One must be extremely careful not to judge most of the teams on their performance on Saturday as it was speculated that several teams "saved" themselves for "bigger" games today.
Fixtures - Monday 01 May 2023
08:00 Glenwood vs Welkom Gim
We can issue the same warning to Glenwood as we did to Framesby. Do not open up the game as Welkom Gim will run you to pieces. However, the Glenwood forwards will be good enough to control the match and secure their backs with more than enough quality ball to attack with. Glenwood should have a battle on their hands for the first 30 minutes but should win with relative ease.
09:10 Oakdale vs EG Jansen
Oakdale was outplayed by Affies in the first half on Saturday and although they did "dominate" the second half, they could not score any points against the brilliant defence from Affies. EG Jansen was a handful against Outeniqua and will put the defence of Oakdale under pressure for the whole match with their backs showing against Outeniqua their brilliance and dazzle. Expect Oakdale to come out guns blazing and they should be too good for EG Jansen, however, the fight in the heart of EG Jansen could result in the first "upset" of Wildeklawer 2023.
10:20 Diamantveld vs Boland Landbou
The mistake was made to write off Diamantveld against Drostdy HTS on Saturday. Diamantveld did surprise all and although they lost they issued a warning to Boland Landbou. Although Boland Landbou will have some dented bodies after their battle against Monnas, I will once again predict an easy win for Boland Landbou.
11:30 Paarl Boishaai vs Helpmekaar
Paarl Boishaai was brilliant against Glenwood in extremely wet conditions in the opening match on Friday evening, but so was Helpmekaar against Paarl Gim on Saturday although they lost. Did Paarl Gim "rest" against Helpmekaar or was Helpmekaar that good? I presume a well-rested Paarl Boishaai will answer that question when they take on Helpmekaar. Paarl Boishaai has been blowing hot and cold in 2023 and if they are not at their best Helpmekaar could upset.
12:40 Framesby vs Maritzburg College
Framesby was not bad as their losing score suggests in their loss against Welkom Gim. However, the same argument must be used for Maritzburg College's losing performance against Stellenberg. One can not be faulted in suggesting that Maritzburg College have targeted Framesby as their "match to win", and if they did they should travel with a smile back home.
13:50 Durban High School vs Drostdy HTS
If Drostdy HTS upped their effort by 500% as displayed against Diamantveld it will unfortunately not be good enough against a performing DHS.
15:00 Paarl Gim vs Monnas
This should be a humdinger with Paarl Gim the favourites, however, a win by Monnas will not be a big upset. Paarl Gim had the easier match on Saturday and did "struggle" against Helpmekaar. Monnas were in a physical war against Boland Landbou but showed that they are fast returning to the often feared outfit we got used to over the years. Paarl Gim would while Monnas could.
16:10 Grey College vs Stellenberg
Prepare yourself for an exciting battle between the undisputable kings of 1stXV schoolboy rugby and a team that gives everything to win the matches they are not expected to win. This will be the match that the supporters will be divided between those from Bloemfontein and the rest of South Africa with Stellenberg ready and able to prove why they are everybody's second team.
17:20 Outeniqua vs Garsfontein
Did Outeniqua save some energy for this one or did EG Jansen play that well? If there are two teams that match each other in all departments it is these two teams. Big forwards and blistering pace at the back. Their game plans are also more or less the same, bully up front and kill with speed. The key to a win will definitely be the decision-making by key players in key positions. Garsfontein will want to prove they are better than the loss against Grey College while Outeniqua is hunting Garsfontein's spot on the rankings.
18:30 Affies vs Paul Roos
Affies played their best rugby against Oakdale in the first half on Saturday when they slowed their pace a bit which gave them more control and limited the mistakes. Their defence was also, as usual, rock solid. Paul Roos play a "similar" brand of rugby, however, as the season progress they are seemingly getting better at it. When Paul Roos is attacking not many teams will contain them. Therefore it will be interesting to see if Affies' slower approach will be good enough to beat Paul Roos' version of 15-man rugby that many international teams strive to play.
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