Gimmies, Grey win big at the North-South tournament
ROUND ONE WRAP: Paarl Gimnasium and Grey College scored more than 50 points apiece while Drostdy and Menlopark claimed upsets in the first round of the North-South tournament at Affies.
The first round delivered a series of largely expected results.
That said, many of the games staged in Pretoria on Friday and Saturday did not want for drama and action.
Drostdy came into this tournament on the back of an impressive victory against Wynberg – who were the leading team in the Cape Town southern suburbs in 2025.
On Friday, the plucky side from Worcester powered their way to a 46-26 win over EG Jansen, with winger Darren Makeza scoring two tries.
Having beaten Paarl Gim two weeks ago, Stellenberg appeared to be on course for yet another statement win on Friday, before Garsfontein struck the decisive blow in the dying moments of the clash.
After receiving a pass in his own 22, winger Neil de Kock evaded several tired Stellenberg defenders en route to the tryline. From there, flyhalf Ruan Fluks held his nerve to nail the conversion and guide Garsies to a 21-20 victory.
The leading teams from the Cape Winelands emerged victorious on Friday night, but certainly didn’t have everything their own way.
Jeppe struck an early blow against Paarl Boys, before Boishaai took control in the latter stages and finished with a 37-10 win.
The battle between Paul Roos and Monument followed a different pattern, with the Stellenbosch outfit dominating the first half before Monument clawed their way back in the second stanza. In the end, Paul Roos held on for a 21-17 win.
Menlopark made a statement on Saturday afternoon when they racked up a 46-28 victory over Boland Landbou. Outside centre Danie Botma scored a hat-trick for the local team.
In the subsequent fixture, Noordheuwel’s chances of competing against Paarl Gim were dashed after they conceded a red card for dangerous play in the 15th minute.
Gimmies made the 14-man team pay, with the hard-running forwards and backs combining to score nine tries.
Man of the Match Louis Koen – the son of the former Springbok flyhalf with the same name – contributed 16 points in a 61-10 victory.
Later in the evening, Grey College withstood an early assault by Helpmekaar before unleashing an attacking masterclass of their own.
The forwards, as well as the powerful No.12 O’Ryan Kleyn, laid the platform for SA Schools fullback Lamla Mgedezi and others to work their magic, and the boys from Bloem went on to bank a 51-19 result.
The final match on Saturday lived up to the pre-tournament hype, with Oakdale pushing Affies close.
The game was in the balance in the 24th minute, before fullback Kyle van Staden weaved his way through multiple Oakdale defenders to score a great try and give the Wit Bulle a 12-7 lead.
The formidable Oakdale pack put Affies under pressure, and the visitors managed to fight their way back into the contest in the second period.
In the end, Affies held on to claim a 28-17 win.
The teams will enjoy a break on Sunday, before the North-South tournament resumes on Monday.
SELECTED RESULTS – MARCH 24-28
TUESDAY:
Rondebosch 72-14 Tygerberg
THURSDAY:
Bishops 28-24 St Andrews
FRIDAY:
Nelspruit 29-19 Framesby
Waterkloof 45-7 Diamantveld
EG Jansen 26-46 Drostdy
KES 17-30 Outeniqua
Garsfontein 21-20 Stellenberg
Jeppe 10 -37 Paarl Boys
Paul Roos 21-17 Monument
SATURDAY:
HTS Middelburg 25-27 v Trio
Welkom Gym 54-43 Nico Malan
Middelburg 38-41 Witteberg
Rustenburg 7-25 Durbanville
Menlopark 46-28 Boland Landbou
Noordheuwel 10-61 Paarl Gim
Grey College 51-19 Helpmekaar
Affies 28-17 Oakdale
SELECTED FIXTURES – MARCH 30-31
MONDAY:
EG Jansen v Framesby
Nelspruit v Bethlehem Voortrekker
Waterkloof v Outeniqua
Jeppe v Diamantveld
Monument v Drostdy
Pretoria Boys v Paul Roos
Garsfontein v Paarl Boys
TUESDAY:
HTS Middelburg v Nico Malan
Rustenburg v Welkom Gym
Helpmekaar v Boland Landbou
Noordheuwel v Oakdale
Menlopark v Paarl Gim
Grey College v Stellenberg
Affies v Durbanville
Main photo credit: Paarl Gimnasium Facebook Page
