The world’s biggest schoolboy rugby derby, the Paarl Interschools between Paarl Gimnasium and Paarl Boys High, will take place on 30 July 2022 at Faure Stadium in Paarl after a 2-year absence due to Covid 19 restrictions.
This derby usually draws about 25000 spectators and splits the town in two with Boishaai and Paarl Gim supporters on opposite sides for the week leading up to match day.
The last Interschools which took place in 2019, saw Paarl Gim 1stXV beating Boishaai 18-17 in one of the most tightly contested matches since 1917. Paarl Gim was 18-12 in the lead with no more playing time left on the clock, however, Boishaai managed to score a try in extra time. The missed conversion gave Paarl Gim the victory after 44 minutes in a 35 minute half, as well as the bragging rights till the next Interschools.
It was the first interschool’s victory for Pieter Rossouw as Paarl Gim’s head coach after 3 previous years of very close losses. This victory was also significant as it coincided with his 30-year matric reunion as a Paarl Gim old boy. It was Peter Engledow’s first Interschools loss as Boys High’s head coach. He was recently appointed as Durban High School’s Director of Rugby. This has led to the return of Sean Erasmus as Boys High’s Head of Rugby, who coached them to a spectacular 4-year unbeaten streak from 2015 to 2018 against Paarl Gim.
So which school is the favourite to win the 2022 Interschools? Although it is very early days one can look at the performances of the various u/15A teams of 2019, which will make up the core of the 1stXV teams next year, to get an idea of who will be the favourite to win Interschools.
Paarl Gim’s u/15A team played 17 matches and won 17 matches including a 24-17 victory over Boishaai in 2019. This team which has been unbeaten since 2018, will be forming a very strong core of next year’s 1stXV team. Five of these players which included the star flyhalf Liam Koen were already starting as part of the 2021 1stXV team with another 2 players coming off the bench during each match.
Paarl Gim's 2021 1stXV team had an unbeaten year which included a memorable 18-16 win over Grey College at the Monnas Centennial Rugby Festival. Their victories further included convincing wins over Paul Roos Gimnasium, Wynberg Boys High and an 84-0 win over Garsfontein.
Boishaai’s u/15A team played 15 matches of which they won 11, lost 3 and drew 1. This included a 14-21 loss against Paarl Gim. The 1stXV of 2021 only loss came against Grey College (3-37).
The return of Sean Erasmus will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the Boishaai team for next year, judging by his stellar performance as coach the first time round. However, he has his own proverbial big shoes to fill and expectations from the Boishaai supporters will be very high. It remains to be seen if he will be able to elevate Boishaai to the same level of the past before Interschools match day.
Looking at the current facts as they stand, Paarl Gim must be the favourite to win Interschools. That being said, those supporters familiar with Interschools will tell you that being the favourite is not always a good thing, as it is a very unique match where the underdog more often than not walk away with the spoils.
Either way, it will as usual be a momentous match and occasion which all the supporters will be looking forward to, especially after a 2-year absence.
Article by Francois du Toit