The brains behind Affies’ quest for top status
EXCLUSIVE: Affies’ head coach Ruan Jacobs says his tenure as first-team coach at the Pretoria-based school has been marked by ups and downs, with lessons learned in the process.
Jacobs took the helm in 2022 and, since then, has helped the Wit Bulle maintain their status as one of the top sides in the Noordvaal.
Throughout his coaching spell, Affies have also kept pace with some of the country’s elite teams.
In 2025, they won 13 out of 16 matches, including a famous victory against Paul Roos Gimnasium, which was their first in three years. They went down against Paarl Boys High and Grey College before playing out to a gutsy draw with a star-studded Paarl Gim side.
“Overall, I think it’s been a good couple of years even though there have been some challenging times as well,” Jacobs told Rugby365.
“We had a good year in 2022 and finished third in the country, which was a massive achievement.
“In 2023, we took a dip and learned some hard lessons. The past two years, however, have been promising, and we’ve managed to be in the top three to five schools every season.”
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Jacobs began his coaching career at Stirling High School in East London after calling time on his rugby career.
After making big strides with Stirling in the Border region, he moved to Glenwood High School in Durban before returning to his alma mater in 2020.
He says his coaching philosophy has been influenced by the different environments he’s been part of.
“All my previous schools have played a major role and shaped me in some way,” he added.
“In terms of my philosophy, I would say it is to inspire people in the way we play. I always want my teams to make rugby as exciting as possible.
“Working with boys makes it easy because they have a natural feeling to play the game. Besides the technical and tactical stuff, they love to run the ball and have an attacking mindset.”
In an attempt to fine-tune his coaching skills, Jacobs also draws inspiration from coaches abroad, including one from South Africa.
His mentor is Pine Pienaar, who was at Affies but currently serves as the commercial manager at Paul Roos.
“In terms of coaches, I like Stuart Lancaster and Gregor Townsend, but locally, it has to be Johan Ackermann. I love the philosophy he [Ackermann] tries to embody in his teams.
“Ackers has a different way of thinking about the game and sees an opportunity to attack in every facet. The way he handles his players stands out as well, and he values the human being before the player.
“I’m always looking to learn a thing or two from him and implement it in my teams.”
The Affies boss and his troops will be vying for top supremacy in 2026 and began their quest with a 34-20 win against Waterkloof.
The following weeks, however, will provide the real test.
They’ve already suffered a 28-45 defeat to Paul Roos in a massive interschools clash at the Markotter Stadium before hosting the annual North-South festival this week.
There, Affies will battle Oakdale Landbou and Hoërskool Durbanville before playing against Michaelhouse and Grey High at the Pretoria Boys’ High 125th festival.
Jacobs says the landscape of schoolboy rugby has evolved, and they are not underestimating any team.
“Schools are putting more work into their programmes, and the scope of schoolboy rugby is getting bigger.
“An example is the Stellenberg victory against Paarl Gim. That was not a surprise to us, as we had been aware that they had been coming for five years.
“There are good programmes across the country now, and that keeps us on our toes. We need to be sharp, make sure our systems are still relevant, or else some of the rising schools will beat us.”
