SPOTLIGHT: Paul Roos will have a point to prove against the Paarl heavyweights this season, while Wynberg may be hard-pressed to maintain their unbeaten run in the southern suburbs derbies.
Rugby365 will be running a series of regional previews in the coming weeks, focusing on the leading First XVs and big matches in the Western Cape, Noordvaal, Central, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
RECAP OF 2025
Paarl Boys, Paarl Gym and Paul Roos have featured prominently in the battle for First XV supremacy over the past couple of seasons.
Paul Roos won all 15 of their games in 2024, while Gimmies hammered Boishaai in the annual derby that season to earn bragging rights, if not the national and regional No.1 ranking.
All things considered, Gimmies have coped well with the turnover of players in recent seasons, and have consistently been among the nation’s leading teams.
Boishaai – who underwent a period of rebuilding in 2024 – came of age in 2025, winning of 15 out of 16 matches, a run that included a narrow victory in the Paarl derby.
After losing a number of senior players, Paul Roos suffered a dip in form last season, but were still among the top four or five teams in the country.
SURVIVING THE SCHEDULE IN 2026
Boishaai will be desperate to build on their 2025 success, while Gimmies – who won 13 from 15 – will want to go a step further this year and claim the No 1 ranking.
Most of the leading rugby schools in the Western Cape will begin their 2026 schedule in mid-March – and will build towards the North-South tournament at Affies on 27 March, as well as the major festivals that follow.
The depth of the respective school programmes will be tested like never before, especially during the festivals, where two or three fixtures will be staged over the course of a long weekend.
While rotation may be key to sustained success – one would expect the respective coaches to field their strongest available teams for the marquee clashes.
Boishaai will kick off their season with a home fixture against Outeniqua on 21 March, before travelling to the North-South tournament, where they will play Jeppe and Garsfontein.
Their first big test will come in the shape of Oakdale. The team from Riversdale won 10 of their 15 fixtures last season, and were among two teams to beat Boishaai.
It won’t get any easier for Boishaai thereafter.
Sean Erasmus’s side will play Wynberg at home – the southern suburbs side has been on the rise in recent seasons, and claimed its first victory at Brug Street in nearly three decades back in 2024 – before tackling Northwood and Affies at the Wildeklawer series in Kimberley.
Having watched Gimmies win in Bloem last season, Erasmus’ charges will believe that victory is possible when they visit Grey College on 9 May.
Two weeks later, they will tackle Paul Roos in Stellenbosch before another potentially tricky fixture at Boland Landbou.
All in all, it’s a tough draw, and it will be interesting to see how their win-loss record reads when they head to Faure Street Stadium for the big annual derby on 1 August.
Gimmies will face a few challenging periods over the course of the year.
Stellenberg have taken giant strides in recent years, but may struggle to repel the Gimmies machine in the fixture scheduled for 14 March.
Gimmies will have another game against Durbanville before they head to the North-South tournament, where they will face Noordheuwel and Menlopark, who both showed over the course of the 2025 season why are not to be be taken lightly.
It remains to be seen how Pieter Rossouw and his coaching staff will manage the side during that tournament, knowing that some of the toughest fixtures of the season – Affies away and Grey College at home – will follow, not to mention the tricky clashes against Helpmekaar and DHS in the Wilderklawer series thereafter.
While they may be too strong for Boland Landbou, Bishops and even Wynberg, they may be tested by Oakdale on 30 May and by Paul Roos in Paarl a week later.
If they win the next set of fixtures against Drostdy and Rondebosch, they will go into the Paarl derby with momentum – and perhaps fewer bumps and bruises than their Boishaai counterparts, who will be coming off especially physical encounters against Paul Roos and Boland Landbou.
Paul Roos will have the chance to show how much they’ve improved when they host Affies in Stellenbosch on 21 March. The last time these two sides met, Affies won 20-18 at the 2025 Wilderklawer festival.
If Paul Roos come through that match with a win, they may continue to build momentum in subsequent fixtures against Monument, Pretoria Boys, Stellenberg, Grey High and Garsfontein.
It’s interesting to note that they will have some time between their biggest fixtures – Oakdale at the Wildeklawer festival on 27 April, Boishaai in Stellenbosch on 23 May, Gimmies in Paarl on 6 June and Grey College in Stellenbosch on 15 August.
While the Paarl heavyweights will have something to say about it, a successful run by Paul Roos and Grey College may see that inter-provincial fixture in Stellies doubling as a national final, as was the case in 2024.
THE CHASING PACK
Of the chasing pack in the region, Oakdale made the biggest statement in 2025, and will want to take things forward in 2026.
They will have the benefit of playing Grey College in Riversdale on 14 March, while other marquee clashes against Affies, Paul Roos and Gimmies will either be staged on neutral soil or at home.
Having beaten Boishaai last season, Oakdale may believe a result in Paarl is possible this coming August.
Meanwhile, in the southern suburbs, Wynberg will attempt to retain their crown after finishing unbeaten against Bishops, Rondebosch, and SACS in the home and away series.
Bishops have recorded a number of poor results in recent years, and it’s hoped that former Bok centre Robbie Fleck, the newly appointed director of rugby, will steer them in a more prosperous direction.
That said, it may take more than a season to transform the Bishops First XV into a unit that can mix it with the likes of Boishaai, Gimmies and others.
Indeed, Bishops would do well to disrupt Wynberg and Rondebosch in that four-team series, and compete for the unofficial southern suburbs title.
It’s more likely that Wynberg and Rondebosch will joust for regional honours. Wynberg won both games in the mini-series last season, beating Rondebosch 38-33 away and 43-0 at home.
Rondebosch did show their ability to perform in big games, of course, when they drew with Paarl Gym and then beat the likes of Oakdale and Boland Landbou.
Wynberg will host the first derby on 11 April, while the teams will meet in Rondebosch on 15 August, before the series and the school season concludes a week later.
By Jon Cardinelli
rugby365.com