Top rugby school in the Western Cape. Ranked second in the FNB Top 20. Winners of Die Burger Big School's competition. It probably is fair to say that Paarl Boys High had an excellent season.

And the statistics do back them up. Played 22, won 19, lost 2 and one drawn game.

For Boishaai assistant coach, Elmo Wolfaardt, the potential for his charges to shine was always there.

"I knew that the side we had was capable of excelling on the field. The potential was there and the boys were ready to put in the hard work. We had strong leaders in the side too. Most of all, though, we had a bunch of boys that just enjoyed playing the game," Wolfaardt explained.

"We had the side together only for this season. Most of the boys have come through the age groups, but some are dropped or are injured and are replaced by new boys. So the boys really surprised us with the excellent results they pulled off.

"We managed to achieve most of the goals we set for ourselves. All the boys' hard work during the season paid off with a top three finish in the FNB Top 20, finishing as the top school in the Western Cape and winning Die Burger's Big School's competition. The only disappointment for us was not being able to win the Interschool's game against Paarl Gymnasium," the assistant coach said.

Boishaai were hot favourites to win the game but came up short against their rivals on the day.

"The defeat hit us hard, as we were heavily favoured to win the game. We told ourselves that Gymnasium were the better team on the day and that we didn't deserve to win the game," Wolfaardt explained.

"We needed to bounce back quickly from that defeat. Luckily for us there were still a few big games left to play, so our focus quickly shifted to those games."

Boishaai bounced back from the Interschools heartache with a 19-12 win over Boland Landbou the following week.

While Boishaai will remember the Interschool's defeat with heavy hearts, they still have plenty to cheer them up when looking back at the season. The highlights reel will include the 15-15 draw against Grey College in Bloemfontein, being the top school in the Western Cape, winning Die Burger's competition as well as the wins over Paul Roos, Florida and EG Jansen.

Wolfaardt, though, recalls the three games that had him on the edge of his seat.

"Interschools will always be a difficult game because the pressure on the day is unbelievable. For us, at Boishaai, it defines our season. It's about what happens on Interschools day in that 70 minutes on the field. The form book goes out the window as any team is capable of winning on the day.

"The games against Grey College and Affies are also difficult. They're physical and skillful and are tenacious."

The question that many a Boishaai supporter will be wondering, though, is whether the Class of 2012 can emulate or even better what the Class of 2011 did?

"It will be a very difficult task, but it is possible," Wolfaardt said.

"The talent is available, but the results on the field will determine if we reach the heights of 2011."