Maties will feed off the energy at the Danie Craven Stadium while reigning champions Tuks will lean on a pragmatic gameplan in the Varsity Cup final on Monday night.
Ahead of the semi-finals, you would have been forgiven for thinking that the decider would be contested by UFS Shimlas and the UCT Ikeys at Shimla Park. Over the course of the league phase, Andre Tredoux’s Shimlas played the most breathtaking brand of rugby, while Tom Dawson-Squibb’s Ikey Tigers showed similar intent and ambition.
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Yet, here we are, on the day of the final, assessing the chances of two unlikely – albeit wholly deserving – title contenders: Maties and UP-Tuks.
Maties made a statement in the 58-19 semi-final win over the Ikeys in Cape Town. After losing heavily to their arch-rivals and Shimlas during the league phase, the Stellenbosch students certainly proved they have what it takes to beat the better sides in the tournament.
Maties have already beaten UP-Tuks once this season. A lot has changed since that fixture, though, and it’s fair to say that Nico Luus’ team is peaking at the right time. Tuks have relied on the power of their pack and defensive line to win matches. The pressure exerted via their aggressive defence and accurate kicking game has created scoring chances.
Last week, they kept the more-fancied Shimlas scoreless in the second stanza, and ultimately won the semi-final in Bloemfontein 29-20. Much like the Springboks, Tuks have the gameplan to win big playoffs and trophies. It will be interesting to see how Maties respond to that type of challenge. They have the pack to meet Tuks head on – hooker Sean Swart’s try tally of 12 attests to the potency of the Maties lineout and maul – but it remains to be seen how they will deploy their backs.
Tuks boast a strong kicking game. Scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde, flyhalf Walter Visser and fullback Stefan Coetzee will work together to win the territorial battle for their side.
Nevaldo Fleurs has been retained at flyhalf despite the return of regular pivot Adriaan van der Bank – who has slotted in at fullback. Whether Maties decide to engage with Tuks in a kicking battle or not remains to be seen.
When you speak to the players, all of them acknowledge the crowd – and the energy of the home supporters in particular – as a key factor.
The Danie Craven Stadium will be packed to the rafters with partisan fans on Monday night. While Maties will need to prevail in a series of mini battles on the field to win the war, their campaign will be enhanced significantly by home advantage. As the stats suggest, Maties rarely lose big games at the DC.
That said, few people gave Tuks any hope ahead of their semi-final showdown with Shimlas. They certainly have the personnel as well as the gameplan to score another big upset – and a record-equalling fifth title.
In the earlier kick-off at the Danie Craven Stadium, the NWU Eagles and Tuks will meet in the Young Guns final. Both teams topped their respective groups in the U20 tournament. In the semi-finals, the Eagles edged the Ikeys 33-27 after extra time in Potchefstroom while Tuks beat Maties 35-20 in Pretoria.
When these teams last met, in round four, the NWU Eagles beat Tuks 22-7 in Potchefstroom.
Stat attack: 2022 Varsity Cup final
MATIES vs UP-TUKS (Monday, 7pm, Danie Craven Stadium, SuperSport channel 211)
Maties – 15 Adriaan van der Bank (c), 14 Mike Mavovana, 13 Waqar Solaan, 12 Taigh Schoor, 11 Anton du Toit, 10 Nevaldo Fleurs, 9 Thomas Bursey, 8 Simon Miller, 7 Louw Nel, 6 Gift Dlamini, 5 Matt Gray, 4 Juan Beukes, 3 Matimu Manganyi, 2 Sean Swart, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Subs: 16 Chris Rossouw, 17 Rhynhardt Rijnsburger, 18 Corne Weilbach, 19 Jesse Johnson, 20 Siyabonga Matanda, 21 Mckyle Volmoer, 22 Jurie Mathee, 23 Marcqiewn Titus.
UP-Tuks – 15 Stefan Coetzee, 14 Kabelo Mokoena, 13 Lincoln Daniels (c), 12 Perrie Fourie, 11 Tharquinn Manuel, 10 Walter Visser, 9 Bernard van der Linde, 8 Orateng Koikanyang, 7 Stephan Smit, 6 Dian Schoonees, 5 Divan Venter, 4 Mihlali Stamper, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Allister Williams, 1 Ethan Burger.
Subs: 16 Werner Fourie, 17 André van der Merwe, 18 Daniël Wessels, 19 Justice Nkombua, 20 Hilton Gie, 21 Chad-Lee Valentine, 22 Keane Galant, 23 Ambesa Zenzile.
Photo: Catherine Kotze/Varsity Cup/ASEM Engage
