Boishaaier 2024

Rugby

RUGBY

Sean Erasmus

1XV Rugby Die rugbypale gaan op, lyne word gespuit en die duiksakke maak hul verskyning langs die veld: Dis Rugbyseisoen, ’n tyd van groot opwinding onder die seuns by HJS Paarl! Na die somerseisoen word vinnig gespring om spanne te kies; die naweek ná proewe is almal reeds in aksie op Porterville, dié jaar teen Durbanville. Na kort voorbereiding speel die jong span baie goed; hulle gee die bal mooi lug en druk elf pragdrieë! Ondanks ’n kort kwartaal en min voorbereidingstyd is ons sommer vinnig reeds op pad na Noord/Suid in Pretoria by Affies. Ons eerste wedstryd is teen ’n baie goeie en gemotiveerde Jeppe-span. Teen rustyd is die telling 19 – 19, maar uiteindelik klop ons Jeppe met 45 – 19. Ons tweede wedstryd op Noord/Suid is teen Garsfontein. Ons speel baie goeie rugby maar verloor vlugtig fokus in die tweede helfte. Hulle teken vinnig punte aan om 24 – 36 voor te loop, maar die laaste 10 minute wys ons groot durf deur terug te veg om 38 – 36 te wen. Die span wys dat ons ’n kwaliteitgroep is wat drieë onder druk kan druk! We remain in Johannesburg for a few days and enjoy the time to bond as a team before heading off to the KES Easter Festival. Our first game is the main game against the hosts who have a well-balanced team with a strong pack and a good no 10 who dominates attack with his passing and kicking game. They start well and score quickly, but our team keeps its composure and replies with three great tries. We win the game 22 – 7, reminding ourselves never to stop playing and not to wait for teams to score before we start playing – good teams will not allow you to come back from that! Our second game on tour is against Pretoria Boys’ High. We win the game comfortably with a final score of 24 – 8. Then it is time to head home for a tough season! Terug in die Paarl is Oakdale (altyd ’n tawwe opponent) volgende. Ons kry drie geel kaarte en verspeel vele geleenthede om onder die pale te druk. Ons doen egter steeds talle mooi goed op die veld en wys karakter om vir ’n goeie oorwinning te veg: Ons druk drie drieë en wen met die eindtelling op 19 – 10. At this point in the season we have played six and won six. We have identified some true ability and talent in this young group, but our error rate is too high. We show true grit on defense, but can still improve on precision in other areas. Wynberg does not let us get away with it and by halftime we are 10 – 20 behind, but we fight back to regain control of the game in the second half. Despite five beautiful tries to their three, a yellow card and technical error secure a last-minute penalty for Wynberg that they kick over to win the game 27 – 30. The Boishaai first team, however, repeatedly demonstrates true character, tenacity and the ability to fight back. As a team, we assess that to be better, we must become mentally resilient in tough situations! Our skill is not lacking; execution, though, needs improvement.

Die seuns kry ’n blaaskans voor Wildeklawer, die topskoletoernooi in die land, om vir die volgende deel van die seisoen te herlaai. Die Wes-Kaapliga bly die taaiste; week na week is daar toetsrugby en spanne moet te alle tye op hul beste wees; elke ander span is daar om jou te klop! Die liggame word gestraf in so ’n hoëdrukomgewing. Dit is altyd ’n voorreg om by Wildeklawer deel te neem. Ons toer met al ons junior spanne asook die tweede span; dis ’n lekker geleentheid om mekaar te ondersteun. Ons begin teen Affies voor wie ons ná dapper teenstand ongelukkig die knie moet buig. Ons eindig teen DHS. Op ’n baie winderige dag skop Viaan Mentoor ’n moeilike strafskop oor wat min sal vergeet! Na hierdie goeie oorwinning keer ons terug huis toe. The following week, all Boishaaiers travel to Bloemfontein to play their respective winter sports against Grey College. Here we have one of our best games of the season, starting with a top performance and victory by the Seccies! The first team starts well, and at halftime the score is 14 – 19. At 28 – 33, with minutes to go, it is anyone’s game! Finding it tough to finish some really good attack sets, we lose 28 – 40; nonetheless, I am extremely proud of the effort shown by the players. The Grey game really allows us to get refocused, and it shows against Bishops as the boys run in eleven team tries! The subsequent weekend, the boys follow up with another great second-half performance against a strong Rondebosch team. Despite an initially high error rate, we regain control of the game, and our strength of character and adaptability lead to a well-deserved win of 36 – 28. It is important to note that towards the end of the second term, the boys not only practise at school, but are also involved in WP trials for provincial team selection every Wednesday. On top of this, it is also exam time. It is thus full throttle week in and week out with a schedule that takes its toll on the boys. We are therefore extremely proud of those players who made provincial and South African school teams. Credit must go to them and their teammates who always support and push one another to be their best! • WP Craven Week U18: Jordan Jooste, Cruzz Davey, Viaan Mentoor • WP Craven Week U18 XV: Rubin Dames, Bernhard du Toit, Jayden Joubert, Steph van der Merwe, Ashwin Swarts, Aiden Jacobs • WP Academy Week U18: Joshua le Roux • SA Schools: Cruzz Davey • SA Schools A-Team: Jordan Jooste, Viaan Mentoor • SA U18A: Jordan Jooste, Cruzz Davey, Viaan Mentoor Swaar reën vroeg in die derde kwartaal verhoed dat ons teen Stellenberg speel. Dis die eerste keer vandat ek by Boishaai is dat wedstryde weens reën afgestel word! Ons is gelukkig om later die week teen die Lambs, ’n Engelse toerspan, te speel. Die seuns geniet dit baie om onder die

158 BOISHAAI 156 YEARS