Grey College gear up for Gimmies assault
PREVIEW: Grey College will host Paarl Gym this Saturday in one of the biggest clashes of the season, while bragging rights will be up for grabs in local derbies staged across the country.
We’re now several months into the 2025 season, and a couple of front-runners have emerged.
Grey College have won seven games to date, while another leading team in Paul Roos remains undefeated after four fixtures.
Durban High School have won eight on the bounce, while Westville have racked up seven consecutive victories.
According to schoolboy rugby experts, the aforementioned teams are ranked among the top 10 teams in the country. Recent results certainly substantiate those rankings.
As expected, there have been one or two big upsets in the early stages of the season.
KES stunned Rondebosch at the recent Easter festival in Johannesburg. For those who may have forgotten, KES lost 0-102 to Paarl Gym last month.
Meanwhile, Helpmekaar continued their good start to the season, when they downed Bishops and Wynberg at the St Stithians tournament.
Which of these winning streaks will come to an abrupt end this Saturday, and which of the so-called smaller schools will secure the next upset?
@Rugby365com takes a closer look at the biggest fixtures staged around South Africa this weekend.
GREY COLLEGE V PAARL GYM
The narrative of the 2024 season was largely shaped by Grey’s shock loss to Jeppe at the North-South tournament.
This year, the juggernaut from Bloem has enjoyed a more impressive start to the schedule, winning six of their seven matches by 11 or more points.
While they were pushed close by Noordheuewel at the North-South festival, Grey emerged with a 24-22 victory.
Gimmies have been far less convincing. Their five-game unbeaten run includes two draws, and they won’t be happy with the recent 16-all result against Affies in Paarl.
Grey edged Gimmies 27-25 the last time these sides met in Paarl. Back in 2023, Grey claimed a 33-12 victory in Bloem. Will the result be any different this Saturday?
Both sides have had two weeks to prepare for this clash, and Gimmies should be up for the physical challenge.
That said, it’s going to take something special to end Grey’s streak.
GARSFONTEIN V AFFIES
After securing back-to-back Noordvaal Cup titles, Garsfontein have started their 2025 season with a bang.
Garsies have won four of their five matches – and pushed Paul Roos all the way in the 32-34 defeat sustained at the North-South tournament in Stellenbosch last month.
Are they ready to slay Affies, who were the best side in Gauteng in 2024?
Earlier this season, Affies went down 17-25 to Boishaai at the North-South tournament before drawing 16-all with Gimmies in Paarl.
As seen in recent weeks, Affies are a different prospect on the highveld, having claimed emphatic wins over Noordheuwel and Selborne at the KES festival.
Affies won the last Pretoria derby 33-31, while Garsfontein clinched the 2023 meeting 45-38.
DHS V NORTHWOOD
The best teams in KwaZulu-Natal in 2024 have continued to make waves around the country in 2025.
DHS beat Monument 32-17 as well as a much-improved Durbanville outfit 33-5 at the Kearsney festival this past week.
Barring a loss to Westville, Northwood has won every game this season although their match against KES was abandoned in the second half on Monday, April 21 due to lightning.
While Westville may have something to say about it, this Durban derby on Saturday will shape the race for the top spot in KwaZulu-Natal.
Looking forward, both teams will attempt to carry some momentum into their respective fixtures against Paarl Gym, which will be staged at the Wildeklawer festival in early May.
SELECTED FIXTURES
Grey College vs Paarl Gym
Garsfontein vs Affies
Bishops vs Paul Roos
Rondebosch vs Paarl Boys
Durbanville vs Wynberg
Oakdale vs Framesby
DHS vs Northwood
Kearnsey vs Glenwood
Michaelhouse vs Clifton
Pretoria Boys vs Maritzburg College
Nelspruit vs Waterkloof
Helpmekaar vs Menlopark
Dale College vs Grey High
Queen’s College vs Selbourne
RECENT RESULTS
KEARSNEY FESTIVAL
Thursday, April 17
Milnerton 34-18 Peterhouse (Zimbabwe)
Durbanville 66-22 Dale
DHS 41-7 Rustenburg
Kearsney 24-29 EG Jansen
Monument 26-26 Glenwood
Westville 31-0 Framesby
Saturday, April 19
Rustenburg 26-22 Durbanville
Framesby 45-19 Peterhouse (Zimbabwe)
Glenwood 37-34 Milnerton
Westville 36-5 EG Jansen
Kearsney 34-13 Dale
DHS 32-17 Monument
Monday, April 21
Monument 26-21 Milnerton
Glenwood 33-12 Dale
EG Jansen 22-20 Framesby
DHS 33-5 Durbanville
Westville 24-17 Rustenburg
Kearsney 48-8 Peterhouse (Zimbabwe)
KES FESTIVAL
Saturday, April 19
Northwood 61-26 Pearson
Hudson Park 32-26 Eldoraigne
Queen’s College 47-15 Parktown
Affies 45-17 Noordheuwel
Jeppe 38-17 Selborne
KES 20-17 Rondebosch
Monday, 21 April 21
Pearson 21-12 Eldoraigne
Rondebosch 33-0 Queen’s College
Affies 57-19 Selborne
Parktown 25-15 Hudson Park
Noordheuwel 21-20 Jeppe
KES v Northwood (non-result: play abandoned due to lightning)
ST JOHNS FESTIVAL
Thursday, April 17
Kingswood 41-21 Randburg
Graeme 21-10 Voortrekker Bethlehem
Maritzburg College 43-0 Golden Lions XV
SACS 28-3 St Davids
Nelspruit 34-31 Welkom Gym
Pretoria Boys’ 43-29 Diamantveld
St John’s 5-29 Hilton
Saturday, April 19
Golden Lions XV 20-16 St Davids
Diamantveld 50-33 Welkom Gym
SACS 21-8 Voortrekker Bethlehem
Graeme 25-10 Pretoria Boys’
St John’s 33-24 Randburg
Hilton 33-16 Kingswood
Nelspruit 22-13 Maritzburg College
ST STITHIANS FESTIVAL
Thursday, April 17
Hartpury College 2nd XV (England) 31-20 Rand Park
St Stithians 32-0 Clifton
St Andrew’s College 54-26 Northcliff
Michaelhouse 65-14 St John’s (Zimbabwe)
St Charles 38-22 Windhoek (Namibia)
Wynberg 19-10 Hartpury College (England)
Helpmekaar 38-12 Bishops
Saturday, April 19
Mali Foundation 40-24 Hartpury College II (England)
Windhoek (Namibia) 32-10 Clifton
Northcliff 54-19 St Johns (Zimbabwe)
St Andrews 19-14 St Charles
Hartpury College (England) 19-14 Bishops
Helpmekaar 18-17 Wynberg
St Stithians 27-21 Michaelhouse
