All the trivia, stats and facts that you need to know for the 2022 Varsity Cup final between Maties and Tuks at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on Monday night.
Match trivia
– This will be the 14th Varsity Cup final.
– This will be the eighth Varsity Cup final at the Danie Craven Stadium. All other Varsity Cup venues combined have only hosted six (four at Tuks Stadium, one at Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds and one at Shimla Park).
– Either Maties or UP-Tuks have played in 11 of the previous 13 Varsity Cup finals. There have only been two finals (NWU-Pukke vs UCT Ikeys in 2014 and UFS Shimlas vs NWU-Pukke in 2015) that haven’t featured either of these two sides.
– Maties and UP-Tuks have won nine Varsity Cup titles between them, with Maties winning five and UP-Tuks winning four.
– This will be the fifth Varsity Cup final between Maties and UP-Tuks, with UP-Tuks winning three of the previous four.
– This will be the fifth Varsity Cup final between Maties and UP-Tuks, making it the most played Varsity Cup final fixture. The second-most played fixture is Maties vs NWU, who have met three times in the final.
– This will be the first time in Varsity Cup history that neither of the two teams that finished first and second on the league table will appear in the final. It will be the first time that the third- and fourth-placed finishers will play each other in the final.
– The home team has won nine of the previous 13 Varsity Cup finals.
– The home team has won the last four Varsity Cup finals, with NWU-Pukke (now the Eagles) being the last away team to win a final when they beat Maties at this venue in 2016.
– Either Maties or UP-Tuks have won each of the last four Varsity Cup finals, with Maties winning in 2018 and 2019 and UP-Tuks winning in 2017 and 2021.
– There has never been a hat-trick scored in a Varsity Cup final. Seven players have scored two tries in a final.
– This will be the 24th Varsity Cup match between Maties and UP-Tuks, making it the most played fixture in Varsity Cup history.
Maties trivia
– Maties will be playing in a record 10th Varsity Cup final.
– If Maties win on Monday night, they will win a record-sixth Varsity Cup title.
– If Maties win on Monday night, they will become only the third team to finish third on the league table to go on and win the Varsity Cup title. NWU-Pukke finished third in 2016 and went on to beat Maties in the final, and UP-Tuks finished third in 2021 and went on to beat the UCT Ikeys in the final.
– Maties have won five of the previous nine Varsity Cup finals they played in.
– Maties have never won a Varsity Cup final in which they weren’t leading at half time.
– Three of Maties’ four Varsity Cup final defeats were by UP-Tuks, losing in 2012, 2013 and 2017.
– Maties are on a three-game winning streak in the Varsity Cup.
– Maties are on a six-game winning streak against UP-Tuks at the Danie Craven Stadium.
– Maties have a 78% winning record in the Varsity Cup, which is the best winning record in Varsity Cup history.
– Maties have won 102 of their previous 131 Varsity Cup matches, making them the only team in FNB Varsity Cup history to have won more than 100 matches.
– Maties have only lost 22 matches in the history of the FNB Varsity Cup, which is the fewest by any of the 11 teams that have competed in the competition.
– Maties have won six of the last seven Varsity Cup matches against UP-Tuks.
– Maties have not lost to UP-Tuks in the Varsity Cup at the Danie Craven Stadium since the 2013 final, winning the last six encounters between the sides at this venue.
– In the semi-final against the UCT Ikeys, Maties became the first team in Varsity Cup history to exceed 4,500 points scored in the competition.
– The 58 points Maties scored against the UCT Ikeys in the semi-final was the fourth-most points scored by a team in a Varsity Cup semi-final. The record is 65 scored by Maties against Wits in 2018.
– Maties’ 39-point victory over the UCT Ikeys in the semi-final was the third-biggest winning margin in a Varsity Cup semi-final. The record is 47 by Maties against Wits in 2018.
– Maties have an 88% winning record at home in the Varsity Cup, which is the best home record in Varsity Cup history.
– Maties have led at half time in 70% of their Varsity Cup matches, going on to win 89% of those matches.
– Maties have won 52% of Varsity Cup matches in which they trailed at half time, making them the only team in Varsity Cup history with a win percentage greater than 50 when trailing at half time.
Maties have led at half time in six of their previous nine Varsity Cup finals, winning five of those matches, with their only defeat in a Varsity Cup final in which they led at half time coming against UP-Tuks in 2017.
– Maties lost the only Varsity Cup final in which they trailed at half time, losing against UP-Tuks in 2013.
– Maties lost both previous Varsity Cup finals in which they were level at half time, losing against UP-Tuks in 2012 and NWU-Pukke in 2016.
– Maties have won 102 Varsity Cup matches, which is more Varsity Cup victories than the CUT Ixias, Madibaz, TUT Vikings, UWC and Wits have combined.
UP-Tuks trivia
– UP-Tuks will be playing in their seventh Varsity Cup final.
– UP-Tuks have won four of the previous six Varsity Cup finals they played in.
– UP-Tuks won three of the previous four Varsity Cup finals between these two sides.
– Three of UP-Tuks’ four Varsity Cup final victories came against Maties, in 2012, 2013 and 2017.
– If UP-Tuks win on Monday night, they will become the first team in Varsity Cup history to finish fourth on the league table to win the Varsity Cup title.
– If UP-Tuks win on Monday night, they will equal Maties’ record five Varsity Cup titles.
– This will be UP-Tuks’ third Varsity Cup final away from home, with both previous finals also coming at the Danie Craven Stadium, when they beat Maties in 2013 and lost to Maties in 2019.
– UP-Tuks have not beaten Maties in the Varsity Cup at the Danie Craven Stadium since they beat them in the 2013 final.
– UP-Tuks’ 39-point victory over Maties in the 2013 Varsity Cup final at this venue was the biggest winning margin in a Varsity Cup final.
– UP-Tuks are on a two-game winning streak in the Varsity Cup.
– UP-Tuks have won 78 of their previous 127 Varsity Cup matches, which is the second-most victory for a team in Varsity Cup history.
– UP-Tuks have a 61% winning record in the Varsity Cup, which is the second-best winning record in Varsity Cup history.
– UP-Tuks have a 57% winning record on the road in the Varsity Cup, which is the second-best away record in Varsity Cup history.
– UP-Tuks have led at half time in 52% of their Varsity Cup matches, going on to win 83% of those matches.
– UP-Tuks have won 35% of their Varsity Cup matches when trailing at half time, which is the second-best winning percentage when trailing at half time in Varsity Cup history.
– UP-Tuks won two of the previous three Varsity Cup finals in which they led at half time, with their only defeat when leading at half time coming against the UCT Ikeys in 2011.
– UP-Tuks won one of the previous two Varsity Cup finals in which they trailed at half time, beating Maties in 2017 and losing to Maties in 2019.
– UP-Tuks won the only previous Varsity Cup final in which they were level at half time, beating Maties in 2013.
Player trivia
– Maties hooker Sean Swart is the top try-scorer in the Varsity Cup this season with 12 tries.
– Swart needs one more try to break the Varsity Cup single-season try-scoring record. He is currently tied with hooker Janus Venter who scored 12 tries for the CUT Ixias in 2021.
– Swart’s 12 tries this season is the most by a Maties player in a Varsity Cup season, breaking the previous record of 10 set by Duncan Saal in 2018.
– Swart scored a hat-trick in the semi-final against the UCT Ikeys.
– Maties fullback/flyhalf Nevaldo Fleurs is the top point-scorer in the Varsity Cup this season with 100 points.
– Fleurs’ 100 points is the third most by a Maties player in an FNB Varsity Cup season.
– Maties tighthead prop Matimu Manganyi will be playing in his 41st Varsity Cup match (NWU Eagles and Maties), tying Craig Barry (Maties) and Gary Porter (UCT Ikeys) for the third-most appearances by a player in Varsity Cup history.
– Fleurs scored 19 points in the semi-final against the UCT Ikeys, which is tied for the fifth-most points scored by a player in a Varsity Cup semi-final.
– Maties hooker Chris Rossouw is the son of 1995 World Cup-winning hooker Chris Rossouw.
– Sibabalwe Xamlashe is the younger brother of Griquas and former UP-Tuks centre Sango Xamlashe.
– Maties wing Anton du Toit is the younger brother of Springbok flank Pieter-Steph du Toit and Stormers flank Johan du Toit.
– Utility back Stefan Coetzee is the top point-scorer for UP-Tuks in the Varsity Cup this season with 49 points.
– UP-Tuks scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde’s six tries this season is tied for the fourth-most tries by a UP-Tuks player in a Varsity Cup season.
– UP-Tuks flank Stephan Smit and hooker Werner Fourie will be playing in their third Varsity Cup final, becoming the 21st and 22nd players in Varsity Cup history to do so. Both played in the 2019 and 2021 finals for UP-Tuks.
– Coetzee scored 19 points in the semi-final against UFS-Shimlas, which is tied for the fifth-most points scored by a player in a Varsity Cup semi-final.
– Clyde Lewis has played scrumhalf, flyhalf and fullback for UP-Tuks this season.
Varsity Cup final results
2008: Maties 16 UCT Ikeys 10
2009: Maties 11 NWU-Pukke 6
2010: Maties 17 UCT Ikeys 14
2011: UCT Ikeys 26 UP-Tuks 16
2012: UP-Tuks 29 Maties 21
2013: UP-Tuks 44 Maties 5
2014: UCT Ikeys 39 NWU-Pukke 33
2015: UFS Shimlas 63 NWU-Pukke 33
2016: NWU-Pukke 7 Maties 6
2017: UP-Tuks 28 Maties 21
2018: Maties 40 NWU-Pukke 7
2019: Maties 34 UP-Tuks 12
2021: UP-Tuks 34 UCT Ikeys
Photo: Gallo Images
