Paarl Gimnasium will aim to make it 14 wins in a row when they face Paarl Boys’ High at the Faure Street Stadium. Kickoff on Saturday is at 16:00.
The King Price Derby Series affair promises some massive match-ups and battles within the war this weekend.
Both sides are renowned for their forward might, whether that be in the set pieces or from open play.
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Hooker Charles Whitehead is a phenomenal player for Gim. He’s as strong as a prop and as lethal as a mamba coming off the back of the rolling maul.
Eighthman Hendré van Zyl appears to be made from steel and will be focused on driving Boishaai backwards in the tackles.
Earlier this month, both players represented SA Schools A against the SA Schools side, with Van Zyl captaining the team to a shock 34-33 victory.
Paarl Boys’ High also boasts some hugely influential forwards. Their captain and lock, AD Faul, has been a lineout force all season long. He’ll also be one of those tasked with stopping those Whitehead-led rolling mauls.
Flank Luhan Hattingh scored a brace in a 56-7 victory over Hoërskool Durbanville recently. He has the strength to consistently bash over the gain line with his powerful crash-ball runs.
Both sides have strong half-back pairings, ready to release their dangerous outside backs if given good-quality ball.
Gim’s scrumhalf Mickyle Booise and flyhalf Louis Koen understand one another well. Booise makes good use of his boot, but is also a dangerous runner around the fringes of rucks, while Koen likes unleashing a free-flowing brand of running rugby, which has resulted in dozens of tries this season.
In comparison, scrumhalf Liam de Villiers takes care of tidy ball distribution while flyhalf Daniël Meisenheimer has the X-factor off the boot for Boishaai.
Their head coach, Sean Erasmus, would like nothing more than a repeat of last season’s victory in a contest in which Paarl Gim was favoured. Last season’s clash was a classic, with Boys’ High triumphing 35-33 to snatch the end-of-season number one ranking from their arch-rivals. Gimmies had gone 18 games undefeated before their rivals stopped them.
Erasmus is rumoured to be the man to succeed Kabamba Floors, who recently resigned as the head coach at Maties. Erasmus shared his thoughts on his Paarl Boys’ High team ahead of what some believe will be his last game in charge: “They’ve shown a lot of character and resilience. They’ve learned to fight, and that really excites me, because it’s something you need not just on the field, but in life as well. I look forward to seeing their best yet on Saturday.”
Traditionally, it’s a tight derby, with both sides having won six times in their past dozen meetings.
This season, both teams were put to the test by Stellenberg High. In their opening game, Gimmies lost 19-20 to Stellies. They haven’t lost since and have produced a phenomenal campaign.
Boishaai showed immense character in returning to form after losing 37-40 to Affies and 21-31 to Grey College, outplaying the Jade Brigade 29-7. That was some performance. Stellenberg’s only other loss was a 20-21 defeat to Hoërskool Garsfontein, and Stellies has also beaten Grey College, Paul Roos, and Oakdale.
Looked at another way, both sides were forced to grow because a new top competitor arrived on the scene.
Coach Erasmus added a note about the stature of the traditional derby: “It is a privilege [to play in it]. We have been discussing how pressure is a privilege the entire week.
“This is one of those instances, with the boys playing in front of a 25 000-plus crowd, in a town where people cherish the rivalry.”
The teams:
Paarl Boys’ High: 15 Dirk Farmer, 14 Cayden Snyman, 13 Wian Delport, 12 Jeneal Davids, 11 Aleit Stander, 10 Daniël Meisenheimer, 9 Liam de Villiers, 8 Chris Nel, 7 Luhan Hattingh, 6 Steven Muller, 5 AD Faul (captain), 4 Trichardt van Tonder, 3 Bates Winshaw, 2 JP Norton, 1 Max Malan.
Paarl Gimnasium: 15 Thomas Saunders, 14 Corné de Beer, 13 Derik Cloete, 12 Ethan Barker (captain), 11 De Waal Vivier, 10 Louis Koen, 9 Mickyle Booise, 8 Hendré van Zyl, 7 Hugo Dirk, 6 Corné Niemand, 5 Jean Dreyer, 4 Bernhardt Schulze, 3 Sebastian Bekker, 2 Charles Whitehead, 1 Jayden Steyl.
Kick-Off: 16:00.
Referee: AJ Jacobs.
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