Paarl Gim is once again the “favourite” to claim the 2026 title of 1stXV Champions of South Africa; however, following the loss of Helmut Lehmann to the Stormers, and a fixture list from hell that will test their depth of talent, 2026 is set to take a bigger effort to claim what is theirs to lose.
Paarl Gim start their season with a bang against one of the 2026 season’s “Wild Cards.” Stellenberg has been on the edge of breaking into a top-five place and have their best chance ever to achieve just that. Taking the rankings of their U18 and U17 age groups into account, they could/should end up as high as third. Add to that the names of the bruising Juvan Burden at lock and the classy Ethan van Biljon at fly-half, and Stellenberg could end Paarl Gim’s dreams before the season even started.
Paarl Gim should cruise to wins against Durbanville, Noordheuwel and Menlopark, whereafter the two weeks from hell when Paarl Gim travel to Affies and host Grey College. Both Affies and Grey College are not hot favourites for 2026; however ..............
Just before the Youth Weeks. Paarl Gim will travel to Oakdale and host Paul Roos. We all know that these matches before the youthweeks is always tricky as the loyalty to your school often weighs less than the prestige of attending the U18 Craven Week and/or U18 Academy Week. The possibility of being selected in the U18 schools squads will be a game-changer.
Then the big one on 01 August 2026, and despite having ten players in the U16 and U17 SA Rugby Elite Player Development squads in 2025, a win is not guaranteed. The appointment with Paarl Boishaai should once again be the decider for the top 1stXV title.
Boishaai, which is backed by many to reclaim their title of 2025 with a close 35-33 win, will be ready. It is a well-known fact that this fixture never has a big winning margin, with the underdogs always being the “favourites” to cause an upset.
2025 U17 SA Elite Player Development squad: (2) Charles Whitehead, (4) Jean Dreyer, (7) Hendrik van Zyl, (9) Mickyle Booise, (10) Louis Koen and (12) Ethan Barker.
2025 U16 SA Elite Player Development squad: (2) Luka van der Westhuizen, (5) Derrick Groenewald, (6) Corne Ferreira and (13) De Waal Vivier.
Everybody is waiting to see the effect of the decision made by forwards coach Helmut Lehmann to accept the appointment as an assistant coach for the DHL Stormers. Lehmann is regarded as the "architect" of the school's forward domination and will be missed, especially as Paarl Gim’s forward dominance has been the foundation of their brilliance during the past few years.
Fixtures 2026
14 March 2026 - Stellenberg - Away
21 March 2026 - Durbanville - Away
28 March 2026 - Noordheuwel - NMI Noord/Suid Affies
31 March 2026 - Menlopark - NMI Noord Suid Affies
11 April 2026 - Affies - Away
18 April 2026 - Grey College - Home
25 April 2026 - Helpmekaar - ABSA Wildeklawer
27 April 2026 - Durban High School - Absa Wildeklawer
09 May 2026 - Boland Landbou - Home
16 May 2026 - Bishops - Home
23 May 2026 - Wynberg - Away
30 May 2026 - Oakdale - Away
06 June 2026 - Paul Roos - Away
13 June 2026 - Drostdy HTS - Away
25 July 2026 - Rondebosch - Away
01 August 2026 - Paarl Boishaai - Away