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MATIES will feed off the energy at the Danie Craven Stadium while reigning champions Tuks will lean on a pragmatic gameplan in the Varsity Cup final on Monday night.
Ahead of the semi-finals, you would have been forgiven for thinking that the decider would be contested by UFS Shimlas and the UCT Ikeys at Shimla Park. Over the course of the league phase, Andre Tredoux’s charges played the most breathtaking brand of rugby. Tom Dawson-Squibb’s side showed similar intent and ambition.
Yet, here we are, on the day of the final, assessing the chances of two unilkely – albeit wholly deserving – title contenders: Maties and UP-Tuks.
Maties made a statement in the 58-19 semi-final win over the Ikey Tigers in Cape Town. After losing heavily to their arch-rivals and Shimlas during the league phase, the Stellenbosch students certainly proved that they have what it takes to beat the better sides in the tournament.
Maties have already beaten UP-Tuks once this season. A lot has changed since that fixture, though, and it’s fair to say that Nico Luus’ side is peaking at the right time. UP-Tuks have relied on the power of their pack and defensive line to win matches. The pressure exerted via their aggressive defence, and their accurate kicking game, has created scoring chances.
Last week, they kept a more-fancied Shimlas side scoreless in the second stanza, and ultimately won the semi-final in Bloemfontein 29-20. Much like the Springboks, UP-Tuks have the gameplan to win big playoffs and trophies. It will be interesting to see how Maties respond to that type of challenge. They have the pack to meet UP-Tuks head on – hooker Sean Swart’s try tally of 12 attests to the potency of the FNB Maties lineout and maul – but it remains to be seen how they will deploy their backs.
UP-Tuks boast a strong kicking game. Scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde, flyhalf Walter Visser and fullback Stefan Coetzee will work together to win the territorial battle for their side.
Nevaldo Fleurs has been retained at flyhalf despite the return of regular pivot Adriaan van der Bank – who has slotted in at fullback. Whether Maties decide to engage with UP-Tuks in a kicking battle or not remains to be seen.
When you speak to the players, all of them acknowledge the crowd – and the energy of the home supporters in particular – as a key factor.
The Danie Craven Stadium will be packed to the rafters with partisan fans on Monday night. While FNB Maties will need to prevail in a series of mini battles on the field to win the war, their campaign will be enhanced significantly by home advantage. As the stats suggest, Maties rarely lose big games at the DC.
That said, few people gave UP-Tuks any hope ahead of their semi-final showdown with UFS Shimlas. They certainly have the personnel as well as the gameplan to score another big upset – and a record-equalling fifth title.
In the earlier kick-off at the Danie Craven Stadium, the NWU Eagles and FNB UP-Tuks will meet in the Young Guns final. Both teams topped their respective groups in the U20 tournament. In the semi-finals, the Eagles edged the UCT Ikeys 33-27 after extra time in Potchefstroom while Tuks beat Maties 35-20 in Pretoria.
When these teams last met, in round four, the NWU Eagles beat UP-Tuks 22-7 in Potchefstroom.
SA RUGBY MAGAZINE
