A Huge One in Bloem

Grey College of Bloemfontein will not leave you guessing. Year after year they take on the best. Last week it was Paarl Gim, ranked No.2; this week its Paarl Boys’ High, ranked No.4, and always a formidable opponent, no matter where in the world the opposing team is.

The match is a Premier Interschools match and will be broadcast for the whole nation to see, and likely to be more exciting and closer than the election results.

The whole undertaking is massive as Paarl moves its population up over the Karroo to the Highveld, 950 km worth of travelling.

It’s not just the 1st XV that will be going. In all there will be 32 rugby teams moving up plus 12 hockey teams and then participants in tennis, table tennis, wrestling, mountainbiking, squash. crosscountry, debating chess and a cultural group.

Paarl may as well close down while Bloemfontein opens for a bonanza.

It is a massive feather in the caps of the two schools that this tsunami can happen every year.

The culmination of all the activity will be the 1st XV match at lunchtime on Saturday. The winner of that is the winner of it all. Ands so we look to the 1st XVs in this preview.

Season So Far

Grey have played 10 matches so far, and won them all. Six of their opponents are ranked on the Top 20. Two of their opponents were New Zealand schools.

Paarl Boys’ High have also played 10 matches, winning nine and drawing 20-all with Helpmekaar in their first match. Six of their opponents, too, have been ranked on the Top 20 and they have played against one overseas team, the tough Argentinian club CUBA from Buenos Aires.

Outeniqua are the only opponents they have in common. Grey beat them 64-7, Boys’ High 34-26.

Grey have averaged 53 points a match, Boys’ High 45.

Grey have home ground advantage but Boys’ High have won on their last two visits to the City of Roses.

It could just be one of the great schoolboy rugby matches.

Teams:

Ian Small-Smith, Danwich Beukes and André-Hugo Venter, son of Springbok loose forward André, were in the Free State team at the 2018 Craven Week.

Grey College: 15 Nabo Sokoyi, 14 JD Odendal,13 Ian Small-Smith,12 Lesley Botha, 11 Franco Knoetze, 10 FC du Plessis, 9 Juan Dee Oliver, 8 George Cronjé, 7 Deon le Roux, 6 Ricardo Fourie, 5 Danwich Beukes, 4 Tiaan Jonker, 3 Petrus Naudé, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels

Paarl Boys’ High: 15 Jacques Rousseau, 14 Angelo Osch, 13 Quan Horn, 12 Tyler Bocks, 11 Javier Farmer, 10 Kian Meadon, 9 Wian van der Sandt, 8 Gideon van Wyk, 7 Eon van den Berg, 6 Stass Nel, 5 Niel Venter, 4 Evan Roode, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 Allister Williams, 1 Rhynardt Rijnsburger (captain)

Date: Saturday, 11 May 2019
1st XV kick-off: 13.10
Live television broadcast: SuperSport, channel 201
Expected weather conditions: Sunshine with a high of 21°C, dropping to 6°C

Rugby Programme

Main Field
08.00: Under-14A
09.15: Under-15A
10.30: Under-16A
11.45: 2nd XV
13.10: 1st XV

Oval
08.00: 4th XV
09.15: 5th XV
10.30: 3rd XV
11.45: 6th XV

GCB A
08.00: Under-16B
09.15: Under-16D
10.30: Under-16E
11.45: Under-16C

GCB B
08.00: Under-14F
09.15: 7th XV
10.30: 8th XV
11.45: Under-15B

Windmill A
08.00: Under-15C
09.15: Under-15E
10.30: Under-15F
11.45: Under-15D

Windmill B
08.00: 9th XV
09.15: Under-14C
10.30: Under-14B
11.45: 10th XV

Tom Mix
10.30: Under-14E
11.45: Under-14D

Grey College vs Paarl Boys’ High Down the Years

1950: Grey won 10-6
1953: Grey won 12-9
1954: Grey won 6-3
1954: Grey won 8-3
1956: Grey won 13-3
1957: Paarl Boys’ High won 9-3
1960: Grey won 14-0
1960: Grey won 11-3
1973: Grey won 24-0
1974: Grey won 21-7
1977: Grey won 29-13
1978: Grey won 29-13
1979: Paarl Boys’ High won 16-13
1980: Grey won 13-4
1983: Paarl Boys’ High won 14-0
1984: Grey won 19-14
1984: Grey won 32-12
1987: Grey won 31-14
1989: Grey won 23-6
1993: Draw 0-0
1995: Grey won 18-6
1996: Paarl Boys’ High won 16-9
1997: Grey won 20-16
1998: Grey won 20-6
1999: Grey won 34-16
2000: Paarl Boys’ High won 17-10
2001: Grey won 38-15
2002: Grey won 23-6
2003: Grey won 27-16
2004: Grey won 38-3
2005: Grey won 38-13
2006: Grey won 20-5
2007: Grey won 48-24
2008: Grey won 34-24
2009: Grey won 50-8
2010: Grey won 32-12
2011: Draw 15-15
2012: Paarl Boys’ High won 28-18
2013: Grey won 35-28
2014: Grey won 15-10
2015: Paarl Boys’ High won 21-19
2016: Paarl Boys’ High won 28-18
2017: Paarl Boys’ High won 46-31
2018: Grey won 34-20