Author: mbloem

On Saturday, the Tinkie Heyns Field served as a battleground for a first meeting between Rondebosch and HTS Drostdy since 2018.

On that occasion, ‘Bosch triumphed 43-37. In another high scoring clash, Rondebosch again edged it, scoring a 34-26 win, spearheaded by a hat-trick of tries from Alutha Wesi.

The number eight helped his side forge an early 12-0 lead, dotting down twice in the first dozen minutes of play.

For his first, he received the ball on the wing inside the visitors 22. Running powerfully, he shrugged off two defenders before going over in the corner. For his second, after running onto a short ball, he broke the line just five metres out and was over before the Drostdy defence could lay a finger on him.

At half-time, the home side enjoyed a comfortable 19-5 lead, but the Donkeys came back strongly in the second stanza to make a good game of it.

Their effort was highlighted by a brilliant try from fullback Pirlo Baron, which was Drostdy’s fourth. It began with a 50-metre counterattack from wing Adrian Vergotine. In a tackle, he offloaded to Baron, who then danced his way past two defenders to score beneath the uprights.

Unfortunately, for the visitors, that try came too late to reverse the outcome of the contest. Time had run out and Rondebosch survived a feisty Drostdy fightback.

In Somerset West, Parel Vallei (PV) hosted Wynberg Boys’ High. Beaten 68-22 by Paarl Gimnasium a week earlier, Wynberg was highly motivated.

After withstanding a strong showing from PV in the first half, they kept the home side scoreless in the second to pull away to a big 59-13 victory. At just 13-21 down at the break, PV was in the contest, but they ran out of steam.

Their best moment came from their scrumhalf, Michael Kent, who pulled off an interception in the sixth minute, then hit the accelerator on a 40-metre sprint that put him in under the posts.

In the second half, though, the Bulldogs struggled to keep up the pace, conceding 38 unanswered points.

Wynberg delivered an outstanding team performance, with their eight tries being shared by seven different try scorers.

Albert Lourens was the only player to cross the whitewash twice. Just three minutes into the second half, he benefitted from a long pass from flyhalf Achmat Behardien, which put him in space, and the wing pinned his ears back to speed across the try line from 40 metres out.

Parel Vallei remains a work in progress. They produced some strong moments against tough opposition, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. They are, though, on the right track and their time will come against opponents of the calibre of Wynberg.

Scorers

Rondebosch Boys’ High 34 (19) – Tries: Alutha Wesi (3), Bulela Mbala, Jayden Wyngaard. Conversions: Sebastian Boshoff (3). Penalty: Sebastian Boshoff; HTS Drostdy 26 (5) – Tries: Caleb Cornet, Jano van Deventer, Jacques de Klerk, Pirlo Baron. Conversions: Jano van Deventer (3).

Parel Vallei High 13 (13) – Try: Michael Kent. Conversion: Stephan Niemann. Penalties: Shudley Rhoda (2); Wynberg Boys’ High 59 (21) – Tries: Albert Lourens (2), Jaythen Orange, Daniel Ould, Chad Campbell, Morné Noble, Tjeripo Karuhumba, James Orwin. Conversions: Achmat Behardien (8). Penalty: Achmat Behardien.

Other Results

U19 – Rondebosch II 13 Drostdy II 5; Parel Vallei II 12 Wynberg II 17, Parel Vallei III 5 Wynberg III 17.

U16 – Rondebosch A 21 Drostdy A 17; Parel Vallei A 7 Wynberg A 41, Parel Vallei B 6 Wynberg B 35.

U15 – Rondebosch A 45 Drostdy A 10; Parel Vallei A 0 Wynberg A 19, Parel Vallei B 0 Rondebosch B 43.

U14 – Rondebosch A 14 Drostdy A 22; Parel Vallei A 3 Wynberg A 28, Parel Vallei B 0 Wynberg B 40.

After defeating HTS Drostdy 31-7 last weekend, Oakdale Landbou went into their showdown with Paul Roos Gimnasium on Saturday feeling confident.

In a tight affair, the home side powered their way to a 21-17 victory on De Eike.

Oakdale started off strongly, scoring in the 10th minute from yet another memorable lineout move in a season filled with them.

On the visitors’ five-metre line, they formed two pods. The front one caught the ball before feeding the pod at the back. Then, SA Schools’ eighthman, Jacobus de Villiers, wrapped around for a pass and burst through a surprised defence for five points. Flyhalf CT Vosloo added the extras.

The home outfit continued to dominate the visitors and at halftime they led 12-5.

However, Ou Polla’s Boys weren’t going down without a fight and they crossed for two tries in the final five minutes to put a stunning comeback into play. It began from a familiar source, fullback Keenan Stoffels, who cut inside to score in the 65th minute.

The Farmers, though, pulled their socks up with the game on the line, defending stubbornly to maintain their four-point lead. In the end, they claimed a major scalp in front of their home crowd.

Stellenberg endured a tough 8-14 loss at Outeniqua last week. On Saturday, they shared another intense affair against Boland Landbou. This time, however, the Jade Brigade won, triumphing 18-10 to the delight of their home crowd.

Stellies looked strong from the start and successfully applying pressure in the set pieces. It took them 20 minutes, but they, at last, converted pressure into points, scoring a rolling maul from a lineout just five metres from the Boland Landbou try line.

Flank Ryan Jones dotted down and SA Schools A flyhalf, Ethan van Biljon, knocked over the conversion kick.

At halftime, that try separated the teams, with Stellenberg up 10-3.

Boland Landbou determinedly took the game to the home team in the second half, setting Stellenberg on the back foot through quick ball from the rucks, supplied by SA Schools’ scrumhalf, Jayden Brits. Their reward came on the hour-mark when substitute eighthman, Alex Potgieter, made a line break and went over for a try.

Captain Christian Jansen van Rensburg and his Stellenberg side kept calm under pressure, however, to survive the visitors’ fightback and emerged with a hard-fought eight-point victory after a gruelling encounter.

Scorers

Oakdale Landbou 21 (21) – Tries: Jacobus de Villiers, Christiaan Vorster, CT Vosloo. Conversions: CT Vosloo (3). Paul Roos 17 (5) – Tries: Travis Pheiffer, Keenan Stoffels, NA. Conversion: Travis Pheiffer.

Stellenberg 18 (10) – Tries: Liam Joubert, Ryan Jones; Conversion: Ethan van Biljon. Penalties: Ethan van Biljon (2); Boland Landbou 10 (3) – Try: Alex Potgieter; Conversion: Jayden Brits. Penalty: Jayden Brits.

Other Results

U19 – Oakdale II 15 Paul Roos II 12, Oakdale III 16 Paul Roos III 21, Oakdale IV 6 Paul Roos IV 19, Oakdale V 0 Paul Roos V 3, Oakdale VI 14 Paul Roos VII 6, Oakdale VII 8 Paul Roos VIII 7; Stellenberg II 21 Boland Landbou II 26.

U16 – Oakdale A 12 Paul Roos A 31, Oakdale B 0 Paul Roos B 25, Oakdale C 40 Paul Roos E 7, Oakdale D 14 Paul Roos F 29; Stellenberg A 21 Boland Landbou A 26.

U15 – Oakdale A 14 Paul Roos A 18, Oakdale B 3 Paul Roos B 17, Oakdale C 7 Paul Roos C 7, Oakdale D 7 Paul Roos E 28, Oakdale E 5 Paul Roos F 38; Stellenberg A 19 Boland Landbou A 22.

U14 – Oakdale A 20 Paul Roos A 31, Oakdale B 12 Paul Roos B 33, Oakdale C 5 Paul Roos C 49, Oakdale E 7 Paul Roos F 19; Stellenberg A 14 Boland A 14.

Sixty-two minutes in at the Faure Street Stadium, in Paarl, on Saturday: Paarl Gim 33, Paarl Boys’ High 21.

“Kobus, how did you guys get yourselves back into the game?”

With tears flowing, Kobus Wilken replied: “We (the team) knew we can’t play for ourselves. You play for them – the supporters, the school. They are us. We are them.”

After 70 minutes, the final whistle blew: Paarl Gim 33, Paarl Boys’ High 35.

The Gimmies unbeaten streak of 17 official games had come to an end. Boishaai had redeemed their 8-30 loss to their great rivals in 2024, and with that staked a claim to be the number one team in the country.

Kobus Wilken, the smallest forward for Boishaai in the Paarl Derby and King Price Derby Series clash, started the season in his school’s second team. Now, in his final game of 2025, he produced an incredible performance to influence his side’s victory, being crowned the King of the Match. His work rate, his offloads, his passion, were awesome. Behind the Boishaai badge on his chest thumped his huge heart.

Earlier in the season, Boishaai were favoured against Oakdale Landbou. Yet, they went down to The Farmers, who went on to have one of their best seasons in history. Little did Paarl Boys’ High know that they would pull off a similar upset against Paarl Gimnasium, whose 1st XV was a seemingly unstoppable points-scoring machine, one of the best in their storied history.

Boishaai had the chance to go in front in the fourth minute, through inside centre Iwan Jordaan. However, the strong Paarl breeze dragged his penalty kick wide.

Paarl Gim responded with a try 10 minutes later when Gimmies fullback, Dawid Badenhorst, received a box kick which had gone too deep. With no pressure on him, he went on a line-breaking run before passing the ball to eighthman Quintin Potgieter, who found captain Markus Muller on his outside. The SA Schools centre ran in for a try, which he then converted.

Was it the start of yet another Markus Muller show? The centre is a generational talent. The proof was clear: In 15 official games this season, he had scored 254 points at an average of 16.93 points per match. Of those, 180 points had come from tries, an average of 2.4 per game.

On Saturday, however, the dream season finally came to an end.

While it was a disappointing way to complete an otherwise perfect 2025 for Paarl Gimnasium, it was only an end to part one of the Markus Muller story. Barring any unfortunate events, he appears to have an illustrious rugby career ahead of him.

Boishaai backs Cole Moultrie and Tristan Joubert, will remember their respective 63rd and 66th minute tries for a long time to come. Their cuts inside to beat the rushing defenders enabled them to dive over the line for one of the most resilient comebacks in recent years.

On that note, another storied chapter in the epic tale of the Paarl Derby came to a close.

Scorers

Paarl Boys’ High 35 (14) – Tries: Jeneal Davids, Gershom Pieters, Kobus Wilken, Cole Moultrie, Tristan Joubert. Conversions: Iwan Jordaan (5); Paarl Gimnasium 33 (13) – Tries: Markus Muller, Hendré van der Westhuizen, Jean Dreyer. Conversions: Markus Muller (3). Penalties: Markus Muller (4).

Other Results 

u19: Paarl Gimnasium II 26, Paarl Boys’ High II 25; Paarl Gimnasium III 21, Paarl Boys’ High III 20; Paarl Gimnasium IV 38, Paarl Boys’ High IV 36; Paarl Boys’ High V 32, Paarl Gimnasium V 12; Paarl Boys’ High VI 22, Paarl Gimnasium VI 20.

u16: Paarl Boys’ High 37, Paarl Gimnasium 21; Paarl Gimnasium II 19, Paarl Boys’ High II 15; Paarl Gimnasium III 15, Paarl Boys’ High III 13; Paarl Boys’ High IV 13, Paarl Gimnasium IV 10.

u15: Paarl Gimnasium 17, Paarl Boys’ High 16; Paarl Gimnasium II 19, Paarl Boys’ High II 17; Paarl Boys’ High III 22, Paarl Gimnasium III 18; Paarl Boys’ High IV 22, Paarl Gimnasium IV 5.

u14: Paarl Gimnasium 18, Paarl Boys’ High 6; Paarl Gimnasium II 31, Paarl Boys’ High II 26; Paarl Gimnasium III 23, Paarl Boys’ High III 21; Paarl Gimnasium IV 50, Paarl Boys’ High IV 5.

Oakdale Landbou hosts Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) at 13:20 on “De Eike” this Saturday in a battle of two of the 2025 season’s heavyweights.

The Farmers have enjoyed an incredible season, which has included inflicting the only loss of the season on Paarl Boys’ High.

Last year, Oakdale didn’t face the all-conquering Paul Roos side, but, when they last met in July 2023, in Stellenbosch, PRG won 27-15.

The Farmers have grown significantly since then. Their set-piece this season has been awesome, with SA Schools’ loosehead Kai Pratt anchoring the scrum, SA Schools A monster lock Diaan Augustyn in the second row, and SA Schools’ 8th-man Jacobus de Villiers at the back of the pack.

Last week, in their 31-7 victory over HTS Drostdy, all five of their tries were scored within two phases of a set-piece.

Meanwhile the Maroon Machine started term three on fire, powering their way to a 48-12 win over Rondebosch last Saturday.

Once again, they’re one of the country’s leading teams, and Paul Roos, potentially, has a good counter to Oakdale’s strong lineout in the form of SA Schools’ hooker, Altus Rabe. Loose forwards’ Luke Kent and Gert Kemp add an extra layer of oomph to the Stellenbosch attack, running hard lines like centres.

Speaking of running lines, wing Jordan Steenkamp scored a hat-trick last week, while fullback Keenan Stoffels crossed for a brace. With such speedsters at their disposal, the Oakdale forwards cannot give afford to give Ou Polla’s Boys too much space or possession.

Boland Landbou, meanwhile, travels to Stellenberg for a 12:50 fixture. The hosts head into the clash off the back of an 8-14 loss against Outeniqua in a match which could have gone either way. They’ll certainly be looking to get back to winning ways.

Boland Landbou defeated Bishops 40-19 last Saturday, so will be chasing back-to-back wins.

The last time the sides met in April 2024, Boland won 25-19 on Perdeberg-A Field.

The Jade Brigade will lean on SA Schools A flyhalf, Ethan van Biljon, to dictate play with his excellent distribution and to score points with his powerful and accurate boot.

The home side is not afraid to boot the ball down field and chase. However, before their backs can look to take advantage of their flyhalf’s powers, they’ll need to secure possession through the forwards.

The Farmers also have a star halfback in SA Schools’ scrumhalf, Jayden Brits. Like Van Biljon, he scores plenty of points off the kicking tee and he’s an excellent creator with his clever passing and kicking.

The visitors have often leaked penalties and cards under pressure this season. That’s something they’ll need to avoid if they are to challenge Stellenberg. Van Biljon’s boot is one of the most accurate to be found anywhere.

Teams:

Oakdale Landbou vs Paul Roos Gimnasium at 13:20 on “De Eike-Veld” in Riversdal.

Oakdale: 15 Reinhardt Viljoen, 14 Myburgh Eksteen, 13 Anrich Scheffer, 12 Christian Vorster, 11 Lee-Winn Pretorius, 10 CT Vosloo, 9 Jandrian Goosen, 8 Jacobus de Villiers, 7 Liam Lightley, 6 Jannes Snyman (Captain), 5 Rico Ferreira, 4 Diaan Augustyn, 3 Francois le Roux, 2 Adrian Smith, 1 Kai Pratt.

Paul Roos: 15 Keenan Stoffels, 14 Divan Lamprecht, 13 Tiaan Basson, 12 Ian Smith, 11 Jordan Steenkamp, 10 Travis Pheiffer, 9 Jan-Jan Nel, 8 Gert Kamp, 7 Luke Kent, 6 Caleb Koeberg, 5 Manus van Leeuwen, 4 Truspe Schoeman, 3 Gerrit van Vuuren, 2 Altus Rabe, 1 Zak Hickman.

Stellenberg High School vs Boland Landbou at 12:50 in Belville, Cape Town.

Stellenberg: 15 Eben Rademan, 14 Daniel Mongie, 13 Luka Tonitz, 12 Armand Potgieter, 11 Christian Arendse, 10 Ethan van Biljon, 9 Daniel Steffen, 8 Yanos Molnar, 7 Ryan Jones, 6 Regardt Rademeyer, 5 Leon Vermaak, 4 Juvan Burden, 3 Janu can Deventer, 2 Liam Joubert, 1 Christian Janse van Rensburg (Captain).

Boland Landbou: 15 Jadon Ocks, 14 Kobus Jordaan, 13 Jason Ocks, 12 Blake de Kock, 11 Aleit Stander, 10 Pieter Bergh (Captain), 9 Jayden Brits, 8 Jacques Retief, 7 Kody Nell, 6 Juan Visage, 5 Jeandrè le Roux, 4 Stephan Griesel, 3 Derico Messina, 2 Wikus Coetzee, 1 Diwan Grobbelaar.

HTS Drostdy visits Tinkie Heyns Field for a 12:15 showdown with Rondebosch Boys’ High on Saturday.

Last time out, the hosts suffered a frustrating 12-48 loss against Paul Roos Gim in Stellenbosch. The visitors also went down last Saturday, losing 7-31 at Oakdale.

It’s been seven years since the schools last met in May 2018. On that occasion, they delivered a cracker, with Rondebosch shading it 43-37.

Both sides have racked up the points in 2025, but they’ve also suffered some disappointing outings. ‘Bosch has, at times, blown hot and cold, while Drostdy has been somewhat unpredictable, too.

Rondebosch certainly has the fire power to get the scoreboard ticking. Caleb Bell, on the wing boasts electric footwork, often dancing through three or four defenders to get over the try line, while Matthew Galpin and David Kadima are also dangermen at outside centre and right wing respectively. They’re good on their feet and equally adept at offloading.

Drostdy likes to play at pace. If they’re able to feed their wings, Adrian Vergotine and Darren Makheza, Rondebosch will be in for a challenging day.

Fullback Pirlo Baron is another player on whom to keep an eye. He scored the Donkeys lone try against Oakdale on the weekend.

The Drostdy back three poses a grave danger to ‘Bosch’s hopes.

Parel Vallei (PV) welcomes Wynberg Boys’ High for a 12:00 clash in Somerset West.

The hosts exhibited commendable spirit to overcome a 3-14 halftime deficit to beat Worcester Gimnasium 24-21 last weekend.

Wynberg, meanwhile, became the latest team to be undone by Paarl Gimnasium, losing 22-68 away from home.

It has been three years since Parel Vallei and Wynberg last did battle. On that occasion, it ended in a one-sided 57-0 victory for the Cape Town school.

Parel Vallei is on the up, but they are very much the underdogs this weekend. Keeping it tight against a star-studed Wynberg lineup might be viewed as something of a moral victory for the Bulldogs. 

The hosts will need to be wary of Wynberg’s set piece play. Wynberg prop, Luqobo Makwedini, is 120kg of raw power that’ll be difficult to contain at scrum time, and from close range.

Wynberg captain and lock, Jaythen Orange, a workhorse around the park, is also a serious threat in the lineouts, where he’ll be hoping to steal the ball for his talented backs.

The duo of Achmat Behardien and Yaqeen Ahmed at ten and twelve respectively, provides a double threat that the PV defence will have to try to figure out. Behardien is an excellent playmaker and goal kicker. Ahmed is there to double up the qualities that Behardien brings, goal-kicking and creating tries, when Behardien isn’t quite making his mark.

The visitors usually provide a triple threat, but SA Schools’ scrumhalf, Mornè Noble, is out injured this weekend.

Teams: 

Rondebosch vs HTS Drostdy at 12:15 on the Piley Rees Field on Saturday.

Rondebosch: 15 Eathon Williams, 14 David Kadima, 13 Matthew Galpin, 12 Harry Soboil, 11 Caleb Bell, 10 Sebastian Boshoff, 9 James Kirsten, 8 Alutha Wesi, 7 Connor Arbuthnot, 6 Linakho Mehlomakulu, 5 Bertus Versfeld, 4 Dani-Nicolas Oosthuizen, 3 Matthew van der Merwe, 2 Kwaza Gobingca, 1 Bulela Mbala.

HTS Drostdy: 15 Pirlo Baron, 14 Adrian Vergotine, 13 Abdul Fisher, 12 Jacques de Klerk, 11 Darren Makeza, 10 Jano van Deventer, 9 Caleb Cornett, 8 Wynand Fabricius, 7 Mornè Coetzer, 6 Werno Ramsauer (Captain), 5 Jean-Louis Matthee, 4 Eugene Walker, 3 Sandro Smit, 2 JP Lotriet, 1 Stefan le Roux.

Parel Vallei vs Wynberg at 12:00 in Somerset West on Saturday.

Parel Vallei: 15 Shudley Rhoda, 14 Johan van Zyl, 13 Noah Enyang, 12 Tihan van der Colff, 11 Cayde Lucas, 10 Stefhan Niemann, 9 Michael Kent, 8 Bradley Brown, 7 Chris de Jager, 6 Marce Els, 5 James Paxton, 4 Renato Tosi, 3 Cayden Rautenbach, 2 Diaan du Toit, 1 Herman Diedericks.

Wynberg: 15 Laeeq Davids, 14 Chad Campbell, 13 Kunene Gadu, 12 Daniel Oud, 11 Albert Lourens, 10 Achmat Behardien, 9 Hugo Loggenberg, 8 Alvin Machinja, 7 Tjeripo Karuhamba, 6 Jamie Stride, 5 James Orwin, 4 Jaythen Orange (Captain), 3 Luqobo Makwedini, 2 Noah Gila, 1 Luke Miller.

Hoërskool D.F. Malan hosts Hoërskool Strand at 12:40 in Belville this Saturday.

The hosts defeated Hoërskool Punt 32-29 last time out, while Strand was also on the winning side, beating Hoërskool Swartland 25-20.

With those victories in the bag and having come out on the right side of tough tests, both sides will feel confident heading into Saturday’s showdown.

If this weekend’s clash goes down to the wire, then discipline will be a key factor for the hosts. Strand scrumhalf, Jaydan Steenkamp, made the difference last weekend by landing two decisive penalty kicks. He’ll be aiming for more of the same this week.

The Belville locals have faith in their own kickers. With the powerful boot of Delport at fullback, they have the ability to control the territorial battle and put pressure on the opposition’s lineout, with the home support cheering them on.

It’ll take more than an excited home crowd to get the better of Strand, however. They stuck together last weekend and defended valiantly in the second half to force mistakes out of the frustrated Swartland attack. If DF Malan wants to add another win on Saturday, they’ll need to tap into the same composure that they displayed against the ferocious Punt side.

In Malmesbury, Hoërskool Swartland welcomes Hoërskool Hopefield for a 12:50 kick-off.

While the home side went down by five points to Strand in their last outing, Hopefield enjoyed a one-sided 46-6 victory over Hoërskool Labori.

The Malmesbury school created many chances from set-pieces against Strand, but they didn’t capitalise on enough of them enough to come away with the win.

Hopefield, on the other hand, ran riot against Labori, scoring tries with ease. Their game may not flow as effortlessly this time around, with Swartland set to offer a stiffer battle in the set-pieces and at the breakdown.

Swartland’s backs also know how to finish when presented with space, so Hopefield will need to be at their best if they want to go home victorious.

TEAMS

D.F. Malan: 15 P. Delport, 14 A. Lewis, 13 D. Thompson, 12 C. de Jager, 11 D. Loucas, 10 E. Bester, 9 C. Burger, 8 J. le Roux, 7 J. Pieterse, 6 J. Vermeulen, 5 D. Nel, 4 R. Krugel, 3 H. Jacobz, 2 K. Drifthout, 1 R. Palvie.

Strand: 15 Ashton Mitchell, 14 Marquin Smith, 13 Kealan Milton, 12 Lyle Julies, 11 Kyle Steyn, 10 Justin Phillips, 9 Jaydan Steenkamp, 8 Rohan Bezuidenhout, 7 Chrismar Prinsloo, 6 Schalk Beukes, 5 Keagan Coetzee, 4 Joshua Lourens, 3 Timothy van den Bergh, 2 Ruben Paanakker, 1 Christopher Els.

Swartland: 15 Skylar Claasen, 14 Enrico Louw, 13 Justin Vermeulen, 12 Daniel Walters, 11 Zaidell Pauhus, 10 De Wet van Aswagen, 9 Dimitrios Boutsikaris, 8 Wessel Neethling, 7 Christian Cupido, 6 James Joubert, 5 Martin Neethling, 4 Lamin Bah, 3 Melchior Botha, 2 Eben van Wyk, 1 Ernst Coetzee.

Hopefield: 15 Jordan Loubser, 14 JT Adams, 13 Jared Williams, 12 Reenan van den Berg, 11 CJ Magerman, 10 Ruwan Beaton, 9 Evan Momsen, 8 Daniël Olivier, 7 Schalk Jonker (Captain), 6 Tehan Barnard, 5 Clint Afrika, 4 Nieken Lubbe, 3 De Villers Cloete, 2 Ewout Oosthuizen, 1 Emile Mostert.

SACS hosts Brackenfell at 12:30 on Memorial-A Field on Saturday, with both sides intent on getting back to winning ways.

The home team played some good rugby in the first half of their game against Paarl Boys’ High last weekend but were comprehensively outplayed in the second half, going down to an 8-51 loss.

Brackenfell also tasted defeat, falling 21-45 to Hoërskool Durbanville, where they, too, were outplayed in the second half.

When the sides played last year, SACS doubled-up Brackenfell, winning an entertaining match 54-27.

Through their flank and captain, Siphe Mbungendlu, SACS will aim to continue their winning ways against Brackenfell, who are still chasing a first win over the Newlands school.

Both sides have played against some gruelling opposition in recent matches, and Brackenfell, although they have played a more forgiving schedule, has enjoyed some impressive victories, so they’ll be targeting Saturday’s match as a good opportunity to at last turn the tables on SACS.

Both sides will need to keep cool heads and focus on getting the basics right. Solid scrums, strong contesting of lineouts and pulling off steals at the breakdowns will be among the areas of focus for both packs. For the backs, it will be about accuracy and execution.

Charlie Hofmeyr faces Hermanus at 13:20 in Ceres.

Last week, the hosts enjoyed a 21-13 win over Hugenote, while Hermanus grabbed a noteworthy victory, beating the Kingswood School (Bath, UK) 25-21.

Those victories were, no doubt, very welcome, but they’re no cause for complacency.

The Hermanus defence will need to be disciplined. Flyhalf Jay-Jay Janse enjoys collecting points off the kicking tee, and he enjoys creating tries even more.

Charlie Hofmeyr is a side that thrives on momentum, and they like to accelerate phase play when on the attack.

Saturday’s match will be a real test for the visitors’ loose forwards, who’ll need to make the most of their jackal ability at the breakdown.

Charlie is dangerous, capable of scoring off both set-pieces and open play. They also use a variety of moves in the lineout to keep the opposition guessing. Hermanus has been less steady at the set-piece, but they’ve had a week to work on it, so, perhaps, they’ll have an ace up their sleeve.

Playing at home, and with a slightly superior record, Charlie Hofmeyr will head into the fixture as the favourite, but their coastal opposition will only be strengthened by their underdog tag.

TEAMS

SACS: 15 Quewinn Lackay, 14 Josh Gorgens, 13 Mikey Skeeles, 12 Daniel Grant, 11 Josh Pfister, 10 Robert Boyes, 9 Max Bester, 8 Thando Sithole, 7 Harrison Bell, 6 Siphe Mbungendlu (Captain), 5 Cameron Hirst, 4 Stefan Kruger, 3 Qiraan Hermans, 2 Sango Zangqa, 1 Qawe Sawuka.

Brackenfell (likely): 15 Zane van Schalkwyk, 14 Deros Manya, 13 Luhle Ngqentsu, 12 Yibonge Malote, 11 Migile Carelse, 10 Junior Louw, 9 Jean Oosthuizen, 8 Wade Fortuin, 7 Kamva Simama, 6 Seth Braaf, 5 Zander van Zyl, 4 Jeandre Limby, 3 Liam Hine, 2 Ethan Carr, 1 Siraaj Cook.

Charlie Hofmeyr: 15 Shandley Burrows, 14 Keanan Nathan, 13 Willmuth Loff, 12 Keagan Kelly, 11 Ainsley Pedro, 10 Jay-Jay Janse, 9 Phillip Boshoff, 8 Gerhard Goosen, 7 Ivan Hanekom, 6 Attie Heyns, 5 Jacob Kriel, 4 Jean Neethling, 3 Joshua Swarts, 2 Lourens Nel, 1 Dewald Jaars.

Hermanus: 15 Giano da Kosta, 14 Elia Stevens, 13 Liam Prodehl, 12 Johan van der Walt, 11 Jarred Hunter, 10 Joshua Arnoldus, 9 Christable Nutt, 8 Rehan Gotzë, 7 Gideon Scheepers, 6 Daniel Theron, 5 Mark Collins, 4 Alex Welman, 3 Alex Jones, 2 Sebastian van Dyk, 1 Rowan Moor.

The Paarl Derby, also a King Price Derby Series clash, takes place at Faure Street Stadium in Paarl at 16:00 this Saturday.

Paarl Gimnasium, regarded by most to be the number one team in South Africa in 2025, will aim to celebrate the evening by winning and taking their 2025 record to 15 games unbeaten. That would extend their overall unbeaten run to 19 matches

Catch the match LIVE on DStv Channel 216

Paarl Boys’ High, beaten only once this season, will aim to spoil the party.

They lost last year’s clash 8-30. However, excluding last year’s match, the sides have been within five points of each other for the last eight derby fixtures.

The affair brings the town of Paarl to a standstill. A crowd from 25 000 to 30 000 is par for the course.

Both sides head onto the battle ground on Saturday filled with confidence after winning their past weekend’s matches by 43 and 46 points respectively. Gimmies overran Wynberg 68-22, while Boishaai overwhelmed SACS 51-8.

Gimmies’ and SA Schools‘ captain, Markus Muller, will be an obvious and seriously difficult threat for the visitors to contain on Saturday. His kicking, passing, speed and strength are all standout features of his game – never mind the centre’s leadership and defensive capabilities.

Many on social media have compared him to a young Danie Gerber – the player former Springbok centre, Jean de Villiers, a Paarl Gim old boy, called the greatest Springbok of all time on the Boks Office show.

SA Schools’ eighthman, Quintin Potgieter, will lead the Gim forward pack in the set-pieces and at the breakdowns. Gimmies will be focused on feeding their dangerous backs plenty of quality ball.

From lineouts inside the Boishaai 22, they’ll turn to their ever-so-effective rolling maul, which has steamed over opposition forward packs on plenty of occasions this season.

Boishaai also boasts an abundance of talent from player one to player 15. In fact, those two numbers include two of their most impressive players.

SA Schools’ prop, Jordan Jooste, has rhinoceros-like power, demolishing opposition scrums and tearing open their rolling mauls – feats that he’ll be intent on reprising against Gim on Saturday.

Fullback Mark Grindlay has a sixth sense for creating line breaks. He’s shown that Boishaai is as much a skillful side as they are a physical one. He’ll be working with his fellow backs to exploit space between the lines and out wide.

The teams:

Paarl Gimnasium vs Paarl Boys’ High, 16:00 at Faure Street Stadium in Paarl.

Paarl Gimnasium: 15 Dawid Badenhorst, 14 Johan Kleynhans, 13 Markus Muller (captain), 12 Ethan Barker, 11 Thomas Saunders, 10 Louis Koen, 9 Mickyle Booise, 8 Quintin Potgieter, 7 Hendrè van Zyl, 6 Hendrè van der Westhuizen, 5 Jean Dreyer, 4 Bernhardt Schulze, 3 Adriaan van der Lingen, 2 Charles Whitehead, 1 Pieta Cilliers.

Paarl Boys’ High: 15 Mark Grindlay, 14 Jeneal Davids, 13 Tristan Joubert, 12 Iwan Jordaan, 11 Kaleb Holmes, 10 Francois van der Merwe, 9 Liam de Villiers, 8 Steph van der Merwe (captain), 7 Kobus Wilken, 6 Wege van Zyl, 5 Jayden Joubert, 4 Gershom Pieters, 3 Juan van der Merwe, 2 Tommy Muller, 1 Jordan Jooste.

Referee: Juan de Bod

Milnerton High School hosts Diocesan College on A-Field at 12:30 on Saturday. The hosts are in good form, having started the new term with an emphatic 47-12 win over Tygerberg last Saturday.

Bishops, meanwhile, went down 19-40 against Boland Landbou. The match was new head coach, Sam Mofokeng‘s first Saturday fixture. It will take some time for him to install his philosophy into the side.

The last time two sides clashed, in April 2024, Milnerton came back from 18 points down to stun Bishops 31-28.

It’s likely to be another tight encounter on Saturday. Milnerton has some dangermen in their ranks, including fullback Chadwin Sellidon, who scored a brilliant solo try against Tygerberg.

Inside centre and captain, Morgan Lodewyk, provides a different threat – raw strength, along with a good offloading game. The skipper ploughed right through two Tygerberg defenders to score a try under the posts last Saturday.

Bishops flyhalf, Eljaron Geduld, is going to be a test for the opposition defence. With his vision, he reads the game well in advance, which often results in him assisting or finishing his team’s tries.

Under the leadership of hooker and captain, Daniel van den Heever, the visitors have often clawed their way back into games this season. Milnerton will have their fitness tested against such determined opposition.

Meanwhile in George, Outeniqua takes on Worcester Gimnasium at 13:30.

The hosts survived a war-like encounter against Stellenberg last Saturday, winning an arm wrestle 14-8.

Worcester went down 21-24 after a brilliant second half fightback from Parel Vallei, who had trailed 3-14 at the break.

As the old adage goes: “There is no rest for the weary”. Both sides will need to fire on all cylinders if they are to walk away with a win on Saturday.

Kwagga flyhalf, Virgil Pockpas, is an excellent distributor and goal kicker, so the Worcester defence will need to ensure they don’t give away silly penalties. They’ll also be tasked with preventing the ball getting out wide by effectively employing their rush defence.

Worcester Gim has pulled off a few intercepts this season, so Outeniqua might want to think twice before sending out skip passes.

In recent outings, both sides haven’t struggled to turn their set-pieces into try scoring opportunities. They’ll be aiming to change that this weekend.

The home side is more known for their flair than Worcester – although Gim doesn’t lack in that department – and will need to use that creativity without taking unnecessary risks for the sake of aesthetics.

If Worcester can stick to the basics and not fade away, then they stand a good chance of earning the victory in George.

TEAMS

Milnerton: 15 Chadwin Sellidon, 14 Leo Weber, 13 Sebastien Stroobants, 12 Morgan Lodewyk, 11 Litha Tasana, 10 Zaide Vigeland, 9 Andrew Kansley, 8 Jeremy Armstrong, 7 Joshua Vomberg, 6 Briint Davids, 5 Kgaugelo Mokgobu, 4 Xavier Wolmarans, 3 Dane van der Merwe, 2 Divine Ambrose, 1 Chadley Davis.

Diocesan College: 15 Rynard Gordon, 14 Noah Edmunds, 13 Cole Robyntjies, 12 Boytjie Fyfer, 11 Ben Koenig, 10 Eljaron Geduld, 9 Max Marr, 8 Jack Venter, 7 Joshua Macdonald, 6 Ethan Venter, 5 Rieko Kidha, 4 Fouke Wagener, 3 Chris du Toit, 2 Daniel van den Heever (Captain), 1 Will Reid.

Outeniqua: 15 Hayden Marias, 14 Grant Savage, 13 Jade Peterson, 12 Reshaan Damans, 11 Devino Bernardo, 10 Virgil Pockpas, 9 Cee-Jay Arends, 8 Henru Nell (Captain), 7 Bradley Steel, 6 Sirr Lourens, 5 Samuel Augustyn, 4 Aldo Gouws, 3 Zacary Meyer, 2 Keenan Myners, 1 Matthew Prins.

Worcester Gimnasium: 15 Darren Murphy, 14 Leagon Brooks, 13 Lohenzel Jansen, 12 Breyton Cupido, 11 Renang Mrashula, 10 Fredwin Philander, 9 Luke Cupido, 8 Jayd-Will De Klerk, 7 Vuyolwethu Bavuma, 6 Lisakhanya Luthuli, 5 Nichame Brown, 4 Leighcon Du Plessis, 3 Kiano Pretorius, 2 Liam van der Westhuizen, 1 Amaan Adendorff.

Oakdale Landbou was superb in a 31-7 home victory over HTS Drostdy on Saturday in Cradock, led by SA Schools A centre Christiaan Vorster, who enjoyed an excellent outing and scored two tries for his team.

The Farmers opened the scoring in the seventh minute from a lineout on the visitors’ five-metre line.

After receiving the ball from the resulting maul, scrumhalf Jandrian Goosen attempted to burst through a gap. He was stopped, but Vorster, alert, quickly snatched up the ball and raced over for the opening try. Flyhalf CT Vosloo added the extras.

After going down 0-12 within the first 15 minutes, the visitors frustrated Oakdale with their committed defending, which prevented the hosts from adding to their tally before the break. In fact, neither side scored a point for 37 minutes (over half the length of the match), between the 15th and 52nd minutes.

Then, a clean lineout take by Liam Lightley, just five metres out from the Drostdy try line, opened up a path for Adrian Smit to dive in the right-hand corner. Vosloo missed the difficult corner conversion.

Drostdy’s sole try of the match in the 63rd minute was one they thoroughly deserved. The try-scoring sequence began when Oakdale lost possession of the ball inside their own 22.

Outside centre Abdul Fisher attempted an intercept but knocked the ball backwards. Then, the Donkeys took possession of the ball off the floor before going into contact. After a quick ruck, the visitors struck with a sharp counterattack, with Pirlo Baron outflanking Oakdale on the left to cross for five points. Flyhalf Jano van Deventer was on the money with his conversion attempt.

Oakdale was excellent in their set-pieces. Each of their five tries were scored within two phases after a set-piece, and three of those were scored from lineouts. The other two came from possession in their scrum, and a quick tap.

Next Saturday, Drostdy travels to Rondebosch, while Oakdale hosts Paul Roos Gimnasium.

Scorers

Oakdale Landbou 31 (7) – Tries: Christian Vorster (2), Adrian Smit, Diaan Augustyn, Rico Ferreira. Conversions: CT Vosloo (3); HTS Drostdy 7 (0) – Tries: Pirlo Baron. Conversions: Jano van Deventer.

Other results

u19 – Oakdale II 35 Drostdy II 19, Oakdale III 17 Drostdy III 14, Oakdale IV 22 Drostdy IV 7, Oakdale V 24 Drostdy V 0, Oakdale VI 38 Drostdy VI 0.

u16 – Oakdale A 10 Drostdy A 10, Oakdale B 18 Drostdy B 14, Oakdale C 20 Drostdy C 27, Oakdale D 14 Drostdy D 19.

u15 – Oakdale A 22 Drostdy A 3, Oakdale B 38 Drostdy B 0, Oakdale C 30 Drostdy C 3, Oakdale D 33 Drostdy D 10.

u14 – Oakdale A 7 Drostdy A 15, Oakdale B 20 Drostdy B 22, Oakdale C 19 Drostdy C 12, Oakdale D 15 Drostdy D 17, Oakdale E 5 Drostdy E 17.