Boishaai head for the Farm

The three top attractions in and around the Mother City on Saturday, 9 June (2012) see Boland Landbou host Paarl Boys' High, SACS enter the lair of fearsome Paarl Gim and Wynberg leave Lovers Walk for Bishops.

The weather looks set to be a factor, the strong cold front that moved in on Wednesday evening having brought lots of welcome rain.

The Boishaai-Landbou fixture ranks just behind Interschools in local folklore, with close outcomes the norm. Ominously, for Landbou at least, the Farmers have a better record in recent times away to Boishaai and the two sides' fortunes last Saturday will have done little to bolster the hosts' confidence.

Drostdy managed to enforce their pattern on the more-fancied Windmeul Warriors up at Trappespark, turning a 3-10 half-time deficit into a 13-10 triumph. On the other hand, Paarl Boys' High took Bishops to the cleaners, let them get dirty, then gleefully repeated the treatment all in one game.

Now that Ryno van der Merwe is fit again the pieces are clicking together for Elmo Wolfaardt and Pierre Ribbens' troops up front, while the backline has shown that, if they are given the room to move, very few teams can stop them.

Predictably then, the focus is squarely on Landbou. They will have to make the visitors play to their plan early on or things will get nasty. The Farmers' forwards were found wanting for once in Worcester and any sign of such weakness this time will be swiftly punished. Sure, their three-quarters pose much more of a threat than Bishops did, but Craven Week cap Keagon Gordon will still be missing plus the Streeptruie boast that marvelously unpredictable Jean-Luc factor.

Just being at such a breathtaking venue is a privilege in itself, but to be able to watch these two traditional foes face each other into the bargain? That makes it unmissable!

SACS have trundled merrily along this season, winning most of their games and building up an ever-larger following, just about all of whom have stiff necks from shaking their heads at the criminal omission of captain and scrumhalf Cam Calder from the WP teams.

Indeed, Calder and halfback partner Chris Smith will have to call on all their individual and combined tactical acumen if they are to withstand the Paarl Gim tsunami.

Up front the Newlands lads go into the game knowing that height and weight will be very much against them. Second-rower JD Schickerling, for one, towers over most, if not all, in WP schools rugby and the bulk of the likes of Ollie Regue, Evan McDonald and Hannes Botha is intimidating.

So, Graeme Wepener's feisty fighters will have to place a disproportionate amount of trust in the backs. The absence of Gim's Handré Pollard on national duty might even just tip the scales in the visiting team's favour, at least on attack where Leighton van Wyk, Tando Rudah and, lately, Suwi Chibale have shown determination and penetration.

It's on defence that the big questions pop up. After all, everyone's happy going forward except tug-of-war trekkers, right ? This is where SACS have shown themselves susceptible and the Gim three-quarters and loose trio are sure to exploit what is perceived as a deficiency.

Fairy story time? You never can tell, but not likely, one suspects.

The Piley Rees faithful are still shell-shocked after by far Bishops' most comprehensive thrashing in the school's 151-year history of playing the game. If you weren't out at Paarl, rest assured, it was as bad as the stories you've heard.

Wynberg descend this week, smarting from the squad's first two defeats in three years, and those on consecutive Saturdays, to boot. Being the pragmatists that they are, their coaches will already have helped the school's finest recover from those dashed hopes of becoming unbeaten legends.

Bishops are going to feel the backlash. And if the 'Berg hit anything like third gear, then another dose of the platinum blues is on the cards. It is almost impossible to see light at the end of this Bishops tunnel, mainly because there's a striped train blocking the view.

There are the two huge Southern Suburbs derbies, Rondebosch vs Bishops and Wynberg vs SACS, on 16 June to prepare for and both sides will be focused on ironing out the kinks ahead of those emotional showdowns.

On a sad note, please bear the family of Hermanus High School Under-15A flyhalf Nowen Cornelius in your thoughts.

On a sad note, please bear the family of Hermanus High School Under 15A flyhalf Nowen Cornelius in your thoughts. In executing a tackle during a light practice last Friday afternoon, he sustained concussion. Despite receiving the appropriate medical treatment, his condition suddenly deteriorated overnight and he passed away early on Saturday.

Knowing their son's passion for the game, his family insisted that the side fulfil its fixture at Stellenbosch High School, where, after a brief moment remembering Nowen, his shattered mates managed to beat their hosts 7-0.

Western Cape fixtures for Saturday, 9 June:

(Home teams first)

Bellville vs Strand

Bishops vs Wynberg

Boland Landbou vs Paarl Boys' High

De Kuilen vs Paul Roos

Fairmont vs Labori

Hottentots Holland vs Bredasdorp

HTS Bellville vs President

HTS Drostdy vs Brackenfell

Monument Park vs Primrose RFC

Paarl Gym vs SACS

Rondebosch vs Tygerberg

By Tony Stoops