Varsity Cup boosts talent in Currie Cup

THE Varsity Cup rugby competition has long been recognised as one of the most important breeding grounds for rugby talent in South Africa and the roll call for the Currie Cup semi-finals and final bears this out, with two-thirds of the players having come through the Varsity Cup ranks.

South Africa produces a prodigious amount of school-level rugby talent, and since 2008, the Varsity Cup has acted as a catch-net for these players, who might otherwise not have an opportunity to develop their sporting prowess. With the games attracting massive crowds and some of them being televised, Varsity Cup is an ideal platform from which to launch a professional rugby career. The various South African provincial rugby unions use the competitive, uncompromising, attacking and running rugby of the Varsity Cup as a tool for developing their junior players.

Teams in this year’s Varsity Cup are Stellenbosch University (Maties), the University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks), NWU-Potchefstroom (Pukke), the University of the Free State (Shimlas), the University of Cape Town (Ikeys), the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (Madibaz).

Western Province players who’ve donned the maroon Maties jersey over the years include flank Rynhardt Elstadt, skipper and centre Juan de Jongh, fullback Robert du Preez, centre Johnny Kotze and prop Alistair Vermaak, while Nizaam Carrs ran out for UCT and has had two international caps for the Springboks.

The Lions can call on former Tuks Varsity Cup lock Franco Mostert, fly-half Marnitz Boshoff, winger Courtnall Skosan and fullback Andries Coetzee, while Free State Cheetahs Varsity Cup alumni include hooker Jacques du Toit, tighthead prop Luan de Bruin, flanker Armandt Koster, flanker Teboho Mohoje, eighthman Daniel Niell Jordaan, fly-half Niel Marais and centre/wing Raymond Rhule.

The Blue Bulls have a full pool of talent who previously played for Tuks including prop Pierre Schoeman, lock Marvin Orie, flanker Arno Botha, flyhalf Tian Schoeman, inside centre Burger Odendaal, centre Dries Swanepoel, winger Travis Ismaiel and fullback Warrick Gelant.