture feel long overdue.
As for the main event—this is one of those contests that resists prediction.
Affies bring muscle. Their set-piece dominance and forward power are well established, and they appear to have addressed previous big-match temperament issues when games go down to the wire. There’s also a growing sense that they’re learning to extract more value from their backs.
Paul Roos, however, have fortress and familiarity on their side. Markötter Stadium, with a passionate home crowd behind them, is no small advantage. If they can absorb the early physical exchanges, vary their attacking approach, and capitalise on errors, they have the tools to unsettle a highly rated Affies outfit. A midfield spark or two could prove decisive.
This isn’t just a fixture—it’s a statement.
The teams:
Paul Roos Gimnasium: 15 Kyle Snyers, 14 Tevez Cupido, 13 Jean Hamman, 12 Tiaan Basson (captain), 11 Cadynn Samuels, 10 Travis Pheiffer, 9 Jaeden Powell, 8 Werner de Bruin, 7 Gerard Bekker, 6 Christian le Roux, 5 Sebastian Cilliers, 4 Stef de Villiers, 3 Zak Steyn, 2 Lehan Barnard, 1 Thomas Meyer.
Affies: 15 Kyle van Staden, 14 Dandré Brink, 13 Estian Marx, 12 Juan Ferreira, 11 Joshua Gouws, 10 Reuben Smith, 9 Fourie Roberts, 8 Janno Geyser, 7 Caleb Pretorius, 6 Lohan Bitzer, 5 Reubenne Vlok, 4 Martin van Niekerk (captain), 3 Hannes Nagel, 2 Carl Els, 1 Francois de Beer.
Kick-Off: 12:30
Congratulations to PRG on a well-deserved win over Affies. While the result went PRG’s way, I believe Affies will come much better prepared for the return fixture in 2028. The heavy field conditions and wind were clearly unfamiliar challenges which played a role in the outcome.
The match shifted after Affies did well to close the gap to 24-23, however 12 minutes of poor decision-making proved costly and ultimately swung the game back to PRG.
There were many positives to take away from the day, particularly amongst the underage teams. Affies under 14 side led halftime 15-5 but struggled to adapt turning into the wind in the second half, eventually going down 22-15. The under 15’s showed great character, reversing last season’s result with a hard-fought 21-19 victory. The under 16’s also impressed, pushing a highly rated PRG side all the way before narrowly losing 24-20.
Overall, a competitive and valuable set of fixtures with plenty for Affies to build on in future. Side note: Affies won the bulk of the 31 games played.
@Kaya 85 (Comment #5)
PRG and Affies are the only teams to have won more than 50% of their games on every Saturday since 2023. A real clash of the titans across the board.
Besides the 1st and A team games, will be interesting to see how good Paul Roos’ depth is…in my opinion Affies could win at least 20 of the 31 games.
Well done Affies…..what a logistical task this is going to be, but so much fun and excitement. Oi, only need one or two lads to forget their ID cards, or birth certificates…hopefully only few / no flights missed. Would love to hear the feedback afterwards too….
@Bert (Comment #2)
Ja, the junior teams are so difficult to predict. Last year Affies’ u14s were peerless until they lost against PRG’s u14s (who, in turn, lost against DHS two days later). So there will definitely be some spice in that u15 game this weekend. The u14 game will also be interesting: I haven’t seen PRG’s u14s yet, but they beat Drostdy 21-3 (Drostdy beat Oakdale the previous week and Oakdale, in turn, beat Grey College 17-7) so there should be some pedigree there as well. Super excited for all of the games across the board this weekend!
Can’t wait for this fixture. Affies 0/14’s looked impressive against Waterkloof and how will last year’s number 1 in SA, the o/14A team of Affies, perform at 0/15 level? Affies’ first team was not convincing in their season opener against Waterkloof, except if Waterkloof turns out to be a very good team as well. Affies as usual look solid up front with great loosies but too many points left out there due to poor kicking at the posts. The back line too over eager but there is speed. The Tiere’s [Affies Second XV]number 15 proved excellent at kicking at posts and scored two tries – hope he can keep this form and get a proper chance soonest.
wow – that’s more than 600 pupils plus all the support staff. That a R3,5 million plus travel bill – hopefully all boys and staff are billeted out at Paul Roos and they save on accommodation costs!!!