Grey College ends Paarl Gim’s unbeaten run
Grey College and Paarl Gimnasium set the table for a rivalry that is certain to grow into one of the classics when the Free State giants brought the host’s unbeaten streak for the season to an end in a thrilling inaugural Sportsmans Warehouse Premier Interschools clash in Paarl on Saturday.
The Bloemfontein boys dominated the highly anticipated battle in the midfield, with school captain Pieter van der Merwe and star centre Ethan Adams both impressing for the visitors.
Man of the match, lock AJ Meyer, also caused the Gimmies endless problems at lineout time and monstered the home team on defence to play a key part in his side’s epic 29-27 victory.
Freek de Kock opened Paarl Gim’s account in the opening five minutes with a long-distance penalty conversion from just inside his own half, and when his opposite number, Heinz Stockenström, missed a chance to reply five minutes later, it looked like Gim might have gained the upper hand.
Stockenström, though, composed himself to convert a second shot at goal moments later, which levelled the scores. The rest of the first half was a back-and-forth battle between two proud teams, with both sets of defenders remaining rock solid.
Juliun Cosmo stood out for Grey with his work-rate at the breakdowns and his lively little scrumhalf, Philip McLaren, was fired up, putting in some dominant hits against some of the much bigger boys from Paarl.
Somewhat against the run of play, the home side scored the first try of the match when their burly no. 8 Quintin Potgieter powered over.
Alzeadon Felix, the visiting flyhalf, managed to even matters for Grey shortly after that, when he sold a dummy and left the Paarl defenders wrongfooted to stroll in for Grey’s first five-pointer.
Captain Kobus Blanckenberg spearheaded the home team’s efforts and was rewarded with a try on the halftime buzzer, to give his side a 17-10 lead at the break. He was put over by his midfield partner, Markus Muller, after flyhalf Chandler Green had picked out Muller with a clever kick.
Two quickfire tries by “The Tank“, Adams, gave the visitors the lead for the first time in the 47th minute, and Felix was in on the action again 10 minutes later, when he sent Van der Merwe over with a perfectly weighted kick.
With only 10 minutes to play, it looked like Gim was deep in the mire, trailing 17-29, but they showed more of the grit and fighting spirit, which had carried them to a clean record.
Ely Williams, their big tighthead prop, helped his side win two penalties at scrum time, as the Paarl boys gained the upper hand over the Grey forward pack.
A second try by Potgieter, and another in the final three minutes by wing Markus Moolman, after intelligent play by Green, saw them get to within two points of the visitors. However, the conversion attempt of Moolman’s try hit the post.
Despite a valiant fightback in the final minutes for Gim, Grey stood firm and held onto their lead to record a statement victory on the JA Kriel Field.
With the win, they put themselves back in the mix to be considered the top team in the country this year after some excitable fans wrote them off earlier in the season following a shock defeat to Jeppe.
Grey captain Liam van Wyk also deserves a mention for how well he managed his team, and they will be keen to continue building on the momentum generated by their big win over Paarl Gim when they take on Selborne College in East London next weekend.
Gim will dust themselves off and prepare to take on SACS. They’ll be eager to reassert themselves before they head to Kimberley for the Absa Wildeklawer Tournament, where they’ll take on Dr EG Jansen and Helpmekaar.
Scorers
Grey College 29 (10) – Tries: Ethan Adams (2), Alzeadon Felix, Pieter van der Merwe. Conversions: Heinz Stockenström (3). Penalty: Stockenström. Paarl Gimnasium 27 (17) – Tries: Quintin Potgieter (2), Kobus Blanckenberg, Markus Moolman. Conversions: Freek de Kock (2). Penalty: De Kock.
All the results
u19 – Grey College II 31, Paarl Gimnasium II 10; Paarl Gimasium III 39, Grey College III 12; Paarl Gimnasium IV 37, Grey College IV 24; Grey College V 19, Paarl Gimnasium V 13; Grey College VI 35, Paarl Gimnasium VI 3; Grey College VII 35, Paarl Gimnasium VII 3.
u16 – Paarl Gimnasium 16, Grey College 3; Paarl Gimnasium B 8, Grey College B 5; Paarl Gimnasium C 16, Grey College C 14; Grey College D 21, Paarl Gimnasium D 19.
u15 – Grey College 5; Paarl Gimnasium 0; Grey College B 13, Paarl Gimnasium B 5; Grey College C 46, Paarl Gimnasium 12; Grey College D 50, Paarl Gimnasium D 14.
u14 – Paarl Gimnasium 15, Grey College 12; Paarl Gimnasium B 16, Grey College B 16; Grey College C 21, Paarl Gimnasium C 15; Paarl Gimnasium D 17, Grey College D 13; Grey College E 38, Paarl Gimnasium E 0.
