Eagles are landing - in Paarl
Nope, not the release of a new thriller, just an ominous observation regarding the major attractions for many Western Cape schools rugby aficionados for Saturday 21 July 2012.
It seems like a long time since there was some straightforward schoolboy fare, uncluttered by provincial selection and its accompanying skullduggery, on offer, but things could hardly be restarting with a bigger bang than the double whammy of Paarl Gym vs Outeniqua and Paarl Boys’ High vs Oakdale in the land of the vine, what with the four teams featuring a pretty impressive percentage of the Western Province and South Western Districts Craven Week sides.
The former is by far more intriguing clash if for no other reason than that the crack Quaggas team boasts far more South Western Districts caps than the Bulle.
The Gimmies will have to devise a cunning Plan B to cover the gap left by the injured Handré Pollard. It’s not that his stand-in - and next year’s flyhalf - Wyatt Murphy is that much less of a player; but Springbok Under-20 star’s presence just adds an extra aura of invincibility to the hosts.
Gym’s greatest strength, their fearsome Craven Week loose trio of Rikus Bothma, Jacques Vermeulen and Corné Cooper, will have plenty to keep them busy when Tinus Vermeulen and Dean van Vuuren take to Kriel Field.
The front rows seem fairly evenly matched, but the height of Jakkals Schickerling, who received an SA squad call-up, gives Gym a slight advantage in the second row, where prime Outeniqua jumper Jurgens Schoeman is perceptibly shorter.
It’s when one looks at the backlines that the locals get a sinking feeling. Gym had two representatives in the Western Province backline that, um, didn't inspire confidence. Not that you could actually single out centre Wesley Cupido and wing Grant Hermanus for any blame, but they are doomed to be tarred with the same brush as the hapless rest. Fortunately inside centre Altus Momsen has earned lavish praise for his defensive capabilities.
Which is just as well, given that the Quaggas are a very different proposition. With seven backs in the Eagles squad, two of whom - left wing Duhan van der Merwe and centre Warrick 'Boogie' Galant - will be at the elite camp, they're a marvelous (if you're a neutral, that is) attacking force, some five of them still being in Grade 11.
Gym regarded this fixture as of such importance that they declined all offers to host English touring teams during this week. But will the extra preparation time pays dividends? The smart money is probably on Outeniqua, but remember whom the odds favoured going into Interschools 2011!
A couple of kilometres away Oakdale visit Brug Street for the third time in the last year, which, for most people, would be about the third time too many. However, the Bulle are nothing if not adaptable.
Unlike the game across Paarl, this one could be won and lost in a titanic front row battle. The Eagles included two of the visitors big boys, one of them the redoubtable Kabous van Schalkwyk, but the Strepies can match that and even raise the stakes.
Both props, Liam Hendricks and Wesley Adonis, have been given the nod for the SA elite squad and had the luxury of being rested for Tuesday’s game against Royal Grammar School, Lancaster. Many regard their school captain and Western Province Craven Week cap Craig Corbett as mighty unlucky not to have gained higher recognition as well.
The second-rowers are much of a muchness, but Oakdale have a rare loose forward talent in No.8 Juandré Rudolph, who will require constant monitoring by Derek Taylor and company. Ryno van der Merwe will have to sit the game out with injury.
Boishaai would appear to have the edge out back, especially with the magical duo of Pieter Schoonraad and Jean-Luc du Plessis directing the show, and with inside centre Henri Nimb and left wing Danté van der Merwe being well acquainted with the white line on which the posts are located.
Oakdale’s most prominent threequarters, outside centre Lex Botha and fullback Myburgh Briers, are going to need plenty of assistance in trying to force this collective genie back into its bottle!
Oakdale appear to be carrying some walking wounded into this game. Boishaai, on the other hand, had what amounted to little more than a nice warm-up run against Royal Grammar School, Lancaster on Wednesday, scoring seven tries on their way to a 50-0 win. Their only real problem? The latest return of Niel Maritz from injury leaves them with an embarrassment of riches in the midfield.
The hosts are favourites, but big clashes like this are never easy.
The other two Western Province games that jump out at one are the Young Maties (Paul Roos) vs Young Ikeys (SACS) meeting at the Markötter and Wynberg against Boland Landbou at Hawthornden.
SACS contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to lose 28-29 to Kirkham Grammar School on Tuesday. The winning kick from wide out rather dampened the Newlands lads’ spirits after a highly successful tour up north to Zimbabwe. A day later Paul Roos handed Irish tourists Royal Academy, Belfast a sound 53-5 hiding without even fielding several 1st XV regulars.
The Wynberg-Boland Landbou game at Hawthornden promises to be a close-run affair. The ’Berg boasts a solid midfield, one area of particular concern to the Windmeul Warriors, although the visitors’ forwards should go a long way to balancing things out.
In the South Western Districts the Punt-Oudtshoorn fixture in Mossel Bay looks like a nail-biter. Neither side has featured strongly this season in an area traditionally dominated by Oakdale and Outeniqua.
The best in the Boland? Head for Ceres to watch the crackerjack Hugenote side, the only Western Cape 1st XV with a 100% record this season and whose talismanic captain, Gideon Koegelenberg, received a well-deserved SA Under-18 elite group call-up, play feisty hosts Charlie Hofmeyr. Otherwise you could do a lot worse than taking a drive over to Caledon to catch exciting Overberg at home to Montagu.
The Western Cape fixture list for Saturday, 21 July:
(Home teams first)
Swellendam vs Bredasdorp
Augsburg Gym vs Piketberg
Brackenfell vs DF Malan
Charlie Hofmeyr vs Hugenote
De Kuilen vs Kasselsvlei
Dirkie Uys vs Porterville
Durbanville vs Worcester Gym
Hermanus vs Gansbaai Academy
HTS Bellville vs Bellville
Labori vs Monument Park
Overberg vs Montagu
Paarl Boys’ High vs Oakdale
Paarl Gym vs Outeniqua
Paul Roos vs SACS
Punt vs Oudtshoorn
Robertson vs Stellenbosch
Rondebosch vs HTS Drostdy
Schoonspruit vs Vredenburg
Stellenberg vs President
Swartland vs Strand
Tygerberg vs Bishops
Tulbagh vs Hopefield
Wynberg vs Boland Landbou
By Tony Stoops