Gimmies crowned kings of Paarl - and SA

WRAP: Paarl Gim clinched the derby at Faure Street Stadium to finish their season at the top of the national rankings, while Graeme College and Garsfontein were also among the big winners on Saturday.

The 2026 schoolboy season has witnessed a number of unexpected results – and there could be one or two more surprises in the final weeks of the schedule.

That said, Paarl Gim will not be caught at the top of the unofficial rankings, regardless of what transpires in other big fixtures around the country.

This past Saturday, Pieter Rossouw’s charges showed their class in the Paarl derby staged at Faure Street Stadium and claimed a 25-11 win over arch-rivals Boishaai.

Gimmies shifted through the gears after half-time, outscoring Boishaai 15-5 in this period.

The forwards made a statement at the scrum – forcing several penalties – while the backs converted more of their scoring chances into points.

Fullback Thomas Saunders’ run from deep culminated in the try of the game – and marked the moment where Gimmies took control of what was a tense and cagey derby.

Gimmies have been the best attacking team in South Africa this year, and in a sense, Boishaai can take some consolation from the fact that they limited this side to 25 points – given that Gimmies scored 40 or more in 12 of their previous 15 games.

That said, a winning margin of 14 points is significant by anyone’s standards, and Rossouw and company will feel that they atoned for the defeat to Boishaai in 2025.

The result in Paarl stretches Gimmies’ winning streak to 15 games, and ensures that they finish their 2026 schedule with a record of 15 wins and one loss.

While they lost 19-20 to Stellenberg at the start of the season, they beat other leading teams such as Affies (51-24), Grey College (29-14), Oakdale (49-13), Paul Roos (68-22), and most recently Boishaai.

Given their most recent success as well as their consistency over the course of the schedule, Gimmies have finished their season as the best in Paarl and the best in the country.

While Stellenberg, Garsfontein and Paul Roos have all had outstanding seasons, they have all lost two games to date, and cannot match Gimmies’ record, no matter what happens in the coming weeks.

Stellenberg continued their great run when they beat Durbanville 42-12 on Saturday, while Garsfontein strengthened their position at the top of the Noordvaal Cup standings when they thumped Middelburg 45-7.

The fixture between Menlopark and EG Jansen made headlines for all the wrong reasons, after EG Jansen players and parents were involved in an ugly brawl on the sidelines.

Menlopark won the fixture 36-5, and it remains to be seen whether any further action will be taken against those involved in the off-field incident.

Further south, Jeppe beat KES 46-31 to win the Joburg derby series 2-0.

Grey College got their season back on track with a 59-26 win over Grey High, while DHS edged Northwood 26-19 in a fierce Durban derby.

Graeme College strengthened their claim for the Eastern Cape crown when they downed Dale 33-22 in Makhanda – and boosted their overall record to 14 wins.

In Cape Town, Wynberg continued their march towards a clean sweep of their southern suburbs opponents when they hammered Bishops 64-12.

Wynberg will play Rondebosch and SACS later this month, teams they beat by 10 and 11 points respectively earlier this season.

Meanwhile, the final league match of the Noordvaal Cup will be staged next weekend, with the playoffs to follow.

Garsfontein are currently the favourites to win the competition – and to claim their fourth-successive title.

SELECTED RESULTS AUGUST 1

NOORDVAAL

Affies 66-12 Noordheuwel
Menlopark 36-5 EG Jansen
Middelburg 7-45 Garsfontein
Waterkloof 34-38 Helpmekaar
Rustenburg 31-38 Monument
Parktown 36-43 Glenwood
Pretoria Boys 13-33 Maritzburg College
KES 31-46 Jeppe

CENTRAL

Grey College 59-26 Grey High
Witteberg 0-73 Diamantveld
Goudveld 12-40 Fichardtpark
Jim Fouche 31-34 Trio

KWAZULU-NATAL

DHS 26-19 Northwood

EASTERN CAPE

Graeme 33-22 Dale
Queens 55-15 Selborne
Hudson Park 38-17 Stirling
Framesby 22-46 Oakdale
Marlow 26-33 Pearson
Nico Malan 47-26 Daniel Pienaar

WESTERN CAPE

Paarl Boys 11-25 Paarl Gim
Wynberg 64-12 Bishops
SACS 30-36 Rondebosch
Stellenberg 42-12 Durbanville
Paul Roos 45-13 Boland Landbou
Drostdy 22-20 Milnerton
Parel Vallei 52-14 Tygerberg