Paul Roos Gimnasium extended their winning streak to six in succession on their Markötter Field in Stellenbosch on Saturday, downing Paarl Boys’ High 28-22 in an absolute cracker of a King Price Derby Series fixture.
Ou Polla’s Boys started like a house on fire. They owned the lion’s share of possession in the first 20 minutes, and they certainly made the most of it, scoring three unconverted tries to take a 15-0 lead.
What stood out most was the pace of play from the hosts. Inside the Boishaai 22-metre area, two skip passes out wide from flyhalf Travis Pheiffer to right-wing Tevez Cupido, and from scrumhalf Jaedon Powell to left-wing Cadynn Samuels were all but unstoppable.
By the time the Boishaai defenders had tracked back, trying to set up their defensive alignment, the Maroon Machine’s wings were already diving in for tries.
Behind by 11 points at halftime, trailing 7-18, Paarl Boys’ High demonstrated strong character in the second stanza, fighting back hard and delivering some bone-crunching tackles in their furious defensive effort.
The Maroon Machine’s defence was physical, too, presenting only a few narrow holes for the Paarl locals to exploit.
Paul Roos left-wing Samuels scored again in the second half, using his pace and agility to weave a tight 10-metre path through a handful of Boishaai defenders.
Paarl Boys’ High’s substitute lock Derrick Groenewald was brilliant off the bench, scoring a try and making plenty of carries over the gain line.
In a match full of many outstanding individual performances, Paul Roos’s captain and openside flank, Christian le Roux, earned the accolade of “King of the Match”. He did the dirty work diligently in his tenacious shift, made plenty of tackles, and contested fiercely at the breakdowns.
In the end, the Maroon Machine’s rollicking start proved to be the difference as they delivered a victory to the delight of their happy home crowd.
Scorers
Paul Roos Gimnasium 28 (18) – Tries: Cadynn Samuels (2), Albert Nel, Tevez Cupido. Conversion: Travis Pheiffer. Penalties: Pheiffer (2). Paarl Boys’ High 22 (7) – Tries: Trichard van Tonder, Derrick Groenewald, Xavier Swarts. Conversions: Daniel Meisenheimer (2). Penalty: Meisenheimer.
Other Results
U19 – Paul Roos II 25 Boishaai II 31, Paul Roos III 41 Boishaai III 12, Paul Roos IV 21 Boishaai IV 21, Paul Roos V 17 Boishaai V 7, Paul Roos VI 31 Boishaai VI 31, Paul Roos VII 17 Boishaai VII 0, Paul Roos VIII 24 Boishaai VIII 19, Paul Roos IX 24 Boishaai IX 5, Paul Roos X 31 Boishaai X 5, Paul Roos XI 22 Boishaai XI 14.
U16 – Paul Roos A 45 Boishaai A 20, Paul Roos B 13 Boishaai B 14, Paul Roos C 24 Boishaai C 29, Paul Roos D 21 Boishaai D 26, Paul Roos E 31 Boishaai E 27, Paul Roos F 0 Boishaai F 7.
U15 – Paul Roos A 34 Boishaai A 5, Paul Roos B 30 Boishaai B 0, Paul Roos C 19 Boishaai C 7, Paul Roos D 28 Boishaai D 10, Paul Roos E 17 Boishaai E 5, Paul Roos F 17 Boishaai F 0.
U14 – Paul Roos A 7 Boishaai A 29, Paul Roos B 31 Boishaai B 13, Paul Roos C 31 Boishaai C 26, Paul Roos D 22 Boishaai D 17, Paul Roos E 14 Boishaai E 5, Paul Roos F 25 Boishaai F 14, Paul Roos G 5 Boishaai G 19.
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