Varsity Shield glory to be a badge of honour
AFP VARSITY Shield action kicks into high gear this week as the new extended competition gets its 2017 edition under way tomorrow.
Three of the Eastern Cape’s top universities, Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu and Rhodes will be in action and gunning for Shield glory.
For WSU and Rhodes it is an extra special occasion as they will be making their maiden appearances.
“It is very exciting for rugby in the Eastern Cape that there are three sides in the competition and for Border particularly with two teams in WSU and Fort Hare,” Border Rugby commercial and marketing manager Akhona Mgijima said.
“It is a great opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talents on the big stage and be identified and possibly be drafted into the Border rugby set-up if they impress in the Varsity Shield.”
First up will be a cracking derby, which sees Fort Hare hosting WSU at the Davidson Rugby Stadium in Alice.
Both sides will be hoping to get their Shield campaigns off to a good start, and with the rivalry between the two a great game is on the cards.
“It always goes right down to wire,” said Mgijima.
Fort Hare will back themselves in the front of a vocal home support, however the last time the two sides met, WSU managed to claim a tight 22-18 victory.
For their home games this year, WSU will be playing at the BCM Stadium as their field at their Berlin campus is receiving a much needed upgrade.
For Rhodes, they will face the daunting task of having to travel to Pretoria to face the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in their opening match.
TUT are veterans of the Varsity Shield and will thus be very confident. However, Rhodes have high expectations of themselves and are reportedly targeting the top four.
The Grahamstown-based team also received a timely boost to their preparations last month when they were visited by Southern Kings forwards coach Barend Pieterse and kicking coach Henning van der Merwe, who conducted a coaching session with them in an effort to fine-tune their skills ahead of the season.
They will hope to use those tips they received to their benefit when they take on TUT. Kick-off is 6.30pm.
Another derby tomorrow sees neighbours the University of the Western Cape locking horns with Cape Peninsula University of Technology at 4.45pm. Catch the games broadcast live on SuperSport from 4.40pm.