School rankings - May 18

EXCLUSIVE: Due to popular demand and careful consideration, we have decided to publish weekly rankings instead of every fortnight.

So here they are!

What a weekend of schoolboy games it has been – especially the highly anticipated derby in Bloemfontein that had everyone talking: Grey College versus Affies!

Affies, fielding arguably their best team since 2011, entered the game as clear favourites, particularly after the Paarl giants had beaten Grey comfortably the past three weeks.

Affies themselves had narrow contests against the Paarl powerhouses and even defeated Paul Roos in rainy conditions.

Grey College, on the other hand, hasn’t had one of their strongest seasons by their usual high Grey standards – but don’t be mistaken, this is far from a weak team. They’ve rightfully earned their place in the top five.

One thing is certain: you do your talking on the field, not on social media.

You don’t challenge a titan of the South African school game like Grey College with arrogance the week before the match.

A leaked social media clip from Affies surfaced in the days before the game, claiming they were going to ‘opvoeter’ [beat up] Grey.

That bold statement backfired, as Grey took it personally and showed up with intent.

They dominated the field, and even left 10–15 points out there – they could easily have won by a greater margin. Let that be a lesson to all schoolboys: bragging rights are earned after the game, not before.

If you do passionate war cries like that, keep it between the boys and then publish it after the win.

However, it did show the passion of the Affie boys, but remember to always stay humble.

That said, we still believe Affies have done enough this season to hold on to their No.3 ranking, just ahead of Grey.

Looking ahead, the hugely anticipated Paarl Boys High versus Paarl Gimnasium derby – scheduled for Saturday, August 6, at Faure Street Stadium – will be the deciding match for the No.1 and No.2 positions for the year.

Schools deserving special mention this week include:
* Queen’s College, with a commanding 38–17 win over St Andrew’s
* KES, for their solid victory over Noordheuwel
* Heidelberg Volkskool, who stunned Ben Vorster 53–17
* Transvalia, who continue to climb steadily into the top 35

* (Article continues below …)

Other schools knocking on the door of the rankings include Heidelberg Volkskool, Marais Viljoen, Parktown, Framesby, St Charles, Secunda, and Kingswood.

As always, we rank teams based on a combination of factors: strength of opposition, home-ground advantage, win-loss margins, and overall win-loss ratio. As previously stated, teams ranked between 20 to 50 are closely matched. The top 5 form a league of their own, while ranks 6–11 are also operating at an elite level. Teams ranked 12–20 are strong sides, but can still lose by 40+ points against the top 5 powerhouses.

No ranking will ever be perfect, but we’re doing our best and always welcome your thoughts in the comments.

The next rankings will be released on May 25.

As the legendary Oom Zanberg Jansen used to say: ‘Nag, ou grote.’

@rugby365com

* Picture credit: Schools Rugby Derby Series