SuperSport Schools Plus

Paul Roos seeks consistency in big Wynberg showdown

By Avuyile Sawula , in Hockey | Featured Hockey | News , at 2024-05-23 Tags: , , , ,

PRG's Joshua Smit's on the ball against Paarl Gimnasium on 17 May 2024. Photo: Hano Geldenhuys
PRG’s Joshua Smit’s on the ball against Paarl Gimnasium on 17 May 2024. Photo: Hano Geldenhuys

“To make it two wins in consecutive matches,” will be the message echoed through the Paul Roos Gimnasium locker room when they welcome a dangerous Wynberg Boys’ High team to the Maties Astroturf in Stellenbosch on Friday night.

The clash between the sides kicks off at 19:45 and will be streamed live on SuperSport Schools.

Both teams head into the highly anticipated clash after winning last weekend.

The hosts, after receiving a 2-6 drubbing at the hands of South African College High School (SACS) earlier this month, redeemed themselves with a hard-fought 1-0 win over their Boland rivals, Paarl Gimnasium last Friday.

Christo Swanepoel delivered the goods in the third chukka, scoring the all-important goal from a smart penalty corner variation.

Wynberg, on the other hand, breezed to victory against Hoërskool Durbanville, winning 5-1 to further assert their position as one of the Western Province league’s dominant sides.

The match will be only the second home outing for PRG this season. They’ve played most of their league matches away, and also did duty at the Founders Festival at Kearsney College, and the Hibbert Shield at Grey High School.

Their league season started with a shock 0-1 defeat at the hands of Rondebosch Boys’ High. Apart from that setback and the loss to SACS, Paul Roos has displayed its typically gritty character and fighting spirit and racked up a long list of victories.

After going down in week one, they defeated Paarl Boys’ High 4-0, before beating an excellent Grey High team 3-2. The highlight of their season, thus far, was coming back from a 0-3 deficit to level 3-3 with SACS, and then beat them 6-5 in a penalty shootout in the final of the Hibbert Shield.

Coach Michael Baker, who took over the side this year, will be the first to admit that his side hasn’t hit the very high markers they would’ve wanted to reach, but they are getting the job done in crucial moments.

Consistency will be the name of the game when they run out against Wynberg. They’ll try to implement the “Baker Ball” approach which won them the Hibbert Shield in Gqeberha earlier this month.

For Wynberg, the clash comes at a time when the team finds itself in a healthy space after putting up some impressive performances this season.

In the Western Cape, coach Ben Wiley’s troops have only lost once, going down 0-3 to Bishops in April.

Since then, they’ve scored a total of 15 goals on their way to solid wins over Rondebosch Boys (1-0), Stellenberg (9-1), and Durbanville 5-1.

To win away from home, Wynberg’s defence will need to be wary of PRG’s attacking ability, and the likes of Dayle Gertson, Daniel Rightford, and Liam Kleintjies will need to stay sharp at the back.

The hosts will look to their playmakers, including skipper Reuben Sendzul, Swanepoel, Barend Geldenhuys, and Ruben Gouws, to break that defensive wall.

Other matches

The clash in Stellenbosch is the pick of the weekend’s matches, but there are many others that are set to entertain.

SACS will be heavily favoured to keep their winning streak intact when they host DF Malan at the Brewery. Meanwhile, Rondebosch Boys’ High travels to Paarl to face Boishaai, while Bishops Diocesan College is away at Stellenberg.

Paarl Gimnasium, after their narrow loss to Paul Roos, will chase a win against Parel Vallei. In the final match of the day, Punt (Mosselbaai) takes on Belville High.

Fixtures

Friday, 24 May 

18:15 – Durbanville vs Westerford
19:00 – SACS vs DF Malan
19:15 – Somerset College vs Bridge House
19:25 – Stellenberg vs Bishops
19:30 – Paarl Boys’ High vs Rondebosch Boys’ High
19:45 – Paul Roos Gimnasium vs Wynberg Boys High
19:45 – Paarl Gimnasium vs Parel Vallei
20:00 – Punt (Mosselbaai) vs Belville High

Saturday, 25 May

11:00- HTS Drostdy vs HS Swartland

Avuyile Sawula
error: Sorry ol' chap, those shenanigans are not permissible.