What the numbers say
With this term’s prearranged out-weekend for the Paarl, Wellington and Worcester schools on 18 May, now might be a good time to sit back and reflect on a very busy start to the 2012 Western Cape rugby season.
While one doesn’t need Nostradamus to tell one that Paarl Gim is the most successful school 1st XV pretty well anywhere in the country, some of the other interesting statistics might just surprise aficionados of the schoolboy game.
Although it’s a pretty demanding task collecting all the data for 71 WP, SWD and Boland sides, just about everyone seems to be co-operating to the point that a web-site is being contemplated which, in addition to listing all the scores for the season, will also provide access to all the scorers in each game and, separately, the leading scorer charts.
Until such time as this becomes a reality, this summary will have to suffice.
The leading try-scorer in the Western Cape thus far is Oakdale centre Lex Botha with 12, closely followed by inspirational HTS Drostdy captain and flank Izak Burger and experienced Strand centre Quiwen Bauman, both of whom have touched down 11 times.
On ten tries we find Tygerberg left wing Shane Grundlingh, which is not bad considering that he scored for the first time in a long while last Saturday, the elegant long-striding Outeniqua left wing Duhan van der Merwe and a tough little customer whose name crops again lower down, Stellenbosch High scrumhalf Riaan van Zyl.
Six lads have nine tries to their credit: Paarl Gym centre Altus Momsen, who has until this year largely basked in the shadow of twin brother HP, Oakdale ironman No.8 Jandré Rudolph, Swartland’s prolific tighthead Estevan Janse van Rensburg, flying Schoonspruit wing Valentino Wellman and two Hugenote players, centre Pieter-André Coetzee and No.8 Larnelle Maralack.
By the way, Garsfontein centre Richard Janse van Rensburg has run in 15 tries to date.
On to the top points-scorers.
It’s hardly a surprise that Paarl Gim’s Handré Pollard heads the local list with 110 points. With his team scoring all those tries he’s getting plenty of poles-practice!
Two other lads with something in common also slipped past the century mark at the weekend. They are Hugenote flyhalf Nelius Hauptfleisch (108), who played scrumhalf when he wasn’t injured in 2011 and even then wasn’t always the preferred kicker, and that Stellenbosch oke Riaan van Zyl (101). No cigar for guessing why the red-and-black Matielanders have been making nearly as many waves as that other crowd from the Eikestad, for whom Jason Worral has 99 points! SACS pivot Chris Smith (90) might also join the 100-club this Saturday against Bishops.
For perspective’s sake, Waterkloof flyhalf Kobus Marais has 139 points and Garsfontein scrumhalf Irvin Domingo boasts 131.
What you don’t see also tells several interesting stories. Here’s just one.
Wynberg have been enjoying the fruits of their meticulously-cultivated success this year. And it shows in the remarkably even distribution of their 57 tries throughout the team. Their first-choice kicker, fullback Jordy Lamoral, has only 71 points to his credit. This is not because he’s inaccurate, but because intelligent squad rotation has seen reserve Qaasiem Francis shoulder part of the burden too.
Ask any captain and he’ll tell you that his side’s motto is “The team comes first”. The ‘Berg set enormous store by this ideal, but you don’t even have to watch them play to see how everyone gets involved and the resultant credit is spread evenly. Statistics never lie, hey?
By Tony Stoops
