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January 22 - It’ll be a serious traditional across-Jukskei clash – and the University of Johannesburg is ready for that.
That was the reaction of UJ captain Justin Wheeler who will again captain last year’s log leaders when they run out against losing finalists Tuks in the first round of the FNB Varsity Cup at Tukkies Stadium on February 6 when the competition kicks off.
“We’ve been working hard and are confident of a good season,” said the UJ No 8 who has represented the MTN Lions at Vodacom Cup level and was also a member of the 2010 Vodacom Cup Super 14 squad.
“We have lost just a few players. We’re confident that we have the ability, and have been working hard on the small things on the field and off it that could make the difference,” Wheeler said at the launch of the FNB Varsity at the Blair Atholl Golf Estate on Monday.
“We’re not aiming for a win in the first place. Rather we believe that doing right what we have been working and focussing on will bring the resultant win.”
UJ’s most notable off-season lost is winger Lola Waqa who has moved to Griquas – and although conceding that UJ will miss him and the others who have move to other pastures, Wheeler said that the team’s new members would make up for their losses.
Although Wheeler says that they have the greatest respect for Tukkies, he also pointed out that the Pretoria students this year didn’t have the coaching of Heyneke Meyer to assist them.
** Tukkies, on the other hand, are not taking the first match at home as a given win. “It will be very tough,” conceded coach Nollis Marais. But he is confident that, with the nucleus of last year’s team back, Tukkies will be up to the challenge. “This season we don’t want to depend on other sides’ favours the make the final,” he said.
** There are now four tournaments under the Varsity Cup banner - meaning 29 teams competing for four trophies and a total of 82 fixtures from January 30 until the finals day on April 9.
Varsity Rugby is serious about growth and deadly serious about being "bigger and better".
The Varsity Cup and Koshuisrugby Championships were joined by the successful Varsity Shield tournament last year and this year, in 2012, the Varsity Young Guns – a students-only Under-20 tournament – is expected to add to the fun, excitement and development of the game.
A new points-scoring system has set the setting the tongues wagging, and plenty match-day entertainment is in store for those fans and followers set to attend matches in 2012.
All this, and more, was explained in detail at Monday's launch in Johannesburg, as pay-channel SuperSport's Xola Ntshinga - acting as MC on the day - kept the media, special guests and all the university representatives entertained and put the likes of Francois Pienaar and Jurie Roux through their paces up front.
Pienaar is the former Varsity Cup Board chairman and he currently serves as sponsor's FNB's representative on the board. Roux took over the chairmanship from Pienaar in 2010 and continues in that role, despite being kept extremely busy these days as SARU's Chief Executive Officer.
"It's always a pleasure to be up here talking about the start of a new Varsity Rugby season – a tournament which has grown from strength-to-strength since 2008," commented the 1995 World Cup-winning Springbok captain Pienaar.
** The 2012 Varsity Rugby season will get underway on January 30 with the start of the Varsity Shield, before the Cup kicks-off the following week on February 6 - along with the Young Guns competition - and, eventually, followed by the Koshuisrugby Championships on February 13.
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