FNB Wits did the unthinkable and relegated FNB UP-Tuks on Monday evening to the FNB Varsity Shield for the first time in the history of the competition when they beat the defending champions 33-21 in Johannesburg.
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 against the team that finishes 2nd on the Varsity Shield log.
TUKS "secured" the last place on the Varsity Cup log, while FNB Cut (17), FNB UCT (16) and FNB UJ (13) are still in a race to avoid the promotion/relegation match against the second-placed Varsity Shield team.
FNB CUT will host FNB UCT Ikeys and FNB UJ will travel to Pretoria to face the already relegated FNB Tuks.
FNB UWC and FNB Madibaz have already secured the two top spots on the Varsity Shield log. FNB Madibaz will host FNB UWC on Friday to determine who will be promoted automatically to the FNB Cup competition and who will play against the second-last-placed team in the Varsity Cup competition.