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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

2026 No. 1
Paarl Gimnasium
14-0-1, rating 2215
Schools ranked
250
465 teams played
Matches rated
1 728
plus 1 576 from 2025
Winners called
70%
before kick-off, back-tested

Top 25 schools, 2026

All 250 schools
#SchoolRatingW-D-L
1Paarl Gimnasium221514-0-1
2Zwartkop202922-0-2
3Affies202413-0-4
4Garsfontein202313-0-3
5Paul Roos Gimnasium202214-0-2
6Monument196016-0-4
7Paarl Boys' High19478-1-5
8Stellenberg193815-0-2
9Grey College191411-0-5
10Centurion190514-0-0
11Graeme College189016-1-1
12Durban HS188811-1-4
13Wilgerivier188711-0-0
14Pietersburg187717-0-3
15Hilton College186611-0-2
16Parel Vallei186413-0-1
17Drostdy186312-0-2
18Charlie Hofmeyr183413-0-1
19Jim Fouche182814-0-1
20Rondebosch Boys' High182212-0-5
21Swartland181712-1-3
22Westville Boys' High18129-1-6
23Diamantveld181110-0-5
24Pretoria Noord179512-1-3
25Michaelhouse17949-0-5

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. 5
  3. 3Paarl Boys' HighNo. 7

Gauteng

65 ranked
  1. 1ZwartkopNo. 2
  2. 2AffiesNo. 3
  3. 3GarsfonteinNo. 4

Eastern Cape

34 ranked
  1. 1Graeme CollegeNo. 11
  2. 2Grey High SchoolNo. 26
  3. 3Andrew RabieNo. 32

KwaZulu-Natal

16 ranked
  1. 1Durban HSNo. 12
  2. 2Hilton CollegeNo. 15
  3. 3Westville Boys' HighNo. 22

Free State

16 ranked
  1. 1Grey CollegeNo. 9
  2. 2WilgerivierNo. 13
  3. 3Jim FoucheNo. 19

North West

14 ranked
  1. 1Potch VolkskoolNo. 43
  2. 2WagposNo. 59
  3. 3WesvaliaNo. 72

Mpumalanga

15 ranked
  1. 1Uplands CollegeNo. 27
  2. 2NelspruitNo. 44
  3. 3StandertonNo. 46

Limpopo

10 ranked
  1. 1PietersburgNo. 14
  2. 2EllisrasNo. 73
  3. 3Ben ViljoenNo. 94

Northern Cape

6 ranked
  1. 1DiamantveldNo. 23
  2. 2UpingtonNo. 61
  3. 3Kalahari (Kuruman)No. 117

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+432
  2. 2SwartlandWestern Cape+383
  3. 3Paarl GimnasiumWestern Cape+349
  4. 4CenturionGauteng+317
  5. 5Charlie HofmeyrWestern Cape+316

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 2215 and a 14-0-1 record. Zwartkop were second and Affies 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 2 260 matches before kick-off.

What are the top rugby schools in South Africa?

On 2026 results the top five are Paarl Gimnasium, Zwartkop, Affies, Garsfontein, Paul Roos Gimnasium. The full list of 250 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.