Boishaai Do It Again

There were thousands of pairs of rugby eyes at the Faure Street Stadium in Paarl, not as well-appointed a place as Ellis Park but spectators were no less thrilled and absorbed – and passionately partisan.

The match dates back to 1915, a match between Northern Paarl and Southern Paarl, and the clearly drawn lines between the two are more than geographical and as ardent as any you could find in the rugby world, and it was no different on Saturday, 5 August 2017.

A years' worth of preparation and a week's worth of intense activities all reached their climax in the defining first XV match on Saturday, a result which decided much, much more than who had won a rugby match. It decided superiority in all things at the schools and beyond.

The match was played with desperate intensity. There was not a scared boy on the field in the fearless, fierce encounter and yet in the midst of a hectic attack Vian Fourie of Boys' High gave his hand to Dawid Kellerman of Gim and helped him up off the ground. That, more than anything else in the match, caused an old man's heart to swell with joy.

Doc Craven often reminded us that we play against opponents, not enemy, and opponents have the same rights to play the game, enjoy the game and be treated in a sporting spirit.

Boys' High kicked off and play was lively from the start. Gim started an attack with a long, fast maul. Boys' High attacked and from near his own goal-line Muller du Plessis launched an attack.

Gim's Daniël Beukes on the right wing went racing down the line and grubbered infield where Henco Martins footed the ball into in-goal. He and Thaakir Abrahams dived for the ball. Abrahams just won the touchdown.

Boys' High scored first when flyhalf Abner van Reenen goaled a penalty. 3-0 after 8 minutes.

Gim left wing, lively Stravino Jacobs, attacked down the left but Abrahams's tackle saved a try.

Both captains were fullbacks, Muller du Plessis and Thaakir Abrahams, and both made huge contributions to the match. Du Plessis followed Abrahams's tackle on Jacobs with a strong tackle on Van Reenen.

From a scrum in which Boys' High applied pressure, Gim's handling went awry and Boys' High got the ball. Out it went to left wing Luka Ferreira who rushed over in the corner. 8-0 after 18 minutes. Already wings were enjoying lots of activity, for it was that sort of game.

Soon after this flyhalf Ruben Scholtz kicked a 39-metre penalty to get Gim on the board and not long afterwards Jacobs and Du Plessis had some sharp interpassing down the left before Du Plessis burst through two tackles and over for a try. Scholtz converted. 10-8 to Gim.

At a scrum near half-way, Gim were penalised. Boys' High scrumhalf Eric Myburgh tapped and raced downfield. Hemmed in he grubbered ahead. Du Plessis had trouble controlling the bouncing ball but got it to centre Dawid Kellerman. Myburgh forced Kellerman back over his goal-line, thus conceding a five-metre scrum.

The second half started with a quick score. From a scrum, Boys' High went right and, getting a clever offload from Van Reenen, Divan Enslin forced his way over for a try. Van Reenen converted. 15-10 to Boys' High after 37 minutes.

There were just two penalty goals in the rest of the half but that did not mean a lack of effort and urgency,

Scholtz kicked a penalty to make the score 15-13 after 50 minutes.

Boys' High had a five-metre scrum but were penalised.

With seven minutes to play, Du Plessis raced for the right corner but Abrahams, brilliantly, tackled him out just short of the corner post, saving what could well have been the try that won the match for Gimmies.

With three  minutes left, Van Reenen goaled a penalty. 18-13. It would take a converted try for Gim to win.

With time already up, Boys' High were penalised and Gim kicked out for a five-metre line-out.

The tension in the ground was at screaming point.

Gim threw in but Gim knocked the ball to Boys' High who hoofed it over the dead-ball line to end the match.

It was another close, thrilling match in a 102 years of such matches, a match in which the losers contributed as much as the winners, a signal for whooping Boys' High supporters to race in glee onto the field.

Scorers

For Paarl Boys' High:

Tries: Luka Ferreira, Divan Enslin

Con: Abner van Reenen

Pens: Abner van Reenen 2

For Paarl Gim: 

Try: Muller du Plessis

Con: Ruben Scholtz

Pens: Ruben Scholtz 2

Teams:

Paarl Gim: 15 Muller du Plessis (captain), 14 Daniël Beukes, 13 Dawid Kellerman, 12 Francois Marais, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Ruben Scholtz, 9 Hanco Hanekom, 8 Henco Martins, 7 Corné Uys, 6 Dean Nieuwoudt, 5 Ryno Beukes, 4 Adriaan Ludick, 3 Adriaan Staples, 2 Chris Rossouw, 1 Hugo Pienaar.

Replacements: 16 Dedrich Glas, 17 Daniël Wessels, 18 Francois Staples, 19 Dré Engelbrecht, 20 Juan Beukes, 21 Jan-Daniël Neethling, 22 Janke du Toit, 23 Hanro Geldenhuys.

Paarl Boys' High: 15 Thaakir Abrahams (captain), 14 Stuart Tait, 13 Divan Enslin, 12 Le Roux Malan, 11 Luka Ferreria, 10 Abner van Reenen, 9 Eric Myburgh, 8 Cornell Kotze, 7 Louwan Horn, 6 Vian Fourie, 5 Adrian Alberts, 4 Armandt Conradie, 3 Josh du Preez, 2 Cullen van der Merwe, 1 MJ Strauss.

Replacements: 16 Kennett  Sinclair, 17 De Wet Wolhuter, 18 Roubert Bester, 19 Pierre Pretorius, 20 Friedrich du Toit, 21 JG de Bruin, 22 Seon Mouton, 23 Simon Carstens.

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (Western Province Referees' Society)

Assistant referees: Daniel Fortuin (Western Province Referees' Society), Jean de Wit (Western Province Referees' Society)

Results Down the Years

Paarl Boys' High vs Paarl Gim

1915: Boys' High won 10-0

1916: Gim won 7-5

1917: Gim won 3-0

1918: Gim won 3-0

1919: Gim won 9-0

1920: Gim won 20-0

1921: Draw 6-6

1922: Draw 3-3

1923: Boys' High won 3-0

1924: Boys' High won 13-5

1925: Boys' High won 7-3

1926: Boys' High won 6-5

1927: Gim won 5-3

1928: No match

1929: Draw 3-3

1930: Boys' High won 5-3

1931: Gim won 6-0

1932: Gim won 7-3

1933: Boys' High won 3-0

1934: Boys' High won 5-4

1935: Draw 0-0

1936: Gim won 11-6

1937: Gim won 5-3

1938: Gim won 5-3

1939: Gim won 9-8

1940: Draw 3-3

1941: Gim won 6-0

1942: Draw 0-0

1943: Gim won 9-6

1944: Boys' High won 6-0

1945: Boys' High won 14-6

1946: Draw 3-3

1947: Boys' High won 8-3

1948: Draw 3-3

1949: Gim won 9-3

1950: Boys' High won 6-3

1951: Boys' High won 6-0

1952: Boys' High won 11-0

1953: Boys' High won 6-5

1956: Gim won 6-3

1957: Gim won 5-3

1958: Gim won 11-0

1959: Boys' High won 11-3

1960: Gim won 9-3

1961: Boys' High won 6-0

1962: Boys' High won 6-0

1963: Boys' High won 8-0

1964: Gim won 9-8

1965: Gim won 11-0

1966: Gim won 8-0

1967: Gim won 8-6

1968: Gim won 3-0

1969: Boys' High won 8-5

1970: Gim won 19-8

1971: Boys' High won 11-6

1972: Boys' High won 6-3

1973: Boys' High won 19-6

1974: Gim won 9-3

1975: Boys' High won 3-0

1976: Gim won 8-6

1977: Boys' High won 15-6

1978: Gim won 13-10

1979: Gim won 12-6

1980: Gim won 9-3

1981: Gim won 12-0

1982: Boys' High won 16-15

1983: Gim won 15-6

1984: Gim won 10-4

1985: Boys' High won 16-6

1986: Draw 0-0

1987: Boys' High won 15-7

1988: Draw 6-6

1989: Gim won 15-4

1990: Boys' High won 10-6

1991: Boys' High won 8-4

1992: Gim won 20-15

1993: Boys' High won 19-17

1994: Boys' High won 11-6

1995: Boys' High won 17-3

1996: Gim won 18-16

1997: Gim won 13-10

1998: Boys' High won 16-5

1999: Gim won 13-6

2000: Boys' High won 15-7

2001: Boys' High won 12-3

2002: Gim won 15-0

2003: Boys' High won 25-6

2004: Gim won 13-3

2005: Gim won 22-10

2006: Gim won 23-17

2007: Gim won 10-0

2008: Gim won 35-8

2009: Boys' High won 24-12

2010: Draw 19-19

2011: Gim won 22-19

2012: Gim won 16-9

2013: Gim won 37-26

2014: Gim won 16-15

2015: Boys' High won 16-10

2016: Boys' High won 26-25

2017: Boys' High won 18-13