When they kick off at 13:15 in Riversdal on Saturday, Oakdale Landbou will be well aware that this is not the same Stellenberg High outfit that they outplayed 47-17 in Bellville last May.
This Jade Brigade is the Bellville school’s best structured unit yet. They’re battle-hardened and have already claimed some massive scalps in an eye-opening season.
Most recently, they triumphed 38-10 over Wynberg Boys’ High.
Oakdale was last in action at the ABSA Wildeklawer Festival, where they suffered a narrow 13-15 loss to Paul Roos Gimnasium.
SA Schools’ eighthman Jacobus de Villiers is the all-round package with seemingly endless energy, and he’ll be at the heart of the Farmers’ efforts, making plenty of carries, tackles, and contesting the breakdowns.
Stellenberg’s no. 8 Yanos Molnar is also an impactful player. He does the dirty work at the breakdowns and on defence, and, while he might not show up as often among the try scorers, his efforts have been a substantial reason for Stellies’ successes in 2026.
Both sides are also renowned for their lineouts. Stellies‘ lock Juvan Burden and Oakdale’s second-rower Rico Ferreira are two of the best lineout jumpers in the country. Their battle at the set piece should be fascinating and, possibly, pivotal.
Saturday’s showdown will be a battle between two abrasive outfits. It’s can’t-miss stuff, and the action will be broadcast LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
The weekend’s action starts on Friday evening, with Paul Roos Gimnasium and Hoërskool Durbanville kicking off at 19:30 in Stellenbosch.
The match is LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
Apart from a 10-20 loss against Stellenberg in April, Ou Polla’s Boys have won seven times in 2026.
With centre Tiaan Basson and flyhalf Travis Pheiffer out of the mix, Paul Roos will require flyhalf Daniel Whitehead and centre Jean Hamman to provide their playmaking qualities to the backline.
Durbies most recently played and defeated Hoërskool E.G. Jansen 36-28 at the ABSA Wildeklawer Festival. It will be a challenge to replicate that form against the Maroon Machine.
With blindside flank Zay-Winn Januarie out for the occasion, Durbies will be reliant on their other loose forwards. Eighthman Muller Jansen van Vuuren will need to set the example for his flankers in providing disruption at the breakdowns.
While Paul Roos is favoured, Durbanville is gritty, and they’re prepared to get down and dirty in the trenches.
TEAMS
Oakdale Landbou: 15 Nathan-Lee Gordon, 14 Luan van Tonder, 13 Myburgh Eksteen, 12 André van der Merwe, 11 Nathan-Lee Gordon, 10 Caleb Williams, 9 Mich van Eden, 8 Jacobus de Villiers (Captain), 7 Bernard Badenhorst, 6 Kane du Plessis, 5 Rico Ferreira, 4 Ruan Groenewald, 3 Francois le Roux, 2 Adrian Smith, 1 Zivan Grobbelaar.
Stellenberg: 15 Liam Jacobs, 14 Ralton Rhode, 13 JC Swart, 12 Daniel Mongie, 11 Emile Cilliers, 10 Ethan van Biljon, 9 Daniel Steffen, 8 Yanos Molnar, 7 Carlo Brink, 6 Seth Coetzé, 5 Juvan Burden, 4 Jayden Young, 3 Janu Van Deventer, 2 Liam Joubert, 1 Uzair Blanckenberg.
Paul Roos Gimnasium (likely): 15 Kyle Snyers, 14 Krige le Roux, 13 Jean Hamman, 12 Albert Nel, 11 Cadynn Samuels, 10 Daniel Whitehead, 9 Tristan Armitage, 8 Werner de Bruin, 7 Gerard Bekker, 6 Christian le Roux, 5 Sebastian Cilliers, 4 Stef de Villiers, 3 Zak Steyn, 2 Lehan Barnard, 1 Thomas Meyer.
Durbanville: 15 Wihan Roux, 14 Jean de Vries, 13 Louwrens Rademeyer, 12 De Wet Viljoen, 11 Kyle Doyle, 10 Hadley Erasmus, 9 Lorenzo Brogneri, 8 Muller Jansen van Vuuren, 7 Eugene Theron, 6 Jono Hearn, 5 Jano Stone, 4 Jeandré Janse van Rensburg, 3 Hanno Rhode, 2 Tristen Muller, 1 Hannes Vermeulen.
