Paarl rivals to joust for national schools title

SPOTLIGHT: Paarl Boys will have a point to prove when they meet Paarl Gymnasium this Saturday in a derby that will double as an unofficial national final.

The Paarl derby is always a big occasion, attracting some 20,000 spectators to the Faure Street Stadium as well as a legion of viewers through the respective broadcast and streaming channels.

This year, the derby will double as a national final, with the winner set to finish the 2025 season at the top of the unofficial school rankings.

@Rugby365com takes a closer look at some of the biggest match-ups scheduled for this weekend.

PAARL GYM V PAARL BOYS

What a difference a year makes.

Gimmies were among the leading teams in the country last season, although an unbeaten Paul Roos side went on to finish at the very top.

Meanwhile, a young Boishaai outfit struggled to compete against the better teams, and suffered a 8-30 loss to Gimmies in the annual Paarl derby.

Fast forward to the present, where Gimmies have surpassed Paul Roos and other perennial contenders such as Grey College, after claiming 13 wins and two draws over the course of the 2025 season.

Boishaai aren’t far behind their arch-rivals, having won 15 of their 16 games – a record that includes a victory over Grey College.

A win on Saturday would cap a stellar season for Sean Erasmus’s side, as well as a remarkable comeback, after they lost by 22 points in the 2024 derby.

That said, Gimmies have also improved in recent months, as the scorelines suggest.

Pieter Rossouw’s charges have scored 40 or more points in 10 of their last 13 matches.

Paul Roos, Affies and Oakdale were the only teams that managed to keep the Gimmies attack relatively honest.

More recently, Gimmies centre and current SA Schools captain Markus Muller scored two tries as his side thrashed Wynberg 68-22.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Paarl, Boishaai hammered SACS 51-8.

Perhaps something should be read into the fact that the Boishaai defence has conceded 20 or more points on only three occasions this season – 26 in the wins against Paul Roos and Wynberg, and 28 in the two-point defeat to Oakdale.

Will that defence stand up to the best attack in the country on Saturday?

Either way, one of these teams is going to make a statement.

While rankings are largely subjective in South African schools rugby, Gimmies and Boishaai have been the most consistent teams in the country this season.

Bearing that in mind, the winner of the Paarl derby will have earned the right to be called national champions.

GARSFONTEIN V NOORDHEUWEL

Garsfontein made yet another statement in the Noordvaal Cup, when they thrashed Monument 68-17 last week.

Garsies are gunning for a third-consecutive Noordvaal Cup title, and are well placed at the top of the standings after seven rounds.

Noordheuwel edged Waterkloof recently to secure their fifth-consecutive win and finish the round in third place.

They will strengthen their bid for a home play-off if they beat Garsfontein at home this Saturday.

Helpmekaar (second place) could edge ahead of title favourites Garsfontein, if they win their remaining match against Rustenburg, and Garsies lose away games to Noordheuwel and EG Jansen.

OAKDALE V PAUL ROOS

Grey College may have a say in the matter when they host Paul Roos on 16 August, but the coming battle in Riversdale could well determine who finishes 2025 as ‘Best of the Rest’.

Oakdale have had an outstanding season, winning nine, drawing one and losing three.

They are yet to lose a match in Riversdale during this period – and claimed the big scalp of Boishaai this past April.

A large contingent of Oakdale players featured for South Western Districts at the recent U18 Craven Week, and pushed Western Province all the way in the unofficial final.

Paul Roos are not as strong as they were last season, having lost most of their First XV players after graduation.

That said, Corne Uys’s charges have won 12 out of 15 games this year – with those losses coming to fellow top dogs such as Gimmies, Boishaai and Affies.

Paul Roos scored eight tries in the 48-12 win against Rondebosch last week, and will be desperate to carry that momentum through to a season-defining fixture in Riversdale.

SELECTED FIXTURES (2 AUGUST):

Waterkloof v Affies
Jeppe v KES
Noordheuwel v Garsfontein
Helpmekaar v Rustenburg
Menlopark v Monument
Transvalia v Nelspruit
Diamantveld v Trio
Northwood v DHS
Maritzburg College v Pretoria Boys
Dale College v Graeme College
Selborne v Queen’s College
Milnerton v Bishops
Stellenberg v Boland Landbou
Paarl Gym v Paarl Boys
Oakdale v Paul Roos
Outeniqua v Worcester Gym
SACS v Brackenfell

RESULTS (26 JULY):

Jeppe 10-24 DHS
Pretoria Boys 23-24 KES
Affies 45-27 Maritzburg College
Rustenburg 34-28 EG Jansen
Garsfontein 68-17 Monument
Noordheuwel 33-27 Waterkloof
Transvalia 10-36 Helpmekaar
Voortrekker Bethlehem 31-33 Diamantveld
Northwood 19-11 Glenwood
Grey High 19-15 Framesby
Pearson 10-10 Graeme College
Marlow 27-30 Queen’s College
Boland Landbou 45-19 Bishops
Oakdale 31-7 Drostdy
Paarl Boys 51-8 SACS
Outeniqua 14-8 Stellenberg
Paarl Gym 68-22 Wynberg
Paul Roos 48-12 Rondebosch

Main photo credit: Hoërskool Gimnasium Paarl