Varsity Cup let down
5 Mar 2013
MARK KEOHANE writes the Varsity Cup in its first year rocked. Since then it’s just another professional tournament.
The Varsity Cup may have the innovation of doing a few things differently, but what was supposed to be a celebration of student rugby somehow just seems like another tournament, in which the traditional power houses remain the traditional strengths in the tournament.
Much has been made of the Port Elizabeth-based Nelson Mandela University display this season and equally there has been bewilderment at how poor Shimlas have been. But it seems the old one two of Stellenbosch University (Maties) and University of Pretoria (Tukkies) are merely playing out a long rivalry in another guise.
More focus this year has supposedly been on reinvesting in the student and there are more stringent regulations permitting to team selection, which favour those who are currently studying.
But the tournament, for intents and purposes, is a professional breeding ground and the Tukkies team, as just one example, is a professional side that has carefully been constructed and then sold to the public as a bunch of students who just want to play Monday night footie.
I loved everything about the Varsity Cup in its inaugural year. It was fast paced, it was different to what I was watching in the professional leagues and it was showcasing a more carefree style of game, in which skills and entertainment were the selling point to lure in a new audience.
The promise of something special was definitely there. The tournament’s sponsors have not been shy with cash. They have also engaged strategically with sectors of the media to buy space that guarantees favourable presentation.
But the rugby that rocked in the first year is rugby that bores me in 2013. In a saturated market it is more an irritation than an inspiration.
Am I missing something? Does the student audience see it different? Is it beyond the rugby experience?
Is it predictable and from a rugby perspective how do you view it in the context of all else that is going on in the game of Rugby Union?
Is it a competition that has delivered on expectation since the inaugural year?
What am I missing?
Monday’s results
Ikey Tigers 15 Maties 37
NMMU 20 UJ 13
Tuks 52 Wits 0
Shimlas 38 Pukke 18
90 Comments
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5 Mar 2013, 10:49 am
@Richard Ferguson-31: I think the only course in which a degree can be obtained is in marketing. They offer 3 diploma courses plus the degree in marketing. My son was approached by an agent to attend the Academy. There were 4 courses offered and Accounting (or a “normal B.Comm”) wasn’t one of it – therefore he decided not to apply
5 Mar 2013, 10:50 am
@Dilligafrican-18: The point is any other student will be kicked out of Varsity if he achieve 30% , make the rules to have real students , not rugby pro’s
5 Mar 2013, 10:50 am
@CharlesM-44:
Interesting ..
Thanks Charles, I thought Accounting was still one of them.
Where is your son now?
5 Mar 2013, 10:51 am
@sparticus-41: Yes but then change it to under 24 competition , not Varsity cup
5 Mar 2013, 10:55 am
@CharlesM-44:
So effectively, an Academy student is screwed academically and professionally if he doesn’t get a senior professional contract.
5 Mar 2013, 10:57 am
I agree,
Varsity cup is a huge let down, In in the first two years the Varsitys with the best players/strong rugby identity did well, now the Varsitys with the best links to big union academy do well, the exception being Maties, but then their rugby has always be a priority. Basicly the more money gets thrown at it the better you do at varsity cup. Also the unions are just using it as another avenue for their players to get experience. Perhaps the should be a handicap system where players degrees count, so a team full of actuaries and engineers gets some respite over a team of semi pro’s. School boy rugby is going the same way.
It should just be a friendly competition of which school/ varsity has the best players. not an arms race of who has the most money
5 Mar 2013, 10:57 am
I am not knocking the rugby played in the odd game (like Maties v Ikeys last night). I am talking about how Tukkies, for example, have effectively built a professional team to play in a supposed student league.
I think it defeats the purpose of what Varsity Cup is all about.
5 Mar 2013, 11:09 am
@capebull-47: As far as I know they players needs student numbers and to be under 25. So the loopholes is players like Pollard is studying at Tuks which was part of his “package” to join the Bulls in the first place I believe.
5 Mar 2013, 11:13 am
@Richard Ferguson-46: Richard, he is studying at Stellenbosch. He is in the running for the U/19 squad but they want him to play tighthead while he is a loosehead. Talent at 3 apparently a problem at the U/19s.@David-48: It seems like that David but if you attend the Academy you should IMO graduate first. By doing that you’ll at least have a tertiary education. The courses as pointed out above are limited however.
@keo-50: I absolutely agree with that. While Maties among others field mostly students (I don’t know everybody but it seems like that) you have Tukkies’ players with huge salaries paid by the Bulls, playing Varsity Cup. So there goes the theory of a student league.
BTW I have mentioned it here during last year: I spoke to Neil Hugo (we played together at Stellenbosch and Bellville) in the beginning of last year about his son Reniel. Reniel played for all the age groups of Western Province while growing up. The last provincial side he represented was the U/21s. With due respect to Reniel, IMO Varsity Cup is perhaps the ceiling for him. (He might still play for a smaller union but I’m speaking about the larger unions).
Dad and son realized this though and Reniel is studying accounting. He is doing well academically while still representing his university in the Varsity Cup. Some of his friends though, who played Craven Week etc thought they could make a living out of rugby but soon realized that there are many many good players. Hence some of them started to study as well. I know this is off the topic but quite relevant to many players not seeing the bigger picture.
5 Mar 2013, 11:13 am
@keo-50: The only difference between Tuks and Maties, for instance, is that Tuks have more high profile youngsters. 17/23 of the Maties a week ago played WP u/19 and u/21 while 7 played in last year’s u/19 or u/21 finals and 7 had played Vodacom Cup or Currie Cup for WP
5 Mar 2013, 11:16 am
The performance of the ref was disgraceful in the Tuks Marie’s game.
They may not be paying the players but they’re paying someone.
5 Mar 2013, 11:24 am
@gunther-54:
Haha
Maties.
5 Mar 2013, 11:39 am
@gunther-54: ref in the NMMUvsMaties match was on the take fo shizzy
5 Mar 2013, 11:43 am
@Transformation-56:
Fo shizzle ma nizzle.
5 Mar 2013, 11:47 am
The problem with this is simple.
If Varsities becomes extensions of unions as is currently what Keo highlights, the Varsity Cup competition will become a stale, useless competition only contested by the top 2 or 3 unions (Super Rugby) with money who feeds into these unions.
Every other university will simply make up the numbers, you will have 50, 60, 80 point one-sided thrashings in the competition. If the Lions for some reason fail to get back into Super Rugby this year, just watch UJ go down the tubes.
The Varsity Cup will become exactly like the Vodacom Cup once more teams do what Tukkies and/or Maties are doing – and we know how successful that is.
I am not interested in an extension of pro-rugby, if that is what is required by teams nowadays, create a competition for it or just drop the Varsity Cup charade.
5 Mar 2013, 13:23 pm
hhmm weren’t the succesful teams in the varsity cup ALWAYS an extension of unions? de jongh, catrakilis, gagiano, hilton lobberts etc were all linked to wp, not so?
when uct was winning who b.itched about this?
now tukkies has upped the ante & all we hear are screetches from cape town?
5 Mar 2013, 13:40 pm
@Transformation-59: and strictly speaking Maties should be feeding Boland…
5 Mar 2013, 14:50 pm
RT @mark_keohane: Varsity Cup let down http://t.co/mjLtLiioXf via @sharethis What are your thoughts on Varsity Cup. It doesn’t do it 4 m …
5 Mar 2013, 14:54 pm
RT @RuggaWorld: Seems just about everybody feels the #VarsityCup sold its soul http://t.co/t6STzfj3na #Keo
5 Mar 2013, 16:06 pm
@Transformation-59:
I don’t see any baby boks, Sa Sevens or players with Super Rugby experience playing for Maties.
And players like de Jongh only started plaing for WP after they were spotted in varsity cup.
5 Mar 2013, 16:15 pm
@TooMuchRugby-61:
Craig Barry, Dean Hammond, Helmut Lehmann and JP Lewis all baby boks. Alistair Vermaak has played pre-season friendlies for the Stormer for the last two years. And all of them have played age group rugby for WP.
5 Mar 2013, 16:30 pm
@mxhosa-62:
I would like to believe you, but I have no recollection of any of them in the 2012 and 2013 baby boks squad.
Care to enlighten me?
I’m talking baby boks, not SA schools.
And warming the bench in superrugby warm-up game doesn’t count.
5 Mar 2013, 16:53 pm
@Transformation-59:
Referring to my post Trans?
5 Mar 2013, 17:00 pm
@TooMuchRugby-61: @mxhosa-62:
I have no problem with Baby Boks, not even contracted age group players or Vodacom Cup players, provided they are full time students and not some farcical selection for a dude how is studying some 6-month business management diploma.
Players that have professional senior team contracts (Currie Cup and Super Rugby) however defies the purpose of this competition. If you have the instance that a full time student is also on a senior contracted apply for dispensation from the competition organisers but how often does that happen?
5 Mar 2013, 17:08 pm
@PissAnt-65:
Do you remember how they changed the rules, a few years ago, for the Ikeys/Maties inter varsity to only full time students? In those days the Maties used to include the likes of Boland Coetzee etc. who were registered as part time students in order to play for Maties. In fact they were virtually a full WP side.
I reckon a similar rule needs to be applied here, in order to maintain the spirit of the tournament.
5 Mar 2013, 17:15 pm
@David-66:
I agree, not some piss-willy diploma course for 6 months. One ‘student’ could not even tell a journo what he was ‘studying’.
It started with Lobberts, I wrote something about it in 2011 when it happened too.
Really defies the purpose.
5 Mar 2013, 17:17 pm
@TooMuchRugby-61: did you see hilton lobberts’ name im there?
5 Mar 2013, 17:18 pm
@David-66:
And yes I do remember.
Point is, teams will do anything to win (which in itself is not a bad thing) but the idea of this competition was one specific thing, all of that changed now.
For my money, full time students only, and any student on a professional senior team contract either needs to get special dispensation or Varsities are limited to the number allowed in match-day line ups.
5 Mar 2013, 17:27 pm
@PissAnt-69:
Indeed.
No more of these Animal Husbandry courses at Matieland.
5 Mar 2013, 17:29 pm
@TooMuchRugby-63: do you recall nick koster, a stormer, playing for the Ikeys?
5 Mar 2013, 17:33 pm
@Transformation-71:
Stop emboerissing him.
5 Mar 2013, 17:38 pm
@gunther-70:
Haha – indeed pal.
5 Mar 2013, 19:54 pm
Issue of pro teams funding varsity cup teams is reaching a tipping point http://t.co/ZKipauFXY6 interested to see @varsitycup response
5 Mar 2013, 23:15 pm
RT @DaveWessels: Issue of pro teams funding varsity cup teams is reaching a tipping point http://t.co/ZKipauFXY6 interested to see @vars …
6 Mar 2013, 09:10 am
@Transformation-71:
@gunther-72:
I was talking specifically about Maties, smartass
@PissAnt-65:
Correct. That is the crux of the matter
6 Mar 2013, 10:34 am
No one can dispute the quality of talent on display (except that IMO over coached teams win but don’t necessarily entertain) but the crux of what Keo’s asking – is everyone looking for forward to 2014 “tournament” where we’ll watch Tuks/Maties Final preceded by 30 up warm up games?
6 Mar 2013, 11:19 am
The first question I ask about a Tukkies player is: for which university did he play last year or the year before?
The Bulls are destroying our rugby. They should only buy the players once they have developed into complete rugby players. If a player gets a Pretoria contract he is immediately moulded into a 7ft 120kg monster that can bench press 300kg.
6 Mar 2013, 13:23 pm
There are a couple of issues around the Varsity Cup. Here are a few of the obvious ones.
1. Some players are registered as students but never get so see in the inside of a lecture hall. Go ask the Tukkies captain Jono Ross to show you the lecture rooms he has attended in the last few years while doiing his “studies” and you will get a blank stare back.
2. The acceptance criteria between the universities is not equal. UCT and Wits have stringent entry criteria so that they can maintain their world class status as an academic instritution. That means that an everage rugby player will need a C average on higher grade in matric to get into doing a basic degree.
3. The money that isd thrown at players by some of the universities is obscene. It is not uncommon for a top player to get a package deal of R30k upward per month. Thats more money than most of the players in the Currie Cup B Division. And then they have the audacity to call then amatuers and students.
4. Another issue is that universities are creating courses that cater for the non-so-bright rugby players out there. Ask UJ about their Logistics diploma where a “student” can get through on a couple of lectures in a month. Tukkies and there teaching diploma. And don’t think that everyone is innocent here, ask Maties about players who study “theology” yet have no clue as to the subject a year later.
5. Another question which should be ask; how many varsity cup players have successfully graduated whilst playing Varsity Cup. I suspect the number is so low that the Varisty Cup organising committee will be too embarassed to release that sort of info.
Varsity Cup is about students playing rugby, not about professionals trying to ply their trade with the big unions.
6 Mar 2013, 13:30 pm
Maybe we should ask Francois Pienaar what the real intent was with the creation of the Varsity Cup.
26 Mar 2013, 13:19 pm
Has the site then given up on reporting on the games then, Mark?
Anyone who is interested in the latest results can find them here:
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/VarsityCup
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