Ikeys triumph at varsity World Cup

The Springboks may have started their Rugby World Cup campaign with defeat‚ but the University of Cape Town’s Ikey Tigers kept the SA flag flying in Japan.

The team won the World University Rugby Cup for a second time after their success in Oxford‚ England, four years ago.

Ikeys went undefeated through the weeklong tournament‚ before beating French side Bordeaux University 17-3 in the final at the Kamiigusa Stadium in Tokyo.

In their first match‚ Ikeys defeated the University of British Columbia (Canada) 40-0‚ followed by a 33-14 win against a combined New Zealand Universities team and a 52-0 thrashing of Bordeaux to set up a semifinal against Oxford University.

It was much tougher against their British opponents, with Ikeys winning the semifinal 15-0. “Winning back-to-back World University Rugby Cup titles is an indication of the strength not only of UCT rugby‚ but SA rugby on the whole‚” said UCT RFC Club director Johnny Biderman-Pam.

“This Ikeys squad have come to Japan and made a huge statement on the international stage‚ setting the benchmark for university rugby the world over,” Biderman-Pam said.

In addition to winning the title‚ the Ikeys pinpointed watching the Springboks take on New Zealand in their Rugby World Cup opening fixture in Yokohama Stadium as a standout highlight of the tour.

Three former UCT rugby players Siya Kolisi (captain)‚ Eben Etzebeth and Damian de Allende formed part of the Springboks’ starting XV, which lost 23-13 to the All Blacks.

Junior Springbok‚ Western Province and Ikey Tigers flanker Nama Xaba said it is a “once-ina-lifetime opportunity to travel to another country‚ experience a different culture‚ play against some of the top university rugby clubs in the world‚ and watch your heroes play in the Rugby World Cup.”