Oakdale brace for Grey College assault
PREVIEW: Oakdale’s defence will be put to the test against an attack-minded Grey College, while other heavyweight fixtures play out in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal this weekend.
For the first time this season, most of the leading First XVs from around the country will be in action.
Some teams will be looking to build some momentum ahead of the North-South tournament (March 27-31) and subsequent Easter festivals (April 2-6), while others can’t afford to look beyond the coming one-off fixtures.
Oakdale were among the top teams in South Africa last season, and will be determined to make an early statement regarding their status when they host Grey College in Riversdale on Saturday.
Elsewhere, Boland Landbou will host Durbanville, Stellenberg will face Paarl Gim, while Bishops – who have struggled in recent seasons – will target a fresh start against Worcester Gym at the Wynberg Festival.
Paarl Boys, who claimed the unofficial No.1 ranking in 2025 thanks to their outstanding record, won’t be in action until next week.
The big fixtures in KwaZulu-Natal include the derbies between DHS and Michaelhouse, Hilton and Westville, and Northwood and Glenwood.
Maritzburg College will have their hands full with a strong Helpmekaar side in the fixture staged in the provincial capital.
Further north, Waterkloof host Affies, Garsfontein battle Jeppe, and Nelspruit tackle EG Jansen.
Rugby365 looks ahead to some of the fixtures scheduled for Saturday.
OAKDALE V GREY COLLEGE
Oakdale began their 2025 campaign with a 10-25 defeat to Grey College in Bloem.
From there, they went on to win 10 of their next 14 matches – a run that included wins against leading national sides like Boishaai and Paul Roos.
While they’re expected to push most of the top dogs close in 2026, it remains to be seen whether they can contain a rampant Grey College – who are coming off two substantial early-season victories.
Grey beat Trio 38-12 at the President Steyn Sports Day before racking up a cricket score of 109-3 against Welkom Gim in Bloemfontein.
While neither of those opponents are quite in the same league as Oakdale, it’s fair to say that the Grey players have shaken off the early-season rust and will travel to Riversdale this weekend with confidence.
By contrast, Oakdale are coming off a trial match against Drostdy, which was staged over two 20-minute halves.
Will they have what it takes to repel that Grey attack at this stage of the season, or will they take another game or two to hit their stride, as was the case in 2025?
Home advantage may be a factor.
Last season, Oakdale won five out of six fixtures at the farm, losing 27-34 to Boland Landbou in their final fixture of the year.
STELLENBERG V PAARL GIM
Stellenberg have taken giant strides in recent seasons and – as Paarl Gim coach Pieter Rossouw told Rugby365 this week – should not be taken lightly by the so-called top dogs.
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Stellenberg lost 17-39 to Gimmies in Paarl last season, but went on to claim the scalps of Wynberg, SACS, Rondebosch, Bishops, Boland Landbou and Durbanville.
The first fixture of 2026 at Stellenberg promises to be an early test for both teams.
The hosts may fancy their chances of making a statement against a Gimmies side playing its first competitive fixture of the season.
On the other hand, Gimmies will want to lay down a marker before they go on to play SACS and Durbanville.
Looking ahead, Gimmies have a tough North-South draw, with back-to-back matches against Noordheuwel and Menlopark.
DHS V MICHAELHOUSE
Westville topped the local division in 2025 after finishing the season unbeaten.
That said, DHS have been one of the most consistent teams in the country for the past couple of years, and have started to compete against Gimmies and other leading sides on a regular basis.
If DHS come through their first two fixtures against Michaelhouse and Hilton with victories, they will carry some momentum into their games at the Kearsney Easter festival – against Rustenburg, Verona (Italy) and CUS (Ireland).
Looking further ahead, they may have an eye on the Wildeklawer Festival game against Gimmies on April 27.
DHS lost 20-47 to Gimmies at the same tournament last season, and may be desperate to prove a point against the Paarl juggernaut.
In terms of their local ambitions, they will face Westville on May 30.
Michaelhouse won just four of their 16 games last season – although it’s worth noting that they secured two draws, and lost eight games by a margin of eight points or less.
The early-season battle against DHS at Michaelhouse ended in a 28-22 win for the Durbanites.
There’s a buzz around Michaelhouse at present, and they have a new coach in Marco Engelbrecht this season.
Whether they have developed the ability to close out the tight contests remains to be seen.
A big performance against DHS in Durban this Saturday will certainly go a long way towards changing the narrative.
SELECTED FIXTURES – MARCH 13/14
Paul Roos v Drostdy
Milnerton v SACS
Boland Landbou v Durbanville
Bishops v Worcester Gym
Wynberg v Strand
Stellenberg v Paarl Gim
Oakdale v Grey College
Outeniqua v Nico Malan
Maritzburg College v Helpmekaar
DHS v Michaelhouse
Hilton v Westville
Northwood v Glenwood
St Charles v Kearsney
Daniel Pienaar v Graeme
Marlow v Duineveld
Framesby v St Andrews
Otto du Plessis v Brandwag
Trio v Diamantveld
Nelspruit v EG Jansen
Waterkloof v Affies
Garsfontein v Jeppe
Photo credit: Grey College (Facebook)
