FNB Varsity Cup Promotion-relegation Battle Will Add Extra Spice In 2023

 

For the first time in the history of the FNB Varsity Cup, eight teams will contest the FNB Varsity Cup while eight teams will also battle it out for the FNB Varsity Shield.

This is after a dramatic end to the 2022 season that saw two teams relegated from the Varsity Cup and one team from the Varsity Shield eliminated.

In their last round-robin fixture of the 2022 tournament, Paul Treu’s UWC troops were leading Maties 31-28 after 61 minutes, but couldn’t hold on for an epic victory. Three years after winning the Varsity Shield and being promoted, the team from Bellville ended ninth on the 2021-22 combined log and was relegated along with the 10th-placed Madibaz.

The battle to get back into the top tier will take place once again as 2023 has been declared a promotion-relegation year.

At the end of the 2023 season, the team ending bottom of the Varsity Cup log will automatically be relegated to the Varsity Shield, while the team finishing top of the Varsity Shield log will automatically be promoted to the Varsity Cup.

The team that finishes 7th on the Varsity Cup log will play in a promotion/relegation match on 17 April 2023 against the team that finishes 2nd on the Varsity Shield log.

The team that finishes bottom of the Varsity Shield log will play off against the top USSA team to decide who plays in the 2024 tournament.

Varsity Cup Teams:
FNB UP Tuks
UFS Shimlas
FNB Maties
FNB UCT Ikeys
FNB NWU Eagles
FNB UJ
FNB CUT Ixias
FNB Wits

Varsity Shield Teams:
FNB UFH Blues
FNB WSU All Blacks0
FNB CPUT
FNB UKZN Impi
FNB Rhodes
FNB UWC
FNB Madibaz
FNB TUT Vikings