Varsity Cup rugby around the corner
Varsity Cup has produced a host of top-flight players.
THE Varsity Cup tournament will once again bring rugby fans around the country fast-paced, tryline-to-tryline action from February 2016.
Not only does the Varsity Cup competition provide swift, enterprising and forward-thinking rugby entertainment, it’s also a platform for future provincial and Springbok stars to showcase their talents. Varsity Cup has produced a host of top-flight players, including Springbok locks Eben Etzebeth University of Cape Town (UCT) and Lood de Jager North-West University (NWU-Pukke), and backline dynamos Damian de Allende (UCT) and Handre Pollard University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks).
The winning 2015 University of the Free State (UFS-Shimlas) team included Niell Jordaan, Gerhard Olivier and Niel Marais, who represented the Cheetahs during the Currie Cup season only a few short months after lifting the Varsity Cup trophy.
“All the teams that took part in the tournament this year displayed brilliant rugby and the 2016 installment will be no different,” said Varsity Cup CEO, Duitser Bosman. “Varsity Cup has gone from strength to strength since its inception, but most importantly, the tournament has been a great springboard for players to launch their career. We’re excited about the upcoming season and we know the teams will give rugby fans something to look forward to.”
Even though the Varsity Cup is a prime asset to the South African rugby landscape for the amazing players it produces, the true value of the tournament lies in its nature. The Varsity Cup places a premium on attacking, innovative, clinical and creative rugby, which in turn provides the perfect breeding ground for players to carry the South African rugby heritage to new heights and into the future.
“This is exactly the kind of progress we are looking for in terms of rugby development in South Africa. Since the first Varsity Cup tournament started we have seen some positive effects and young players making the national squad. It has been a great platform for players and selectors,” said Xhanti-Lomzi Nesi, the Varsity Cup manager.
Prominent players who had their start in the Varsity Cup:
Nizaam Carr (UCT) – Springbok and Stormers loose-forward
Nic Groom (UCT) – Stormers scrumhalf
Demetri Catrakilis (UCT) – Montpellier and former Stormers flyhalf
Howard Mnisi (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) – Lions centre
Jaco Kriel (University of Johannesburg) – Lions loose-forward and captain
Marnitz Boshoff (UP-Tuks) – Lions flyhalf
Marcel van der Merwe (UFS) – Springbok and Bulls prop
JJ Engelbrecht (Stellenbosch University) – Springbok centre
William Small-Smith (UP-Tuks) – Bulls and Baby Boks centre
Varsity Cup has produced 16 Springboks to date, seven of whom were chosen as part of the Springbok squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
World Cup Boks who played Varsity Cup:
Handré Pollard (UP-Tuks)
Damian De Allende (UCT)
Eben Etzebeth (UCT)
Coenie Oosthuizen (UFS),
Trevor Nyakane (Central University of Technology)
Lood de Jager (NWU-Pukke) and
Rudy Paige (UJ)
