Outeniqua hosts tough Stellenberg, Parel Vallei prepares for Worcester threat
An intriguing battle is lined up in George, where Outeniqua hosts Stellenberg at 13:40 on Saturday.
Whereas the Kwaggas have often been a dark horse side capable of extending the best teams in the country, that hasn’t always been the case with Stellies. In recent seasons, though, the Jade Brigade has taken on that mantle.
The last time the sides met, in Cape Town, in July 2024, they play to a 24-24. This time out, Stellenberg has the battle-hardened experience to finish the chances required to defeat the George locals.
With their talisman and SA Schools A flyhalf Ethan van Biljon to the fore, Stellenberg has claimed some big scalps. Their results include a 24-10 win over Wynberg Boys’ High, and a 23-22 defeat of Rondebosch. Both of those schools had five representatives in the Western Province and Western Province XV teams at the 2025 FNB Craven Week.
The Kwaggas will have to dig deep to beat the visitors, and they’ll aim to tap into their skilful, running genes, which have produced Springboks’ Warrick Gelant and Manie Libbok, to do that.
At 13:10 on Saturday, Somerset West will host another classic encounter between the home team, Parel Vallei (PV), and Worcester Gimnasium on the A Field.
Recent meetings between the two have produced low-scoring games, with Worcester Gim winning their two most recent clashes, 12-5 last year and 17-7 in 2022.
The hosts have been playing more rugby in recent seasons and have steadily increased the strength of the opposition they’ve faced. As a result, Worcester will need to bring their A-game if they’re to continue their winning streak against PV.
Parel Vallei will fight tooth-and-nail for the win. It’s likely to be a dogfight between two evenly matched sides and predicting a winner is a coin-flip
TEAMS
Outeniqua vs Stellenberg at 13:40 in George
Outeniqua: 15 Jade Peterson, 14 Grant Savage, 13 Schalk van der Merwe, 12 Reshaan Damans, 11 Devino Bernardo, 10 Virgil Pockpas, 9 Cee-Jay Arends, 8 Henru Nell (Captain), 7 Bradley Steyl, 6 Ruan van Rensburg, 5 Favian Swart, 4 Franco du Toit, 3 Zacary Meyer, 2 Keenan Myners, 1 Matthew Prins.
Stellenberg: 15 Eben Rademan, 14 Daniel Mongie, 13 Luka Tonitz, 12 Armand Potgieter, 11 Christian Arendse, 10 Ethan van Biljon, 9 Daniel Steffen, 8 Yanos Molnar, 7 Ryan Jones, 6 Ernst van der Merwe, 5 Carlo Brink, 4 Juvan Burden, 3 Janu van Deventer, 2 Liam Joubert, 1 Christian Janse van Rensburg (Captain).
Parel Vallei vs Worcester Gimnasium at 13:10 in Somerset West
Parel Vallei: 15 Shudley Rhoda, 14 Johan van Zyl, 13 Cayde Lucas, 12 Tihan van der Colff, 11 Owen Cockroft, 10 Stefhan Niemann, 9 Michael Kent, 8 Bradley Brown, 7 Chris de Jager, 6 Marce Els, 5 James Paxton, 4 Renato Tosi, 3 Cayden Rautenbach, 2 Diaan du Toit, 1 Herman Diedericks.
Worcester Gimnasium: 15 Lohenzel Tshabatau, 14 Leagon Brooks, 13 Elrenzo Swartz, 12 Breyton Swartz, 11 Renang Mrashula, 10 Fredwin Philander, 9 Luke Cupido, 8 Jayd-Will De Klerk, 7 Vuyolwethu Bavuma, 6 Lisakhanya Luthuli, 5 Nichame Brown, 4 Leighcon Du Plessis, 3 Kiano Pretorius, 2 Liam van der Westhuizen, 1 Amaan Kana.
