READY FOR CHALLENGE
Varsity Sevens expected to bring out the best of the players in pool stages
Battle lines are drawn for Varsity showdown
WSU (Walter Sisulu University) and Madibaz (Nelson Mandela University) will clash in the pool stages of the Varsity Sevens taking place at Pirates Greenside next week.
The Eastern Cape sides have been placed in Pool A along with Western Cape teams CPUT (Cape Peninsula University of Technology), and Sevens heavyweights UWC (University of the Western Cape) on October 5-6.
It’s a battle of the Eastern Cape, and Madibaz captain Riaan Esterhuizen thinks that although WSU are a brave side, Madibaz should come out on top.
“I think they showed some guts at USSA (University Sports South Africa) against big teams, so they do have big-match temperament. It will also be a nice pre-game for the Varsity Shield next year, and they will probably try to prove a point against us. But we are going to show them what we’re made of.”
Esterhuizen, who also captained the Madibaz Varsity Cup side earlier this year, is feeling positive about the Varsity Sevens despite some preseason hiccups.
“We are feeling pretty good. We’ve had a decent runout a week ago in Margate in the USSA tournament. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to, but we did what we could and, as the tournament progressed, we as a team progressed as well.
“Going into the Varsity Sevens, we’ve lost a few players through injuries and one or two guys because they don’t have the credits. We also have some guys coming back from Currie Cup who have Varsity Sevens experience and they’ve slotted into the team very nicely.”
WSU captain Chumani Mjacu is ecstatic they get to play their Eastern Cape rivals in the pool stages of the Varsity Sevens.
“We can’t wait to play them. Us and the Madibaz are the two best teams the Eastern Cape has to offer and it’s always a massive derby when we clash.”
After recent promotion into Varsity Sevens, Mjacu is realistic about his side’s ambitions, but is excited to make their mark on the competition.
“We are super-excited about the promotion. We failed to do to be promoted last year, so we went back to the drawing board.
“Our goal is to compete, and push ourselves. We are not just there to add numbers and we want to have fun while doing so.”
Varsity Sevens will take place in conjunction with Schools Sevens. All games will be televised on SuperSport, with commentary in IsiXhosa, Afrikaans and English.
Us and the Madibaz are the two best teams the Eastern Cape has to offer