Affies, Gimmies brace for redemption as giant-slayers Stellies battle Paul Roos

Affies and the Paarl heavyweights will have a point to prove, while Paul Roos’ unbeaten record will be under threat when they face giant-slayers Stellenberg this weekend.

The 2026 schools season is less than two months old, and Paarl Boys, Paarl Gim, Grey College, Affies and Oakdale have all sustained at least one defeat.

With a couple of marquee matches to come on Saturday – Affies v Paarl Gim and Paarl Boys v Oakdale – it’s plain to see how these juggernauts may add yet another loss to their respective records.

At this stage, Paul Roos are the only leading side in South Africa that remains undefeated – although it remains to be seen whether they will come through their next challenge at Stellenberg.

The battle between Wynberg and Rondebosch will be significant, given they were the leading teams in the Cape Town southern suburbs last season.

Further north, Jeppe will host KES in the first instalment of the annual derby series, while Duineveld will tackle Diamantveld in the Northern Cape showdown.

Elsewhere, Westville will have their hands full with Northwood, while a resurgent Dale College may fancy their chances against Grey High when the teams meet in Qonce.

Rugby365 looks ahead to some of the biggest match-ups this weekend:

AFFIES V PAARL GIM

Gimmies have recovered since their loss to Stellenberg at the beginning of the season.

Pieter Rossouw’s charges thumped Durbanville 45-12, before racking up 134 points across the matches against Noordheuwel and Menlopark at the North-South tournament.

Gimmies may be the underdogs when they travel to Pretoria this Saturday, but it’s worth noting that they didn’t attend the recent Easter festivals, and have had two weeks to prepare for the fixture against Affies.

Affies began the season with a 34-20 win against Waterkloof, before going down 25-28 to Paul Roos in Stellenbosch.

While they beat Oakdale and Durbanville at the North-South tournament staged on home soil, they didn’t have everything their own way against the Oakdale pack.

Michaelhouse rattled Affies at the set-pieces when the teams met at the Pretoria Boys 125th anniversary tournament last weekend, and the KwaZulu-Natal outfit managed to claim a stunning 29-27 victory.

Affies bounced back from that loss to finish the festival with a 59-19 win against Grey High – but the disappointment of losing to Michaelhouse and to Paul Roos leaves them with a point to prove against another interprovincial rival this Saturday.

These teams drew 16-16 when they met in Paarl last season, and Gimmies managed to edge the previous contest at Affies, winning 20-19 in 2024.

PAARL BOYS V OAKDALE

Paarl Boys finished the 2025 season as the leading team in the country, and started the 2026 campaign well with wins against Rondebosch, Outeniqua and Jeppe.

The second North-South fixture against Garsfontein witnessed a monumental upset, as Garsies outplayed Boishaai for much of the game and eventually won 31-28.

Boishaai have had a fortnight to stew on that result, having not featured at the Easter festivals last week.

Upsets are more likely at big festivals, where two or three games are staged over a short period and rotation of players is commonplace.

With that in mind, Boishaai’s loss to Garsfontein and a few other results are easier to explain.

That said, a win for Oakdale in Paarl this weekend would knock Boishaai off their perch.

Sean Erasmus’ men can’t afford to take the team from Riversdale lightly, They will know that they are in for an almighty battle at the set-pieces, having witnessed Oakdale’s recent performance against Affies.

While the Oakdale forwards have fired over the past four matches, the backs have struggled to convert that dominance into sufficient points – as seen in the losses to Affies and Grey College.

Oakdale will need to be at their clinical best this weekend if they are going to topple a Boishaai side that may still be hurting after the loss to Garsfontein.

STELLENBERG V PAUL ROOS

Stellenberg come into the match with a record of five wins and one loss.

They made a statement when they beat Gimmies at home last month, and when they put 78 points on Worcester Gim.

The Jade Brigade came within a single point of beating Garsfontein at the North-South tournament.

The disappointment around that near-miss was quickly forgotten after they stunned Grey College 26-21.

Like Oakdale, Stellenberg have shown that they have the pack to trouble some of the traditional powerhouses.

Their finishing has let them down at times, but they will be full of confidence ahead of their next assignment against Paul Roos.

The Maroon Machine has ticked all the boxes in the early stages of the season, beating Drostdy and Wynberg, before passing the first big test against Affies.

Paul Roos got the job done at the North-South tournament, claiming a 21-17 win over Monument and a 45-14 victory against Pretoria Boys.

Now they’ve had two weeks to prepare for a visit to Stellenberg.

It will be interesting to see how both teams approach this fixture. Stellenberg will have home advantage, but Paul Roos will know what’s coming.

SELECTED FIXTURES APRIL 10

NOORDVAAL

Affies v Paarl Gim
Jeppe v KES
Waterkloof v Nelspruit
Menlopark v Oos-Moot
EG Jansen v HTS Middelburg
Parktown v Pretoria Boys

CENTRAL

Duineveld v Diamantveld
Fichardtpark v Jim Fouche

KWAZULU-NATAL

Glenwood v Maritzburg College
Westville v Northwood

EASTERN CAPE

Dale College v Grey High
Stirling v Queens College
Pearson v Selborne
Hudson Park v Cambridge
Daniel Pienaar v Framesby
Brandwag v Marlow
Port Rex v Graeme College
Nico Malan v Muir

WESTERN CAPE

Paarl Boys v Oakdale
Wynberg v Rondebosch
Durbanville v SACS
Stellenberg v Paul Roos
Outeniqua v Boland Landbou