Pretoria derby an acid test for Klofies
PREVIEW: Waterkloof will line up local giants Affies this weekend, while Grey College and DHS will be out to prove a point in the derbies staged in Bloemfontein and Durban.
After a long holiday – and for many of the Western Cape teams, another unexpected break due to the heavy rainfall in the region – all of the top-ranked teams will be in action this Saturday.
@rugby365com takes a closer look at some of the big match-ups.
WATERKLOOF VS AFFIES
Waterkloof’s record of 14 wins in 16 games includes an 11-game unbeaten run (10 wins and one draw).
Whether they are prepared to make the step up against one of the top teams in the country remains to be seen.
Waterkloof went down 24-47 to Paul Roos in late March, and may similarly be hard-pressed to live with Pretoria’s best-performing side this weekend.
Affies may be disappointed with their defeats to Paul Roos, Grey College and Paarl Gym. In all other matches, however, they have produced some powerful performances and claimed some emphatic results.
They thrashed KES 52-26 before the term break and edged a competitive Maritzburg College side 39-37 in KwaZulu-Natal last week.
Klofies will have to match the Witbulle up front if they are to have any chance of claiming victory.
Affies put seven points Waterkloof when these sides last met in 2023.
Down the road in Johannesburg, Jeppe will be desperate to avenge a heavy 26-52 defeat at the hands of KES earlier this season.
Jeppe are coming off a big victory over Monument, while KES, who will host this weekend’s derby, recently beat Pretoria Boys.
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GREY COLLEGE VS GREY HIGH
The Grey derby will be staged in Bloemfontein this year, and the hosts will start as overwhelming favourites.
The one loss to Jeppe aside, Grey College have been dominant in terms of performances and results.
What’s more, they haven’t played a competitive match since late May, and may keen to make a statement.
By contrast, Grey High have battled for consistency this season.
While they’ve beaten the likes of SACS, drawn with Wynberg, and gone toe-to-toe with a strong Paul Roos side in a 7-21 defeat, they’ve also lost to local Eastern Cape rivals like Dale and Framesby.
Grey High conceded 52 points the last time they visited Bloemfontein for this derby in 2022. They may need a special performance to compete with the home side this Saturday.
DHS VS NORTHWOOD
The last battle between these two Durban schools ended in a 7-7 draw.
Over the ensuring three months, DHS have gone on to burnish their record by beating Maritzburg College, Oakdale and Michaelhouse.
Overall, they’ve lost just two games this season, to Rondebosch and Paarl Boys.
Northwood have also enjoyed a relatively good year, but it remains to be seen if they can beat the form side in KwaZulu-Natal on their own patch.
WYNBERG VS PAARL GYM
Gimmies will travel to the clash in the southern suburbs as favourites.
And yet, they would do well to remember what transpired the last time Wynberg faced a Paarl school. This past April, Wynberg beat Boishaai 30-27.
Wynberg started the season well, but have lost momentum in recent months, going down to Rondebosch, Boland Landbou, Paul Roos and SACS (at home).
While they will target an improved and competitive performance against Gimmies, the Paarl outfit will be equally keen to make a statement.
If not for the narrow losses to Grey College and Paul Roos, Gimmies would be the nation’s form school side.
They should be too strong for Wynberg and Durbanville over the next few weeks, and will be looking to build momentum ahead of the highly anticipated Paarl derby on 3 August.
Meanwhile, Paul Roos will have the chance to add yet another win to their record when they host a struggling Bishops side in Stellenbosch.
