SA school rugby reaches peak

The South African school rugby season reaches a climax this weekend, with Maritzburg College facing one of their toughest assignments of the year when they travel to Pretoria to take on Pretoria Boys’ High today. KZN’s other headline encounter sees Durban High School (DHS) host Northwood in a local derby, with both sides looking to finish their campaigns on a positive note in one of the province’s traditional rivalries. While the KZN fixtures will attract plenty of local attention, the biggest schoolboy rugby match in the country takes place in Paarl, where Paarl Boys’ High host neighbours Paarl Gimnasium in what is widely regarded as SA’s premier school rugby derby.

Paarl Gim head into the clash on the back of a 13-match winning streak, having suffered their only defeat of the season by a single point against Stellenberg in their opening fixture. Paarl Boys’ High have recorded eight wins, four defeats and one draw this season. Elsewhere, another historic derby takes place in Bloemfontein, where Grey College host Grey High School, while Paul Roos welcome Boland Landbou in another fixture expected to have a significant impact on the national school rugby rankings. Other notable matches include Wynberg against Bishops, SACS versus Rondebosch, and Affies hosting Noordheuwel, while KES take on Jeppe and Parktown entertain Glenwood in Johannesburg.