East Cape teams eye promotion to Varsity Cup
THREE Eastern Cape teams will be slugging it out for promotion to the Varsity Cup when the Varsity Shield tournament kicks off tonight.
The University of Fort Hare, Rhodes University and Walter Sisulu University all have high hopes of glory this season.
The tournament kicks off with champions University of the Western Cape taking on Walter Sisulu at the UWC Sports Grounds, Fort Hare colliding with University of KwaZulu-Natal at the Davidson Stadium and Rhodes hosting Tshwane University of Technology at the Rhodes Great Field. All the games start at 6.30pm. Two Varsity Shield sides will have the opportunity for promotion.
The team that wins the Varsity Shield trophy this year will be automatically promoted to the Varsity Cup in place of the last-placed Varsity Cup side.
The Varsity Shield runner-up will play a promotion/relegation match against the second-last Varsity Cup side. This will be a curtain-raiser to the Varsity Cup final on April 16.
Alice-based Fort Hare University came close last season after finishing second on the overall log and contested for the Varsity Shield trophy against UWC.
Fort Hare lost that game but their regular season was a general success, claiming four victories out of six games.
Walter Sisulu University have high hopes for the 2018 season as they set their sights on promotion.
WSU finished fourth in their first year of Varsity Shield last year, after winning three out of their six games.
WSU boss Sipho Metula said their goal was to qualify to play in the Varsity Cup.
“We are working hard to qualify to play in the 2018 Varsity Shield final and to qualify for the Varsity Cup come 2019,” he said.
“Ever since we started participating in the Varsity Shield our players had the goal of qualifying and to showcase the good brand of rugby, talent and potential we have.”
Metula believes the supporters will be treated to some exciting rugby this year.
Rhodes are looking to establish themselves in the Varsity Shield this year after a tough maiden season last year.
They finished last in the FNB Varsity Shield, but could be considered unlucky after one or two results did not go their way, including just being beaten by TUT in Pretoria 16-12.