Kaya has looked deeply into the structures, fabric, nooks and crannies of schoolboy rugby. Behind the mountains, along the coast, up the rivers, in suburbs, towns and townships, villages and dorpies, he has found — pound for pound — the best first XV in South Africa in 2026.
They beat the team who beat the team who beat the team…
Let me prove it to you.
Welcome to Wilgerivier, maats.
It is a combined school where the rugby journey begins in pre-primary and primary school, with the “welpies” learning the game while the girls excel on the netball court. The high school fields just four rugby teams — First XV, Second XV, Under-16 and Under-15. The First XV is coached by Nicholas Naudé and Danie van der Merwe.
Hoërskool Wilgerivier, situated in the rural northern Free State town of Frankfort, is a special place. Besides rugby, they are serious about netball, having produced Protea internationals and currently holding the South African Under-15 Fast Five title.
I wonder how many of us have even heard of them?
They do not feature in Beet’s SBR Top 80 rankings.
But they sit at No. 1 on Kaya’s 2026 rankings.
Kaya doesn’t know much, guys, but he played flank and lock (hence Kaya 85), coached and refereed, cut oranges, mixed energy drinks, bought 25 jerseys, stayed up strategising and still follows the game of rugby football as played in the schools of South Africa’s nine proud provinces.
I watch plenty of rugby because it makes me feel alive. Festival games — Easter festivals, Noord/Suid and Wildeklawer — live if possible. Under-16 games, Under-14 games if I wake up early enough, and even barefoot primary school rugby now and then. I watch the Varsity Cup, Craven Week and Grant Khomo Week, and then the Lions, Bulls, Stormers and Sharks (in that order) in the URC. Of course, there are international Test matches too.
Kaya doesn’t watch much soccer, although he did see Queens Park Rangers play at Loftus Road — on South Africa Road in West London — back in the Vinnie Jones days. Every four years he watches the World Cup semi-finals and final, and perhaps a Bafana Bafana match too.
But schoolboy rugby, my friends, is what keeps me going.
This is what we love.
And here is why Wilgerivier are No. 1.
In April 2026, Wilgerivier beat Fichardtpark of Bloemfontein 19-5.
Then, over the course of the season, the following chain of results unfolded — all of which can be checked on the SBR blog’s excellent database.
Fichardtpark beat Heidelberg Volkskool.
Heidelberg Volkskool, ranked 65th, beat Marais Viljoen and Wesvalia.
Wesvalia beat Montana.
Montana beat Oos-Moot. Sure, Kempton Park also beat Oos-Moot, and St Charles beat Kempies, but Oos-Moot beat Middelburg.
Middelburg lost to HTS Middelburg before winning the rematch.
They beat Menlopark.
Menlopark beat Helpmekaar.
Helpies beat Maritzburg College.
College beat Jeppe Boys High.
Jeppe lost to Affies and Pretoria Boys High, but they beat Garsfontein — that’s a fact.
And the Garsie Bere beat Stellenberg in the dying moments.
And, as we know, the giant-slaying Jade Brigade of Stellenberg beat Paul Roos, Grey College and Paarl Gimnasium during the 2026 season.
At the very top of this remarkable tower of results sits a little farm school in the northern Free State.
Gentlemen, may I present to you:
Wilgerivier.
They beat the team who beat the team who beat the team who beat the team… who beat Paarl Gimnasium before going on to beat everyone else.
Pound for pound, Kaya 85’s champions of South African schoolboy rugby in 2026 come not from Paarl, Pretoria or Johannesburg.
They come from Frankfort.
@tzavosky (Comment #46)
Ek het nog al die jare geweet jy is ietwat van n dark horse
@tzavosky (Comment #46)
O wow!
Klink of jy heelwat biere op skool gedrink het 😄😄😄😄
@Djou (Comment #44) Lekker, Djou. Het self van St8 tot matriek vir Barrydale se dorpspan (net ‘n “1ste” span!) gespeel, saam met twee van ons onderwysers, maar die skoolhoof was nie baie gelukkig nie. En, ja, die oumanne het gereël dat ek ‘n bier saam met hulle moet drink. Op die veld was hulle baie beskermend en ‘n paar boere en die polisieman kaptein het nie gehuiwer om vuiste in te lê nie.
@Djou (Comment #44)
🫣🤣
@Mate (Comment #43)
Ha ha, ‘n sigaret, dis vrek snaaks.
Het dieselfde gedoen in my matriekjaar, maar het 2 biere gekry pleks ban ‘n sigaret. Van ons onnies het saam met paar van ons in die dorpspan gespeel (3e span). Net vir ons gesê ons moet die bier in die kleedkamer drink en nie in die openbaar nie.
@Cappie (Comment #42)
My pa en ma was beide van gr1 tot matriek in Vrede. Hulle het in gr4 gekys en na studies in Pta getrou. As ek my somme mooi maak was hulle omtrent 72 jaar saam. Ek is al op my 6de vrou en ek dink die langste was omtrent 72 maande.
My pa het baie kontak nog gehad met ou skoolvriende, reunies bygewoon en hulle het hard gepoog om belowende sportkinders soontoe te lok maar het erg gesukkel om die room te kry.
Grey is maar die keuse in daai aspek. Warden en Memel was in sy tyd hul groot vyande. Baie van hul span het in die oggend vir die skool gespeel en in die middag vir die dorp.
Hy’t vertel hoe ironies dit was om halftyd by skool lemoene te kry en in die middag n sigaret.
@Mate (Comment #14)
Ek neem aan jou pa-hulle het dan op Vrede gebly, of hoe? Ek weet Vrede het so klompie jare terug al die goeie spelers van Newcastle, Frankfort en selfs Bethlehem getrek. Vrede teen Witteberg was altyd ‘n baie groot interskole gewees.
@Rainier (Comment #40) Sorrie man, my konsentrasie is verbreek deur my famile wat wou hê ek moet daai onkykbare rondebôl ghym kyk. Hulle dink nie dis snaaks dat ek voorstel ons moet Ruan Ackerman opstuur om ‘n paar Mexikane regtig na hulle enkels (en koppe) te laat gryp nie.
@tzavosky (Comment #38) 1918? Ek is bly hy het WW1 oorleef…
@tzavosky (Comment #38)
Hy was n merkwaardige ou beslis. Baie hard vir sy eie grappe ook gelag.
@Mate (Comment #37)
Nie net ‘n goeie tennisspeler en gholfer nie, ook muurbal, en natuurlik was hy ‘n Springbok gimnas- SA kampioen op die beulperd, ringe en parallel bars – geweldig sterk in sy bolyf (en heimlik verlief op Debbie Bingham!).
Van dors gepraat, na ‘n rugbywedstryd op Loftus het ons daar in Kerkstraat by die Bell hotel ‘n paar kappe gaan maak, maar in die Ladies’ Bar (ons was gekultiveerde drinkers!). Die plek was geweldig gewild met baie mense, en kort voor lank het Ben agter die vleuelklavier ingeskiuf en dan Mozart se Moonlight Sonata begin speel, met mense wat om hom saamdrom. Verskriklik talentvolle ou gewees.
Ek sien daar is ‘n Pasella video waarin hulle ‘n onderhoud met hom voer in 1918 – moes kort voor sy dood gewees het.
@tzavosky (Comment #35)
Lol
Ben was n scratch golfer, OVS gimnastiek en tennis met daai een been. En hy kon dors word. Hy het eintlik n moerse voordeel in golf gehad, hy’t daai regterklomp geplant wat verhoed het dat hy sway.
Sy bynaam daar by Klerksdorp Golfklub was ou Hop-along-Cassidy
@tzavosky (Comment #35)
Was per geleentheid saam met hom op skool – hy was paar jaar voor my. Great tennisspeler ook!
@Mate (Comment #34)
Einste! Ek en daai ou was so 2 1/2 jaar saam in die koshuis op Tuks, tot hy ‘n scrap met ‘n prof opgetel het en besluit het om liewers in Bloem te gaan verder swot. Sekerlik een van die mees fenomenale mense wat op my pad gekom het.
Daai tyd het jy mos daai fotoverhaal boekies gekry, een genaamd die Skrikruiter – ons het ou Ben die Krukruiter genoem!
@tzavosky (Comment #32)
Een been Ben?
@Djou (Comment #30)
Jip, einste hy!
@Mate (Comment #26)
Horie ‘Tjie, jy’s mos ‘n gholfer, het jy vir Ben van Zyl geken?
@Grizzly (Comment #25)
100%
@tzavosky (Comment #24)
Mnr T???
@Pypkan (Comment #20)
Genade ja, het van hom vergeet, maar ek scroll verby as ek sy posts sien – gaan meestal oor beserings en Jurenzo. Dis hoekom ek hom nie genoem het nie 🤣🤣
Brilliant.. Lekka Kaya
@tzavosky (Comment #24)
The sleeping giant of the Free State…?
@tzavosky (Comment #22)
Beet wil nie my ou naam opsit
@Djou (Comment #18)
Ons reel binnekort. Behalwe vir die Gim manne, Pypkan en Gimnasias is die Kaapse bloggers stil…. Laat mens dink.
@Kaya 85 (Comment #23)
If you go back to the beginning of the season when Diamantveld beat Monnas, you can get a sequence of: St Andrews(Bloem)->Fichardpark->Jim Fouche->Diamantveld->Monnas. And Garsfontein beat Monnas well.
St Andrews seems to be ranked lower than Wilgerivier.
@tzavosky (Comment #21)
Lol…the key is to remember the big upsets during a season. I remember back in 2000 Jeppe lost at home to Glenvista High School, who these days are in Group 4 of GLRU League, but back then where poised to become something more.
Here’s a Challenge – who can find an even lower ranked team in a chain of wins like this….
@Djou (Comment #18)
Mate blog al vir jare onder verskillende, veranderende skuilname, nog van die Rugby365 dae af. Maar hy los gereëld ‘n paaseier, soos bv die verwysing na sy Russiese skoonma onlangs, wat hom identifiseer.
Die Vrede vs Grey wen loop al ‘n baie lang pad. Maar dis prettig!
@Kaya: I ran through your sequence of events, and your methodology is faultless (if one ignores a few inconvenient facts!). My question is, how did you go on this path, and how long did it take you?
BTW, I love lateral thinking!
@Djou (Comment #18)
Ek kan jou eenvoudig nie ernstig opneem as jy nalaat om vir JongMatie by die pantheon van uitnemende bloggers in te sluit nie.
@Gimnasias (Comment #17)
Nee, 99% stem saam, Gim is die beste, maar ‘n slagting, nee!
Kaya is the best blogger here, by far. The main reason I sometimes visit the blog. I would put Beet second, because of his hard work. Snelvuur mostly, but not always, posts sense. Also enjoy Mate’s witty chirps – and the conversations between the Doc and Oud-Anker. Ek is nie kwaad vir jou nie Grizzly.
@PietPompies (Comment #7)
Moes nou eers weer lag oor die slagting ding. Dit gesien onder n ander topic. Maar dis wat die blad lekker maak, jy stem saam of nie. En ja, sou graag n “final” wou sien tussen Garsies en Gim. Sou n goeie game wees.
Laas wat ek gesien het, het Wilgerivier vir Vrede gewen.
Vrede se wedstryde teen Memel was gewoonlik die arm man se Paarl interskole
@Rainier (Comment #5) Spesifiek vaskop….
@Cappie (Comment #10)
Vir geriefliksheidhalwe is daai uitslag nooit op Grey se rekords geplaas. My pa het vir daai Vrede span gespeel, dink dit was 1948.
Die Vrede ouens het net een stel truie en toks gehad. Hulle moes daai nat geswete truie van die 2des aantrek en moes speel of die toks nou pas of nie.
@Rainier (Comment #5)
Lol and Respect. One time the prop went off injured, Kaya said he’d go push in front. Yikes, got crunched.
@OUD ANKER (Comment #9) That goes without saying. Loosehead props are usually just hookers with shitty lineouts throws.
@PietPompies (Comment #7)
And it will only be a “slagting”, because statistically Wilgerivier eat their oranges on average 2 minutes and 5 seconds slower compared to Gim during half time.
Kaya, firstly, congratulations on a really great blog. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I would be interested to know how Wilgerivier did against Vrede, as Vrede was the powerhouse of Eastern Free State rugby for many years. I believe they are still doing well, although I am not too sure about the most recent seasons. If my memory serves me correctly, one of the last big games between Vrede and Grey College, back in the day, actually ended in a Vrede win. I am not sure whether it was the last time they played each other, but I do remember that Vrede beat Grey somewhere along the line in the old Free State league days — which, depending on who you ask, probably still qualifies them for legendary status in the Eastern Free State! That being said, I do think we do not spend nearly enough time blogging about platteland rugby. There are some fantastic rugby stories, rivalries and results coming from the smaller towns, especially in the Eastern Free State, and it would be great to read more about those league games. More articles on these schools and competitions would be most welcome. And of course, if Vrede beat Wilgerivier this year, then surely they must be number one — no further debate required! Haha. Thanks again for a great blog.
@Rainier (Comment #5)
And it must be no. 3 prop!
@Pypkan (Comment #6)
As Djou nie meer so moerig is vir my nie moet ons n dop gaan drink. Voor einde Sept voor ek weer na daai depressing Kaap toe moet gaan. Kom ons reel dit.
Well done Kaya, love the analysis but you forgot to mention that if Wilgerivier should play Paarl Gim this year – it would be a “slagting”!!
In 1986 Grizzly and I travelled on a bus to Frankfort for our team’s match against the mighty Wilgerivier (15A). Don’t remember the score, but I do remember our prop, Frans Kruger, endlessly treating us to the stirring sounds of Eye of the Tiger.
I am sorry, but unless you have played the position of positions, prop, I cannot take your rugby insights seriously.
Statistics, ahem, don’t lie, thanks Kaya!
@Pypkan (Comment #1)
Lekker Kaya…. And Oos-Moot! 😂
@Pypkan (Comment #1)
Lol yes.
I did play blindside flank from time to time, …but high school at 8, and seniors at lock…hence 85.
We have been served irrefutable mathematical proof of Wilgerivier’s supremacy. That then concludes all further debate. Thank you Kaya!