Grey College target successful start to 2025 season
Yesterday at 02:03 AM
SPOTLIGHT: Grey College's quest to regain the unofficial No.1 ranking will begin this weekend when they tackle Trio at the President Steyn Sports Day in Bloemfontein.
Paul Roos was universally recognised as the top schoolboy team in South Africa last year, after winning 14 consecutive matches and finishing the regular season unbeaten.
The Stellenbosch-based side beat both of the of the leading Paarl schools as well as Affies. In the final game of the season, they hammered Grey College 36-3 at the Markotter fields.
Most schools would view a 13-2 win-record as a resounding success. Grey, of course, are no ordinary rugby school, and hold themselves to a higher standard.
Indeed, most South African schoolboy rugby aficionados will remember the 2024 reason for one result in particular: Jeppe's 22-19 win over Grey at the Noord Suid festival held in Pretoria.
That defeat, as well as the disastrous denouement at Paul Roos at the end of the season, marked 2024 as a season for Grey fans to forget.
Fast forward to the present, where the First XV is gearing up for their first big fixture of 2025: a showdown with Trio at the President Steyn Sports Day in Bloemfontein.
The two teams met at the same event last March, with Grey winning 40-3.
This Saturday, Sand du Plessis will front Henneman in the first fixture of the day. The hosts will tackle Wessel Maree, before the two schools from outside of the Free State – Lichtenburg and Postmasburg – go head to head.
Jim Fouche will line up against Welkom Gim in the curtain raiser to the main event: Grey College versus Trio at 17.30.
While Grey will start that fixture as big favourites, it may take some time for the new players and combinations to gel.
Several senior players have moved on. Centre Pieter van der Merwe was recently selected for the Junior Boks' tour to Georgia, while flyhalf Alzeadon Felix – who dazzled for Free State at last year's Craven Week tournament – has joined the University of Johannesburg for their Varsity Cup campaign.
Can this Grey side succeed where the class of 2024 failed? Time will tell.
While the boys warm up for the main event this Saturday, the Grey coaches will keep an eye on the curtain-raiser, given that it features their next set of opponents.
Grey will travel to Welkom Gim on 8 March, before hosting Oakdale the following weekend.
The Noord Suid festival staged at Paul Roos between 28 March and 1 April will provide Grey with an opportunity to make a statement.
After facing Noordheuwel, Grey will tackle Jeppe in a replay of last season's fixture.
In early May, the boys from Bloem will face Helpmekaar and Garsfontein – the 2024 Noordvaal Cup champions – at the Wildeklawer festival in Kimberley.
In the end, Grey may be judged by their results against other top dogs – and home advantage may give them an edge in these heavyweight clashes.
Paarl Gym will travel to the Free State stronghold on 26 April, Affies on 17 May, and Paul Roos on 16 August.
Looking at that schedule, one is inclined to believe that Grey may top the unofficial rankings in late August. It will take something special from the aforementioned teams to win in Bloemfontein.
As was witnessed across a fascinating 2024 schoolboy season – with Grey losing to Jeppe and Bishops and Rondebosch going down to Milnerton – there are no guarantees at this level, and we may see one or two big upsets before the year draws to a close.
