A weekend of surprises

Picture: Rondebosch Boys' High Facebook

There were some unexpected, to say the least, results in Saturday’s 1^st team rugby matches across the country. Several teams have shown that there is perhaps no reason to believe that the pre-Covid pecking order in SA schools rugby will continue, as of right. Their performances at the weekend have added extra spice to next weekend’s Wildeklawer Festival at which just about all the top schools will be appearing.

The consistent top four over the years, Grey College, Paarl Boys’ High, Paarl Gimnasium and Paul Roos Gimnasium were all shocked. Paarl Gim’s 2022 is supposed to be their “dream team” and they certainly started off the year that way. They beat Monument and Glenwood easily earlier on and looked to be on a roll. Affies, on the other hand had a few good wins, but then went down to Garsfontein for the 1^st time ever. They were not the favourites on Saturday, but won 29-26.

Grey College don’t lose very often and they didn’t on Saturday. But they were held to a 17-all draw by Oakdale, the little agricultural school from Riversdal who they have never lost to.

Paul Roos Gim also drew – 38-all with Bishops. Bishops did win this annual fixture in 2021, but their previous victory before that was back in 2009. Bishops has had a great season so far, which included a 31-20 win over Outeniqua at the Grey High festival. The seem to have regained the old running rugby flair that served them well in the past.

The biggest shock was at Paarl Boys’ High where Rondebosch beat the home side for the first time since 1997. Boys’ High have been either one or two on the ranking list for the last 10 years but, following a 19-all draw with Garsfontein on the North-South weekend, you have to wonder if they too can have “one of those years”.

Another notable win, but not such surprise given their results in the run up, was Durban High School’s 38-14 win over Maritzburg College. It was, however, their biggest away win over College ever.

In other weekend action, Westville, with its gigantic pack, beat Jeppe 15-0, Pretoria Boys’ High made KES work hard for their 31-25 win, Queen’s beat Dale 20-13 in the home leg of their double-header derby, and Monument beat Nelspruit 38-16.

Next weekend is the Wildeklawer Festival. As mentioned, last weekend’s results have piqued interest in a number of the fixtures. Oakdale meet Affies, for instance, on Saturday, while Grey College take on Paarl Gim and Monument face Paarl Boys’ High on Monday.

There is another festival next weekend, the Selborne 125^th Anniversary. Rondebosch are there and they play Grey High on Monday.

One of the country’s biggest local derbies is on Saturday (it’s 1^st leg) at Hilton College, when Michaelhouse are the guests. It’s a game that brings to whole KZN Midlands region to a halt.

Comments

Lots to enthuse about last week

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It's rugby trials time, and I don't miss the cold

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The wonders of the winter exchange weekends

My sporting highlight of the week? …. There were a couple of those massive “exchanges” this weekend, which saw whole schools, practically, getting on buses and traveling halfway across the country to play traditional rivals who will be coming up to their place next year. They are major logistical undertakings and they depend on the community at the other end opening their doors and inviting the opponents in to stay for the night on Friday. And, by the nature of the schools involved, the boys do everyone proud by rising to the occasion and showing their class – Jeppe were away at Westville a fortnight ago and they hosted Northwood this weekend and you could’ve cut and pasted the praise heaped on the visitors by the hosts in Durban, and by the Jeppe community today. I know the KES parents are saying the same thing about the Westville boys this weekend, and they get the same response from the College parents when they go to Pietermaritzburg every other year. Affies travelled down to ...

Theo Garrun Talking Schoolboy rugby

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