Photo Credit - Speedshots.co.za
The 2021 edition of the FNB VarsityShield will be played in a secure bio-bubble at the University of Pretoria from 12 April to 09 May and for the first time include comprehensive broadcast coverage of FNB Varsity Shield matches too.
The FNB Varsity Cup is set to alternate with the FNB Varsity Shield during this 51-day period, with all 17 teams staying at the FNB Varsity Cup Village. Teams will leave and return to the Village between bubbles.
Both the FNB Varsity Cup and FNB Varsity Shield will adhere to SA Rugby’s Covid-19 protocols, with players and management being tested regularly. Weekly testing will also be done during the four-week period leading up to the tournaments.
With the squads still not 100% confirmed, varsity cup.co.za picked the brains of the 10 head coaches of the 7 Varsity Shield teams who each picked one player to watch from their teams.
DIETER GROENEWALD
University: FNB TUT
School: Hoërskool Zwartkop
Position: Centre
Born: 6 August 2002
Weight: 88kg
Height: 1.84m
“Dieter is the youngest member of our squad but as tough as nails,” says TUT coach Kaya Malotana. “He has a physical presence and is also an evasive runner. He has a big left boot, for posts and exists.” Groenewald, whose goal-kicking range is 62m, hasn’t yet played representative rugby and is inspired by those who missed out on Craven Week selection yet still went on to earn national colours. He aims to do the same.
HLOMLA PAYI
University: FNB WSU
School: Dale College
Position: Lock
Born: 16 January 2001
Weight: 93m
Height: 1.93m
Payi represented Border at the U16 Grant Khomo Week and the U18 Academy Week and hopes to play professional senior rugby. “Hlomla is a mobile lock who also does the dirty work,” says coach Akhona Mgijima. “He commands the lineouts and is defensively sound. He played lock and No 7 flank for us last year and did very well. He is an on-field hero.”
SINOLWAZINGEKAMVALAKHE RALO
University: FNB Rhodes
School: Dale College
Position: Tighthead prop
Born: 4 March 1999
Weight: 137kg
Height: 1.91m
FNB Rhodes coach Carlos Katywa believes Ralo would be playing provincial rugby if he lived in a bigger town than Makhanda (Grahamstown), where talent scouts rarely venture. “Sino has won Player That Rocks awards while playing in a losing side, so it shows what he can do,” says Katywa. “He is a tighthead prop with the hands of a flyhalf and the speed of a flank. He is a mean machine and I believe his best is yet to come. Sino is also a brilliant scholar, who is doing his postgraduate diploma in Business Analysis this year.”
FEGHON-LEIGH SNYDERS
University: FNB CPUT
School: New Orleans Secondary
Position: Flyhalf
Born: 16 August 2000
Weight: 77kg
Height: 1.75m
FNB CPUT coach Alastair Theys pays Snyders the ultimate compliment when asked about his 20-year-old flyhalf. “Feghon-Leigh reminds me of Dan Carter. He is soft-spoken off the field but a general on it. He has a lot of time on the ball, is a good decision-maker and has that X-factor. He has a good 15-20m pass and great hands.” Snyders played for Boland at the U18 Academy Week, before attending the Western Province Rugby Academy and representing WP in the SA Rugby U19 Championship in 2019. Last year, Snyders made his FNB Varsity Shield debut at the age of 19. “We put him straight into our senior leadership group because we recognised his talent and potential,” says Theys.
ONKE JIBA
University: FNB UKZN
School: Durban High School
Position: Wing
Born: 21 November 1999
Weight: 82kg
Height: 1.75m
Jiba has represented the Sharks at U18, U19 and U21 levels, and was part of the Sharks XV squad for the 2020 SuperSport Rugby Challenge that was cancelled due to Covid-19. He also played sevens for the Sharks U17s and was included in the SA Students Sevens (USSA) squad in 2019. While primarily a winger, the 21-year-old can play centre and fullback too. “Onke is quick!” says UKZN coach Donald Ngwenya. “He runs good lines, has a good feel for the game and is a solid defender. He is in great condition, too.”
YAMKELA MZOZOYANA
University: FNB UFH
School: Jali High School
Position: No 8
Born: 27 April 1997
Weight: 98kg
Height: 1.86m
Mzozoyana grew up in Qugqwala, an Eastern Cape village where rugby is the dominant sport. He went on to play for the Jali High 1st XV and while he didn’t represent any Border junior teams, he has been given the opportunity to showcase his skills in the FNB Varsity Shield. The No 8 impressed during last year’s Covid-shortened tournament, winning an FNB That Rocks award and Steers Kinging Moment award. “Yamkela will be playing for UFH for the last time this year so he will want to do everything in his power to help us be successful,” says coach Ntyatyambo Mkhafu.
THABANI RICHARD MNISI
University: FNB DUT
School: Dundee High School
Position: Fullback
Born: 13 December 1999
Weight: 78kg
Height: 1.67m
Mnisi has played openside flank, wing and fullback for DUT since 2019, but is set to be utilised at 15 in this year’s FNB Varsity Shield. The 21-year-old has quick feet and is a good defender, while he enjoys stealing ball at ruck time. “He has a lot of skill,” says FNB DUT director of rugby Matthew Russell of the man nicknamed ‘Dice’, because he was the king of snakes and ladders as a kid. “He came into pre-season very underprepared, but we are confident we can get him back to being the player who can break a few defensive lines. He is an athlete at heart.”