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The Tekkies, who won the Shield for the first time in 2019, suffered a 39-5 defeat to the All Blacks in their last outing. However, that one-sided result needs to be put into context. With FNB CPUT having already booked their place in the final with five consecutive bonus-point wins, coach Alastair Theys made 13 changes to his starting XV for Tuesday’s clash in a bid to keep his A-team fresh for Sunday @19h00.
“We’ve had a rotational selection policy throughout this tournament,” Theys tells VarsityCup.co.za. “We knew that the team that played against UKZN [in Round 5] would be different to the one that played against WSU [in Round 6].
“Beating UKZN made things easier for us as we qualified for the final. Some of the guys picked up injury niggles in that game so we were able to rest them for the match against WSU while rotating other players.”
FNB WSU also rested 13 first-choice players for their final league-stage match, against the FNB TUT Vikings, at Loftus Versfeld on Friday. The understrength All Blacks suffered a 64-8 defeat to relinquish their unbeaten record and top spot on the log.
While FNB WSU coach Akhona Mgijima was disappointed with the result, he had no choice but to give his team the best possible chance of winning the final against a first-choice FNB CPUT team that last played seven days ago.
“We wanted to win every game but we couldn’t start the players who will start the final against TUT as they would only have had one day to recover,” says Mgijima. “And their bodies have already taken a big pounding in this bubble.”
FNB CPUT knows what it takes to win an FNB Varsity Shield final, having come from behind to beat the FNB Madibaz 32-28 in Port Elizabeth two years ago.
“I think that experience will give us a slight advantage on Sunday,” says Theys. “We have six guys who played in that final in our starting lineup, including our captain [Butsha Mputa]. They’ve played a big mentoring role this week and reminded the other boys to stick to the plan and follow the processes.
“And even though we lost on Tuesday, the boys who played did their job, because now WSU don’t know what to expect from us on Sunday.”
Theys believes the breakdown battle will be key in determining who wins the war.
“Both teams like to play a quick game and spread the ball wide,” he explains. “The breakdown will determine who gets quick ball, so we’ve focused on that going into the final.”
Mgijima says his team must win the psychological battle going into the final if they are to emerge victoriously.
“We need to immediately forget about what happened on Friday [against TUT] and focus on Sunday’s final. We need that mental toughness and hunger for success before running onto the field. We have to believe that we can do it. If our hearts and minds are in it, we will definitely win the final.
“I believe we have a superior game plan [to CPUT] and we trust our structures and systems,” Mgijima adds. “It will also come down to which team wants it the most, and I believe we do.”
ROAD TO THE FINAL
FNB CPUT
Beat FNB UFH Blues 36-20
Beat FNB Rhodes 68-8
Beat FNB DUT Rhinos 109-6
Beat FNB TUT Vikings 54-20
Beat FNB UKZN Impi 53-12
Lost to FNB WSU All Blacks 5-39
FNB WSU ALL BLACKS
Beat FNB DUT Rhinos 136-11
Beat FNB UKZN Impi 32-31
Beat FNB UFH Blues 46-12
Beat FNB Rhodes 63-10
Beat FNB CPUT 39-5
Lost to FNB TUT Vikings 8-64
TEAMS
FNB CPUT – 15 Raven Chester Smith, 14 Asisipho Malotana, 13 Jurick Lewis, 12 Lunathi Nxele, 11 Nathan Nkutu, 10 Feghon-Leigh Snyders, 9 Hugan Engelbrecht, 8 Sesona Macala, 7 Ché Klaasen, 6 Butsha Mputa (c), 5 Roland van der Heever, 4 Mogamat Ameer Hendricks, 3 Matthew Coenraad, 2 Siyasanga Ngubelanga, 1 Dé-Angelo Williams. Replacements: 16 Damian Isaacs, 17 Onika Mgijima, 18 Jacques-Lynn Josephus, 19 Bradley van Boven, 20 Phumlani Mkhaliphi, 21 Cuan Maree, 22 Bjorkan Hendricks, 23 Imibongo Vabaza.
FNB WSU All Blacks – 15 Litha Nkula (c), 14 Sakhele Ngeno, 13 Sicelo Tole, 12 Thembani Kori, 11 Tebogo Madigoe, 10 Lwandile Mapuko, 9 Eric Mcaphukana, 8 Adri Kermis, 7 Ayabulela Zono, 6 Siphosihle Magawu, 5 Hlomla Payi, 4 Asekho Marubelela, 3 Siyasanga Dingezweni, 2 Zanokuhle Nkabi, 1 Xolani Jacobs. Replacements: 16 Nande Lucas, 17 Lindokuhle Seteni, 18 Miyelani Ngobeni, 19 Khanya Solani, 20 Lithemba Ngcetane, 21 Lisolethu Valisi, 22 Asivile Ngcawe, 23 S'bulelo Roji.