Can anyone stop Maties?

 

Venter scored a dramatic sudden-death try in extra time of the last final to clinch victory against Kovsies in Camps Bay, and he knows his team will have to be at their best if they are to maintain their dominance in the competition.

 

With the competition having moved to just after the Varsity Cup, there are more 15-man stars in each team who could make a big impact over the weekend at Villager FC in Cape Town.

 

Venter said that his team cannot afford to understimate any opponent in what can be a very unpredictable form of the game.

 

"Sevens can be unpredictable, and with Varsity Cup guys coming in I think it would be foolish to underestimate anybody so we are definitely not picking any favourites but taking every game as a hard game," he said.

 

Where Maties have a huge advantage is that they have a host of specialist Sevens players, with the benefit of the Sevens Institute close by in Stellenbosch and Venter admitted that it is helpful to compare themselves with the BlitzBoks.

 

"Maties has a strong Sevens culture so we always have the privilege of playing in big tournaments.

 

"It is a massive privilege for us to have regular games against those guys, that is a measure for us for where we can improve," he said.

 

Venter himself has started focusing recently on Sevens, and says that he is looking forward to linking up with Varsity Cup players like Craig Barry and Louis Jordaan.

 

"It is only over the last two years that Sevens has become a focus point for me, but this year I made the decision to focus on Sevens.

 

"It would be awesome if I could go forward with it but right now it is just awesome being a part of the Maties family.

 

"We have kept quite a few of the guys who played in the last tournament and then we have the luxury of a few experienced guys like Craig Barry and Louis Jordaan also joining so we have a good mixture of new and old guys," he explained.

 

Another key for Maties is the guidance of experienced coach Ian Campbell-McGeachey who took them to the title in Camps Bay, and Venter said that his input is vital.

 

"I think the biggest part of our success is the culture that he creates and the fact that he supports us all the way so that is awesome," he said.

 

 

 

09.00 – Pukke v NMMU

09.20 – Tuks v UJ

09.40 – UWC v UFH

10.00 – UCT v WSU

10.20 – Maties v Kovsies

10.40 – UJ v UWC

11.00 – Tuks v WSU

11.20 – Kovsies v NMMU

11.40 – Maties v UFH

12.00 – Pukke v UCT

12.20 – NMMU v UJ

12.40 – Kovsies v Tuks

13.00 – Maties v Pukke

13.40 – UFH v WSU

14.00 – Maties v NMMU

14.20 – Pukke v Tuks

14.40 – Kovsies v UWC

15.00 – UJ v WSU

15.20 – UCT v UFH

15.40 – Tuks v UWC

16.00 – Kovsies v UJ

16.20 – NMMU v UFH

16.40 – Pukke v WSU

17.00 – Maties v UCT