Gim seize their moments to retain Interskole bragging rights

It was not a pretty Paarl Interskole 2026, with penalties aplenty, but it lived up to its billing as a tense and exciting affair. Paarl Gimnasium weathered a superb first-half performance from Hoër Jongenskool Paarl Boys’ High before pulling away after the interval to secure a 25-11 victory in another memorable Paarl Interskole at a pristine Faure Field on Saturday.

Boishaai will leave wondering how they did not lead at the break after dominating long periods of the opening half, but Gim’s ability to capitalise on their opportunities ultimately proved the difference.

Boishaai could have opened the scoring inside the opening exchanges, but an early penalty drifted wide. Moments later they came even closer when Gim failed to gather a clever kick-through, allowing Chris Nel to toe the ball ahead before being denied a certain-looking try by a handling error.

The underdogs in blue set the early tone with an excellent tactical kicking game, while their breakdown work ensured a steady supply of possession. The opening seven minutes belonged almost entirely to Boishaai in terms of both territory and possession.

A threatening fullback Dirk Farmer attack looked set to split the Gim defence before a turnover handed the hosts their first sustained spell with the ball. Quick ruck speed and crisp handling soon had Gim camped deep inside Boishaai territory, only for the visitors to produce a vital turnover close to their own line.

Any momentum Gim had built quickly disappeared.

Boishaai looked every bit like a team producing some of their best rugby of the season on the biggest stage. Their patient ball retention earned a penalty, which flyhalf Daniel Meisenheimer converted from close range to give the Galpille a deserved 3-0 lead after 17 minutes.

Gim simply could not establish a foothold.

Straight from the restart, Boishaai disrupted a Gim lineout and launched another series of attacks at pace. The pressure forced another penalty, and Meisenheimer doubled the advantage to 6-0 after 20 minutes.

A more advantageous restart finally gave Gim an attacking platform from a lineout drive, although Boishaai bundled them into touch with little reward. It was evidence of how well Boishaai had prepared to deal with one of schoolboy rugby’s most difficult set-piece threats. Gim remained in good field position and eventually earned their first kickable penalty after injecting far more energy into their attack. Flyhalf Louis Koen made no mistake to reduce the deficit to 6-3 after 25 minutes — probably the longest Gim have had to wait for their opening points in any match this season.

After clearing their lines, Gim’s kick chase trapped Boishaai deep inside their own half, and excellent defensive organisation earned a breakdown penalty. Koen surprisingly missed the straightforward attempt to level matters in the 29th minute.

The flyhalf, whose father and brother both previously wore the famous No. 10 jersey for Gim (winning a combined one out of six amongst the three before kickoff), responded almost immediately. His beautifully weighted kick into space bounced perfectly on Faure Field, where fullback Thomas Saunders, who had a splendid game, gathered near the 22 before sending outside centre Derik Cloete away for the opening try. Koen converted to hand Gim a 10-6 lead after 31 minutes.

Boishaai continued to threaten before the interval, but determined defence from Gim kept them at bay.

Despite trailing 10-6 at half-time, Boishaai had arguably produced the better rugby and looked unfortunate not to have more to show for their dominance.

The second half, however, belonged largely to Gim.

Boishaai survived an early scare when scrumhalf Mickyle Booise, who had been one of the standout players in the first half with his smooth, efficient play from the base, uncharacteristically knocked the ball on over the tryline after sustained pressure by his team, sparked by a powerful run down the left wing by u17 player De Waal Vivier that had finally stretched the visitors’ defence.

The danger was far from over.

The Boishaai scrum, which had been so valuable before the break, suddenly came under enormous pressure. A scrum penalty and attacking lineout gave Gim a free play after another infringement, allowing them to spread the ball from touchline to touchline. The space eventually appeared for Cloete to cross on the right for his and Gim’s second try. Koen’s conversion routine took too long, and the kick was not completed, leaving the score at 15-6 after 42 minutes.

Things continued to unravel for Boishaai.

A spilled high ball gifted Gim another attacking opportunity, and the resulting penalty kick pushed play deep into the visitors’ half. Wing Aleit Stander temporarily relieved the pressure with a courageous mark under the high ball, but only briefly.

From the ensuing lineout, Gim immediately shifted the ball wide, clearly targeting the pace of Saunders in a one-on-one situation. The fullback delivered brilliantly, beating his defender before slicing through the cover defence and racing away, leaving even the last line of defence with no chance of stopping him. The conversion was missed, but Gim had opened a commanding 20-6 advantage after 47 minutes.

Boishaai refused to surrender. A succession of penalties and some excellent use of width earned them a five-metre attacking lineout. They hammered away at the Gim line, only for desperate defence to repel every assault. The sequence finally ended when lock Bernhardt Schulze emerged with possession and embarked on one of the longest runs of his two-year u19A career.

Penalties continued to dominate proceedings, and another infringement handed Boishaai excellent field position. Referee AJ Jacobs then dealt Gim a significant blow by issuing a yellow card for repeated infringements in the 55th minute.

Boishaai immediately made the numerical advantage count. A cleverly executed tap penalty saw prop Max Malan carry strongly before centre Jeniel Davids, playing in his third Interskole derby, burst through and produced a superb offload for Stander to score. The conversion was missed, reducing the deficit to 20-11 after 57 minutes.

There were still opportunities.

A crucial Boishaai knock-on in an attacking position allowed Gim to clear deep into the visitors’ 22, only for the hosts to squander the advantage through another handling error at the breakdown.

The contest became increasingly fragmented, with turnovers — mostly through penalties and inconsistent lineout execution — repeatedly handing momentum from one side to the other.

Boishaai continued to throw everything at the game and found tremendous energy, but every time they looked poised to strike, they were undone by another costly infringement. A penalty awarded with just three minutes remaining effectively extinguished any hopes of a grandstand finish.

The closing moments defused any hopes of the customary Interskole late drama when Booise crossed in the dying stages to seal the result after good work from Saunders and Vivier in the build-up. Another missed conversion left the final score at 25-11.

Overall, the final margin perhaps flattered Paarl Gimnasium, who spent much of the opening half under immense pressure. Yet championship teams punish missed opportunities, and Gim did exactly that. They absorbed Boishaai’s best rugby before producing a clinical second half to once again emerge victorious in South African schoolboy rugby’s biggest derby and end the season as South Africa’s number one-ranked rugby school. Capping it all was a first-ever Powerhouse Grand Slam — victories over Affies, Grey College, Paul Roos and finally Paarl Boys’ High in the same season amounted to an incredible feat for captain Ethan Barker and his outstanding team, coached so well by Pieter Rossouw and his able support staff.