In part three of the 2022 Varsity Cup preview, three of the 10 head coaches in this year’s tournament give the lowdown on their squads and talk about their expectations for the season ahead.

ALSO READ: 2022 Varsity Cup preview: Coaches’ take (Part 1)

Tuks: Nico Luus

Last year – Played: 11, Won: 8, Drew: 1, Lost: 2
Best Varsity Cup finish – Champions (2012, 2013, 2017, 2021)

Expectations for 2022
Obviously, we want to play an exciting brand of running rugby, but you need a good defence and kicking game to win the tournament. We won’t lose sight of those aspects. There are a lot of teams gunning for us this year, and a lot of good coaches who may be looking to prove a point. The threat of relegation will make for a fierce contest right through the tournament. We know what we’re up against.

Tuks squad
We lost 14 players at the end of last season. That’s what happens when you enjoy some success, there’s a cross on your back. But it’s not an excuse, we will be going all out again this year. It’s quite a young squad, but if we start the campaign well I believe that we will be a force.

NWU: Andre Pretorius

Last year – Played: 10, Won: 6, Lost: 4
Best Varsity Cup finish – Champions (2016)

Expectations for 2022
We had a really good pre-season, and I’m optimistic about the coming campaign. We placed an emphasis on team cohesion and building relationships in the pre-season. We believe that it’s important to install a strong team culture and get everyone on the same page in terms of our game plan. Hopefully it will take us far in this tournament.

NWU squad
It’s a very young group, and we’ve lost a lot of experience. There are some impressive specimens coming through the U20 ranks, though, and we’re excited to see how they will respond to this opportunity.

Madibaz: David Manuel

Last year – Played: 9, Lost: 9
Best Varsity Cup finish – 4th on log (2013, 2014)

Expectations for 2022
Survival is the name of the game. We want to stay in the Varsity Cup and avoid relegation. I’ve had a look at the fixtures and identified a few games where we can really challenge the opposition. This season, the Varsity Cup will be staged at the same time as the junior provincial tournaments as well as the Currie Cup, so the other Varsity Cup teams will lose a lot of their provincial players. That may be a great leveller. A lot of teams are rebuilding, and so maybe NMU can pounce on the opportunity.

Madibaz squad
There’s not much in terms of player experience and certainly nothing to speak of in terms of depth. I’ve kept perhaps five or six players from last season. The rest have left. NMU won the Varsity Shield a few years back to progress to the Varsity Cup, but have had problems since moving up. I feel for my predecessor Andre Tredoux, who was forced to deal with all of that. We are particularly thin in the tight five. We have some exciting players out wide, though. Despite all the challenges, we are positive about what we might do if we build some confidence and momentum.