The passed weekend of Western Cape schoolboy rugby delivered exactly what was expected, solid performances from the traditional powerhouses, but the headline act nearly produced a seismic upset that would have sent shockwaves through the entire fraternity.
Last year’s number one side, Paarl Boys High, had to dig deep to escape with a heart-stopping 26-22 victory over a gutsy Outeniqua side in a match that went down to the wire. The George outfit came agonisingly close to pulling off what would have been one of the upsets of the season, pushing the fancied Boishaai to the absolute limit.
“Outeniqua played good rugby. It was our first match and the team showed great character. The rest we will work on,” said Sean Erasmus, Paarl Boys High 1st XV coach.
Outeniqua coach Henry Grimes couldn’t hide his pride in his troops despite the narrow defeat.
“We asked for a fight, and they showed the fight. We were down 12-0, so they were under pressure. We were playing against the wind in the first half. In the second half we started playing good rugby. To push the number one school in the country to where we pushed them makes us proud, and I hope it builds more character for the rest of the season,” Grimes said.
Elsewhere in the Cape, normal service resumed as the big guns flexed their muscles.
Paarl Gim returned to winning ways with a commanding 45-12 victory over Durbanville, whilst Charlie Hofmeyr ran riot against DF Academy, cruising to a 42-5 triumph.
According to Pieter Roussouw, 1st XV coach of Paarl Gim, he is happy with his team’s showing.
“It was a good match,” he said.
SACS made an emphatic statement with a 41-12 demolition of Brackenfell, though defence coach Nick Maurer was quick to temper expectations.
“It was quite a good hit-out for us. We’ve still got lots to work on and lots of learnings to take as we approach the festivals and the season itself. It certainly wasn’t a walkover,” Maurer said.
Oakdale delivered a clinical 50-0 shutout against Upington, but head coach Adriaan Jansen knows far sterner tests lie ahead.
“It was a good game, just to find our rhythm again and get some confidence. But there are still too many errors. We keep making mistakes in the wrong places. We need to use our chances, it’s something that we’re not getting right yet. This weekend we have Affies, which is going to be a different ball game,” Jansen said.
Stellenberg rounded off the weekend’s action with a comprehensive 78-0 hammering of Worcester Gim.
As the season gathers momentum, the message is clear: the traditional Western Cape heavyweights remain the teams to beat, but sides like Outeniqua have served notice that upsets are lurking around every corner.
