Paul Roos stamped their authority with a dominant forward display to defeat a gallant Pretoria Boys High 43-12, with hooker Lehan Barnard leading the charge with a superb hat-trick built on relentless driving maul dominance.
The Stellenbosch powerhouse wasted no time establishing control, racing to an early 5-0 lead that set the tone for what was to come. Their forward pack was in imperious form, and Pretoria Boys High were about to feel the full force of it.
In the 11th minute, Paul Roos set up a textbook driving maul. The eight-man battering ram rumbled forward with unstoppable momentum, and when it finally collapsed over the line, Barnard emerged with the ball. At 12-0, the writing was already on the wall.
Just four minutes later, they did it again. Another maul, another inexorable march forward, another Barnard try. The hooker was having a field day, and at 17-0, the Candies were in serious trouble. But they never stopped fighting.
The 21st minute brought more pain for the hosts. Christian le Roux, the big flanker with serious carrying power, bashed over defenders, crashing over for a brilliant forward try to make it 24-0. Paul Roos’ pack was utterly dominant, and by half-time the scoreboard read a sobering 31-0.
Pretoria Boys High showed flashes of brilliance throughout the first half, moments where their quality shone through, but Paul Roos’ relentless pressure gave them precious little opportunity to build any sustained attacking threat. What they did show, however, was tremendous heart. Time and again, the Candies threw their bodies on the line in defence, refusing to surrender even as the deficit grew.
The second half brought a subtle shift in momentum. Paul Roos, perhaps taking their foot off the gas, became quieter. Defensive pressure from the Candies ratcheted up several notches, forcing small errors from the visitors. Suddenly, there was hope.
But in the 56th minute, Paul Roos reminded everyone why they’re considered one of the country’s premier rugby schools. Another driving maul, another surge forward, and Lehan Barnard completed his hat-trick. The set-piece dominance was total, and the hooker had been the chief beneficiary.
Six minutes later, Pretoria Boys High finally got their reward. They collected their own kick with excellent game awareness, quickly offloaded to get wide, and the young man showed brilliant individual skill to fend off a defender and score under the sticks. The crowd erupted, this was the moment of defiance they’d been waiting for.
But Paul Roos had one more devastating blow to deliver. Werner de Bruin, the powerful number eight, made a critical break that sliced through the tiring defence. He had too much pace and power, racing away to score and make it 43-7 with just four minutes remaining.
The Candies weren’t done. Aya Mabuza showed cracking speed, beating the Paul Roos defenders with pure pace to run in Pretoria Boys High’s second try. At 43-12, the final scoreline was far more respectable than it might have been.
