Top 20 - May 14
There were two cracking schoolboy matches on television in the past week -Grey Bloem against Affies and Paul Roos against Paarl Gim. They involved three of the top five sides in the FNB Top 20.
The way they played restored one's faith in rugby football. They played with intensity but also with skill. They did not fall into drab one-pass phases. Their backs clearly had the freedom to run, to try to beat an opponent and to score tries. And they scored them.
The Grey-Affies match produced eight tries, five by the backs. Three wings scored tries in the match. In the match at Stellenbosch, four of the five tries were scored by wings. They were heartening matches.
In both matches the losers performed manfully against particularly powerful sides. They were proud losers.
The results of those matches have produced changes in the top four. Affies now move up to second and Grey Bloem to fourth.
Dr EG Jansen of Boksburg are the biggest movers of the week, moving up five places after their huge (36-all) draw with Garsfontein who are just one place above them. That they have moved so far tells you that the teams are all really close.
Others moving up, though less dramatically, are Paarl Boys' High, HTS Middelburg, Noord-Kaap and Grey PE. Grey PE were in the 'bubbling under' group last week.
Kempton Park and SACS come into that group.
Top 20 – May 14
1. Paarl Gim
2. Affies
3. Outeniqua
4. Grey College of Bloemfontein
5. Garsfontein
6. Dr EG Jansen
7. Paarl Boys' High
8. Monument
9. Nelspruit
10. St Andrew's College of Grahamstown
11. Waterkloof
12. Die Brandwag
13. HTS Middelburg
14. Westville
15. Pretoria Boys High
16. Noord-Kaap
17. Paul Roos
18. Marlow
19. Glenwood
20. Grey High of Port Elizabeth
Other teams strongly considered were Centurion, Drostdy, Kearsney, Kempton Park, Menlopark, Oakdale, SACS, Selborne and Transvalia.
