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Schools RugbyRankings 2026

Latest results, weekend of 22 Aug 2026

2026 season, final table

South African Schools Rugby Rankings 2026

Every South African boys' first XV school with 5 or more matches, rated from 1 728 2026 results. No panel and no opinions: one published formula rates every school.

Full rankingsStats Centre

Updated , with results to .

2026 No. 1
Paarl Gimnasium
14-0-1, rating 2356
Schools ranked
251
461 teams played
Matches rated
1 728
plus 6 204 from 2025
Winners called
70%
before kick-off, back-tested

Top 25 schools, 2026

All 251 schools
#SchoolRatingW-D-L
1Paarl Gimnasium235614-0-1
2Affies216213-0-4
3Garsfontein215613-0-3
4Paul Roos Gimnasium215314-0-2
5Zwartkop209622-0-2
6Monument207916-0-4
7Paarl Boys' High20658-1-5
8Stellenberg205615-0-2
9Grey College202711-0-5
10Durban HS198411-1-4
11Drostdy196912-0-2
12Centurion195614-0-0
13Graeme College194916-1-1
14Hilton College194911-0-2
15Pietersburg193817-0-3
16Rondebosch Boys' High192912-0-5
17Wilgerivier192611-0-0
18Westville Boys' High19079-1-6
19Parel Vallei190013-0-1
20Michaelhouse18949-0-5
21Charlie Hofmeyr188513-0-1
22Jim Fouche187714-0-1
23Diamantveld187210-0-5
24Swartland187112-1-3
25Maritzburg College186811-0-6

Most points scored

  1. 1MonumentGauteng1000
  2. 2ZwartkopGauteng996
  3. 3Graeme CollegeEastern Cape814
  4. 4Kingswood CollegeEastern Cape795
  5. 5Paarl GimnasiumWestern Cape760

Best defence

  1. 1Bloemfontein SSFree State6.9
  2. 1WilgerivierFree State6.9
  3. 3AHS GermistonGauteng8.9
  4. 4Thomas More CollegeKwaZulu-Natal11.9
  5. 5Uplands CollegeMpumalanga12.0

Longest winning run

  1. 1ZwartkopGauteng15
  2. 2CenturionGauteng14
  3. 2Paarl GimnasiumWestern Cape14
  4. 4WilgerivierFree State11
  5. 5Andrew RabieEastern Cape10

Rankings by province

Western Cape

71 ranked
  1. 1Paarl GimnasiumNo. 1
  2. 2Paul Roos GimnasiumNo. 4
  3. 3Paarl Boys' HighNo. 7

Gauteng

63 ranked
  1. 1AffiesNo. 2
  2. 2GarsfonteinNo. 3
  3. 3ZwartkopNo. 5

Eastern Cape

33 ranked
  1. 1Graeme CollegeNo. 13
  2. 2Grey High SchoolNo. 28
  3. 3Nico MalanNo. 35

KwaZulu-Natal

16 ranked
  1. 1Durban HSNo. 10
  2. 2Hilton CollegeNo. 14
  3. 3Westville Boys' HighNo. 18

Free State

17 ranked
  1. 1Grey CollegeNo. 9
  2. 2WilgerivierNo. 17
  3. 3Jim FoucheNo. 22

North West

14 ranked
  1. 1Potch VolkskoolNo. 47
  2. 2WagposNo. 61
  3. 3WesvaliaNo. 69

Mpumalanga

14 ranked
  1. 1NelspruitNo. 38
  2. 2Uplands CollegeNo. 40
  3. 3BergvlamNo. 53

Limpopo

9 ranked
  1. 1PietersburgNo. 15
  2. 2EllisrasNo. 73
  3. 3Ben ViljoenNo. 92

Northern Cape

6 ranked
  1. 1DiamantveldNo. 23
  2. 2UpingtonNo. 63
  3. 3Kalahari (Kuruman)No. 123

2026 stat leaders

Stats Centre

Most wins

  1. 1ZwartkopGauteng22
  2. 2PietersburgLimpopo17
  3. 3Graeme CollegeEastern Cape16
  4. 3MonumentGauteng16
  5. 5Dale CollegeEastern Cape15

Points difference

  1. 1ZwartkopGauteng+584
  2. 2Kingswood CollegeEastern Cape+551
  3. 3Paarl GimnasiumWestern Cape+533
  4. 4WilgerivierFree State+498
  5. 5Graeme CollegeEastern Cape+430

Biggest rating climb

  1. 1MonumentGauteng+448
  2. 2SwartlandWestern Cape+404
  3. 3CenturionGauteng+367
  4. 4Charlie HofmeyrWestern Cape+345
  5. 5Jim FoucheFree State+342

Longest unbeaten run

  1. 1ZwartkopGauteng15
  2. 2CenturionGauteng14
  3. 2Paarl GimnasiumWestern Cape14
  4. 4Graeme CollegeEastern Cape12
  5. 5Pretoria NoordGauteng11

Biggest upsets of the season

All upsets

About the SA schools rugby rankings

These are the South African schools rugby rankings for 2026, built from first XV results across all nine provinces. Each school's rating rises and falls with its results, so the table answers one question: on this season's matches, who is strongest?

The same numbers drive the head to head win chances and the Stats Centre. The method, sources and back-test are on how it works.

Who is the No. 1 schools rugby team in South Africa in 2026?

Paarl Gimnasium finished 2026 top of the South African schools rugby rankings with a rating of 2356 and a 14-0-1 record. Affies were second and Garsfontein third.

How are the SA schools rugby rankings worked out?

Every first XV result goes into one rating. Beat a stronger side and you gain more than for beating a weaker one; bigger margins count a little more, with diminishing returns. The same formula rates every school, and it picked the winner of 70% of 6 299 matches before kick-off.

What are the top rugby schools in South Africa?

On 2026 results the top five are Paarl Gimnasium, Affies, Garsfontein, Paul Roos Gimnasium, Zwartkop. The full list of 251 ranked schools, with province tables, is on the rankings page.

How many matches does a school need to be ranked?

5 first XV matches in the season. Schools with fewer are still rated and listed with their results, and visiting sides from outside South Africa are rated but not ranked.

Where do the schools rugby results come from?

From public results pages, cross-checked where more than one source reports the same match. Every match links the page its score came from, and wrong scores can be reported for correction.