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Paul Roos, Grey College battle for top spot

By Jon Cardinelli
Thursday 15 Aug 2024

PREVIEW: The unofficial No.1 ranking will be up for grabs when Paul Roos host Grey College this Saturday, while Waterkloof and Garsfontein will be favourites to advance to the Noordvaal Cup Final.

The highly anticipated battle between South Africa’s best-performing school teams will kick off on the Markotter fields this Saturday.

Paul Roos have won 14 consecutive matches this season, while Grey College have won 12 from 13.

The coming battle in Stellenbosch is bound to settle many schoolboy debates.

Meanwhile, the Noordvaal Cup knockouts will commence this weekend, and a couple of big Cape Town derbies will play out in the southern suburbs.

@Rugby365com takes a close look at the form of the respective teams.

PAUL ROOS VS GREY COLLEGE

Much has been made about the scheduling of this fixture, and how it clashes with the Under-18 international tournament that is currently being staged in the Western Cape.

Several players from either side will miss the game in Stellenbosch, which will determine which of these schoolboy heavyweights finishes the 2024 season as the top side in South Africa.

Nevertheless, it promises to be an intriguing affair.

History seems to favour Grey College, who have won 28 of the 38 meetings.

Paul Roos have won two matches over the past 10 years, with their last victory coming in 2019.

Grey College won last year’s fixture 28-20.

This is a special Paul Roos side, though, and their performances and results across the 2024 season suggest that they will go into the final match as favourites.

Corné Uys’ charges have looked a class apart, even when competing against other top teams.

They’ve beaten Boishaai by 15, Gimmies by six (in Paarl), Wynberg by 25, and most recently Boland Landbou by 39.

While Grey College have been impressive overall, their season may be remembered for the shock loss to Jeppe back in March.

Since then, they’ve won 10 on the bounce – a run that has included away wins at Gimmies and Affies.

A victory at Paul Roos would atone for the loss to Jeppe, and ensure that they finish the season as the nation’s top side.

On the other hand, Paul Roos have the chance to cap a perfect season with the prize scalp of Grey, and won’t be short on motivation.

 

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NOORDVAAL CUP

Thanks to last weekend’s results, Waterkloof and Garsfontein finished ahead of EG Jansen in the Noordvaal Cup standings.

Jansies may come to lament last week’s slip at Garsfontein. Instead of hosting a semifinal – and

possibly a Final – they will have to travel to Pretoria this week to face a Garsies side that’s won seven of their last eight matches.

Waterkloof may fancy their chances against Monument, after beating the same side 53-45 in Krugersdorp last week.

A repeat performance will ensure that Klofies bank another win and set up an all-Pretoria derby in the Final.

RONDEBOSCH VS BISHOPS

Bishops have had a season to forget, losing 11 of their 16 matches.

They may take heart from last week’s 12-10 win against SACS, a result that ended a 10-game losing streak.

Whether they have progressed sufficiently to surprise Rondebosch this Saturday is another story.

Bosch have already completed the double against other southern suburbs sides like Wynberg and SACS.

They won 31-16 at Bishops earlier this season, and will be favourites to beat their old rivals at Rondebosch this weekend.

Meanwhile, SACS will look to secure their second win of the season against Wynberg, after beating the same side 30-29 in June.

*Picture Credit: PremierInterschools 

 

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