The importance of the Varsity Cup has been underlined once again by several SA rugby heavyweights joining various coaching staffs.
Heyneke Meyer, the Blue Bulls director of rugby, Herkie Kruger, Lions flyhalf, and David de Villiers, Cheetahs lock, have all joined Varsity Cup coaching staffs.
Sport24
Sport24 has learnt that Meyer, a success as Blue Bulls and Bulls coach, has been present at Tukkies practices at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and that along with another former Blue Bulls coach, Pote Human, is helping prepare the team.
Kruger has been appointed as the University of Johannesburg’s new backline coach and will also coach the kickers. Kruger played for the Lions in the Super14 and Currie Cup this year.
De Villiers has been appointed assistant coach of Shimlas and his line-out expertise will be of especially great value to the Free Staters.
De Villiers had an up and down season in 2010, in which he was hampered by injury and was not included in the Cheetahs Super15 squad.
The lock was approached by Shimlas after former Springbok flank, Theo Oosthuizen, decided to no longer coach the forwards.
“My work schedule just makes it impossible for me to give attention to rugby,” said Oosthuizen.
The Shimlas, who this year reached the Varsity Cup semi-final for the first time, will still be coached by Jaco Swanepoel, with the former Free State prop Dougie Heymans again being the scrum doctor and team manager.
Sport24 has learnt reliably that new rules with regard yellow and red cards are being considered for next year’s Varsity Cup.
The rule states that teams can, despite these cards, still keep 15 players on the field by sending on a substitute.
“At the moment, we don’t know exactly what is planned but we will meet next week and get more clarity on this,” said Swanepoel.
Next year, the Central University of Technology (CUT) of the City of Roses will also have the opportunity to test themselves against the five other universities in the Varsity Shield.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of the Witwatersrand, CUT, the University of the Western Cape and Fort Hare University will compete in a so-called B-division.
The winner of the Varsity Shield will play a promotion/relegation match against the weakest team in the Varsity Cup.
Theuns Hanekom and Thys Nel, who have led CUT over the past few seasons to great heights, will again coach the team next year.
“We have been practicing full steam ahead for the past five weeks for next year’s tournament,” said Nel.
Dis nogal great nuus. Toe ek self op Universiteit was het NIEMAND omgegee oor intervarsity games nie. En ek was by US. Buiten ‘n paar vriende wat self vir die club gespeel het sou niemand kon se wie die hoofafrigter was, wie die kaptain was, of wat die span se rekord vir die jaar was nie. En dit was slegs 5 jaar gelede. Die Varsity Cup, Supersport se ondersteuning daarvan en algehele nationale belangstelling is besig op splinternuwe lewe in die storie te blaas.
En hoekom nie. My eerste Intervarsity game was tussen maties en Shimlas. Maties het so klein heelagter gehad. En ja hy was klein, maar ok nie TE klein nie, want dit was immers nogsteeds net Varsity. Maar bliksem hy het almal moer toe gehol, en seker 3-4 keer in 1 game verby 10-13 verdedigers gehardloop in een lopie. Gio Aplon.
Aan die begin van laas jaar, na ek 1 jaar in Korea was, het ek my volgende wedstryd gaan kyk. Daai dag was daar weer ‘n sentertjie van Maties, wat nie net kon hol nie, maar wat die ander span TERUG geduik het, en net soos met Gio was almal verstom, verbaas en moerse opgewonde oor die jong ou. Juan de Jongh
In my dae was die NET koshuis rugby op stb. En daar was ook niks daarmee fout nie. Op Stb is daar nog BAIE tradiesie in die koshuise, en die kompetisie onder mekaar loop HOOG (woon ‘n Helshoogte vs. Eendrag derby game by en julle sal weet waarvan ek praat). Koshuis rugby is great, want jy staan langs die veld, en die hakker wat die bal ingooi vir jou span is OOK jou kamermaat. Of die ou wat die drie gedruk het drink elke middag saammet jou ‘n koffie, en praat saans lieries oor hoe hy SMOOR verlief is oor ‘n meisie in Heemstede of Lydia. Dis baie persoonlik, emosioneel en amper patrioties.
Maar Varsity rugby was lank genoeg in ‘n koma, en dis HOOGTYD dat dit sy regtevolle plek in SA-rugby inneem.
(Voetnota: Dalk moet ek meer Varsity Cup games gaan kyk, want lyk my elke keer as ek gaan, sien ek ‘n toekomstige Springbok)
ai koshuis rugby jou lekker ding interver teen potch en en en en
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