Paul Roos v Affies 'like a one-off between Boks and All Blacks'

SPOTLIGHT: Paul Roos will have a point to prove when they face a powerful Affies outfit in one of the biggest interprovincial clashes of the season.

South African schoolboy rugby is more competitive than ever.

As Paarl Gim coach Pieter Rossouw noted last week, any one of the top 20 schools has the ability to beat any of the traditional powerhouses on any given Saturday.

Rossouw’s prophecy certainly came to pass when Stellenberg stunned Gimmies 20-19 this past weekend.

That result will come as a setback to a Gimmies side targeting the No.1 ranking, and serve as a warning to Stellenberg’s future opponents.

It will be interesting to see how many of these shock results shape the race to the unofficial South African title in the coming months.

It also remains to be seen whether any of the top dogs will claim a clean sweep over their counterparts, as Paul Roos did over the course of an unbeaten 2024 campaign.

Last year, Paarl Boys beat Affies, Grey College, Paul Roos and Gimmies – but lost to Oakdale.

Gimmies beat Grey College (away), Paul Roos and Oakdale, but lost to Boishaai and drew with Affies.

Grey College won two out of five marquee matches, while Oakdale – who didn’t play Affies last season – won two out of four.

Having claimed a full sweep in 2024, Paul Roos lost all five of the big games in 2025.

The derby between Paarl Boys and Gimmies doubled as a national final, with Boishaai claiming the spoils as well as the No.1 ranking.

Some in schoolboy rugby circles refer to this particular block of matches as “Test season”, and this past weekend, we saw the first big clash between Oakdale and Grey College, ending in a 38-7 win for the visitors.

The focus will shift to Stellenbosch this weekend, with Paul Roos hosting Affies in one of the biggest interschools festivals in the country.

Paul Roos are under pressure to bounce back this year, even though they finished the 2025 season with a relatively good record of 12 wins in 17 matches.

The Maroon Machine recently claimed a 24-7 win against Drostdy, while Affies began their 2026 season with a 34-20 victory at Waterkloof.

“It would be a lie to say that these games don’t carry a bit of extra weight,” said Paul Roos coach Corné Uys.

“We are committed to training as hard as possible for every game, because we have a proud history and tradition to uphold, and we know that every team that plays us is also chasing a result.

“That said, there does seem to be more hype and intensity around these games, be it through social media or elsewhere.

“Spectators on both sides are very passionate; there are no neutrals.

“When two boys schools meet, you can have big numbers at the grounds, with so many boys playing across the age groups, and all the parents and old boys coming down to watch. So the scale of the match is on another level.”

Uys confirmed that Paul Roos will look to maximise the local conditions at the Markotter Stadium in Stellenbosch.

“You get one chance a year to play one of these [leading] sides – it would be the same if the Boks only played the All Blacks once a year,” he said.

“I’ve been with Paul Roos for four years now, and we’ve played Affies four times – twice at the North-South tournament and twice at the Wildeklawer tournament in Kimberley.

“This year we play them at the Markotter, which is very special. There should be some big support at home, and we will certainly embrace the occasion.”

Following the inter-provincial battle against Gauteng’s leading team, Paul Roos will head to the North-South festival at Affies next week, where they will play Monument and Pretoria Boys.

Player management over the next few weeks will be key, and Uys believes that Paul Roos have the resources to achieve consistent results.

“We are confident that we have the talent pool to succeed, and we have a lot to live up to in terms of our history and legacy. We are putting pressure on ourselves every week.”

The Oakdale and Grey College clash may be done and dusted, but there are several other marquee matches that will bear watching in the coming weeks and months:

MARCH:
14 March: Oakdale 7-38 Grey College
21 March: Paul Roos v Affies
28 March: Affies v Oakdale (North-South)

APRIL:
11 April: Paarl Boys v Oakdale
11 April: Affies v Paarl Gim
18 April: Paarl Gim v Grey College
27 April: Affies v Paarl Boys (Wildeklawer Festival)
27 April: Oakdale v Paul Roos (Wilderklawer Festival)

MAY:
9 May: Grey College v Paarl Boys
16 May: Affies v Grey College
23 May: Paul Roos v Paarl Boys
30 May: Oakdale v Paarl Gim

JUNE:
6 June: Paarl Gim v Paul Roos

AUGUST:
1 August: Paarl Boys v Paarl Gim (at Faure Street Stadium, Paarl)
15 August: Paul Roos v Grey College