On a calm Boland afternoon the restful town of Paarl was anything but calm as chaotic emotions burst out at the Faure Street Stadium near the centre of the town as Paarl Rock looked impassively down from his lofty position. It was the day of Interschools, an FNB Classic Clash, and a day with a topsy turvy result as, against the odds, Paarl Gim beat Paarl Boys' High 22-21.

There was just one point in it - a massive one-point disappointment if you were a Boishaai supporter, a massive blast off into ecstasy if you were a Gim supporter. One point can mean so much and forever 2011 will be the year Gim won the Interschools, as they have done more often than not this century. It did not matter that Boishaai had scored two tries to Gim's one. The only statistic that mattered was the final score.

All the indications were that Boishaai would win, but it is the spice of sport and its romance that upsets can and do happen. After all Boishaai had been having a great season, Gim one well below their usual rate of success, and yet there they were with a victory and Boishaai's effort was as close as it was through a seven-pointer with a minute to go.

There were all the usual ceremonies, stately ones to start with, exuberant to end with - at least on one side of the ground. There were the cheerleaders in tails and the champagne girls, the headmasters with their rosettes, the songs and the warcries, the colourful balloons let free from huge canvasses, the colours decorating the stands, the programmes that were blue or green and Gim's own haka. It was all there as tradition demands.

There was also the dead silence when kicks at goal were taken, as tradition demands. And then at the final whistle the Gim supporters tumbled down from their stand in an outburst of joy to hug their heroes, hoist them on shoulders and show them off to the world.

The game was tense. there was not a lot of flow or continuity but there was one deadly tackle after another. (Does anybody remembeR a tackle missed?) It was a day for bravery, which is its own form of beauty. It was a day to fight for every inch of territory, as Gim did and always do.

Gim were more penalised than Boishaai (12-5) but the first penalty was theirs and flyhalf Handré Pollard  goaled it. 3-0 after 3 minutes.

When a Gim pass went astray, Boishaai went on feverish attack and prop JE van der Merwe was held up over the line. They had a five-metre scrum which produced a five-metre free kick which set Boishaai surging at the line. Then they went wide left where JP le Roux ran in for a try right in the corner and in the process knocked a television cameraman into a pond. 5-3 after 16 minutes.

Gim attacked but Boishaai got possession and fullback Rhyno Smith cleared downfield, but not downfield enough as Gim's enterprising fullback got the ball some 43 metres from the posts and he kicked a dropped goal that soared over. 6-5 after 19 minutes.

Lock Takkies Reitz had a great charge but the ball went astray and Gim came back on the attack. Handré Pollard goaled his second penalty. 9-5 after 25 minutes.

Two minutes later it was Rhyno Smith's turn to goal a penalty. 9-8, which was the half-time score.

Gim scored first in the second half - a third penalty by Handré Pollard and they scored second as well, this time a try. It started with a swift counterattack by Johannes Human and then a clean, straight break by Daniël du Toit who gave to flank Corné Cooper. Somehow Cooper managed to burst away from two defenders and score at the posts. 19-8 after 44 minutes. There was life in Gim after this try.

Two Rhyno Smith penalties brought the score to 19-14 before Handré Pollard goaled again. 22-14 with 12 minutes to play. 

Now Boishaai were desperate. They attacked again and again. Gim tackled again and again. They tackled JP le Roux into touch right at the corner. Boishaai attacked with a maul. Gim were penalised and Boishaai charged and bashed till flank François Basson just managed to get the ball to the goal-line. Rhyno Smith converted. There was one point in it with a minute to play.

Boishaai came bashing back but, time up, Gim won a turnover and Handré Pollard hoofed the ball into the crowd on the open side./ That was the signal for Gim glee to burst forth while Boishaai went to stand before their sombre supporters.

Another memorable Interschools, the climax of  a month and a half of intense preparation, came to an end.

Scorers:

For Paarl Gim:
Try: Corné Cooper
Con: Handré Pollard
Pens: Handré Pollard 4
Drop: Johannes Human

For Boishaai:
Tries: JP le Roux, François Basson
Con: Rhyno Smith
Pens: Rhyno Smith 3

Teams

Paarl Boys' High: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Arthur Festus, 13 Donavan Nicol, 12 Johan Peens, 11 JP le Roux, 10 Andreas Nel, 9 Jean Nel, 8 François Basson, 7 WJ Smith, 6 Dean Hensley, 5 Sebastian Ferreira, 4 Takkies Reitz (captain, 3 JE van der Merwe, 2 Derek Taylor, 1 Ignus Nagel

Coaches: Elmo Wolfaardt, Richard Visagie, Gerhard Visser

Paarl Gim: 15 Johannes Human, 14 Daniël du Toit, 13 Johan van Zyl, 12 Neil Bester, 11 Danny de Wet, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Lötter Pretorius, 8 Michael Murphy, 7 Corné Cooper, 6 Hennie Botha, 5 Clyde Davids, 4 Jaco Jordaan (captain), 3 Jurgens Hanekom, 2 Wihan du Toit, 1 Anton Versfeld

Coaches: Christoff Lötter, Hendrik Weber

Referee: Joey Salmans (Western Province Referees' Society)
Assistant referees: Mark Taylor (Western Province Referees' Society), Deon van Blommestein (Western Province Referees' Society)

Results down the years

Just for the record and to help with more accurate bragging we give the results of the First XV match from 1915 to 2011.

1915: Boys' High won 10-0
1916: Gim won 7-5
1917: Gim won 3-0
1918: Gim won 3-0
1919: Gim won 9-0
1920: Gim won 20-0
1921: Draw 6-6
1922: Draw 3-3
1923: Boys' High won 3-0
1924: Boys' High won 13-5
1925: Boys' High won 7-3
1926: Boys' High won 6-5
1927: Gim won 5-3
1928: No match
1929: Draw 3-3
1930: Boys' High won 5-3
1931: Gim won 6-0
1932: Gim won 7-3
1933: Boys' High won 3-0
1934: Boys' High won 5-4
1935: Draw 0-0
1936: Gim won 11-6
1937: Gim won 5-3
1938: Gim won 5-3
1939: Gim won 9-8
1940: Draw 3-3
1941: Gim won 6-0
1942: Draw 0-0
1943: Gim won 9-6
1944: Boys' High won 6-0
1945: Boys' High won 14-6
1946: Draw 3-3
1947: Boys' High won 8-3
1948: Draw 3-3
1949: Gim won 9-3
1950: Boys' High won 6-3
1951: Boys' High won 6-0
1952: Boys' High won 11-0
1953: Boys' High won 6-5
1956: Gim won 6-3
1957: Gim won 5-3
1958: Gim won 11-0
1959: Boys' High won 11-3
1960: Gim won 9-3
1961: Boys' High won 6-0
1962: Boys' High won 6-0
1963: Boys' High won 8-0
1964: Gim won 9-8
1965: Gim won 11-0
1966: Gim won 8-0
1967: Gim won 8-6
1968: Gim won 3-0
1969: Boys' High won 8-5
1970: Gim won 19-8
1971: Boys' High won 11-6
1972: Boys' High won 6-3
1973: Boys' High won 19-6
1974: Gim won 9-3
1975: Boys' High won 3-0
1976: Gim won 8-6
1977: Boys' High won 15-6
1978: Gim won 13-10
1979: Gim won 12-6
1980: Gim won 9-3
1981: Gim won 12-0
1982: Boys' High won 16-15
1983: Gim won 15-6
1984: Gim won 10-4
1985: Boys' High won 16-6
1986: Draw 0-0
1987: Boys' High won 15-7
1988: Draw 6-6
1989: Gim won 15-4
1990: Boys' High won 10-6
1991: Boys' High won 8-4
1992: Gim won 20-15
1993: Boys' High won 19-17
1994: Boys' High won 11-6
1995: Boys' High won 17-3
1996: Gim won 18-16
1997: Gim won 13-10
1998: Boys' High won 16-5
1999: Gim won 13-6
2000: Boys' High won 15-7
2001: Boys' High won 12-3
2002: Gim won 15-0
2003: Boys' High won 25-6
2004: Gim won 13-3
2005: Gim won 22-10
2006: Gim won 23-17
2007: Gim won 10-0
2008: Gim won 35-8
2009: Boys' High won 24-12
2010: Draw 19-19
2011: Gim won 22-21