Rugby
Thrilling day of rugby at Wildeklawer as 1st XV action heats up─── MORGAN PIEK 08:09 Fri, 02 May 2025
It was a thrilling day of rugby on Thursday (1/5) as the 2025 Wildeklawer tournament in Kimberley got into full swing, with a day of really good 1st XV action.
Although the 1st XV tournament kicked off on Wednesday afternoon, the bulk of the action unfolded on Thursday.
Wednesday still produced some interesting results, including a notable upset as Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) edged out powerhouse Paul Roos Gymnasium from Stellenbosch 20-18. Hoërskool Diamantveld, the hosts, also made a solid start.
On Thursday, Grey College from Bloemfontein bounced back to winning ways after their shock defeat to Paarl Gim over the weekend – a 43-31 loss which marked their first home defeat since 2017.
This time, under the lights in Kimberley, Grey ran riot as they dismantled Helpmekaar Kollege from Johannesburg 56-14, having led 28-7 at half-time at Africa’s largest school sports festival. The schoolboy rugby giants ran in eight tries, including one by Darius Erwee, who also impressively converted all eight tries.
It was a tougher day for the other Free State side, as Hoërskool Rustenburg convincingly beat Voortrekker Bethlehem 33-7.
The Western Cape powerhouses had a strong showing. Paarl Boys’ High (Boishaai) comfortably beat Hoërskool Noordheuwel from Krugersdorp 42-14, while Paarl Gim proved too strong for Northwood High School from Durban, claiming a 46-20 victory.
The clash between Hoërskool Garsfontein from Pretoria and Oakdale Landbou from Riversdale was billed as a thriller, and it delivered. Nothing could separate the two sides when the final whistle blew, ending in a well-contested 30-30 draw.
Another tightly-fought match saw Hoërskool Outeniqua from George edge out Hoërskool Monument from Krugersdorp with a nail-biting 21-20 victory.
First XV action continues on Saturday (3/5), with more exciting fixtures on the cards, including:
- Hoërskool Waterkloof vs. Hoërskool Stellenberg
- Paarl Boys’ High vs. Hoërskool Monument
- Affies vs. Boland Landbou
- Paul Roos vs. Hoërskool EG Jansen
- Grey College vs. Hoërskool Garsfontein
- Paarl Gim vs. Durban High School
Thursday Results:
- Hoërskool EG Jansen 20 – HTS Drostdy 10
- Boland Landbou 64 – Hoërskool Framesby 5
- Durban High School 26 – Hoërskool Stellenberg 19
- Hoërskool Outeniqua 21 – Hoërskool Monument 20
- Hoërskool Garsfontein 30 – Oakdale Landbou 30
- Paarl Gim 46 – Northwood High School 20
- Hoërskool Rustenburg 33 – Hoërskool Voortrekker Bethlehem 7
- Paarl Boys’ High 42 – Hoërskool Noordheuwel 14
- Jeppe College 36 – Maritzburg College 24
- Grey College 56 – Helpmekaar Kollege 14
