The North-South/Noord-Suid Schools Rugby Festival held in Cape Town this weekend was filled with exciting action, but it quickly became clear that the difference in rugby quality was vast between the participating schools.
Here’s a breakdown of the key moments from Day One and Day Two of the festival.
Day One: A Day of One-Sided Results
The opening day of the festival saw several teams dominate their opponents, showcasing the significant disparity in the quality of rugby across the schools.
Paarl Gim Makes a Statement
Paarl Gim made the biggest impression of the day, as they demolished KES with a stunning 102-0 scoreline, after leading 38-0 at halftime.
It was a harsh but important rugby lesson for KES, and one they will remember for a long time.
Paarl Boys’ Sends a Strong Message
Not to be outdone by their town rivals, Paarl Boys’ dished out their own rugby lesson, comfortably beating Waterkloof 66-0.
It was a dominant performance that showed just how strong rugby is in the Paarl area.
Boland Landbou and Parel Valley Impress
Boland Landbou also impressed, thrashing EG Jansen 71-10, while their neighbours Parel Valley enjoyed a solid 57-19 win over Mzwandile Mali, making it a perfect day for the Paarl-based schools.
Southern Schools Dominate Early
Other southern schools continued to perform well, with Durbanville narrowly defeating Monument High 30-21 and SACS beating Welkom Gim 31-12.
Northern Schools Fight Back
Just when it looked like the southern schools were set to sweep the competition, the northern schools fought back.
Affies secured a convincing 61-17 victory over Drosty, and Menlopark edged Outeniqua 34-26, saving the north’s reputation on Day One.
Day Two: More One-Sided Victories
Day Two of the festival continued with more dominant performances, although a few games came down to the wire.
Paul Roos vs. Garsfontein
Paul Roos reaffirmed their position as one of the best rugby schools in the country, narrowly beating Garsfontein 34-32 in a thrilling encounter.
Grey College Holds Off Noordheuwel
Grey College, often regarded as the most powerful rugby school in South Africa, had to dig deep to secure a 24-22 win against Noordheuwel in a tightly contested match.
Rondebosch, Oakdale, and More Shine
Rondebosch was too strong for Jeppe, winning 38-15, while Oakdale smashed Nelspruit 43-12.
Stellenberg also had an easy day, defeating Voortrekker Bethlehem 52-7. Helpmekaar outlasted Nico Malan with a 33-17 victory.
Big Wins Continue
Other notable results included Marais Viljoen’s 41-31 win over Worcester Gim, Rustenburg’s 60-25 victory against Diamantveld, and Framesby’s crushing 60-7 defeat of Duineveld.