In-form Affies looking to topple Grey College for the first time in over a decade
It’s now more than ten years since the Wit Bulle of the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool of Pretoria last beat Grey College of Bloemfontein.
The two First XVs will face each other on Saturday at 14:00 in a King Price Derby Series clash on the rugby field for the 48th time since 1923.
Follow all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).
Both schools have made a huge contribution to the success of South African rugby. Affies’ old boys include Fourie du Preez, Wynand Olivier, Pierre Spies, and RG Snyman.
Grey has produced a long list of Springboks, among them Frans Steyn, Bismarck du Plessis, Ruben Kruger, Naka Drotské, Andre-Hugo Venter, Jan Serfontein, and Johan Goosen.
The Wit Bulle’s last victory over Grey in 2015 (29-18) was achieved in Bloemfontein, with centre Louritz van der Schyff leading the charge. Other players from that year’s Affies’ team who have carved out sports’ careers for themselves after school include Ruben van Heerden (Stormers), Ruan de Swardt (Proteas cricket), and Schalk Erasmus (Toyota Verblitz).
Affies thoroughly thrashed Jeppe High School for Boys 78-10 last week. The Wit Bulle have clearly found their feet in the 2026 season.
The bad news for supporters of the team from the Jacaranda City is that Grey College has also shifted into a higher gear since suffering three consecutive defeats earlier in the season. The team from the City of Roses defeated Noordheuwel (34-12) and Jeppe (54-14) during the Absa Wildeklawer tournament, and beat Paarl Boys’ High 31-21 last week.
The Wit Bulle also already measured their strength against Boishaai this year. They beat the Paarl side 40-37, thanks to a try in the dying moments by replacement centre Estian Marx.
If Affies wants to secure a victory, they will need to keep Grey’s loose trio of Niel du Randt, Henru Erasmus, and Xander de Beer in check. Moreover, the Bloemfontein team’s locks, Alexi Tyropolis (captain) and Prestan Bennett, have also packed down on the side of the scrum for the First XV.
This means that Grey has more than enough stamina in its engine room up front.
Affies’ captain and lock, Martin van Niekerk, has had an excellent season so far this year in the loose and also in the lineouts. His lock partner, Reubenne Vlok, also enjoys getting stuck into the thick of things up front.
The Wit Bulle have some of the most dangerous wings in South African schools’ rugby this year. The team’s fullback, Joshua Gouws, also served on the wing earlier this year, while Dandré Brink and Dehan Botha possess plenty of power and pace.
Affies’ coaches, Ruan Jacobs and Jaco Koch, have also decided to select Rico du Plessis at outside centre for the clash. When given the opportunity this year, Du Plessis has done a fine job of unlocking Gouws, Brink, and Botha on the attack.
The teams:
Affies: 15 Joshua Gouws, 14 Dandré Brink, 13 Rico du Plessis, 12 Juan Ferreira, 11 Dehan Botha, 10 Reuben Smith, 9 Fourie Roberts, 8 Keegan Fourie, 7 Caleb Pretorius, 6 Lohan Bitzer, 5 Reubenne Vlok, 4 Martin van Niekerk (captain), 3 Hannes Nagel, 2 Carl Els, 1 Francois de Beer.
Grey College: 15 Lamla Mgedezi, 14 Johan Dormehl, 13 Eddie Mabena, 12 Ruan Roux, 11 Jaco Oosthuizen, 10 Christoff Crous, 9 Jonathan Drysdale, 8 Niel du Randt, 7 Henru Erasmus, 6 Xander de Beer, 5 Prestan Bennett, 4 Alexi Tyropolis (captain), 3 Hennie Bredenhann, 2 AJ Hendriks, 1 Frans-Paul Troskie.
Referee: Regardt O’Neill.
Kick-off: 14:00.
