Grey College v Paarl Boys’ High Historic Overview
- 1566
On Saturday 13th of May Premier Interschools will present their fourth edition for 2017 and a real humdinger of a match. The the two teams will fight it out for the No 1 spot in SA Schoolboy rugby.
While Boishaai has been the trendsetters the last two years going unbeaten, the rugby factory from Bloemfontein has been re-charging its batteries and came out roaring in the 2017 season.
They have swept away all opposition with ease so far with their toughest match being against Affies on Saturday which they won 35-32 thanks to a Rikus Pretorius penalty after the hooter sounded.
They once again possess a backline of sublime speed and skill with another set of Kriel-brothers being instrumental in most of the moves. Fullback David and younger brother Richard who can play wing or centre, is usually in the thick of things when the ball is on the move.
Flyhalf, Christopher Schreuder, is a well-rounded pivot with great hands, vision and an educated boot that can dictate any situation on the day. On his inside is a 2016 SA Schools’ player in Rikus Pretorius. This hard running big centre keeps opposition defence channels very busy and creates space for his teammates to run into.
At outside centre they have Janco van Heyningen who represented the SA Schools’ A-side last year. This quick footed player can dance through any opposition defence at the slightest chance and should be watched very carefully.
At the base of the scrum they have youngster Ross Braude who has a quick crisp pass and feeds his backline good ball, while always keeping an eye open for the opportunity to slip around the blind side.
The captain, Marcel Theunissen, is a hard-working flanker who leads from the front and set the example for the rest of his forwards. They will have to be on their best when they face the juggernaut pack from Paarl.
Paarl Boys’ High had an exciting start to their season by traveling to New Zealand to play some of their top rugby schools. The school travelled with 4 teams (u19A, B and C and u16A) and won all their matches by healthy margins except the last one which the First XV lost in injury time in Christchurch to a dubious penalty.
They hit the ground running on their return when they played the Easter Festival at St John’s College and then disaster struck against Affies when their influential flyhalf, Henry (Boeta) Chamberlain, got injured and will not partake in most of the season.
Coach Sean Erasmus had to re-shuffle is backline and it looks like he prefers the SA Schools’ A fullback Abner van Heerden to take over the pivot role from Chamberlain. This provides him the opportunity to move his 2016 winger Thakir Abrahams to the fullback position where this elusive runner will have more space and can create havoc in opposition defences.
Long standing centre combination Luka Ferreira and Divan Enslin will most probably have to break up with Ferreira moving to wing and youngster Noegh Hayward slotting in at outside centre. Stuart Tait will remain out on the right wing where he is a threat with his hard running and rock solid defence.
Captain, Francke Horn, will guide the team from the No 8 spot. This inspirational player is a vital cog in the Boishaai team and is the catalyst between the forwards and backs. Once he gets going he will create running opportunities for both backs and forwards from his sublime vision.
Paarl Boys’ High had a couple of injuries in their forwards, non-more critical than hooker Wilhelm Barnard and lock Pierre Pretorius. These two could be available for the Grey match and that will help dynamic flanker Vian Fourie to roam more freely and do his work in the loose. This dynamo reminds one of a young Heinrich Brüssow and can steal a ball from any ruck situation as if by magic.
