UJ vie for finals in 2017 Varsity Cup
JOBURG – UJ gear up for crunch varsity cup encounter against Maties on 27 March with one eye on the title.
As the 2017 edition of the Varsity Cup heads in for a thrilling conclusion, perennial underdogs, FNB UJ (University of Johannesburg), have put the pedal to the metal.
UJ has effected an almighty resurgence to book a play-off spot for the fifth time in the history of the premium varsity rugby competition.
Despite having endured a rocky start to their campaign, UJ captain, Jannes Snyman, has attributed their remarkable purple patch to a ‘strong sense of brotherhood.’ They won five matches on the trot before being brought crashing down 65–19 by an imposing Maties outfit in their last pool game.
Reflecting on the season, the 23-year-old hooker, who is a a final year logistics management student, said the team knew they would have to change their approach after losing 16–12 to current Varsity Cup holders FNB Pukke in their first game, followed by a devastating 47–29 loss to FNB Shimlas. “We needed to come together and start playing as a team,” Snyman added.
“When we lost those games, it was definitely a lowlight, but [nonetheless] created a strong bond in the squad. When you lose two [opening] games [but] come back and qualify for the semis, it really makes you feel that you can achieve anything you set your mind to.” And although faced with the daunting task of taking on an in-form Maties away from home, the skipper felt a positive mindset would be critical looking ahead.
Adding to these sentiments, UJ head coach, Werner Janse van Rensburg said his troops had a sticky start to the season. “We had a bit of an up and down start at the beginning of the competition [and] had to [rediscover] ourselves as a group,” he said. “We have a lot of new guys who have never played [in the] Varsity Cup before, so the challenge was [massive] from the [outset],” he added, however, lauding the team for the composure shown in reviving their quest for a first Varsity Cup title.
With exactly this in mind, Snyman said, “We need to remain focused and continue to train hard as I would really like to reach the finals for the first time with UJ and hopefully have some great memories which I’ll be able to look back on.”
Van Rensburg added, “Maties will definitely be the firm favourites, but we’re fine with that.
“We had to play Tuks after we lost two games in a row and nobody rated us there but we won. It will be the same thing on Monday [but] it’s a nice opportunity [because] it’s a semi-final. No [team] has the right to win it, you need to earn it on the day. Whether people give us a 1 per cent or 10 per cent chance, the one thing that they will see is a team that will seriously try to win on Monday.”
Details: Kick-off at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch is at 4.30pm on 3 April.
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