Paarl Gim makes it 14 games unbeaten at Boland Landbou
Boland Landbou hosted the mighty Paarl Gimnasium on Perdeberg A Field on Saturday, but it was the visitors who made themselves at home, powering their way to a big 80-29 victory.
At times, defence might have appeared optional as the teams scored 19 tries between them, with 14 going the way of Gimmies.
The match also showed why Paarl Gim captain Markus Muller and Boland Landbou scrumhalf Jayden Brits are in the Western Province Craven Week side. Muller scored an astonishing 43 points, crossing for five tries while also adding nine conversions. Brits scored a try, landed two conversions and provided two try assists.
Saturday’s defeat was The Farmers‘ fifth on the trot, but they’ve all been against tough opposition. Their previous four losses came against Paarl Boys’ High, Paul Roos, Affies, and Rondebosch. Meanwhile, Paarl Gim remains unbeaten after 14 games this season.
Gimmies opened the scoring in just the third minute. It was set up by hard running from the forwards onto short, flat passes from scrumhalf Mickyle Booise and, to no one’s surprise, finished by outside centre, Makus Muller, who muscled his way through three defenders to score.
The home team, then, did themselves no favours when they had two players yellow carded in quick succession. Gim didn’t need an invitation and hooker Charles Whitehead went over after a series of phases from the tap and go on the home team’s five-metre line.
Paarl Gim showed they could strike from long distance, too, with a searing counterattack from their own 22. Attacking down the flank, they were brought up just five metres short of the try line. Good, quick hands between Booise and flyhalf Louis Koen put fullback, Dawid Badenhorst, over in the corner.
To their credit, Boland Landbou found a response in the 16th minute when, from a five-metre scrum, flyhalf Pieter Bergh sliced through after selling a dummy for a five-pointer.
An exquisite 50-22 from Starman Brits got the home team back on the attack and, from the lineout, the farmers played a phase before Brits sniped through a gap to score.
Nearing halftime, Muller was over for his second, dotting down in the corner after receiving the ball on a blindside attack.
The visitors added to their tally only moments before the half-time break, with Muller bagging his hattrick after a rolling maul inside the 22 set Boland Landbou on the back foot. After a successful conversion from the corner, the Gim captain already had 23 points to his name and his side led 33-12.
Gimmies continued to stack points after the break, striking again from range after a 40-metre run by fullback Badenhorst, which set up loosehead prop Pieta Cilliers to barge over for five.
It wasn’t long before Badenhorst was over for a try of his own after a blindside move from Booise. Then, from the kickoff, centre Ethan Barker broke the line and fed Badenhorst, who provided the finish to bag a hattrick of tries.
Boland briefly enjoyed some success when flank Stephan Griesel scored from close range, and they followed that with another try from close range through eighthman, Juan Visagie, thanks to Brits effectively manipulating the Gim defence.
Markus Muller was over for his fourth off the back of a Gim rolling maul in the 57th minute and just six minutes later he had a handful of five-pointers. This time, he hit the line at pace, running onto a flat pass that put him through the gap.
The class of Brits was on show in the 66th minute when his clever chip was gathered by Gehano van Bo. The wing side-stepped a couple of players before being brought down on the five-metre line. Visagie was on hand, though, to pick up the ball and he was bundled over the line for his second try of the game.
With time running short, Gimmies’ right wing, Johan Kleynhans profited from a Boland Landbou knock-on in the home team’s 22, claiming possession before running through to score.
Straight from the kick-off, the visitors struck one last time, with Barker breaking the line before offloading for another try. With Divan Pieters adding the conversion, Paarl Gim reached 80 points for a second week in succession.
Boland next plays on 26 July when they host Bishops.
Paarl Gim returns to action on the same day, hosting Wynberg Boys’ High in Paarl.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Durbanville visited Paarl Boys’ High at the Buco Brug Street Stadium.
Boishaai powered their way to a 54-14 win, making a fiery comeback after going down 0-7 in the first two minutes of the match. For Durbanville, despite the big defeat, it was an improvement on their 7-73 loss on the same ground last year.
Thanks to free-flowing passing down the wing, Durbanville flyhalf Valrhinio Olckers found himself with space down the flank, where he ran in for the score, and inside centre Kyle Albertus added the extras from the corner as the visitors snatched a shock lead.
The hosts struck back quickly with two tries before the 10-minute mark through hooker JP Norton and lock Jayden Joubert.
Loosehead prop Jordan Jooste picked up and ploughed over for five in the 18th minute and when Iwan Jordaan added the extras it was 19-7.
After the break, Boishaai hit their stride, running in three early tries. Durbanville found a reply through eighthman Adrian Freemantle, who squeezed his way over for a try after the Cape Town school had laid siege to the home team’s try line. Albertus added the extras.
The home side finished strongly, bagging two more tries in the last five minutes of the game.
Paarl Boys’ High returns to action on 26 July, when they host SACS, while Durbanville faces Brackenfell that same day.
Scorers:
Paarl Gimnasium 80 (33) – Tries: Markus Muller (5), Dawid Badenhorst (3), Charles Whitehead, Johan Kleynhans, Divan Pieters. Conversions: Markus Muller (9), Divan Pieters. Boland Landbou 29 (12) – Tries: Juan Visagie (2), Pieter Bergh, Jayden Brits, Stephan Griesel. Conversions: Jayden Brits (2).
Paarl Boys’ High 54 (19) – Tries: Jordaan Jooste (2), JP Norton, Jayden Joubert, Cruz Davey, Kobus Wilken, Juan van der Merwe, Gavie Kok. Conversions: Iwan Jordaan (5), Francois van der Merwe, Steph van der Merwe. Hoërskool Durbanville 14 (7) – Tries: Valrhinio Olckers, Adrian Freemantle. Conversions: Kyle Albertus (2).
Other results
u19 – Boland Landbou I 29 Paarl Gim I 80, Boland Landbou II 17 Paarl Gim II 50, Boland Landbou III 13 Paarl Gim III 40, Boland Landbou IV 7 Paarl Gim IV 38, Boland Landbou V 26 Paarl Gim V 22, Boland Landbou VI 0 Paarl Gim VI 19, Paarl Boys II 64 Durbanville II 3.
u16 – Boland Landbou A 9 Paarl Gim A 10, Boland Landbou B 6 Paarl Gim B 31, Boland Landbou C 7 Paarl Gim 29, Boland Landbou D 29 Paarl Gim D 31, Paarl Boys A 26 Durbanville A 7.
u15 – Boland Landbou A 7 Paarl Gim A 39, Boland Landbou B 19 Paarl Gim B 31, Boland Landbou C 12 Paarl Gim C 10, Boland landbou D 13 Paarl Gim D 5, Paarl Boys A 35 Durbanville A 11.
u14 – Boland Landbou A 0 Paarl Gim A 15, Boland Landbou B 7 Paarl Gim 70, Boland Landbou C 0 Paarl Gim C 36, Boland Landbou D 0 Paarl Gim D 80, Paarl Boys A 17 Durbanville A 0.
