Grey College triumph in derby against Paarl Boys while Paul Roos sees off SACS

In another pulsating weekend of schoolboy rugby, it was Grey College from Bloemfontein who secured victory at home against rivals Paarl Boys while Paul Roos beat South African College School (SACS) in wet conditions in Cape Town.

Two of South Africa’s oldest schools, Grey College and Paarl Boys High, both with a rich rugby history and rivalry met in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

A composed and clinical second-half performance from the home Grey team ensured a comfortable 21-12 victory for the Bloem boys.

“It’s a traditional rivalry. I think it was tough fought, the first half especially. I think the tempers and the build-up led to a pretty tough first half but luckily we got a few lucky bounces our way early in the second half from kicks that I think swung the momentum a bit our way,” said Jannie Geldenhuys, head coach of Grey College to Daily Maverick after the encounter.

The scoreline read 0-5 in favour of the visiting Paarl Boys team at halftime but a change of tactics led to a more structured and composed Grey College performance in the second stanza as they scored three converted tries.

“The first thing was just to get in the right areas of the field, we thought that we played too much rugby in our own half, we tried to get out of our own half a little bit easier,” Geldenhuys said. 

“Then we needed possession. We had very little possession in the first half. When we got the ball, we just said ‘listen, let’s just try to keep the ball for a few phases, let’s really put some stress on their defence and see what happens’. That was the main message heading into the second half.”

Grey College’s halfback pairing of Caleb Abrahams and Bradley Giddy led the way by ensuring the game was played in Paarl Boy’s half. Scrumhalf Abrahams was awarded the man-of-the-match award while Geldenhuys commended the performance of flyhalf Giddy who converted all three of his team’s tries.

“We told him (Giddy) afterwards it was a very mature performance, he kept a calm head against a very stern line speed where they put our backs under a lot of pressure and they caught us behind the gain line, especially in the first half a few times,” Geldenhuys said. 

“He needed to adapt and I think the way he did it was very mature of him and then from there on to kick into space behind them and to identify that space in the right moment, we really applaud him for that.”

Paarl Boys opened the scoring and closed it as they managed a late converted consolation try after the full-time hooter to make the 21-12 scoreline decorous.

Shah Jehaan de Jongh of Paarl Boys High with the ball as Jean-Henri Smit of Grey College lines up a tackle during the Premier Interschools match between Grey College and Paarl Boys High School at Grey College on May 14, 2022 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. (Photo by Charle Lombard/Gallo Images)