Schools rankings: Who are the biggest movers?
RANKINGS: What an incredible ride it’s been over the past two weeks, filled with spectacular schoolboy rugby.
One thing is certain: South Africa is blessed with an abundance of young rugby talent, and the future of the Springboks looks promising.
Schoolboy rugby is thriving — or is it? Is it really ideal to have just five dominant rugby schools that consistently outperform teams ranked 6 to 20 by margins of 30 to 40 points? That’s a discussion for another day. Let us know what you think in the comments.
The Wildeklawer Tournament was once again a showcase of pure class.
Affies are enjoying one of their best seasons since their stellar 2011 team, highlighted by their victory over Paul Roos in rainy conditions — conditions that usually favour the maroon machine. That result alone justifies their place in the top three.
Still, there’s no denying that the powerhouse schools from Paarl are currently the best in South Africa — and arguably the world.
Paarl Gim remains unbeaten, and their wins over Grey College in Bloemfontein and Paul Roos this past weekend firmly establish them as the top side in SA.
Boishaai also had a fantastic Wildeklawer tournament, and their victories over Affies and Grey make a strong case for their number two ranking.
Up north, the teams from Garsfontein and Menlopark also deserve recognition. Both schools are strong contenders for the SDC Noordvaal Cup.
There are many deserving schools for a place in the Top 40. As we mentioned last week, the difference between teams ranked 20 to 50 is minimal.
We’ve done our best to rank teams based on the strength of the opposition, home-ground advantage, and win-loss ratios. No ranking will ever be 100% accurate, but we welcome your thoughts in the comments.
Our next rankings will be published on May 25. As oom Zanberg Jansen always used to say: “Nag, ou grote.”
