Paarl derby: It’s the one the boys dream of

Teams

LISTENING to former Springbok captain and Paarl Boys’ High old boy Corné Krige say he was “more nervous before a match against Paarl Gimnasium than for his Test debut” illustrates the pressure boys feel ahead of the annual Paarl derby.

More than 25 000 spectators will be at the Faure Street sports field today to watch the top two schools rugby teams in the country battle it out for bragging rights.

Boishaai are No 1 in the country ahead of Gim as things stand in the unofficial rankings.

But in-form and unbeaten Boys are the more fancied side this season. They’ve won 15 in a row and have extended their winning streak that began at the start of the 2015 season to 36 games, and that’s not factoring in the two pre-season 40-minute outings at Newlands.

They were champions nationally in 2012 and 2015 and another victory over their bitter rivals would complete the hat-trick. Their coaching staff, headed by Sean Erasmus and his deputy Elmo Wolfaardt, also guided the WP Under-18 team to Craven Week glory in KwaZulu-Natal for the second year running.

“We’ve got an amazing bunch of boys who have formed a close bond. They’ve made the school proud by the way they play the game and how they conduct themselves off the field,” said Erasmus.

“On the field, they’ve met every challenge with total commitment and plenty of courage. Now for the biggest test of all, one that we all can’t wait for each year. We are as ready as we can be.

“Gim will come at us hard after going down by six points last year for their first defeat since 2009.”

Boishaai, who defeated Grey College for the second straight year will field all eight of their SA Schools players, six of whom make up the pack led by man-mountain skipper Salmaan Moerat.

He is in the mould of former Bok captain Victor Matfield in every way. His calm demeanour has helped the side reach dizzy heights and he never shies from making his presence felt in the tight exchanges.

The other capped players are the front-row trio of Reece Bezuidenhout, Daniel Jooste and Adam Neethling, blindside flank Charl Serdyn and eighthman Khanya Ncusane. Inside centre Manuel Rass and fullback Gianni Lombard complete the eight.

Gim’s Muller du Plessis, Muller Uys and André Booysen made the WP team. Du Plessis and Uys earned SA Schools caps.

They have lost just once in 13 outings, a surprise 15-13 loss away to Pretoria-based Garsfontein.

Like Boishaai, they defeated Paul Roos (28-24) and five of the other six sides that make up the local WP U19A Premier League.

One of their most impressive and biggest wins of the season came at Wynberg when they put 11 tries past the hosts in a 71-11 victory.

As for their interschools record, they’ve amassed 10 victories since the turn of the century. The sides played to a 19-all draw in 2010 before Gim went on to win four in a row but went down 16-10 in the 100th match last year.

A lot of pressure rests on the shoulders of their rookie coach and old boy Pieter Rossouw. He succeeded Christoff Lötter who enjoyed fine returns during his long tenure.

“I never played for the first team in my matric year in 1989, I turned out for the second side. I’m therefore able to tell the boys you don’t have to be a first-team player to make it in rugby,” said Rossouw.

“I went on to play for WP and the Springboks … and now I’m back to where it all started and can’t wait for the big game.

“For us it’s about keeping it simple and trying to cut out the little mistakes. It’s a game the boys dream about and now they have a chance to realise that fantasy. Boys are the best out there and we will give it everything and I’m quietly confident we can end up on the right side of the result.”