Boishaai edge Gimmies in dramatic Paarl derby
MATCH REPORT: Paarl Boys’ High produced a strong finish to edge their rivals Paarl Gimnasium 35-33 in a dramatic derby at Faure Street Stadium on Saturday.
Boishaai outscored their opponents by five tries to three, with centre Tristan Joubert scoring the crucial one in the 66th minute before his midfield partner Iwan Jordaan added the extra two points with the conversion.
Gimmies entered the match as the No.1 side in the country in the unofficial rankings, but they will now relinquish that title to Boishaai.
Boishaai dominated the opening stages of the game, but they couldn’t convert that pressure into points.
They were kicking themselves in the 16th minute when Gimmies captain Markus Muller scored a try against the run of play.
However, Boishaai eventually showed what they are capable of with ball in hand, with wing Jeneal Davids diving over for a try in the corner after some excellent passing.
Jordaan levelled the scores with a brilliant conversion.
The momentum was firmly on Boishaai’s side after that, and after some powerful runs over the advantage line, Gershom Pieters powered over for a try in the 24th minute.
Muller made it a four-point ball game with a penalty in the 29th minute before he had the final say of the first with another long-range three-pointer.
At half-time, it was 14-13 to Boishaai.
It was the perfect start to the second half for Gimmies with their captain putting them in front with yet another penalty goal.
Things got even better for Gimmies moments after the restart when Hendre van der Westhuizen powered his way through the Boishaai defence to sprint in for a sensational try in the 43rd minute.
However, Boishaai stayed in the fight with Kobus Wilken crashing over for a try in the 49th minute. Jordaan made it a two-point ball game with his conversion.
Not long after that, Muller extended Gimmies’ lead to five points with his fourth penalty goal of the day.
It was then time for the forwards to show what they can do as Hendre van Zyl powered through Boishaai’s defence before feeding the ball to Jean Dreyer, who showed his speed to race away for Gimmies’ third try.
But there was another twist as Boishaai stayed in the fight with a try from replacement Cole Moultrie before Jordaan made it a five-point game with just seven minutes left on the clock.
There was more drama in the 66th minute when centre Tristan Joubert weaved his way over for Boishaai’s fifth try before Jordan put them in from with the conversion.
That was enough to ensure the win for Boishaai and the No.1 spot in the South African schools rankings
The scorers:
Paarl Gim:
Tries: Muller, Van der Westhuizen, Dreyer
Cons: Muller 3
Pens: Muller 4
Paarl Boys:
Tries: Davids, Pieters, Wilken, Moultrie, Joubert
Cons: Jordaan 5
Teams:
Paarl Gim: 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 Hendre van Zyl, 6 Hendre van der Westerhuizen, 5 Jean Dreyer, 4 Migael Truter, 3 Adriaan van der Lingen, 2 Charles Whitehead, 1 Pieta Cilliers.
Replacements: 16 Dirk Hugo, 17 Christiaan Burger, 18 Armand Brand, 19 Benhardt Schulze, 20 Alain Voges, 21 Nicolaz Burden, 22 Divan Pieters, 23 Jeraahnd Jagers.
Paarl Boys: 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, 7 Kobus Wilken, 6 Wege van Zyl, 5 Jayden Joubert, Gershom Pieters, 3 Juan van der Merwe, 2 Tommy Muller, 1 Jordan Jooste.
Replacements: Christiaan Grundling, 17 Benhard du Toit, 18 Cruz Davey, 19 Matthys Loubser, 20 Gavie Kok, 21 Josh le Roux, 22 Leighton Brinkhuis, 23 Cole Moultrie.
Main photo credit: Paarl Boys’ High
