Test Match Season Set to Continue on 11 Apr 2026

Three big matches are lined up for Saturday, 11 April 2026.

Traditionally, the headline clash is Affies hosting Paarl Gim on the Plaas. The Witbulle, having played their last game on Monday at the Pretoria Boys High 125th Festival, face a tough ask. They’ll need every ounce of home-ground advantage to cope with fatigue. Motivation won’t be an issue—physical demands might. Opportunities must be seized and mistakes minimised, because Gim are firing on all cylinders, fast, expansive, and unpredictable, with multiple players capable of turning a game.

Unbeaten No.1 Paul Roos travel to Stellenberg, where the Jades bring the same forward-dominant power that has given top teams headaches, plus a defence that can frustrate the best. Oakdale, looking to claw something from 2026 after defeats to Grey College and Affies, will give it their all—but Brugstraat is a tough hunting ground, and the Boishaai Blue Train will make life hard.

The big winners over the school holidays were Garsfontein. Not for the first time, they embraced back-to-back test matches, walking a gauntlet that tests depth and character. Who can forget their ABSA Wildeklawer run in 2023— that epic hard fought loss against Grey College, which turned out to be the National Championship decider for the season and then beating a highly rated Outeniqua a couple of days later when the Beree were expected to be mentally and physically drained? This year, they produced two stunning finishes at Noord-Suid, defeating Stellenberg and Boishaai in memorable very close clashes.

Stellenberg themselves came within a whisker of matching that feat, making a bit of history with a win over Grey College in their own festival gauntlet. Both sides have shown they can play under pressure, thrive on intensity, and execute when it matters most.

Meanwhile, Paul Roos could still be the surprise story of the season. Paarl Gim, expected to dominate, fell to Stellenberg, leaving the Maroon Machine the only undefeated test match side. Their rugby is exciting: attacking variation that entertains, ferocious defence that forces mistakes. Their Monument clash perhaps offers a glimpse of what teams will face at the Jades’ home turf—a team built on forward power, setpiece efficiency, and heart, with defence that can frustrate the most talented attacks.

Boishaai’s defeat to Garsfontein was one one to be remembered for a long time to come – it was a showpiece game of rugby. HJS displayed incredible character, clawing back from a significant deficit to take the lead, only to fall short. Yet the rugby public seems quick to write them off, questioning whether their style matches the diversity of the other contenders. Oakdale may feel the consequences. Despite missing giant Diaan Augustyn in the second row, the Bulle scrum remains formidable, but they know more punch from forwards and sharper execution from the backline is needed to compete at the very top.

Since that Stellies setback, Paarl Gim have been on fire, executing at pace with creativity and unpredictability across multiple options of go-to players. Their setpieces are solid, but the pack isn’t dominant, leaving the door open for teams that can exploit this. Affies showed glimpses their forward cohesion potential against Michaelhouse, but a tired Witbulle side will have to dig deep—every play, every metre counts. Questions around their backline effectiveness are still looming but ultimately its defensive organisation that could be more vital on this big occasion.

It promises to be a weekend of intensity, drama, and high-stakes rugby—the perfect showcase of schoolboy rugby at its finest.