Some massive micro-clashes to look forward to between Boishaai and Grey
Forget for a moment that the Premier Interschools clash between Paarl Boys’ High and Grey College at the Brug Street Stadium in Paarl today is probably the biggest schoolboy match this Saturday.
There is some big micro-clashes during this match that will be followed closely by the rugby connoisseur.
Catch all the action live on SuperSport Schools (www.supersportschools.com).
The biggest of the micro-clashes will be between Boishaai’s Divan Fuller and the visitors’ Jean-Henri Smit.
Fuller has made a name for himself as a hard-hitting tackler in the same mould of Samoa’s former centre Brian Lima nicknamed, The Chiropracter, for his ability to rearrange oppositions bones.
Fuller hasn’t been at his best so far this year, but still has been one of the stalwarts in Boishaai’s pack of forwards. Smit is a hardman himself and has showed his class this year. He doesn’t just do a good job as a fetcher but also has the ability to take defensive lines apart with his running lines.
The battle between these two players will without a doubt be a highlight of today’s clash.
Smit do have the backing of his captain, JJ Theron (eighthman), as well as Keegan Scholtz to help him in this battle. These three has probably formed the most formidable loose trio this year in South African schoolboy rugby.
In the backs the battle between the Van der Merwes. No its not the start of an Afrikaans joke. In die midfield, Pieter van der Merwe (Grey College) and Daniel van der Merwe (Boishaai), will be locked in a proper battle to help their side to get the upperhand.
Pieter van der Merwe has impressed this year with the manner he changes gears when he is put in possesion. He is a hard-hitting runner with the ball in hand, while Daniel van der Merwe has a bit more finesse to his approach.
Daniel will also be facing another Van der Merwe in a micro-clash as he is also responsible for the goal-kicking for his side. Grey College’s flyhalf, Ian van der Merwe, will be opposition from the kicking tea.
Ian is playing a vital role in the new way that the team of Grey College plays in 2023. He has probably also with some solid performances thus far placed him among the top schoolboy flyhalfs in the country this year.
Grey College will be without a doubt the favourites for victory at Brug Street. They have been on the winning side against Boishaai since 2018 in their annual encounters. Boishaai however still have a trump card in their coach, Sean Erasmus.
Erasmus coached Boishaai to three successive victories between 2015 and 2017 over Grey College. He is therefore probably the most successful active schoolboy coach against the rugby factory of Bloemfontein.
The teams:
Paarl Boys’ High: 15 JC Mars, 14 Scott Nel, 13 Bryan Burger, 12 Daniel van der Merwe, 11 Jameel de Jongh, 10 Ruan van Willing, 9 Juan Loots, 8 Douw Wessels, 7 Divan Fuller, 6 Rubin Dames, 5 Van Heerden Pretorius, 4 Neil Hansen, 3 Evan Kotze, 2 HB Odendaal, 1 Christie Visser.
Grey College: 15 Vincent Wolhuter, 14 Hayden Tolmay, 13 Benito Goeda, 12 Pieter van der Merwe, 11 Martin Botha, 10 Ian van der Merwe, 9 Christiaan van der Westhuizen, 8 JJ Theron, 7 Keegan Scholtz, 6 Jean-Henri Smit, 5 Schalk du Plessis, 4 Heinrich Theron, 3 Jean Erasmus, 2 Liam van Wyk, 1 Ranon Fouché.
Kick-off: 14:00
