By Johnathan Paoli
Paul Roos Gymnasium were crowned U17 champions of the Marius Schoeman Sevens on Saturday after surviving a dramatic final against Hoërskool Garsfontein that finished 19-19 after extra time.
Hosted by Paarl Gimnasium in the Western Cape over the weekend, Paul Roos were declared winners following the deadlock because they had been the first team to score in the match.
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The Stellenbosch-based school completed a memorable double, with its U15 side also lifting the Cup after dismantling Paarl Boys’ High 43-5 in the final.
The U17 decider was the closest possible contest, with little separating the two sides throughout.
For Garsfontein, the result was particularly painful after an impressive run through the knockout stages.
The Pretoria-based school eliminated Hoërskool Outeniqua 21-15 in the quarterfinals before beating Boland Landbou 31-17 in the semifinals.
Paul Roos, meanwhile, defeated Charlie Hofmeyr 24-15 in the quarterfinals before overcoming hosts Paarl Gimnasium 28-19 in the semifinals.
Paarl Gimnasium’s U15 side also fell short, losing 26-21 to Paarl Boys’ High in the corresponding Cup semifinal.
Paul Roos had negotiated a demanding U17 pool containing Bellville, St Andrew’s College and Bosmansdam.
They opened their campaign with a 26-7 victory over St Andrew’s, followed it with a 17-0 win against Bellville and completed the pool stage with a commanding 48-0 victory over Bosmansdam.
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Garsfontein also had to recover from an early setback.
After beating Melkbosstrand 36-5, they suffered a 24-0 defeat to Durbanville before responding with a 38-10 victory over Overberg to progress to the knockout stages.
Paul Roos players also claimed the individual honours, with Cadynn Samuels named U17 Player of the Tournament and Liam Armitage taking the U15 award.
Samuels had impressed during the school’s 15-man rugby season with his speed and agility, while Armitage normally plays as eighthman in the 15-man game.
In the U15 competition, Paul Roos went unbeaten in their pool before beating Parel Vallei 33-0 in the round of 16, Boland Landbou 38-7 in the quarterfinals and Oakdale 44-19 in the semifinals.
Their 43-5 victory over Paarl Boys’ High in the final secured a second trophy in as many weeks after Paul Roos edged Paarl Gimnasium in the U15 final of the Cape Sevens at Hoërskool Hugenote in Wellington.
The Marius Schoeman Sevens celebrated its 10th edition this year.
The tournament is named after Paarl Gim alumnus and former Blitzbok Marius Schoeman and has established itself as an important fixture on the schoolboys’ sevens calendar.
Paarl Gimnasium entered as defending champions in both age groups after winning both Cups in 2025, but neither side retained its title.
The competition featured 32 teams in each of the U15 and U17 age groups, with eight pools of four, while a further 32 teams contested the U12 competition.
Durbanville reached the U17 Cup quarterfinals, while Boland Landbou advanced to the semifinals before losing to Garsfontein.
Paarl Gimnasium finished third in the U17 competition after edging Boland Landbou 29-26, while Paarl Boys’ High won the U17 Plate after beating Oakdale Landbou 29-12.
Paul Roos’s U17 side will now turn its attention to the Clover High Schools Sevens Series Champion of Champions tournament at North-West University in Potchefstroom on 18 and 19 September.
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After the tournament, the school congratulated its players.
“Congratulations to our Paul Roos Gymnasium players on their outstanding performances in the tournament. A special mention to Cadynn Samuels (U17) and Liam Armitage (U15), named Player of the Tournament in their respective sections,” the school said on social media.
