Premier Interschools Fixtures for 2016
Following the Easter Weekend, Premier Interschools begin.
This year’s competition will once again feature some of the top schoolboy rugby teams in the country in 12 matches stretching from the 9 April to the 27 August.
No fewer than seven out of last year’s top 11 out of the top 20 schools will be featured at a time in Premier Interschools matches.
The undisputed No 1 ranked team of 2015, Paarl Boys' High, will feature in three tough encounters against their old traditional rivals. Other teams that will also be showcased are Grey College (two games), Paul Roos (three games), Paarl Gim (two games), Maritzburg College (two games), Grey High (two games), Monument (two games) while the likes of Affies, KES, Waterkloof, Glenwood, Boland Landbou, Oakdale, Bishops and Rondebosch will each appear in one game.
The Matches
Paul Roos vs Grey High at Markötter Field Paul Roos, Stellenbosch
Paul Roos has a new look about it with a new coach and only two players from last season in their team. They start the new campaign with a new coach in Stephan Jordaan after SA Schools coach Hein Kriek departed to coach professional rugby.
SA Schools flyhalf Damian Willemse and fullback Josh Vermeulen are once again part of the team this year.
These two players will be the key to Jordaan’s attacking strategy.
Grey High of Port Elizabeth are expected to bring their trademark explosive backline this season. They have key loosie and SA Schools player Kewzi Mafu back in the pack. He is seen as a key player in their setup and has all the attributes of a good loose forward.
Paarl Gim vs Paul Roos at JA Kriel Field, Paarl Gim, Paarl
An old rivalry will be re-ignited when Paarl Gim face Paul Roos.
Like Paul Roos, Paarl Gim also have a new coach this season in old boy Pieter Rossouw.
Paarl Gim will look to the highly gifted young utility back Muller du Plessis to be the arrow in their backline. While they still have the services of several players from last year’s team including scrumhalf Zak Burger and fullback Wian van Zyl. Flyhalf Theo Boshoff who also has some 1st team experience.
Eighthman Muller Uys is also available and he will undoubtedly be a leader of the pack and the key man in their forwards.
King Edward VII vs Maritzburg College at KES, Johannesburg
After a two-week break Premier Interschools returns with King Edward VII taking on Maritzburg College.
KES will somewhat be of an unknown factor in 2016 as they hope to re-establish themselves as one of the top dogs in the Northvaal region.
College are the favourites in this fixture with an established coach in Kevin Smith in his second year.
While several players return for the second year in the first team. Wing Xolisa Guma, flyhalf Ruben van Blerk, scrumhalf Lodewyk Muller (the son of ex-Bok and Sharks prop Lood Muller), eighthman Craig Clover and powerful Cameroon-born flank Durand Atembe are some of the players to look out for in the College side.
Monument vs Waterkloof at Hoërskool Monument, Krugersdorp
A week later we bring you a first for Premier Interschools – Monument High from Krugersdorp against the elite Waterkloof outfit.
The Krugersdorp Witbulle are expected to be yet again a formidable and very useful team. Players to watch include Nathan McBeth (Academy Week prop), Ruan Vermaak (Craven Week lock), Ryno Potgieter (Academy Week flank), Xander Kruger (Craven Week flyhalf) and MJ Pelser (Craven Week centre), amongst a number of returning 1st XV players.
Waterkloof has been off the boil for a while after being one of Pretoria’s powerhouse schools the last 20 years.
Paarl Boys' High vs Grey College at Brug Street, Paarl
Mid-May brings us one on the most anticipated games for 2016. Grey College from Bloemfontein travel down to Paarl to face a confident Paarl Boys' High, the latter having come from a dream season last year by going undefeated and ending up No.1 in the country. Grey will not easily forgive the loss they suffered in Bloemfontein in 2015 and will come down to Paarl to prove a point.
Paarl Boys will still have the services of three of their 2015 stalwarts in centre Manny Ras (SA Schools), lock Salman Moerat (SA Schools) and eighthman Khanya Ncusane (SA Under-18). Barring injuries, they should be able to field no fewer than nine players who did duty for them in 2015.
Players still eligible for the Bloemfontein side are Gideon Beukes (Craven Week prop], Matthew Wessels (Craven Week hooker], Diaan Schoonees (Craven Week eighthman), Rewan Kruger (Craven Week scrumhalf), Mario Vieira (Academy Week flyhalf), Gerrie Koegelenberg (centre), Jaco Wessels (centre), Marnus Boshoff (Academy Week wing) and Jandré de Beer (fullback).
Paul Roos vs Paarl Boys' High at Markötter Field Paul Roos, Stellenbosch
Paarl Boys ends off a very tough May fixture list when they have to travel to neighbouring town Stellenbosch to take on the old foe in their own backyard.
Paul Roos will be smarting from their loss last year and will want to return the favour.
Home ground advantage is a big factor in this derby and with the exception of 2012 when Paarl Boys' High won on Markötter. In the last 10 years matches have all gone to the home team. These games are so closely contested that the average score over 10 years is just 20-18 slightly in favour of the Paarl team.
Monument vs Glenwood at Hoërskool Monument, Krugersdorp
We end the first half of the season with Glenwood travelling to Krugersdorp to play the Monnas Witbulle in their second appearance on Premier Interschools for 2016.
The KwaZulu-Natal outfit is expected to lead the charge from the coast with an extremely good team that includes SA Under-18 “A” eighthman Marco Palvie and Craven Week playmaker Jerome Bossr. A player to watch is 17-year-old, two-metre giant JJ van der Mescht. in spite of his age is set to become the KwaZulu-Natal highest profile player since the Du Preez twins from Kearsney.
Maritzburg College vs Affies on Goldstones, Maritzburg College
The second half of the season begins when Maritzburg College host Affies.
The Pretoria outfit is tipped to be one of the contenders for the No.1 spot in South Africa for 2016.
College will rely heavily on the trusted home ground advantage of Goldstones where they tasted victory over Affies in 2014.
Affies have a number of Craven Week players in prop Cabous Eloff (also SA Schools), hooker Schalk Erasmus, flanks Phillip Krause, (SA Under-18) and Reghardt du Plessis and lock Henk Pretorius returning to the fray. Halfback combo Jack Hart and Ruan de Swardt have 1st XV experience under the belt while big Craven Week centre Louritz van der Schyff already looked the part in 2015 with an ability to get over the advantage line.
Grey High School vs Grey College at Grey High, Port Elizabeth
The two brother schools will line each other up at end of July in Port Elizabeth when Grey High face Grey College. The Bloemfontein outfit have had the better of their PE opponents of late and will try and retain that record.
Paarl Boys' High vs Paarl Gimnasium at Faure Street Stadium, Paarl
The biggest match of the year will take place when last year’s number one team Boys' High take on their cross-town rivals Paarl Gim.
Twenty odd thousand Old Boys, girls, moms, dads and fans are expected to fill the stadium to watch the famous derby between these two great schools.
There are no neutrals on this day; you are either, blue and white, or green, gold and red.
Boland Landbou vs Oakdale at Boland Landbou, Agter Paarl
Our second last match of the season features the two agricultural rivals of the Western Cape.
These two schools regularly produce teams of outstanding quality from a very small player pool.
They are rarely out of the top 20 rankings and have produced numerous Craven week players for their two provinces.
Last year Oakdale won in a very close game again in Riversdale.
This season Boland will rely heavily on playmaker Deon Carstens at scrumhalf to provide quick ball to their speedy backs, flanker Athi Magwala and eighthman and captain Heinrich Brendal.
Boland has an advantage in that six of the eight forwards already donned the black jersey last year.
Loose forwards Hanno Olivier and WP van Heerden will be the key players in their pack, while centre Nicolus van Eeden, wing Alexander Wallace, and fullback Darren Adonis will be the playmakers out back.
Bishops vs Rondebosch Boys High on the Piley Rees Field, Bishops
The last game of the season for Premier Interschools is one of the most entrenched rivalries in South African schools rugby when Bishops take on Rondebosch in the Cape derby.
Both sides will have new look teams as they did not retain many players from last year.
Bishops tighthead J-P Smith brings a lot of experience in his third season in the top league, with the only other forward left from 2015 flank Jean Pienaar.
Rondebosch has only three players returning but they will have gained some advantage from a pre-season tour of Ireland. Lock Matthew Grobler and flank Garth Shenker return while dynamic wing Mike Mavovana is the only back left from 2015.
Fixtures
9 April 2016: Paul Roos vs Grey High (PE) at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch
16 April 2016: Paarl Gim vs Paul Roos in Paarl
7 May 2016: KES vs Maritzburg College at King Edward VII School in Johannesburg
14 May 2016: Monument vs Waterkloof at Hoërskool Monument in Krugersdorp
21 May 2016: Paarl Boys' High vs Grey College (Bloemfontein) in Paarl
28 May 2016: Paul Roos vs Paarl Boys' High at Paul Roos in Stellenbosch
4 June 2016:: Monument vs Glenwood at Hoërskool Monument in Krugersdorp
23 July 2016: Maritzburg College vs Affies on Goldstones at Maritzburg College
30 July 2016: Grey High (PE) vs Grey College (Bloemfontein at Grey High in Port Elizabeth
6 August 2016: Interschools. Paarl Boys' High vs Paarl Gim at Faure Street Stadium, hosted by Paarl Boys' High
20 August 2016: Boland Landbou vs Oakdale at Boland Landbou in Paarl
27 August 2016: Bishops vs Rondebosch at Bishops in Rondebosch
From Premier Interschools
