Beeld final at Waterkloof

Match Preview

Waterkloof play host to Affies in the Beeld Trophy Big Schools Final on Saturday. Waterkloof are ranked 2nd on the FNB Top 20, Affies 3rd.

It will be a tough match and huge crowd will be there.

This will be the fourth time they have met this season and Waterkloof are two-one up in the series. Waterkloof won both the Michelin Series Final (45-20) and the Blue Bulls Final (21-17), but Affies won the league game (28-26). Waterkloof have therefore won the games that really count.

Both teams come into the game on the back of impressive wins, Waterkloof having beaten Hoërskool Middelburg 36-5 last weekend and Affies having defeated Rustenburg 44-22.

Going into Saturday’s game Waterkloof coach Andre Eloff admitted to being nervous but confident. Any coach with his enviable track record this season would be confident but his confidence is based largely on the ability of his backline. They are the undoubted strength of the team; the entire Waterkloof backline played Craven Week for the Bulls and four were selected for SA Schools. Coach Eloff confidently predicted that if his forwards give his backs 40% possession they will win the game. Part of his nervousness though revolves around his injuries. Three of his first choice players are out injured; they are lock Cornel Mostert, scrumhalf Nico van Zyl and fullback Aubrey McDonald. All of them are key players but the loss of McDonald who has played for SA Schools for the last two years could be telling.

Fortunately Waterkloof have firepower all over the park and their pack includes SA Schools flank Marnus Schoeman and SA Schools B-team prop Corné Fourie. Their key player though has to be centre Stefan Watermeyer, who has also played for SA Schools for the past two seasons. Watermeyer has scored over 500 points this season, according to Eloff a national record and he broke Dereck Hougaard’s record for the most points scored at Craven Week this year.  It obviously helps that he is the pole kicker but he is a very good attacking player and regularly scores tries.

Affies have only one injury. For the rest their team is fit and healthy.  They have high expectations of the game. Waterkloof won the first encounter well but then Affies won the second and could well have won the third but for poor goal-kicking.

Affies would expect to take Klofies on in the pack.

Waterkloof have no Under-19’s in their team and eight of the team are Under-17, meaning they will be back next year. All of Waterkloof’s SA Schools players and some others have been contracted by the Blue Bulls for next year and some of the more academically inclined, amongst others Kotze and Watermeyer, will be studying at Tukkies at the same time. 

Affies have no Under-19s either and three who are Under-17.

Representative teams:

Craven Week

Affies: Frik Kirsten, Cornell Hess,  Gerrit-Jan van Velze,  Danie Faasen,, Trevor Tokwane, Simphiwe Ntinkulu

Klofies: Corné Fourie, Marnus Schoeman, François Brummer, Divan Kotze, Stefan Watermeyer, Wynand Willis, Aubrey McDonald, Jaco Bekker, Geo Botha, Thabo Matau

Academy Week:

Affies: Neil Jacobs, Ruan Jacobs, Gerhard van den Heever

Klofies: Dolf Kruger

South African Schools A:

Affies: Frikkie Kirsten, Cornell Hess

Klofies: Aubrey McDonald, Wynand Willis, Stefan Watermeyer, Divan Kotze, Marnus Schoeman

South African Schools B

Affies: Gerrit-Jan van Velze

Klofies: Corné Fourie

This will be Waterkloof's second successive Beeld final. Last year they lost to Monument in the final.

Teams;

Waterkloof: 15 Louis Roos, 14 Wynand Willis, 13 Stefan Watermeyer, 12 Divan Kotze, 11 Nicie Janse van Rensburg, 10 François Brummer, 9 Jaco Parsons, 8 Willie Nel, 7 Geo Botha, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Jaco Becker, 4 Jacques Theron, 3 Wian van Niekerk, 2 Dolf Kruger, 1 Corné Fourie

Affies: 15 Gerrit van den Heever, 14 Ruan de Jager, 13 Ruan Jacobs, 12 Morné Fraser, 11 Daandré Erasmus, 10 Neill Jacobs, 9 Danie Faasen, 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 7 Herman van Dyk, 6 Marco Louw, 5 Cornell Hess, 4 Dirk Fourie, 3 Frik Kirsten, 2 Trevor Thokoane, 1 Michael Myburgh

Date: 19 August 2006
Kickoff: 12.30
Venue: Hoërskool Waterkloof
Referee: Pieter de Bruyn (Golden Lions)

This is the final of the Big Schools.  There are two other Beeld finals

Medium Schools
Merensky vs Ben Vorster
Referee: Johann Greefff (Blue Bulls)

Small Schools
Fochville vs Bekker
Referee: Meiring Oosthuizen (Leopards)