SACS hosts rampant unbeaten Paarl Gim
On Saturday, SACS, the oldest high school in the country, hosts Paarl Gimnasium, the team regarded by most as the number one rugby side in South Africa this season.
Kick-off is at 12:30 on Memorial-A Field.
Last year, the sides met on Freedom Day, 27 April, in Paarl, with Gim scoring a 35-10 victory.
The visitors will be aiming to score another comfortable win away from home.
SACS will look to their powerful Western Province XV flank, Siphe Mbungendlu, to set the example and to rise to the occasion of facing their toughest opponents of the season.
Gimmies will look to their captain and Western Province centre, Markus Muller, to provide the spark. He has become a household name among schoolboy rugby fans this season with his speed, vision and passing. He’s racked up tries at an alarmingly rapid rate and has also proved adept at setting up his teammates for five-pointers.
Set pieces and the breakdowns will be crucial for SACS. The Paarl Gim forwards have dominated with their rolling mauls and have also won their fair share of penalties from the set scrums.
However, they’ve truly outstanding at the breakdowns. In their recent 29-9 victory over Oakdale, they starved the farmers of attacking opportunities by strongly contesting the loose and turning over possession.
The SACS backline will need to watch out for the blitzing rush defence of the Gimnasium backs. Perhaps their midfielders should look to initiate contact or play the ball in behind the visitors’ backline. If the SACS back stray too far from their forward pack, they will be ferociously challenged at the breakdown.
Maintaining possession through multiple phases will be one of the keys for SACS.
Paarl Gim must maintain discipline up front and focus on pressuring the back three, so as not to leak penalty-kick points, or give up territory to the big boot of inside centre, Nathan Potgieter.
Gim has been superb on attack all season long. They play with supreme confidence, run sharp lines, with the backs and forwards linking up seamlessly, and they’re blessed with players able to shred the best defences with moments of individual brilliance.
More of the same and they should be able to add another win to their gleaming record.
TEAMS
SACS vs Paarl Gimnasium, Memorial-A Field, Cape Town, 12:30
SACS: 15 Quewinn Lackay, 14 Josh Gorgens, 13 Mikey Skeels, 12 Nathan Potgieter, 11 Josh Pfister, 10 Robert Boyes, 9 Matt Forbes, 8 Thando Sithole, 7 Daniel Grant, 6 Siphe Mbungendlu, 5 Cameron Hirst, 4 Reuben De Klerk, 3 Qiraan Hermans, 2 Sango Zangqa, 1 Qawe Sawuka.
Paarl Gim: 15 Dawid Badenhorst, 14 Jeerahno Jagers, 13 Markus Muller, 12 Ethan Barker, 11 Thomas Saunders, 10 Louis Koen, 9 Mickyle Booise, 8 Alain Voges, 7 Jean Dreyer, 6 Hendre Van Der Westhuizen, 5 Migael Turner, 4 Bernhardt Schulze, 3 Armand Brand, 2 Charles Whitehead, 1 Pieta Cilliers.
