Just 1.1 kilometres separate them. A stone’s throw across Worcester that divides an entire town and this weekend, the Boland’s fiercest schoolboy rugby rivalry explodes back into life.
Worcester Gimnasium make the short trip to HTS Drostdy for a derby so intense, so steeped in provincial pride, that it was once stopped amid accusations of player poaching between the two schools.
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But derbies like this cannot be silenced for long. When 16,000 passionate supporters crammed through the gates at the 2025 edition, they proved this fixture remains the beating heart of Worcester rugby and Saturday’s encounter promises to be equally seismic.
“It is always a big one. Drostdy are in a good place with their team. I believe it is going to be a tough, competitive fixture,” said Worcester Gimnasium 1st XV coach JJ Pretorius. “We need to keep the momentum we have built. We aren’t focused on the side shows of the derby. The town will turn up in their numbers, which is always something to behold. We are ready.”
For Gimnasium, recent form offers genuine hope of an upset. After enduring six consecutive defeats in opening stages of the season, they’ve roared back to life with three unbeaten matches on the trot.
The resurgence couldn’t come at a better time. Confidence is surging through the Gim camp, and they’ll need every ounce of it against a Drostdy side that has been nothing short of imperious this season.
The Donkeys have suffered just two defeats all campaign, and both came against schools rugby royalty. Monument and Paul Roos, both currently ranked in the top 10 nationally, are the only teams to have tamed The Donkeys.
On paper, it looks lopsided. Drostdy’s firepower and formidable season should see them home comfortably. But this is a derby, and in derbies, form books get ripped up and logic goes out the window.
“It is going to be a high-tempo, physical battle,” said Du Plessis, Drostdy’s head of rugby. “We want the players to enjoy the day and play with pride and responsibility.”
Both sides play an expansive, running brand of rugby that should serve up a spectacle worthy of the occasion. When the town pack into Drostdy’s stadium, they won’t be treated to conservative forward slogs, this will be champagne rugby played at breakneck speed.
Drostdy undoubtedly possess the firepower to put Gim to the sword. Their only losses to Monument and Paul Roos speak volumes about the quality running through their squad. But if Gimnasium can harness the momentum from their recent unbeaten run and rally on the day, an unthinkable home defeat could be on the cards for the Donkeys.
The town is divided. The bragging rights are immense. And somewhere in that 1.1-kilometre stretch between the two schools, thousands of supporters will converge to witness Worcester’s biggest sporting event of the year.
