Schools Top 20 - 2014
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This is our final Schools Top 20 for 2014 which looks at the season as a whole, and it took a lot of thought.
We started with a blank sheet and went over and over the results of each school in 2014, playing particular attention to results, victories and defeats, against top schools.
The result is the ranking below.
It is wise to recall what we said at the very first rankling, in April this year, something we have said over and over for 15 years: "Obviously, whatever system you use, no foolproof Top 20 is possible, not when people do not play the same opponents. For that reason people should not get too worked up about this but should admire those who achieved much, for all of those on the Top 20 have top rugby teams." It is, as Hugh Bladen said, a guideline to who is doing well.
Our method of doing this is not a thumbsuck. It is the result of careful information gathering and discussion. We did, at one stage, have a university maths lecturer work out a formula. It did not work. A few years ago we explained what we wanted to do to a statistics professor of the University of Cape Town. He went away and came back with a suggestion which, comfortingly, was the same as the one we have been using for years.
Of those in the discussions this year, three are former schoolmasters. This year two of the group have had past connections with one of the schools concerned. At no stage have they made any suggestions in favour of their connections.
Apart from the ranking of the schools we consider the top 20, we have given a list of those schools who were either on the Top 20 or close to it this year.
The truth is that any of these schools is capable of beating any other school on any given day. Marlow, for example, ended their season with victories over Outeniqua and Paarl Boys' High after getting a hiding from Oakdale.
Schools Top 20 – 2014
1. Grey College of Bloemfontein
2. Paul Roos
3. Garsfontein
4. Dr EG Jansen
5. Grey High of Port Elizabeth
6. Monument
7. Waterkloof
8. Glenwood
9. Nelspruit
10. HTS Middelburg
11. Menlopark
12. Paarl Gim
13. Paarl Boys' High
14. Wynberg
15. Selborne
16. Outeniqua
17. Oakdale
18. Kempton Park
19. Maritzburg College
20. Affies
Other teams that have been in the Top 20 this year or close to it are Afrikaanse Hoërskool Kroonstad (Rooiskool), Bethlehem Voortrekker, Bishops, Centurion, Dale, Diamantveld, Die Brandwag, Framesby, HTS Louis Botha, Jeppe, Jim Fouché, Kearsney, Marlow, Michaelhouse, Sentraal of Bloemfontein, Transvalia, Tygerberg and Westville.
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