Battle in the Mud: Boishaai seeks to break Grey College’s hold
A Muddy Brugstreet will undoubtedly be an ally for Paarl Boys’ High in their King Price Derby Series clash against Grey College on Saturday.
More than 25 millimetres of rain is expected in Paarl before the two teams kick off at 14:00.
Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com) and on DStv Channel 216 and SABC Plus.
The home side also boasts one of the most experienced coaching staff in schoolboy rugby. Their head coach, Sean Erasmus, is on a tiny list of coaches who managed to defeat the rugby factory of Grey College three years in a row. Boishaai defeated Grey in 2015 (21-19), 2016 (28-18) and 2017 (46-31). The victory in 2015 was the team from Paarl’s first victory over Grey in Bloemfontein.
Boishaai also appointed Neil de Bruin as their Director of Rugby from this season. Former British and Irish Lions player CJ Stander is also part of the coaching staff, adding his weight specifically at the breakdowns. Their backline coach, David Sadie, has also gained a lot of experience in his role over the years.
The team from Paarl smashed Monument (85-0) and Noordheuwel (42-14) during the recently completed Absa Wildeklawer in Kimberley.
It must also be stated that Grey College’s head coach, Jannie Geldenhuys, has never lost against Boishaai at first team level. Not as a coach or as a player. Geldenhuys has been in control of Grey’s first team since 2021 and recorded victories over the team from Paarl in 2021 (37-3), 2022 (21-12), 2023 (39-30) and 2024 (40-28).
Grey probably has the most experienced coaching staff in schoolboy rugby. Besides Geldenhuys, the management staff is boosted by the presence of Springboks Wian du Preez, Tiaan Liebenberg and Helgard Müller. Their Director of Rugby and backline coach, Bobby Joubert, is also an experienced former provincial player.
The team from the City of Roses also performed well during the Absa Wildeklawer with victories over Helpmekaar (56-14) and Garsfontein (45-29). Their only defeat so far in 2025 came against Paarl Gimnasium (31-43).
Boishaai also has a solitary defeat on the books against Oakdale Landbou (26-28).
Grey College had some problems with their goal kicking earlier in the season, but it seems that they have found an answer for their woes in flyhalf, Darius Erwee. He kicked all his goals during the Absa Wildeklawer slotting 14 conversions and a penalty. He also scored a try in each of the matches for a personal contribution of 21 points against Helpmekaar and 20 points against Garsfontein.
His duel with Francois van der Merwe could be one of the highlights of the clash. Van der Merwe’s halfback partner, Liam de Villiers, will also be one of their side’s key players.
The teams:
Paarl Boys’ High: 15 Mark Grindlay, 14 Jeneal Davids, 13 Tristan Joubert, 12 Iwan Jordaan, 11 Kaleb Holmes, 10 Francois van der Merwe, 9 Liam de Villiers, 8 Gavie Kok, 7 Steph van der Merwe (captain), 6 Wege van Zyl, 5 Jayden Joubert, 4 Gershom Pieters, 3 Juan van der Merwe, 2 Tommy Muller, 1 Jordan Jooste.
Grey College: 15 Lamla Mgedezi, 14 Benjamin van den Berg, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 O’Ryan Kleyn, 11 Thristan Maree, 10 Darius Erwee, 9 Sherwin Buys, 8 AJ Booysen, 7 Xander Smit (captain), 6 Adem Nieuwoudt, 5 AJ Meyer, 4 Alexi Tyropolis, 3 JG Badenhorst, 2 Tian Fourie, 1 David Hayidakis.
Kick-Off: 14:00
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