Potent Paul Roos hand Grey fifth loss
EXCLUSIVE: Paul Roos outlasted Grey College in Stellenbosch on Saturday while Queens College and Drostdy also secured monumental victories.
South Africa’s leading schoolboy players have been in the international spotlight this past week.
On Saturday afternoon, the SA U18 team beat their English counterparts 68-40, while the ‘A’ side hammered France 51-26 in the fixtures staged at Stellenberg High School in Bellville.
The results ensured that both South African teams finished the U18 International Series with perfect three-from-three win records.
Up the road in Stellenbosch, Paul Roos and Grey College met for a marquee fixture that lived up to the hype.
While both teams were without some of their best players – due to national call-ups – they gave absolutely everything in the final game of the season.
Paul Roos shifted through the gears in the second stanza, and looked to have clinched the result following an intercept try by No.8 Gerard Bekker.
Grey College scrumhalf Jonathan Drysdale scored under the poles thereafter, and the successful conversion reduced the deficit to six points with 10 minutes remaining.
But the Maroon Machine struck the decisive blow when flanker Stef de Villiers crashed over the line – and Paul Roos eventually claimed a 37-29 victory.
*Also read: SA U18 sides outplay England and France
The result at the Markotter Stadium sees Corné Uys’ side finishing their 2026 campaign with a record of 15 wins and two losses.
It also marks Grey College’s fifth defeat of the year – following losses to Stellenberg, Nudgee College from Australia, Paarl Gim and Affies earlier this season.
Meanwhile, Drostdy claimed another big scalp when they beat Outeniqua 37-26 on Saturday.
The Kwaggas started the season well, after they beat the likes of KES, Boland Landbou and Maritzburg College.
They lost momentum thereafter – and will finish their campaign with three consecutive defeats.
By contrast, Drostdy will end a fine season on a high.
The Donkies won 10 of their 12 fixtures – a run that includes victories against Wynberg, Selborne, Oakdale and now Outeniqua.
In the big derby in down Qonce, Queens defied the odds to beat Dale 22-12 and square the series 1-1.
Grey High and Selborne produced a 108-point thriller in Gqeberha, with the hosts emerging with a 61-47 win.
Graeme College thumped Muir 54-27 to end their season with a fantastic record of 15 wins, one draw and one loss.
Rondebosch edged Wynberg 33-28 in the big southern suburbs derby down in Cape Town, to deny the latter side a clean sweep of the leading schools in the area.
The Noordvaal Cup semi-finals will be staged this coming Tuesday, with Garsfontein hosting Waterkloof in Pretoria and Monument tackling local rivals Noordheuwel in Krugersdorp.
SELECTED RESULTS AUGUST 15
NOORDVAAL
Zwartkop 45-8 Oos-Moot
Pietersberg 40-22 Piet Retief
CENTRAL
Trio 12-40 Welkom Gim
Jim Fouche 35-25 Sentraal
EASTERN CAPE
Dale 12-22 Queens
Grey High 61-47 Selborne
Hudson Park 97-17 Ooskus Gim
Graeme 54-27 Muir
Pearson 17-43 Parel Vallei
WESTERN CAPE
Paul Roos 37-29 Grey College
Bishops 22-55 SACS
Rondebosch 33-28 Wynberg
Drostdy 37-26 Outeniqua
