Varsity Cup values restored
21 Jan 2013
The Varsity Cup will again be the game for students and played by students.
The focus rightly will be on students, and teams can’t load their match squads with semi-professional or professional players.
The 2013 Varsity Cup season was launched on Monday and it was confirmed that 18 of the 23 players in the match-day squad must be students, and they must have passed 30% of their courses in 2012.
The tournament starts on 4 February.
Defending Varsity Cup champions, Tuks, get their title defence off to a tricky start when they travel to Potchefstroom to take on Pukke, while the other TV game of the first round will see Maties entertaining UJ.
The much talked about points-scoring system of two points for a penalty and a drop-goal and three points for a conversion, which was first trialled last year, will continue in 2013.
Importantly, having earned the right to promotion, Varsity Cup new boys Wits have the comfort of knowing there is no relegation at the end of this season.
TUT will be spending 2013 and 2014 in the Varsity Shield after finishing 2012 as the bottom-placed team in the Varsity Cup, while Wits, the 2012 Varsity Shield champions (thus earning automatic promotion), have two full seasons of Varsity Cup rugby ahead of them – no matter what.
And the other announcement worth noting is the continued focus on academics. All Varsity Cup and Shield match-day squads have to boast an active student count of 78% (at least 18 out of the 23 players in the match-day squads), and these students’ results and attendances will be strictly monitored throughout the year.
Academic results from 2012 will also matter, as full-time students must have passed at least 30% of last year’s subjects to be allowed to play this year (as a full-time student). Also, a player who has not passed Grade 12 cannot play in any Varsity Rugby tournaments – even as a non-student.
The Young Guns and Koshuisrugby Championships tournaments continue to be students-only affairs, giving the eight Cup teams an opportunity to build more ‘student depth’ for years to come.
2013 VARSITY CUP FIXTURES
Monday, 4 February
Maties vs UJ, Danie Craven Stadium, 4:45pm (TV)
NWU-Pukke vs UP-Tuks, Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds, 7pm (TV)
UCT vs NMMU, UCT Rugby Fields, 7pm
Wits vs Shimlas, Wits Rugby Stadium, 7pm
Monday, 11 February
UP-Tuks vs UCT, Tuks Rugby Stadium, 4:45pm (TV)
NMMU vs Wits, NMMU Stadium, 7pm (TV)
UJ vs NWU-Pukke, UJ Stadium, 7pm
Shimlas vs Maties, Shimla Park, 7pm
Monday, 18 February
Shimlas vs UP-Tuks, Shimla Park, 4:45pm, (TV)
Maties vs NMMU, Danie Craven Stadium, 7pm (TV)
Wits vs NWU-Pukke, Wits Rugby Stadium, 7pm
UCT vs UJ, UCT Rugby Fields, 7pm
Monday, 25 February
Wits vs UJ, Wits Rugby Stadium, 4:45pm (TV)
UP-Tuks vs Maties, Tuks Rugby Stadium, 7pm (TV)
NWU-Pukke vs UCT, Fanie du Toit Sports Ground, 7pm
NMMU vs Shimlas, NMMU Stadium – 7pm
Monday, 4 March
UCT vs Maties, UCT Rugby Fields, 4:45pm (TV)
Shimlas vs NWU-Pukke, Shimla Park, 7pm (TV)
UP-Tuks vs Wits, Tuks Rugby Stadium, 7pm
NMMU vs UJ, NMMU Stadium, 7pm
Monday, 11 March
NWU-Pukke vs NMMU, Fanie du Toit Sports Ground, 4:45pm (TV)
UJ vs UP-Tuks, UJ Stadium, 7pm (TV)
Shimlas vs UCT, Xerox Shimla Park, 7pm
Wits vs Maties, Wits Rugby Stadium, 7pm
Monday, 18 March
UJ vs Shimlas, UJ Stadium, 4:45pm (TV)
Maties vs NWU-Pukke, Danie Craven Stadium, 7pm (TV)
NMMU vs UP-Tuks, NMMU Stadium, 7pm
UCT vs Wits, UCT Rugby Fields, 7pm
Monday, 25 March
Semi-final 1, 4:30pm (TV)
Semi-final 2, 7pm (TV)
Monday, 8 April
Final
Tags: varsity cup
19 Comments
21 Jan 2013, 12:36 pm
“and they must have passed 30% of their courses in 2012″
Oh no… what now for Lobberts and Jody Rose?
21 Jan 2013, 12:41 pm
@bryce_in_oz-1: (1) Are they registered students at UCT and Stellenbosch?
If yes, proceed to Question 2
(2) Are you privy to their results?
Should you not be able to answer both questions with an honest “yes” you fail the troll test.
21 Jan 2013, 12:47 pm
@bryce_in_oz-1: This is the type of comment that allows ET to continue with his limitless (but at times true…see your comment)generalisations of all things white.
Justfuckingsaying.
21 Jan 2013, 13:48 pm
Good! Teams like tukkies had a couple of mercenaries last year. I wonder how many of them were actually students? This tips the balance into Maties favour again.
21 Jan 2013, 15:13 pm
I see my story was “tweaked” a little to include – “and teams can’t load their match squads with semi-professional or professional players”
Not so fast … Still 5 players in a squad of 23 that do not need to be students. This tournament is perilously close to becoming professional, with players demanding big payments, and 5 players on a field can make a pretty big difference. Together with the 30% pass rate boys signed up for knitting 101, this issue is be no means solved ….
21 Jan 2013, 15:16 pm
@Tankman-5: Welcome Tank
21 Jan 2013, 15:19 pm
@Tankman-5: Ok so thats in the matchday squad. What about curbing it by letting teams register their 32 man squads and then it is fixed, then they cant bring players in from Vodacom cup and Super rugby unless they were in the original team that was registered.
21 Jan 2013, 15:23 pm
Why is there no relegation this season? Is it because PDV is at UWC and they are scared if U-Dubs wins they gain promotion and PDV is in the spotlight again.
21 Jan 2013, 15:23 pm
@Tankman-5:
Agreed. If a player plays for Maties one year and for the Tuks the next (i.e. Draghoender) it smacks of professionalism.
21 Jan 2013, 15:23 pm
@Taahirah-2:
I do not even have to proceed to 2)… having Lobberts in the side broke several of the Varsity Cup eligibility rules…
As for either of them being rocket-scientists…
21 Jan 2013, 15:55 pm
Do they have to drink and party like students too??
21 Jan 2013, 16:29 pm
@bryce_in_oz-10: Did you completely miss:
“All Varsity Cup and Shield match-day squads have to boast an active student count of 78% (at least 18 out of the 23 players in the match-day squads), and these students’ results and attendances will be strictly monitored throughout the year.”
Thus.
If Hilton was player 19, 20, 21, 22 or 23 no rule was broken.
Troll test result:
Fail.
What was that about rocket-scientists?
21 Jan 2013, 16:43 pm
@Tankman-5:
who ‘tweaked’ your copy tank…?
i suggest you go and ‘tweak’ their ear with the phlathand…
21 Jan 2013, 16:45 pm
@ufo-13:
What do you have against JC?
21 Jan 2013, 16:45 pm
@ufo-13:
another ****’n paste from the keo lads?
21 Jan 2013, 16:49 pm
@WP-Forever-14:
making a factual difference to the copy aint good copy editing…
@gunther-15:
and couldn’t even do that accurately by the look of it…
21 Jan 2013, 17:11 pm
@Taahirah-12:
Bit highly strung now aren’t you old chap? Let me educate you some…
>A player must not have played more than 5 Super Rugby games (Lobberts- 12 caps)
>A player must not have played a test for South Africa (Lobberts- 2 caps)
Back to school pal…
21 Jan 2013, 18:51 pm
@ufo-13: Ha Ha … Going to let it slide this time …@Sasuke-7: They do have rules in place that prevent sides from using players in knock out matches that have not played a minimum amount of pool matches
22 Jan 2013, 14:16 pm
Why should any non-student be allowed to play? Its Varsity Cup not Looking for a Club Cup. I know that in my day there were a couple of “professional” students, but most of the guys did achieve a degree, eventually. Silly rule, it should be a no-brainer. Its probably not that simple any more with most universities being open-clubs these days.
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.