The final day of the 2026 Absa Wildeklawer will once again feature some brilliant clashes that will have a capacity crowd searching for seats early in the day.
08:00 Diamantveld vs Stellenberg
Despite Diamantveld’s 40-29 win over Queen’s College on Friday and Stellenberg’s struggling 24-19, against Maritzburg College, one can only predict a big win for Stellenberg. If rumours are true, Stellenberg will start with their best team to counter the pack of forwards of Diamantveld, whereafter they may rest some of the top players.
Waterkloof vs Westville (B Field)
Such a pity that this match is played on the B Field, as this could be a fast-paced battle with the pack of Waterkloof also playing their part in the expected win for Waterkloof. Waterkloof took their foot off the pedal in the second half to beat Durbanville 22-21 and had to work hard to grind out the win, while Westville also faded in the second half against Oakdale’s big boys.
09:30 Helpmekaar vs Queen’s College
Grey College's 34-12 win over Noordheuwel was not impressive, while Helpmekaar were outclassed 10-45 by Paarl Gim on Saturday. Grey College had a few moments of brilliance against Noordheuwel, which was good enough to beat the powerhouse from Krugersdorp. The loss of Helpmekaar may seem to have been brutal; however, Helpmekaar never gave up and played with pride and passion for five minutes after the fat lady sung. One question that will only be answered after the match is, did Grey College only do enough to secure a win and “rest” for their clash against Helpmekaar? Tjaart vd Walt of Helpmekaar is a master tactician, leaving us with the same questions. Did he accept the inevitable against Paarl Gim, with his main focus on beating the vulnerable Grey College? Despite the ifs, and maybes, etc., I do think a Grey College at its best will be good enough to beat Helpmekaar with relative ease.
11:00 Outeniqua vs Maritzburg College
This could be one of the better fixtures for day 3. One could be excused to write Outeniqua off after their 26-55 loss to Affies and Maritzburg’s fighting 19-22 loss to Stellenberg; however, personally, I do think this is going to be a humdinger, with the power game plan of Maritzburg maybe just enough to beat the dancing feet of Outeniqua. It is going to be close with the power play of Maritzburg during the final fifteen minutes, securing them a great victory.
11:00 Rustenburg vs Marlow (B Field)
12:30 Noordheuwel vs Boland Landbou
On day 1 of the 2026 ABSA Wildeklawer Boland Landbou lost 26-31 in the final minutes to Jeppe on Saturday, while Noordheuwel showed a lot of fight in their 12-34 Grey College. This match will once again be played at a high intensity with both sides throwing everything at each other to secure a much-needed win in their struggling season. Noordheuwel should win, however, Boland Landbou showed enough against Jeppe to claim themselves as favourites.
12:30 EG Jansen vs Durbanville
Durbanville should cruise to a win against a struggling EG Jansen.
14:00 Northwood vs Garsfontein
I think to the normal rugby supporter, Northwood was a big revelation, going down 18-21 to Paarl Boishaai. Their clash against the hurting Garsfontein, following their 18-21 loss to Paul Roos, will be a definite highlight of the day; however, Northwood showed vulnerability to good mauls, and Garsfontein’s maul is one of the best in the country. Everything points to a close, hard-fought battle between the two sides, with Nortwood able to upset Garsfontein; however, it is unlikely and expect Garsfontein to run away with it during the final ten minutes.
14:00 Monnas vs Nico Malan
Monnas at their best will be cruising to a big win.
15:30 Paul Roos vs Oakdale
Oakdale showed against Westville that there is still a lot of fight in them, with their 40-24 win over the highly rated Westville, while a clinical Paul Roos scored a deserved 21-18 win over Garsfontein. Expect a closely contested match, but Paul Roos’ speed of play will secure them a relaxed win over Oakdale with ten to fifteen points at least.
17:00 DHS vs Paarl Gim
With the terrifying form Paarl Gim is currently in, this will only end badly for DHS. This could become very bad for the boys from Durban.
18:30 Grey College vs Jeppe
Do not expect an upset. Grey College scored six tries against Noordheuwel almost at will, but then they were happy to defend the win. A lot of critics are saying this could be Grey’s worst season in recent history; however, despite the fact that Jeppe will be motivated to repeat their upset at the Noord/Suid Rugby Festival, the 2026 Grey team is ready to change into third gear and secure a dominating victory.
20:00 Affies vs Paarl Boishaai
According to the bookies, Paarl Boishaai is the favourite, although by a small margin, and apparently their touring squad is bigger than the norm, resulting in four boys making their first appearance at the Absa Wildeklawer against Affies. Boishaai had to work hard for their win over Northwood on Saturday, while Affies was devastating against a good Outeniqua team. Expect Boishaai to start fast and build a small lead by halftime; however, if the Affies team of Saturday pitches again, then Boishaai will find it difficult to defend their lead after halftime.