Jeanluc Cilliers kicked 19 points as Paarl Boys' beat Paul Roos 29-10 in Saturday’s Mutual & Federal Premier Interschools clash.
The first half of this match between the country's No 1 and 2 ranked teams was an intense and tightly fought affair.
Cilliers, the Boishaai fullback, converted three penalties, while Paul Roos’s attacking intent saw them score a converted try through fullback Joshua Vermeulen before Christoff Baard added a penalty as the visitors ended the half with a slender 10-9 lead.
The second half belonged to the home side as they punished Paul Roos with two converted tries through centre Manuel Rass and wing Tyreeq February. Cilliers added a further two penalties to ensure his team would run out comfortable winners.
'We worked hard on the basics in the buildup to the game,' Paarl Boys' 1st XV coach Sean Erasmus told SARugbymag.co.za. 'We knew they had a right-footed wing and a left-footed flyhalf, so we worked on our kicking. Our defence has been very good this year, so we wanted to grind it out and wait for them to make mistakes which we could capitalise on. They're a good side, so we were made to wait a long time before the dam wall broke.
'This team is blessed,' he added. 'We've learned how to work under immense pressure, we've got a really great group, and we're seeing the results of that.'
Paul Roos 1st XV coach Hein Kriek rued his side's inability to execute their game plan.
'We planned to play a kicking game and keep them in their half, and losing one of our options in Joshua Vermeulen really damaged our chances of executing that,' he said. 'They scored two turnover tries in the second half, and in the first half some of the penalties they scored came from some tough decisions, but at this level you can't change the game after conceding so many points in one half.'
Paarl Boys' High – Tries: Manuel Rass, Tyreeq February. Conversions: Jeanluc Cilliers (2). Penalties: Cilliers (5).
Paul Roos – Try: Joshua Vermeulen. Conversion: Christoff Baard. Penalty: Baard.
Schools rugby results (20 June)
Photo: Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images
