Relentless Gimmies full value for emphatic derby win

WEEKEND WRAP: Gimmies harnessed a powerful set piece and superior kicking game to claim the second-biggest win in history over their Paarl rivals.

Gimmies went into the clash at Faure Street Stadium as favourites, having won all but two of their matches across the 2024 season.

A younger and less consistent Boishaai side started as underdogs.

It was hoped that the occasion – which played out in front of 20,000 fans – might inspire an upset, but in the end, Gimmies won 30-8.

Only the Gimmies class of 2008 – who beat Boishaai 35-8 – have won by a greater margin in 109 years of the Paarl derby.

Gimmies were in control for most of the contest and would have won by more than 22 points had their goal-kickers been more accurate.

As it was, they missed five of their eight shots at goal, and a total of 13 points went begging.

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One couldn’t fault the effort of the Boishaai side, who defended for all they were worth in the opening exchanges.

But Gimmies bossed the physical exchanges and kicked deep to ensure that much of the game was played deep in Boishaai’s half.

The execution of this game plan went a long way towards winning the match, even though the individual handling occasionally compromised the momentum.

Had the Gimmies attack been more ruthless, the margin of victory would have been greater.

Nevertheless, the well-executed tactical approach and relentless physical effort certainly paid off over a period of time.

The Boishaai defence conceded an early maul try, and then eventually ran out of numbers when Markus Moolman raced down the left wing towards the end of the first half.

Boishaai took 37 minutes to register their first points (a penalty) and scored their only try late in the second half. By then, they were already playing for pride.

There was a moment of controversy in the 38th minute, when the ball bounced next to the touchline and the assistant referee raised his flag, before putting it down.

Gimmies collected the bouncing ball and raced through to score, while some of the Boishaai players expressed their confusion regarding the assistant referee’s call.

Referee AJ Jacobs ruled a try, much to the disappointment of the Boishaai fans. The score allowed Gimmies to extend their lead to 20 points.

Replays showed that the ball was clearly in the field of play and that the decision to award the try was fair.

At the same time, Boishaai had reason to complain, as the sight of a raised flag would have given the defenders cause to stop playing, allowing Gimmies the time and space to exploit the situation and score.

It would be a stretch to suggest that this one incident shaped the flow and outcome of the game, though.

Gimmies created so many opportunities over the course of the contest, and on another day, they may have won by a greater margin if they had held more of their passes and slotted the majority of their goal kicks.

The result marked a satisfying end to a largely successful season for Pieter Rossouw’s team.

That said, they may regret the two narrow losses sustained to Paul Roos and Grey College earlier in the year. Those defeats cost them the opportunity to finish 2024 at the top of the unofficial rankings.

The race for top spot will conclude when Paul Roos and Grey College meet in Stellenbosch on 17 August.

While there’s a lot of hype around this clash, both teams will be without a handful of top players, who have been called up to the national side for the upcoming international U18 series, which runs from 12 to 20 August.

On Saturday, Paul Roos thrashed Boland Lanbou 59-20 to claim their 14th consecutive win of the season, while Grey College beat Oakdale 31-22.

While the loss of personnel will be felt, both teams will have two weeks to prepare for a game that should settle plenty of schoolboy rugby debates.