Bright Day for Booishaai in Bloem
They won the 1st XV match, the one that really counts, and won it 46-31, breaking two records. It was the highest score Boys' High have posted against Grey and the highest score by a losing team in this series of matches, dating back to 1950.
It was warm in Bloemfontein on Saturday and there was a crowd of over four thousand eagerly excited to watch the home team, ranked No.1 on the Rankings, play visitors, ranked No.2.
Grey had a change – regular flyhalf Christopher Schreuder was back from injury and Wycliff Vlitoor shifted to the left wing.
Grey started like a house on fire. They battered at Boys' High. Under close pressure Schreuder did some nifty footwork and passed a short pass to Ross Braude on his left. The sturdy scrumhalf sped across at an angle going right, past three defenders to score. 7-0 after 6 minutes.
A penalty gave Boys' High a line-out which they mauled for a try credited to lively hooker Wilhelm Barnard. 7-5.
Grey were back and running. Rikus Pretorius broke and then David Kriel started a counterattack which ended when Boys' High were penalised. Schreuder goaled. 10-5 after 11 minutes. Points were beating time, as happened to the final score.
Another penalty, another maul and another Boys' High try. This time it was scored by rugged flank Vian Fourie who broke away. In fact Boys' High owe much to their three powerful loose forwards. 10-10 after 23 minutes.
Schreuder counterattacked going right and then Grey went wide left where Pretorius gave to lock Johan Wilken who got a quick pass to Vlitoor who scored in the corner. Schreuder converted from touch. 17-10 after 26 minutes.
Boys' High had another penalty and another five-metre line-out but they lost the line-out. Another penalty, another line-out, another maul but this time Grey repelled them.
Misfortune struck Grey when they lost a forward to the sin bin.
Boys' High had a five-metre scrum, from which Abner van Reenen got into a half gap and slipped a pass to enterprising fullback Thaakir Abrahams who scored far out to make the half-time score 17-15 in Grey's favour. Grey led but, ominously, Boys' High had scored three tries to two.
For Boys' High it was as if the lights had been switched on when the second half kicked off. Suddenly they were a winning side, faster in everything they did, scoring 31 points.
The scoring started in the first half minute of the second half. Boys' High kicked off, Grey fumbled, and Boys' High went left. Hooker Barnard broke and gave to Le Roux Malan who gave to Divan Enslin who sent Luka Ferreira speeding over in the left corner. Boys' High had the lead at 20-17.
Boys' High were attacking again. Fourie tapped a penalty close to the Grey line and got close. The ball came back to scrumhalf Eric Myburgh who flipped it behind his back to Abner van Reenen who was dumped over the line by a defender for a try. 25-17 after 44 minutes.
A minute later Boys' High scored again. After a penalty, line-out, maul sequence, the bustling captain Francke Horn scored and this time, for the first time, Van Reenen converted. 32-17 after 46 minutes.
From the kick-off Boys' High chipped, Grey got and then a pass went awry. Malan flykicked the ball 40 metres downfield, won the trace and scored. 39-17 after 48 minutes.
Whew! It was hectic.
Kriel started a brilliant counterattack, Boys' High were penalised and Grey bashed at the line till Vlitoor went over for his second try. Schreuder converted. 39-24.
Boys' High scored their last points when Van Reenen chipped from an attacking scrum. The ball bounced up into his midriff and he was over for a try under the posts. 46-24 with 13 minutes to play.
Grey looked like scoring when they had a dubious turnover and Braude broke down the left on a long run. He gave to Vlitoor who seemed certain to score but Stuart Tait stopped him.
Then from a line-out on their left Grey attacked through many phases going far right, then left, then right again where Schreuder went over for a try which he converted.
Their were six minutes to play, six minutes which belonged at Boys' High as they battered at Grey, for a famous victory, their second in succession in Bloemfontein.
Boys' High were gleeful, Grey sombre.
Scorers:
For Paarl Boys' High:
Tries: Abner van Reenen 2, Wilhelm Barnard 2, Luka Ferreira, Thaakir Abrahams
Cons: Abner van Reenen 3
For Grey College:
Tries: Christopher Schreuder, Wycliff Vlitoor 2, Ross Braude
Cons: Christopher Schreuder
Pens: Christopher Schreuder
Grey College: 15 David Kriel, 14 Henk Cilliers, 13 Janco van Heyningen, 12 Rikus Pretorius, 11 Wycliff Vlitoor, 10 Christopher Schreuder, 9 Ross Braude, 8 Arno Nieuwoudt, 7 Marcel Theunissen, 6 Jaap van Zyl, 5 Johan Wilken, 4 Handré Roux, 3 Naudé Naudé, 2 Ru-Hann Greyling, 1 Luke Janse van Vuren
Replacements: 16 Wihan Marais, 17 Herman Agenbag, 18 John Henry Fincham, 19 De Wet Marais, 20 Reynardo Gouveia, 21 Dillion Schultz, 22 Marius Kearney, 23 Pienaar van Niekerk
Paarl Boys' High: 15 Thaakir Abrahams, 14 Stuart Tait, 13 Divan Enslin, 12 Le Roux Malan, 11 Luka Ferreira, 10 Abner van Reenen, 9 Eric Myburgh, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Evan Roos, 6 Vian Fourie, 5 Adriaan Alberts, 4 Cornell Kotze, 3 Josh du Preez, 2 Wilhelm Barnard, 1 MJ Strauss
Referee: Pieter Janse van Vuuren
Assistant referees: Griffon Colby, Siyanda Ketse
Results Down the Years
1950: Grey won 10-6
1953: Grey won 12-9
1954: Grey won 6-3
1954: Grey won 8-3
1956: Grey won 13-3
1957: Paarl Boys' High won 9-3
1960: Grey won 14-0
1960: Grey won 11-3
1973: Grey won 24-0
1974: Grey won 21-7
1977: Grey won 29-13
1978: Grey won 29-13
1979: Paarl Boys' High won 16-13
1980: Grey won 13-4
1983: Paarl Boys' High won 14-0
1984: Grey won 19-14
1984: Grey won 32-12
1987: Grey won 31-14
1989: Grey won 23-6
1993: Draw 0-0
1995: Grey won 18-6
1996: Paarl Boys' High won 16-9
1997: Grey won 20-16
1998: Grey won 20-6
1999: Grey won 34-16
2000: Paarl Boys' High won 17-10
2001: Grey won 38-15
2002: Grey won 23-6
2003: Grey won 27-16
2004: Grey won 38-3
2005: Grey won 38-13
2006: Grey won 20-5
2007: Grey won 48-24
2008: Grey won 34-24
2009: Grey won 50-8
2010: Grey won 32-12
2011: Draw 15-15
2012: Paarl Boys' High won 28-18
2013: Grey won 35-28
2014: Grey won 15-10
2015: Paarl Boys' High won 21-19
2016: Paarl Boys' High won 28-18
2017: Paarl Boys' High won 46-31
