Three big Varsity Cup talking points

SPOTLIGHT: Rugby365 explores the changes and talking points that will shape the 2026 Varsity Cup tournament, writes Jon Cardinelli.

BORROWING FROM AMERICAN FOOTBALL

It seems fitting to be talking about a Gridiron-inspired innovation in the week of the 2026 Super Bowl – with the New England Patriots facing off against the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara in the early hours of Monday morning.

Following a touchdown, the attacking team has the option of kicking the conversion (for one extra point) or attempting a second touchdown (two extra points).

This year’s Varsity Cup tournament will introduce something similar, with the scoring team receiving two conversion options after they score a try.

The traditional conversion – a successful kick for posts – will earn the attacking side two extra points.

However, should they opt for the “Tap and Go” option, they could earn five points for a “Tap Try”.

The catch is that the attacking team will have 120 seconds to attempt the Tap Try, and the attempt will end as soon as the attacking team infringes or loses possession of the ball.

If the attacking team is successful with the Tap Try, they will come away from the scoring drive with a total of 10 points – as opposed to the traditional seven.

It may seem fairly straightforward enough until you remember the Varsity Cup’s Point of Origin rule that places a higher value on tries that originate in the attacking team’s half of the field.

For example, if the attacking team scores a Point of Origin try (seven points) and then goes on to score a Tap Try (five points), they will come away with a total of 12 points.

It will be interesting to see how the prospect of a 12-point haul shapes team tactics.

Teams that trail by 10 or 11 points in the final minute of the contest will know that they’re still in with a chance of winning the game – providing they score a Point of Origin try and complete a Tap Try.

That said, the officials monitoring the origin of the try and the new Tap Try will have to stay on their toes to ensure that the correct score is recorded.

FLASH IN THE PAN OR START OF A DYNASTY?

Two long droughts ended in 2025, with UCT winning their first title since 2014, and a Western Cape side lifting the trophy for the first time since 2019.

UCT had come close in previous seasons, losing the Final by several points in 2023 and 2024.

In 2025, they converted the opportunity into silverware when they thrashed Maties 44-21 in Stellenbosch.

Can UCT back up that success with another title victory in 2026?

A similar question was asked of Shimlas at the start of last season, but in the end, the Free State outfit were knocked out of the title race by Maties in the semifinals.

Nevertheless, there are several examples of the Varsity Cup teams “backing up” over the course of the tournament’s 18-year history.

The great Maties team of the late 2000s completed a hat-trick of titles between 2008 and 2010.

Nearly a decade later, they went back-to-back when they lifted the trophy in 2018 and 2019.

Tuks also boast two consecutive title runs – in 2012 and 2013, and in 2021 and 2022.

While they have won the tournament three times, UCT have never gone back-to-back.

TRY TIE-BREAKER

An average of eight tries are scored in a Varsity Cup game, and tournament organisers hope that the new law variations will boost that tally.

The Varsity Cup has introduced yet another change that will encourage teams to push for more tries over the course of the 2026 campaign.

The log tie-breaker criteria has been updated, and from this season, if two or more teams finish with the same number of log points, the side with the most overall tries will finish higher in the standings.

If teams finish with an equal number of log points and tries, points-difference – the original tie-breaker – will be decisive.

It will be interesting to see how this impacts the final league standings in 2026.

Which of the top dogs will earn a home playoff via a superior try-scoring record?

Which of the lower-ranked teams might survive the threat of relegation by virtue of their try-scoring prowess?

Defence and tactical kicking will be key in the play-offs – as they are in every big tournament – but in the Varsity Cup league stage, attack will be all-important.