Mutual & Federal Premier Interschools Paarl Boys vs Grey College Derby

Mutual & Federal Premier Interschools is a series of 12 matches, which feature the highest profile and most traditional interschool rugby rivalries, from South Africa’s top rugby schools which are broadcast live on SuperSport from April to August.

Schoolboy rugby has served as one of the cornerstones of domestic rugby dating back more than a century, and true to its slogan “Honouring Heritage. Playing for the Future”, Mutual & Federal Premier Interschools is about History, Heritage and Tradition. The series, now in its second year, is expected to grow even stronger.

The Mutual & Federal Premier Interschools stories are further captured in 12 Preview shows, which preview all the games and provide historical overviews of these traditional schools and highlight other academic, cultural and sporting achievements.

Grey College of Bloemfontein travels down to Paarl for their annual Interschool’s derby against Paarl Boys High on the weekend of 23/24 May 2014.

The match will be televised live on Supersport HD and SS 1 at 14:05 on Saturday 24 May 2014 and the Preview Show will air Wednesday evening 21 May 2014 at 18:45 on SS1.

For all results, fixtures, videos, photos and information visit the new Premier Interschools website at www.premierinterschools.co.za

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Paarl Boys High (1868) and Grey College (1855) are amongst the oldest schools in South Africa with both schools having a significant pedigree of rugby history, heritage and tradition. They first played each other in 1950 and did not have a regular fixture every year due to the distance between the schools. Grey and Paarl Boys High (also known as Boishaai) played each other 21 times from 1950 up to 1995 and since then it became an annual fixture. In total they have now played 39 matches with Grey having won 31, Paarl Boys won 6 and 2 Draws.

Scores Through The Years

Highlights over the Years

1950’s

In 1956 Boishaai traveled up north to play Grey in Bloemfontein and it was during this game that legendary Springbok center Mannetjies Roux from Paarl Boys High was first noted by Sports Editor from Die Volksblad Herman le Roux, who then predicted that Roux would be a future Springbok. Although Grey won 13 – 3, Roux had a sublime game for Boishaai and it was only eight years later that he scored that famous try (again in Bloemfontein) against the 1964 British Lions of Arthur Smith.

Mannetjies Roux in 1968 playing in Paarl Boys High Old Boy jersey

Legendary Springbok from Paarl Boys High (1956) Mannetjies Roux

1970’s

In 1974 the first SA Schools team was selected and Grey College had two representatives – Jan Geldenhuys and Gerhard Weitz. Grey beat Paarl Boys High during a festival occasion in the Paarl 21-7

1974: Grey College (21) Paarl Boys High (7)

Jan Geldenhuys (SA Schools) leading Grey against Boishaai in 1974

During the late seventies two very famous Springbok and SA Schools wings (Carel du Plessis and Jaco Reinach) played for Paarl Boys High and Grey College respectively and later became team mates during the 1986 Springboks against the New Zealand Cavaliers. Carel, prince of wings from Boishaai, played in 1978 against Grey which Grey won 29-13.

Boishaai Old Boy Carel du Plessis (1978) with his son Jean-Luc who was playing flyhalf for Paarl Boys High First Team that won against Grey during the 2012 Premier Interschools

A year later, in 1979 Jaco Reinach (double Springbok in Rugby and Athletics) was Grey’s wing against Boishaai in a match won by Boishaai 15-13. In 1980, Jaco again played first team for Grey against Boishaai in a Grey team that starred 5 SA Schools players including Jurie Erwee (Captain), Jaco Reinach, Joepie vd Merwe, Koen Pieterse, and Hendrik Daffue. Grey won 13-4. Helgardt Muller (who played SA Schools in ’81 and ’82) and Joubert Strydom (SA Schools Nuffield Cricket Captain) was also part of the 1980 Grey College First Team.

Jaco Reinach (double Springbok from Grey) played against Paarl Boys High in 1979 & 1980 and later became Springbok team mates with Carel du Plessis (Boishaai 1978) against the 1986 NZ Cavaliers.

Grey College 1980 First Team won 13-4 against Paarl Boys High and included 5 SA Schools Players (Jurie Erwee (captain), Jaco Reinach, Joepie vd Merwe, Koen Pieterse, and Hendrik Daffue)

1990’s

In 1993, the only SA Schools Captain (to date) that became Springbok Captain, was the Paarl Boys High Captain, Corne Krige. Against Grey College, Corne was leading the Boishaai team from the front and will always be remembered for his crash tackles during this game which kept the score at a 0-0

Boishaai Old Boys, Corne Krige (SA Schools & Springbok Captain) with Nico Coetzee (Weskus HJS OSU Chairman) in the Boishaai Clubhouse

2000’s

The last Boishaai team to beat Grey before the 2012 team was in 2000 which boasted the likes of JD Moller, Neil Fullard and Jasper Loubser who did not have their equal in schoolboy rugby that year come scrumtime and 10 + years later is still regarded as one of the best scrummaging pack in schoolboy rugby over the last decade. Grey had future provincial players such as Tewis de Bruyn, Bobbie Joubert and Barry Goodes when Boishaai won the game 17-10 in the Paarl.

JD Moller – Boishaai 2000

2010

The 2010 Interschools in the Paarl had an unfimiliar lead up to the First Team match for Grey when all their A teams in respective age groups (u/14A, u/15A, u/16A) lost against Boishaai on the main field including Grey’s 3^rd and 2^nd teams. The table was set for the First Team match to be a cracker before Grey took the field. However, the 2010 Grey team had probably the best backline in modern day schoolboy rugby and jumped into 3^rd gear in the second half to run in some sublime tries that resulted in Grey winning 32-12 after being down 11-12 at halftime. That Grey backline during the season of 2010 could contain at one stage up to 6 current and future SA Schools players –Johan Goosen, William Small-Smith, Paul Jordaan, Dries Swanepoel, Jan Serfontein and Kevin Luiters all went on to represent SA Schools in 2010/11. Four players from this 2010 match between the schools went on to play in the victorious u/20 Junior World Cup finals that was won by SA. Max van Dyk from Boishaai and Williams Small-Smith, Paul Jordaan and Jan Serfontein from Grey all represented South Africa. See below some video highlights from the 2010 Interschools:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8PEsRBeFg8

Grey 2010 SA Schools Players: Anrich Bitzi, Kevin Luiters, Johan Goosen, Paul Jordaan, Neethling Fouché and William Small-Smith (Captain)

Grey College First Team 2010 beat Paarl Boys High in Paarl 32 -12

2011

In 2011 the Boishaai team nearly caused a major upset in Bloemfontein to end Grey’s long standing winning streak. In an epic match Boishaai came back from being 5-15 down at halftime and had Grey under pressure for most of the second half. As the final whistle went the scoreboard read Grey 15 -Boishaai 15.

2012

In 2012 Grey came to Paarl as the underdogs, a tag they are not very familiar with. As history will prove, the 2012 Boishaai team was a very well-oiled machine and with their talisman flyhalf Jean-Luc Du Plessis (Son of Carel) pulling the strings, they ran out convincing winners beating Grey 28-18. An interesting twist to the 2012 tale was the fact that the Boishaai left wing Dante vd Merwe is the son of Grey Old Boy Ruan vd Merwe (1986) and the left wing for Grey College was Lezar Marnewick, who’s father Lean played with Ruan for Grey College in 1985.

Like Father like Son

Ruan vd Merwe (Grey – 1986) and Dante vd Merwe (HJS Paarl – 2012/13)

Dads & Sons after the 2012 Premier Interschools: Lean Marnewick (Grey ’85), Lezar Marnewick (Grey 2012), Dante van der Merwe (HJS 2012/13), Ruan van der Merwe (Grey ’86)

2013

Paarl Boys again did the long trek up to Bloem to face the mighty Grey College in their own backyard. After the first 15 minutes Boishaai was already 20 nil down and supporters of the Galpille were rightly worried. At halftime they were still 20 points behind, but in a comeback rarely seen in Bloem, the Paarl Boys fought and clawed their way back into the match, lead by their larger than life captain Thomas Du Toit. With the score at 30-28 for Grey and only a few minutes left, Boishaai was on the attack and threatening the Grey goal line. In their over eagerness to score the winning points, Boishaai lost control of the ball and in the resulting turnover, the Bloem Boys showed their lethal attacking skills and went all the way from their own 25 to score in the corner. Final score 35-28 to Grey. The Paarl Boys came so close but in the end the resolute defence and pure class of Grey carried them through for a very hard fought win. It was one of the greatest matches between these two teams in recent years.

Preview 2014

Grey College is back on top where they belong and is currently ranked the No 1 team in SA. They have swept away most competition put against except for the draw against Monument during a grueling Easter Weekend Festival at Kearsney and a narrow win over Paarl Gim at Wildeklawer. The Grey machine is again firing on all cylinders and a combination of a good solid front row, great loose forwards and speedy and skillful backs makes them a formidable unit. Their strength is that they can adapt very quickly to game demands and switch their gameplan accordingly. This was illustrated well against Affies when the latter began to dominate the tight fases and Grey then took the ball as quickly as possible wide and started playing more with their backs. This resulted in them keeping the scoreboard ticking over and Affies could just not catch up to them

Key player and fullback Henry Immelman picked up a nasty face injury during the Affies game and will not be available for the Paarl match. His place will most probably be filled by right winger Louw Steenkamp, himself a prolific kicker of the rugby ball and great attacking prospect. Keep an eye out for Flanker De Wet Bezuidenhout who can steal the milk out of your coffee, so good is he on a loose ball. Captain and 8^th man Alex Jonker is a hard-as-nails player and a very astute leader. Scrumhalf Dian Badenhorst, son of Freestate stalward Chris Badenhorst, is a livewire No 9 and together with Dwayne Wessels at 10 they make for a very steady halfback combination.

Grey College 2014 Season to Date (Up to 14 May 2014)

Played 13 Won 12 , Drawn 1

Paarl Boys represented South Africa this year at the Sanix World Schools Competition in Japan and did very well to get to the final where they narrowly lost to No 1 ranked New Zealand school Hamilton Boys High. They suffered an early setback in the season when captain and Cravenweek hooker certainty Ruan Brits injured his knee to such an extent that he will not be able to play for the rest of the season.  Replacement captain Charl-Francois du Toit stepped into the breach and delivered an admirable job. He plays a hard, uncompromising game and leads his team mates by example. This Boishaai team of 2014 has shown a lot of character up to know and with new coach Sean Erasmus at the helm, they look to be a team not to be taken to lightly. They will fight to the last minute and will never give up, true Pride and Passion as is their unofficial motto!

Since the tight schedule in Japan where they played 6 matches in 9 days, the inevitable happened and they picked up a host of injuries. So much so that 8 of their regular starters could not take the field against a strong Wynberg team. Against all odds and with sheer determination they fought back from being 7-19 down to win 24-22. A sure sign that this team will keep on playing for the blue stripe jersey no matter what the circumstance.

Key players to watch out for is prop Derrick Marais, who is a very strong scrummager. Lock Ruben de Villiers a key component in the Paarl tight five and 8^th man Charl-Francois du Toit. At this stage it is still uncertain if du Toit will be fit to play against Grey.

Paarl Boys High 2013 Season to Date (Up to 14 May 2014)

Played 15, Won 13 , Lost 1, Draw 1

GREY COLLEGE – PROFILE

Grey College was founded on 13 October 1855 when Sir George Grey, the then Governor of the Cape Colony, paid a visit to the Orange Free State Republic and donated a sum of money towards the establishment of an institution for higher education. The foundation stone was laid by Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff, the second President of the Orange Free State Republic, on 13 October 1856.

The school was officially opened on 17 January 1859 and the first headmaster was the Reverend Andrew Murray. It is the third-oldest school in South Africa and the oldest north of the Orange River.^[1]

Afrikaans– and English-speaking pupils study under one roof, but each language group is educated in separate classrooms and in its own mother tongue.

Grey has served Bloemfontein, the Free State, South Africa and the world well over the past 150 years. Grey has been able to make adjustments and remain relevant in a changing environment in which it has developed, grown and excelled. The brand is known and revered throughout South Africa and even internationally and the products of the school make a positive difference wherever they are. Parallel medium education, tolerance, respect for others and loyalty to the school are not only traditions, but firm foundations in a global village. Grey is structured on these foundations and it is constantly adapting to new developments. The wave of change washing over our country confirms the value of Grey’s traditions.

Grey has produced 40 Springbok rugby players. Since WW II it has produced more Springbok players than any other school in SA.

List of Grey Springboks:

There were 5 Old Greys in the 1999 World Cup squad, Ollie le Roux, Naka Drotské, Ruben Kruger, Werner “Smiley” Swanepoel and Pieter Müller.

In the 2007 winning World Cup team there were again 5 Old Greys, CJ van der Linde, Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis, Ruan Pienaar and Francois Steyn.

Grey had 6 representatives in the 2011 Rugby World Cup Springbok team in New Zealand – Jannie du Plessis, Bismarck du Plessis, Frans Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Heinrich Brussow, and CJ van der Linde

HOëR JONGENSKOOL PAARL (Boishaai) – PROFILE

Hoër Jongenskool Paarl (also known as Boishaai, Paarl Boys’, BHS or HJS) is one of the oldest schools in South Africa. Built in 1868 the school’s rich history is filled with tradition and pride. The first building to house the school was a granary on Zeederbergplein, the owner of which was mr. D. Beyers (a close friend to the first headmaster, Rev. Jeffreys). The first years of the school were unstable ones, with the school increasing in size every year, larger facilities were required frequently. The grounds on which the school stands today were originally formed part of the farm Berlyn owned by mr. P.J Malherbe.

Paarl Boys’ High has featured in the academic merit list of the Western Cape for ten years running and has been featuring in the top ten for the duration as well, making it one of the top academic schools in the province. The school is bilingual, with classes in English and Afrikaans and has been maintaining a 100% pass rate for over a decade.

Paarl Boys produced 17 Springboks so far.

Legendary “Oom” Boy Louw and Carel du Plessis also coached the Springboks. Cornè Krige is still the only SA Schools captain who went on to captain the Springboks as well.

Ryk van Schoor’s son Theuns is currently a teacher at Boishaai and coaches the u/16’s .

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By Pollie Pollard & Nico du Plessis