Paarl heavyweights reign supreme

MID-YEAR REPORT: Paarl Gym and Paarl Boys have been the best teams on show this season, while Oakdale and Westville have also made a impression in the schoolboy scene.

With the respective schools taking a break – and some of the leading players turning their attention to the Craven Week tournament, which will be held in Middelburg during the second week of July – it’s time to take stock of where the best teams stand.

THE TOP DOGS

There are two clear frontrunners for the unofficial No.1 ranking in South Africa.

Paarl Gym remain on track to finish the 2025 schoolboy season unbeaten.

Gimmies haven’t been as dominant as the all-conquering Paul Roos team was in 2024.

Nevertheless, Gimmies are currently the best schoolboy team in the country, having recorded 12 wins and two draws – a run that includes massive away victories against Grey College and Oakdale.

Pieter Rossouw’s charges laid down a marker when they thrashed KES 102-0 at the North-South Festival in March. They have racked up 40 or more points on nine occasions, and 80-plus in recent wins over SACS and Boland Landbou.

Gimmies will go into their final two matches against Wynberg (in Paarl) and Paarl Boys as favourites.

That said, Boishaai have reason to believe than an upset at Interschools is in the offing – even though Gimmies dominated the 2024 derby at Faure Street Stadium, winning 30-8.

Boishaai have come a long way over the past 12 months, winning 14 out of 15 matches. That impressive record includes wins against Affies, Rondebosch, Noordheuwel, Grey College, Wynberg and Paul Roos.

Boishaai will expect to beat SACS at the start of the third term, and take some momentum into the final showdown with Gimmies on August 2.

Oakdale edged Boishaai 28-26 in Riversdale this past April – a result that highlights the quality of the current side.

While Oakdale began the season with losses to Grey College and Rondebosch, they have gone on to win 10 of their next 12 fixtures.

If they finish the campaign with a win against Paul Roos in Riversdale on August 2, they will surely count this 2025 season among their best.

After the bulk of that great Paul Roos side graduated at the end of 2024, it took some time to adjust.

It would be a stretch, however, to say that Paul Roos have fallen off a cliff in ensuing months.

They’ve been pushed close by several top 20 teams, but they’ve still managed to win 11 out of 14 matches – with their only losses coming against Affies, Gimmies and Boishaai.

The same could be said of Grey College, who have won 11 out of 13.

What separates the top dogs, of course, is their results against one another.

Grey have dominated most teams, but have lost to both Paarl heavyweights in 2025.

They have three games remaining, and will be targeting the final clash against Paul Roos in Bloem as an opportunity to end the season on a high – and avoid three consecutive losses to the Cape Winelands trio.

Affies were the undisputed ‘Kings in the North’ in 2024, and many felt that they would go on to bigger things in 2025.

They went down to Boishaai 17-25 at the North-South festival, but they did hold Gimmies to a 16-16 draw a week later.

Their only other loss has come against Grey College in Bloemfontein – although it was a close contest, with the hosts winning 42-37.

Affies should win their remaining fixtures against Maritzburg College, Waterkloof and Pretoria Boys – but may well lament the opportunities they missed in the early parts of their 2025 campaign.

BUBBLING BENEATH

Durban High School have followed up their unbeaten run in 2024 with a 12 from 14 return in 2025. Their losses have come at the hands of Gimmies and local rivals Westville.

Westville recently finished their season with 13 consecutive victories – ending their campaign with an emphatic 50-20 triumph at Michaelhouse.

Wynberg claimed one of the upsets of the season in 2024 when they beat Boishaai in Paarl.

While they are yet to slay one of the South African schoolboy giants in 2025, they’ve been the pick of the sides in Cape Town’s southern suburbs – and are on track to win the series involving Rondebosch, Bishops and SACS.

Garsfontein have produced a mixed bag during the regular season, losing interprovincial matches to Paul Roos and Grey College, drawing with Oakdale, and falling to Affies in the big Pretoria derby.

That said, they remain on track for a third-consecutive Noordvaal Cup title, having won all six of their league fixtures to date. Garsies lead the log with three rounds to play.

MAKING WAVES

As the second-ranked team in the Noordvaal Cup, Helpmekaar may push the likes of Garsfontein and Noordheuwel close come the playoffs in August.

Helpies have gone toe to toe with some of the bigger teams this season, and even managed to beat the likes of Bishops, Wynberg, Noordheuwel and Monument.

They will expect to beat Transvalia and Rustenburg after the break, and take some momentum into the latter stages of the Noordvaal Cup.

Menlopark started the season with an unbeaten run in eight games. They’ve lost their last four matches, though, and are in danger of missing out on the Noordvaal Cup playoffs.

Stellenberg have turned a few heads, after beating some of the more fancied Cape Town sides.

Wins against Wynberg, SACS, Rondebosch and Bishops earned the plucky team from Bellville a rare ‘southern suburbs sweep’.

Diamantveld have racked up 13 victories from 16 matches, and are well placed to finish their season on a positive note. The Kimberley-based side’s more notable victims include Framesby, Maritzburg College and Welkom Gym.

Down in the Eastern Cape, Queen’s College are on track to finish as the best team in the region, having won 12 of their last 15 games.

The battle with Graeme College on 9 August may be something of a decider, although Graeme – 11 wins from 14 matches – recently lost to Union away from home.

While they don’t compete against some of the bigger teams, Zwartkop from Centurion boast an impressive 13-match winning streak, with four matches remaining on their schedule.

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