Stellenberg, Monnas the biggest success stories of 2026

OPINION: Paarl Gimnasium deserve plaudits for an outstanding 2026 campaign but the rise of Stellenberg and others showed why schoolboy rugby in South Africa is more competitive than ever.

On the eve of the 2026 season, Paarl Gim coach Pieter Rossouw made a couple of interesting statements.

The former Springbok winger told Rugby365 that the race for the unofficial No.1 ranking would be particularly close, given the strengths of South Africa’s top dogs, namely the two Paarl juggernauts, Paul Roos, Grey College and Affies.

In the same breath, Rossouw spoke about the rise of Stellenberg, Oakdale, Garsfontein and several others, and suggested that the 2026 season might be the most competitive yet.

Stellenberg proceeded to edge Gimmies on the opening weekend of the Western Cape season, while the Jade Brigade and several other less fancied teams beat Grey College in the ensuing months.

Gimmies eventually emerged as the best team in the country, but a number of regional teams made a statement.

Monument ended Garsfontein’s three-year reign as the Noordvaal Cup champions, while Hilton and Graeme dominated the matches in the respective provinces.

As the curtain falls on one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory, Rugby365 reflects on some of the highlights and the final power rankings for 2026.

SCHOOLBOY POWER RANKINGS FOR THE 2026 SEASON

TOP FIVE

Rossouw’s prediction about Stellenberg and others came to pass, yet few will argue with Gimmies’ claim to the No.1 ranking.

While they’ve been one of the most consistent teams in the country, they’ve had to watch as Grey College, Paul Roos and Paarl Boys have finished recent seasons at the top of the schoolboy pile.

In 2026, however, Gimmies won 15 of their 16 matches – a record that includes the big scalps of Paul Roos, Affies, Grey College, Boishaai and Oakdale.

Rossouw’s charges scored 40 or more points in 12 of those 16 matches, and conceded 20 or more on just four occasions.

In short, Gimmies played the most balanced brand of rugby, and a complete approach resulted in the ultimate reward.

Rugby loves an underdog, though, and Stellenberg made a statement with that 20-19 win against Gimmies in March.

The South African rugby community began to buzz with talk about the giant-killers from Bellville, as they proceeded to scalp Grey College, Paul Roos and Oakdale.

Divan Batt’s charges finished the season with a 16-2 record, and if not for their losses to Garsfontein and Boishaai, they would have finished 2026 as the leading team in the country.

Paul Roos had a strong season (15-2), but their status as the third-placed side was decided after they suffered significant losses to Gimmies (22-68) and Stellenberg (10-20).

Garsfontein (13-3) made a statement when they beat Stellenberg, Affies and Boishaai – and while they fell short of a fourth-consecutive Noodvaal Cup title, they did hammer eventual champions Monument 62-31 in the league phase.

Affies have hovered around fourth or fifth place for the past few seasons, and 2026 witnessed another mixed bag of results for the Wit Bulle.

The 28-21 win over Grey College in Pretoria was a highlight, as were the victories against Boishaai and Oakdale.

Yet Affies lost heavily to Gimmies and Paul Roos, while the 34-38 defeat to Garsfontein saw them relinquishing their unofficial title of kings in the north.

CHASING PACK

Grey College (11-5) and Boishaai (9-1-5) didn’t live up to their own high standards in 2026.

Grey sustained five defeats over the course of the season – losing the marquee matches to Gimmies, Paul Roos and Affies, and going down to Nudgee College from Australia as well as Stellenberg.

After topping the rankings in 2025, Boishaai dropped out of the top five in 2026, after losing all of their big matches against Garsfontein, Affies, Grey College and Paul Roos, and going down 11-25 in the Paarl derby.

Boishaai did manage to beat Stellenberg in Paarl and hold Oakdale to a 13-13 draw at home.

Following an impressive 2025 campaign, Oakdale (6-1-7) dropped down to the chasing pack, and finished a disappointing season with a loss to a misfiring Boland Landbou side.

Meanwhile, Outeniqua (7-1-6) moved into the top 10 on the back of some encouraging performances.

Monument endured a challenging 2025 season, and expectations may have been tempered after they lost three of their first four games in 2026.

Jannie du Plessis’ charges bounced back in subsequent months, however, to win the Noordvaal Cup after big wins against Noordeheuwel and Waterkloof in the play-offs.

Monnas eventually finished with a 16-4 record.

BUBBLING UNDER

Drostdy (10-2) also climbed the national rankings following their monumental wins against Oakdale, Outeniqua and Wynberg.

Hilton (11-2) was the standout team in KwaZulu-Natal, although it should be noted that their fixture against another regional leader in DHS (10-1-4) was cancelled due to illness.

It will be interesting to see which of these teams rises to the top of the regional ladder in 2027 – and it’s worth noting how much progress the likes of Maritzburg College and Michaelhouse – who beat Affies 29-27 at the Pretoria Boys High festival in April – have made in recent months.

Schoolboy rugby in KwaZulu-Natal appears to be on the rise.

The regional battle in the Eastern Cape was particularly fierce this year, with Graeme (16-1-1) proving more consistent than a resurgent Dale (15-6) and winning the head-to-head fixture 33-23. Graeme racked up 40 points or more in 11 of their 18 matches.

Grey High (10-4) had a tougher schedule, losing to Grey College and Wynberg away, to Paul Roos at home, and to Affies at the Pretoria Boys festival. They did manage to beat Dale, Selborne, and Michaelhouse, though.

Rondebosch (12-6) emerged from the quadrangular series in Cape Town’s southern suburbs as the leading team, after winning five of their six games.

Wynberg (10-7) lost momentum towards the end of the season, and went down 29-44 to a young SACS side in the final clash.

Jim Fouche (14-3) were one of the central region’s most consistent teams in 2026, and will count the 23-22 win over Diamantveld as one of their biggest highlights.

Zwartkop (21-2) have been building steadily in recent seasons, and managed to compete with the likes of DHS and Kearsney at the festival in KZN this past April.

The Centurion-based side made its biggest statement when it beat Nelspruit in the recent Noordvaal Plate final.

Parel Vallei (13-1) also had a season to remember, beating Framesby and Hudson Park at the Grey High festival in April, and pushing SACS close in a 7-19 loss in Cape Town.