Paul Roos seeking revenge in Paarl
The scene is set for one of the biggest clashes of the season when Paul Roos Gimnasium steps onto the JA Kriel Field to take on Paarl Gimnasium on Saturday.
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The Maroon Machine, from Stellenbosch, is yet to meet its match this season. They’ve kept a perfect record against some of the toughest opposition in the country to lay claim to the no. 1 spot in schoolboy rugby.
Dual SA Schools’ star and captain Riley Norton and his men have been steadily building towards this season since last year, when they spent December testing their mettle on a tour of Ireland.
They returned from that tour with a 100 percent win rate, which they’ve kept alive throughout the new season, going from strength to strength.
The hosts have also been nearly invincible this season, though, going down only once, by the narrowest of margins, 27-29, against the Bloemfontein powerhouse, Grey College.
Kobus Blanckenberg has led his side with distinction, with exciting young talents, like Markus Muller and Chandler Green, helping the Gimmies build another team to challenge for the top spot in SA schools’ rugby.
Last year, the Gimmies beat Paul Roos 24-19 in Stellenbosch, so Norton and co will be looking to return the favour this weekend.
The battle in the midfield between Matthew Kleyn and Sam Badenhorst and the host’s centre-pairing of Muller and Blanckenberg will be interesting to watch, and it could have a telling impact on the outcome.
There will also be plenty of action around the breakdowns as the home side attempts to keep Gert Kemp, Reuben Kruger and Malan Erasmus from getting over the ball.
Last week, big Ely Williams and JJ du Preez made a real impact at scrum time against Rondebosch, but they will have their work cut out for them, going up against PRG’s Henry du Plessis and Oliver Reid.
The only changes for the home side are Sebastiaan Ackerman replacing Melt Viljoen at scrumhalf and Dawie Stemmet taking over from Liam Burger at hooker.
TEAMS
Paarl Gimnasium: 15 Josh O’Neill, 14 Freek de Kock, 13 Markus Muller, 12 Kobus Blanckenberg, 11 Markus Moolman, 10 Chandler Green, 9 Melt Viljoen, 8 Nicolas Nel, 7 Wihan Kotze, 6 Jan Koegelenberg, 5 Marinus Daling, 4 Quintin Potgieter, 3 Ely Williams, 2 Liam Burger, 1 JJ du Preez.
Paul Roos Gimnasium: 15 Matthew Seymore, 14 Hugo Coetzee, 13 Matthew Kleyn, 12 Samuel Badenhorst, 11 Keenan Stoffels, 10 Joshua Dampies, 9 Adeeb Boraine, 8 Reuben Kruger, 7 Gert Kemp, 6 Malan Erasmus, 5 Riley Norton, 4 Truspe Schoeman, 3 Henry du Plessis, 2 Altus Rabe, 1 Oliver Reid.
Fixtures
JA Kriel: 08:45 – Paarl Gimnasium IV vs Paul Roos IV; 10:00 – Paarl Gimnasium III vs Paul Roos III; 11:15 – Paarl Gimnasium II vs Paul Roos II; 12:30 – Paarl Gimnasium 1st XV vs Paul Roos 1st XV.
Stofberg: 08:30 – Paarl Gimnasium u14 A vs Paul Roos u14 A; 09:45 – Paarl Gimnasium u15 A vs Paul Roos u15 A; 10:45 – Paarl Gimnasium u16 A vs Paul Roos u16 A.
Oukraal: 08:30 – Paarl Gimnasium VI vs Paul Roos VI; 09:45 – Paarl Gimnasium VII vs Paul Roos VII; 11:00 – Paarl Gimnasium V vs Paul Roos Gimnasium V.
Lemoenkloof: 08:30 – Paarl Gimnasium u16 B vs Paul Roos u16 B; 09:45 – Paarl Gimnasium u16 D vs Paul Roos u16 D; 11:00 – Paarl Gimnasium u16 C vs Paul Roos Gimnasium u16.
Fonteintjie: 08:00 – Paarl Gimnasium u15 B vs Paul Roos u15 B; 09:00 – Paarl Gimnasium u15 C vs Paul Roos u15 C; 10:00 – Paarl Gimnasium u15 D vs Paul Roos Gimnasium u15 D.
Dammetjie: 08:00 – Paarl Gimnasium u14 C vs Paul Roos u14 C; 09:00 – Paarl Gimnasium u14 D vs Paul Roos u14 D; 10:00 – Paarl Gimnasium u14 B vs Paul Roos u14 B; 11:00 – Paarl Gimnasium u14 E vs Paul Roos u14 E.
