Grey and Paul Roos meet in FNB Classic
Match Preview
This is a big one - Grey against Paul Roos in an FNB Classic Clash - the lion and the unicorn battling it out all over Bloemfontein top see who will wear the crown.
The lion and the unicorn
were fighting for the crown.
The lion beat the unicorn
all around the town.
It will be interesting to see who ends up lion and who unicorn.
the match will be televised live.
Paul Roos will take some 700 boys on the train from the soggy Cape to the dry Highveld for a weekend of competition, the climax of which will be the rugby match between two of South Africa's very best schoolboy sides.
At present on the FNB Top 20 Paul Roos are ranked top, Grey 5th, but do not let that mislead you, for the top teams are all as close as close can be and last week's result against Glenwood bumped Grey down a bit.
In the last 12 years Grey have lost only twice in Bloemfontein. Mind you both of those defeats were at the hands of Paul Roos. Still it tells you that Grey at home are difficult.
They will be more difficult after their defeat by Glenwood ion Durban last weekend. Proud Grey does not tolerate defeat.
Grey have the problem of many injuries, one a desperately serious one.
Captain and headboy, a fine sportsman, captain of the Free State Craven Week side, suffered a freakish accident against Pretoria Boys High in Bloemfontein on the Saturday before last. He slipped in a tackle and his head collided with the Pretoria wing's knee. He was taken to hospital with bleeding to the brain and was placed in a life-support system. There is well-founded hope that he will recover.
Apart from Danie Calitz, seven other first-choice players are out - Pieter-Willem van Vuuren, Waltie_Vermeulen, Paul Roux, Connie Oosthuizen, Egan Gysman, Charl Rademan and Johan Snyman.
Paul Roos have been able to choose their full side but down in the wet Cape they have players struggling with flu-things - flyhalf Coenie van Wyk, centre Stephan Dippenaar, flank Dantes Wium and massive tighthead Stephan Hamman whom they call Os.
In fact the wetness of the Cape which has been enduring heavy, northwester-driven rains for some time this month, has made preparing the Paul Roos side difficult. The fields are waterlogged and training us miserable, not at all ideal conditions for a march on Highveld Bloemfontein.
The pros and cons seem to be cancelling each other out and suggesting a close encounter. Have a look at the season's results, and there still is not a great deal to choose.
Grey have played 16, won 13, lost two and drawn one.
Paul Roos have played 16, won 15 and lost 1.
Grey have played 8 teams who are in the FNB Top 20, Paul Roos 7.
Results
Grey College
Grey beat Noord-Kaap 41-5
Grey beat Harmony Academy 34-17
Grey beat Dale College 36-3
*Grey beat Bishops 25-14
Grey beat Queen`s 46-8
Grey drew with Jim Fouché 5-5
Grey beat Maritzburg College 50-3
Grey beat Selborne College 51-0
*Grey beat Paarl Boys' High 20-5
*Affies beat Grey 18-13
Grey beat Sentraal 53-3
Grey beat Sand du Plessis 57-0
*Grey beat Grey High 34-19
Grey beat Pretoria Boys High 34-8
Grey beat Sentraal 43-10
Glenwood beat Grey 14-10
Paul Roos
*Paul Roos beat Affies 25-7
Paul Roos beat St Andrew`s College 50-7
Paul Roos beat Golden Lions Emerging 32-13
Paul Roos beat Marais Viljoen 26-13
Paul Roos beat Daniël Pienaar 27-12
Paul Roos beat Drostdy 26-13
*Paul Roos beat Grey High 28-24
Paul Roos beat Paarl Gimnasium 19-14
Paul Roos beat Boland Landbou 22-6
Paul Roos beat Rondebosch 47-7
*Bishops beat Paul Roos 18-16
Paul Roos beat Paarl Boys' High 10-6
Paul Roos beat Oakdale Landbou 12-3
Paul Roos beat Drostdy 24-10
Paul Roos beat SACS 52-10
Paul Roos beat Wynberg 47-8
* Opponents common to both.
Results down the years
A glance down the results between the two schools suggests that Grey are 2-1 favourites.
1991: Paul Roos won 20-3
1992: Paul Roos won 28-9
1993: Paul Roos won 27-3
1994: Paul Roos won 31-29
1996: Grey won 18-10
1997: Paul Roos won 12-8
1998: Grey won 23-15
1999: Grey won 29-26
2000: Grey won 42-13
2001: Grey won 15-6
2002: Grey won 19-8
2003: Grey won 18-17
2004: Grey won 24-23 and Paul Roos won 21-18
2005: Grey won 16-11
Provincial experinece
Grey have greater provincial experience in their team - ten in the team chosen for Saturday to Paul Roos's seven.Provincial experience:
The following Grey players have been to Craven Week or Academy Week: Robert Ebersohn, Gerhard Landman, Wayne Stevens, Hedley Smit, Sias Ebersohn, Eric le Roux, Charl Dry, Gerhard Swart, Sybrand Mostert, Rachè van der Westhuizen.
The following Paul Roos players have been to Craven Week or Academy Week: Siyasanga Mkiva, Coenie van Wyk, Charl Weideman, Jason Volschenk, Stéphan van der Merwe, Jaco van Vuuren, and Stéphan Dippenaar.
Both teams have players with provincial experience who will not be playing. In Grey's case it is a large number.
Pieter-Willem van Vuuren, Waltie Vermeulen, Paul Roux, Danie CaIitz, Connie Oosthuizen, Egan Gysman, Charl Rademan, Johan Snyman, Kemsley Wesso, Blaine Mkwanasi, John Mathiba, Lindie Green, Rory Makuta and Stefan Heymans were at either the Craven Week or the Academy Week and are not in the Grey team to play Paul Roos. The first eight are injured, but Wesso, Mkwanasi, Mathiba, Green, Makuta and Heymans are not in the team, not even on the bench. Much of this is, of course, due to the quota requirements for selecting probvincial teams.
Lee Adriaanse and Sidney Tobias, Errol's son, were at the Academy Week but are not in there team to play Grey.
The match will be televised live on MNet and SS1, crossing at 12.50.
For more information about Grey College, click here.
for more information about Paul Roos Gymnasium, click here.
For a profile of the Grey captain, click here.
For a profile of the Paul Roos captain, click here.
Teams:
Grey College: 15 Robert Ebersohn, 14 George Whitehead, 13 Gerhard Landman, 12 Wayne Stevens (captain), 11 Hedley Smit, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Hendré Viviers, 8 Eric le Roux, 7 Charl Dry, 6 Gerhard Swart, 5 Lappies Labuschagne, 4 Sybrand Mostert, 3 Rachè van der Westhuizen, 2 Attie van Zyl, 1 Louis van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Richard Harris, 17 J Geldenhuis, 18 D Flecher, 19 R Pienaar, 20 S Muller, 21 D Fourie, 22 C Swanepoel
Paul Roos: 15 Stephan van der Merwe (captain), 14 Jesse Nowers, 13 Stephan Dippenaar, 12 Charl Weideman, 11 Jason Volschenk, 10 Coenie van Wyk, 9 François Hougaard, 8 Lambert Groenewald, 7 Dantes Wium, 6 Siyasanga Mkiva, 5 Jaco van Vuuren, 4 Christiaan Uys, 3 Stephan Hamman, 2 Pieter van der Merwe, 1 Emile Kroegman.
Replacements: to be taken from those who have played in the 2nd XV match
Date: 19 August 2006
Kick-off 13:00 (Live on M-net/SS1)
Venue: Grey College, Bloemfontein
Expected weather conditions: Clear with a high of 21°C and a northwest breeze of 14 km/h - great weather for rugby.
Referee: Jaco Pyper (Free State)