Boishaai just make it in Bloem
History does not win your a match nor does in lose one for you. Paarl Boy's High went up to Bloemfontein and won for the first time ever. They made history whose win ratio against them has been large, to say the least.
Boishaai were probably favourites, not that means anything, and they may have played slightly more constructive rugby but the fact remains that Grey could still have won the match the exciting match. After all the difference at the end was just one conversion.
Boys' High played the team that had played at the Wildeklawer tournament but Grey made none changes to the team beaten by Monnas on Monday. Their changes included their whole front row which meant demotion for IG Prinsloo who went to Craven Week in 2014.
Under blue Highveld autumn skies, the ground at Grey College was packed for the match and Boys' High hopes would have soared when their second team beat the Cherries 31-24.
Grey ran out onto the field with tense face, touching their teddybear as they did so. They kicked off and dominated the first half. In the half they had 62% of possession, a penalty count six-three in their favour. They threw into nine line-outs to Paarl's four and six scrums to Paarl's three. They ruled the match but all they had to show for it at the break were three penalty goals and a 9-5 lead. Dawid Snyman kicked the penalty goals and after 18 minutes Grey led 6-0.
Then from a scrum on the left, Boys' High went right with an enough choreography to enable Jan-Luis la Grange to break and race for the line where Grey tried to get hold of the ball but succeeded only in knocking it into the hands of lively Tyreeq February who scored in the right corner.
Boys' High nearly scored again when Elester Becker was tackled out right at the cornerpost.
After a good run by Marnus Boshoff, Snyman goaled his third penalty to make the score 9-5 at the break.
Boys' High attacked first in the second half and brought out the best of the Grey defence. Manuel Rass broke to put them on the attack,. They bashed at the Grey line and some 14 phases ended in a scrum to Grey. Two penalties gave Paarl five-metre mauls and still Grey's defence held firm, till Boishaai's handling let them down. Eventually after 14 minutes on the attack Jean-Luc Cilliers goaled a penalty goal to make it 9-8. Four minutes later he kicked a long one - from 48 metres out and at an angle and for the first time in the match Boys' High led - 11-9. Another long angled penalty goal by Cilliers made it 14-9, and Paarl Boys' High looked on top and heading for victory.
But two penalties against Boishaai brought Grey close and it was the visitors' turn to defend, first on the left and then moving right till replacement scrumhalf Rewan Kruger threw a dummy and dived over for a try. That made it 14-all with 10 minutes to play. 10 Exciting minutes.
Straight after Kruger's try Boys' High kicked off and a maul formed. Suddenly their captain Andreas van Wyk broke away on the right. They sent the ball wide left and Rass raced gleefully over for a try which Cilliers converted from far out. 21-14 to Paarl Boys' high.
Grey struggled in the line-outs, especially because of the presence of Boys' High's exceptionally tall locks - Ruben de Villiers and Salman Moerat of a great Paarl rugby family. A penalty gave Grey a line-out but yet again Boys' High won the ball. But they were careless in controlling it and it dribbled out the side where replacement hooker Matthew Wessels picked it up and drove over for a try. The conversion would have drawn the game but it was awry.
When the final whistle went, there was much gleeful hugging by Paarl Boys' High players who had just made history - winning in Bloemfontein, which was just their seventh win in 41 matches..
Scorers:
For Grey:
Tries: Rewan Kruger, Matthew Wessels
Pens: Dawid Snyman 3
For Paarl Boys' High:
Tries: Tyreeq February, Manuel Rass
Cons: Jean-Luc Cilliers
Pens: Jean-Luc Cilliers 3
Teams
Grey College: 15 Dian Gouws, 14 Marnus Boshoff, 13 Dawid Snyman, 12 PR Serfontein, 11 Jaco Wessels, 10 Janse van Vuuren, 9 Niël Durow, 8 Werner Roberts (captain), 7 Jurie Burger, 6 Johan Dippenaar, 5 Janco van Tonder, 4 George Rossouw, 3 Gideo Beukes, 2 Daniël Rust, 1 Stef Brits.
Replacements: 16 Matthew Wessels, 17 IG Prinsloo, 18 Swanepoel, 19 David Theron, 20 Rewan Kruger, 21 Mario Vieira, 22 Francois Aggenbach
Paarl Boys' High: 15 Jean-Luc Cilliers, 14 Tyreeq February, 13 Manuel Rass, 12 Jan-Louis la Grange, 11 Elester Becker, 10 Rayhaan Lombaard, 9 Bradley Thain, 8 Khanya Ncusane, 7 JC van Schalkwyk, 6 Andreas van Wyk (captain), 5 Salmaan Moerat, 4 Ruben de Villiers, 3 Wikus Groenewald, 2 MC de Jongh, 1 Reece Bezuidenhout.
Replacements: 16 Daniel Jooste, 17 Adam Neethling, 18 Barnard, 19 Gert van der Merwe, 19 David Meihuizen, 20 Kristo Sadie, 21 Jandré Grobler, 22 Hugo Slabber.
Referee: Pieter van Vuuren
Assistant referees: Dewald Smit, Philip Kotze
Grey College vs Paarl Boys' High
Results Down the Years
1950: Grey won 10-6
1953: Grey won 12-9
1954: Grey won 6-3
1954: Grey won 8-3
1956: Grey won 13-3
1957: Paarl Boys' High won 9-3
1960: Grey won 14-0
1960: Grey won 11-3
1973: Grey won 24-0
1974: Grey won 21-7
1977: Grey won 29-13
1978: Grey won 29-13
1979: Paarl Boys' High won 16-13
1980: Grey won 13-4
1983: Paarl Boys' High won 14-0
1984: Grey won 19-14
1984: Grey won 32-12
1987: Grey won 31-14
1989: Grey won 23-6
1993: drew 0-0
1995: Grey won 18-6
1996: Paarl Boys' High won 16-9
1997: Grey won 20-16
1998: Grey won 20-6
1999: Grey won 34-16
2000: Paarl Boys' High won 17-10
2001: Grey won 38-15
2002: Grey won 23-6
2003: Grey won 27-16
2004: Grey won 38-3
2005: Grey won 38-13
2006: Grey won 20-5
2007: Grey won 48-24
2008: Grey won 34-24
2009: Grey won 50-8
2010: Grey won 32-12
2011: drew 15-15
2012: Paarl Boys' High won 28-18
2013: Grey won 35-28
2014: Grey won 15-10
2015: Paarl Boys' High won 21-19