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The first match of the 2021 Varsity Cup takes place today @ 17h00 between the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the Central University of Technology (CUT). The match will be played at the TUKS rugby stadium.
This year, the FNB Varsity Cup and the FNB Varsity Shield will take place inside a secure bio-bubble in Pretoria from 4 April to 24 May.
CUT head coach Pieter Bergh said that they have a lot of continuity this year and were able to keep around 90% of their best players."
We’ve also brought in a couple of guys who may not be part of the starting lineup initially but will provide good squad depth, as well as a couple of youngsters from our Young Guns [U20] team who have good potential.
Luvuyo Ndevu will be our captain this year. I wanted someone who represents our university, and he also has the respect of the players and is well-liked. He started at CUT with me two years ago and has grown so much. It’s the perfect time for him to take over the leadership of a squad that now has an average age of almost 23 and a half.” bergh said.
CUT Captain Luvuyo Ndevu said that he expects the 2021 Varsity Cup to be tough but fun. The bio-bubble is something new for everyone. I expect all the best for our team and that we going to have a good season. I expect the weather to play a big role. We as a team like to say “expect the unexpected”.
Expect some excitement from Junior Springbok Cohan Jasper at fullback. Jasper represented the Junior Springboks in 2019 and would surely have done so again in 2020 but for the Covid-19 pandemic. After his first year of FNB Varsity Cup for FNB CUT, as a 19-year-old, he went on to play for the Free State U21 team, and he is set to join the Cheetahs senior squad after this year’s tournament.
“He’s got that X-factor in attack – he can create something out of nothing and when he gets the ball, you get excited,” says FNB CUT coach Pieter Bergh, who uses him as a playmaker that attracts defenders and creates space on the outside. “Jasper scores a lot of tries and makes a lot of try assists too.”
UJ head coach Dewey Swartbooi admitted that they seven players from last year, including our captain [Edwin Jansen] and a couple of other regular starters.
Three of them are now playing in Poland and [fullback] Shaun Williams is at the SA Rugby Sevens Academy. But that will give the youngsters who have been in our club system and played in the Young Guns tournament an opportunity to play Varsity Cup.
UJ Captain Kwagga van Niekerk said that he expects that it’s going to be a challenge but also a blessing to be able to do what we love and showcase our God-given talents. I think the team that can field the best 23 for every game, suffer the least amount of injuries and do the best recovery will take the trophy.
A player from UJ who all is expecting a lot from is replacement hooker Darnell Osuagwu. After making a couple of appearances for UJ in last year’s Varsity Cup, Osuagwu played for the Lions U21 team that reached the final of the SA Rugby U21 Championship.
The 21-year-old is a strong ball-carrier who enjoys the physical aspect of the game. “He’s a talented boy who’s grown a lot over the last two years and I’m excited to see how he does in his second Varsity Cup campaign,” says UJ coach Dewey Swartbooi.
FNB CUT: 15 Cohen Jasper, 14 Tsepo Malumane, 13 Niell Stannard, 12 Heino Bezuidenhout, 11 Ricoman Titus, 10 Charles Williams, 9 Zinedine Booysen, 8 Ulrich Stander, 7 Luvuyo Ndevu (c), 6 Johannes Terblanche, 5 Derik Pretorius, 4 Brendon Fortuin, 3 Janu Botha, 2 Janus Venter, 1 Eddie Davids. Replacements: 16 Andile Mfazwe, 17 Raynard Esterhuizen, 18 Tebogo Masemola, 19 Bennett Nortje, 20 Hardus Nel, 21 Xander Botha, 22 Jandré de Beer, 23 Emilio Adonis.
FNB UJ – 15 Boldwun Hansen, 14 Tyreeq February, 13 Musawenkosi Tshabalala, 12 Boitumelo Tsatsane, 11 Prince Nkabinde, 10 Jonathan Viljoen, 9 Mpho Kubheka, 8 Franco Schutte, 7 Siyabonga Masuku, 6 Kelvin Kanenungo, 5 Philip Apea-Adu, 4 Kwagga van Niekerk (c), 3 Chergin Fillies, 2 Pierre Rabie, 1 Nkosikhona Masuku. Replacements: 16 Darnell Osuagwu, 17 Kayden Kiewit, 18 Coenrad Vrey, 19 Brendon Pawson, 20 Lunga Ncube, 21 Jurich Claasens, 22 Indiphile Tyeda, 23 Enrique Franks.