In the biggest school rugby match in the world, Paarl Gimnasium outside centre Derik Cloete found himself running down the inside line on two occasions to score a brace against Paarl Boys’ High at the Faure Street Stadium on Saturday.
Those two tries and his unrelenting defensive shift in the midfield made it no surprise, then, when Cloete was crowned the King of the Match in his side’s 25-11 triumph over Boishaai.
It certainly must have felt good to pull one back after Gim surrendered a comfortable-looking lead late in a 33-35 loss last year.
Both sides brought their best to the high-octane contest, delivering a tight and thrilling King Price Derby Series battle.
The primary difference between the sides was that Paarl Gim did a better job of finishing their chances, which helped them to clinch their 14th successive win this season.
Given that they completed their 2026 campaign with 760 points from 15 games, averaging 50 points per match, it’s little wonder that they were more clinical than their arch-rival. As the saying goes, “Sometimes the best defence is a good offence.”
Fullback Thomas Saunders was responsible for the Suzuki Game Changer Moment of the Match after he scored a breakaway try down the openside flank. Scrumhalf Mickyle Booise, like Derik Cloete, also scored a try from an offload to the inside from one of the outside backs. Each of those tries neatly encapsulated Gimmies’ outstanding handling and ball distribution this season.
Fresh off three successive victories, Boishaai would have ended the game feeling frustrated that they put only 11 points on the scoreboard. Left-wing Aleit Stander crossed for a try, while flyhalf Daniël Meisenheimer slotted two penalties.
Among the forwards, Gimmies’ props Jayden Steyl and Sebastian Bekker were as sturdy as concrete pillars in the set scrums, keeping their Boishaai counterparts at a stalemate. The forward battles were furious, and both sides countered one another well in the rolling mauls.
Scorers:
Paarl Gimnasium 25 (10) – Tries: Derik Cloete (2), Thomas Saunders, Mickyle Booise. Conversion: Louis Koen. Penalty: Koen. Paarl Boys’ High 11 (6) – Try: Aleit Stander. Penalties: Daniël Meisenheimer (2).
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