Armentum 'headlining' Kovsies' league
Huis Armentum’s triumph in the Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championship has breathed new life into the Kovsie Koshuisrugby League.
The Free State students started their competition on Friday, knowing that a big prize awaits the winners in September (when the final will be played); to represent their university in the Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships in 2010.
A few Kovsie hostels have indicated that this grand prize will give them the extra motivation to do well in the league this year.
For quite some time now people are of the opinion that the Kovsie koshuisliga is one of the toughest and most sort after in the country. Armentum’s dominant win in the Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships has now proved these people right.
Shimlas head coach, Jaco Swanepoel, said in the past that he can pick players out of this competition to play in the Varsity Cup, or even the club league, knowing they will not be out of place.
Huis Armentum captured the imagination of students countrywide during the Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships; playing some brilliant rugby at times and eventually getting the better of Dromedaris (UJ) in the final that was played in Stellenbosch as a curtain-raiser to the 2009 Varsity Cup Final.
Early in the competition Majuba (Maties) were put to the sword (61-19) by Armentum, before the UCT Cobras (48-10) and the NMMU Barbarians (29-0) all received some hidings in the group stages.
Armentum’s win in the semifinal against Maroela from Tuks was just as comprehensive; although the final scoreline of 45-26 flattered the losers somewhat. The same can be said about the final; five-tries-to-one is very convincing, and the score could even have been bigger if Armentum’s goal-kicker had not left his boots at home.
The champs will be the first to admit that their performance in the final was a bit below the standard they set in their previous matches. But a win is a win and they made fellow university mates very proud.
According to Ryno Mouton, team manager of Armentum, he hopes the win will bear fruit in the future.
“We will have to wait and see if this will attract interest from potential students that would like to come and life in Armentum next year,” he said. “I do feel the exposure we got by playing on SuperSport (in the final) will give us some great publicity.”
Mouton said that quite a few of the team members will be leaving the hostel at the end of the year: “But this will provide opportunities for new players who can already climb a spot in the local hostel league.
“Everyone has now seen how fantastic it is to play in the Steinhoff Koshuis Championships and all the benefits that come with it.”
Armentum won R10,000 for their efforts – from sponsors Steinhoff – and they can use it to host a celebration party!
By Ruan Bruwer
