Clash of the giants as Paul Roos hosts Grey College in season finale
(With additional reporting by Short Corner)
The 2024 schoolboy hockey season will officially conclude for many schools around the country this weekend.
One mouthwatering encounter that stands out is the clash between Paul Roos Gimnasium (PRG) and Bloemfontein’s Grey College.
PRG welcomes Grey to the Maties AstroTurf on Friday evening in Stellenbosch.
The action will kick off at 18:30 and it will be LIVE on SuperSport Schools.
The hockey rivalry between the schools began in 1999, when Grey College took the spoils 2-1. It has been a keenly contested fixture ever since then.
From 2007 to 2009, it was the side from Bloemfontein that reigned supreme, with Grey claiming victory in each of those three years. Paul Roos, meanwhile, enjoyed a run of seven straight victories between 2011 and 2017.
The hosts go into Friday’s evening’s clash with 12 previous wins over Grey, while the Bloemfontein boys have won eight times, and three matches have ended in draws. Covid-19 put paid to the fixtures in 2020 and 2021.
Since 1999, the Stellenbosch side has scored 40 goals, while Grey has netted 29 times.
SuperSport Schools Plus caught up with PRG coach, Michael Baker and Grey College coach, Wayne Coetzee, ahead of the big clash.
Baker, who will be involved in his first Paul Roos vs Grey derby, said: “From what I have heard, it should match the PRG vs SACS games in intensity, with the added atmosphere and build-up, and two schools that aren’t scared to go forward.
“It could be an end-to-end battle. As a coach, I am not sure how many more games like that one person can take but, for the neutrals, you would like them to be entertained and sell the game of hockey.”
PRG has enjoyed an impressive run this season, highlighted by their spectacular winning of the Hibbert Shield in Gqeberha, where they edged out their rivals SACS in a penalty shootout.
Baker said they Paul Roos is eager to wrap up the season on a positive note. “Winning Hibbert is the most prestigious schoolboy tournament and an incredible achievement, even more so being 3-0 down in the final,” he said.
“It’s been a season to remember. What would be great is to wrap up this great year [with a win], and for the game to demonstrate to everyone watching us for the first time how good we have been this year.
“The boys have sacrificed so much this year, and I hope the game will demonstrate that,” he ended.
Similar to PRG, Grey College, under the tutelage of Wayne Coetzee has also put together a season to savour.
They started their season well at the Tony Godding, Nomads and KES festivals, which included an unbeaten record at the latter. After that, Grey put together a series of strong results in interschools clashes.
Last weekend, they went down 0-1 to Northwood in the final of the Guschkie Tournament, so they will feel they have a point to prove against the Maroon Machine.
“I believe we are up for the task at hand. We have had a good year, and we would like to keep it like that,” Coetzee said.
“We will create more space in the game for us to work through, but Michael Baker is an experienced coach with a lot of tricks up his sleeve, so I don’t expect anything less than a great game of hockey on Friday night.
“This will be one of the games of the season for SA hockey, I believe, with the intensity that will match any games watched this year. The 2023 game won’t be a match for what is to come,” he predicted.
Previous meetings between the two teams: The results were compiled by Jacques le Roux, former PRG and SA Goalkeeper and current goalkeeper coach of the Protea Ladies Team.
| YEAR | PAUL ROOS GIM | GREY COLLEGE |
| 1999 | 1 | 2 |
| 2000 | 0 | 3 |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | 2 | 2 |
| 2003 | 2 | 3 |
| 2004 | 0 | 5 |
| 2005 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 2 | 1 |
| 2007 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 | 0 | 3 |
| 2009 | 1 | 3 |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013 | 3 | 0 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 | 3 |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 |
| Total Goals | 40 | 29 |
