Interschools: It's points that count
In Paarl on Saturday afternoon the Faure Street Stadium was packed with a tense and enthusiastic crowd for the Interschools which Paarl Gim won 16-9, a converted try the difference.
Gimmies led 13-3 at the break and the second half belonged almost entirely to Paarl Boys' High but in the end, trite as it may sound, territory and opportunities without points do not win matches. Points do.
In that second half Boishaai missed two kicks at goal and somehow managed not to score a try - the opportunity to score 13 points not taken.
It was a match played with complete commitment with an intensity to match any level of rugby football. The tackling was committed and determined, the collisions places of utter commitment. Nothing more could have been asked of the players on both sides, the culmination of a season's planning and a week of functions. It all reached its climax when the first teams ran out from decorated stands onto the field to the beat of drums, the release of balloons and a flypast of five airplanes with their colourful vapour trails. And throughout there was noise of various kinds.
Jean-Luc du Plessis of Boishaai kicked off to start this absorbing game, and 70 minutes simply flew past.
Boishaai scrummed a bit better than Gimmies did; Gimmies' line-outs were better. The penalty counts were about even. Both sides mauled to great effect - long, fast mauls that ate up territory and produced some penalties.
Boishaai scored first when right wing Tiaan Mouton goaled a penalty for offside and a second for an infringement at a long maul. 6-0 after 14 minutes. At this stage, unlike what happened in the second half, Gimmies had the territory, Boishaai the points.
A long maul of some 50 metres set Gimmies attacking., Three times the referee allowed a penalty advantage and then penalised for the fourth infringement. Handré Pollard goaled. 6-3 after 19 minutes.
After winning the ball with an intercept, Gimmies attacked through phases. Boishaai won a turnover but lost the ball for a scrum to Gimmies near the Boishaai line. Pollard was close and then big, powerful Rikus Bothma, the best ball-carrier in the match, forced his way through the Boishaai centres to score under the posts. 10-6 to Gimmies after 26 minutes.
Boishaai had a chance to score when they attacked after a maul and line-out. Nippy Du Plessis was close but a low pass produced a knock-on.
Then Gimmies attacked down the other end with good work by Bothma, Lotter Pretorius and Stephan Morkel but a knock-on ended a promising attack. Just before half-time Pollard goaled his second penalty. 13-6, the half-time score.
Mouton goaled a penalty early in the second half and Boishaai attacked again and again. They had a five-metre scrum and got right to the Gimmies line only to be penalised in the tackle.
Gimmies got away from their line and fullback Dawie Dyason was tackled high. The mark for the penalty was a lone way out and 15 metres in from touch but Pollard goaled. 16-9 after 56 minutes.
In the next 14 minutes, Boishaai attacked, Gimmies tackled and no points were scored.
After several attacking phases Dewald Naudé was over in the right corner but instead of dotting down he kept running and Grant Hermanus, across from the right wing, knocked him into touch-in-goal.
Boishaai had a five-metre line-out but over threw it and Gimmies came away.
They tapped a penalty from five metres out and Mouton was close but the Gimmies defence was intense, driving attackers back. again and again.
Time was up when Gimmies threw into a line-out but Boishaai won it. Gimmies won a turnover and Pretorius hoofed the ball into the stand. Green-blazered Gimmies flooded onto the field in glee to be with their conquering heroes.
Scorers:
For Paarl Gim:
Try: Rikus Bothma
Con: Handré Pollard
Pens: Handré Pollard 3
For Paarl Boys' High:
Pens: Tiaan Mouton 3
The teams
Paarl Gim. 15 Dawie Dyason, 14 Grant Hermanus, 13 Wesley Cupido, 12 Altus Momsen, 11 Loek van der Merwe, 10 Handré Pollard (captain), 9 Lotter Pretorius, 8 Rikus Bothma, 7 Corné Cooper, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Hennie Botha (vice-captain), 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Stephan Morkel, 2 Evan Macdonald, 1 Ollie Regue
Coach: Christoff Lötter
Paarl Boys' High. 15 Darian Hock, 14 Tiaan Mouton, 13 Dewald Naudé, 12 Henri Nimb, 11 Dante van der Merwe, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Pieter Schoonraad, 8 Johan Botha, 7 Jeandré Brink, 6 Derek Taylor, 5 Sebastian Ferreira, 4 Burger van Niekerk, 3 Liam Hendricks, 2 Craig Corbett (captain), 1 Wesley Adonis
Coaches. Elmo Wolfaardt, Gerrie Visser, Pierre Ribbens
Referee: Quinton Immelman (Western Province Referees' Society)
Assistant referees: Nathan Swarts, François Pretorius (both Western Province Referees' Society)
Results Down the Years:
1915: Boys' High won 10-0
1916: Gim won 7-5
1917: Gim won 3-0
1918: Gim won 3-0
1919: Gim won 9-0
1920: Gim won 20-0
1921: Draw 6-6
1922: Draw 3-3
1923: Boys' High won 3-0
1924: Boys' High won 13-5
1925: Boys' High won 7-3
1926: Boys' High won 6-5
1927: Gim won 5-3
1928: No match
1929: Draw 3-3
1930: Boys' High won 5-3
1931: Gim won 6-0
1932: Gim won 7-3
1933: Boys' High won 3-0
1934: Boys' High won 5-4
1935: Draw 0-0
1936: Gim won 11-6
1937: Gim won 5-3
1938: Gim won 5-3
1939: Gim won 9-8
1940: Draw 3-3
1941: Gim won 6-0
1942: Draw 0-0
1943: Gim won 9-6
1944: Boys' High won 6-0
1945: Boys' High won 14-6
1946: Draw 3-3
1947: Boys' High won 8-3
1948: Draw 3-3
1949: Gim won 9-3
1950: Boys' High won 6-3
1951: Boys' High won 6-0
1952: Boys' High won 11-0
1953: Boys' High won 6-5
1956: Gim won 6-3
1957: Gim won 5-3
1958: Gim won 11-0
1959: Boys' High won 11-3
1960: Gim won 9-3
1961: Boys' High won 6-0
1962: Boys' High won 6-0
1963: Boys' High won 8-0
1964: Gim won 9-8
1965: Gim won 11-0
1966: Gim won 8-0
1967: Gim won 8-6
1968: Gim won 3-0
1969: Boys' High won 8-5
1970: Gim won 19-8
1971: Boys' High won 11-6
1972: Boys' High won 6-3
1973: Boys' High won 19-6
1974: Gim won 9-3
1975: Boys' High won 3-0
1976: Gim won 8-6
1977: Boys' High won 15-6
1978: Gim won 13-10
1979: Gim won 12-6
1980: Gim won 9-3
1981: Gim won 12-0
1982: Boys' High won 16-15
1983: Gim won 15-6
1984: Gim won 10-4
1985: Boys' High won 16-6
1986: Draw 0-0
1987: Boys' High won 15-7
1988: Draw 6-6
1989: Gim won 15-4
1990: Boys' High won 10-6
1991: Boys' High won 8-4
1992: Gim won 20-15
1993: Boys' High won 19-17
1994: Boys' High won 11-6
1995: Boys' High won 17-3
1996: Gim won 18-16
1997: Gim won 13-10
1998: Boys' High won 16-5
1999: Gim won 13-6
2000: Boys' High won 15-7
2001: Boys' High won 12-3
2002: Gim won 15-0
2003: Boys' High won 25-6
2004: Gim won 13-3
2005: Gim won 22-10
2006: Gim won 23-17
2007: Gim won 10-0
2008: Gim won 35-8
2009: Boys' High won 24-12
2010: Draw 19-19
2011: Gim won 22-19
2012: Gim won 16-9