All bets are on in Kimberley
Kimberley, as we all know, is the home of the reigning Vodacom Cup champions, Griquas. This year, however, it also happens to be home to a host of former Varsity Cup rugby stars.
And with former Maties captain Wesley Wilkins heading up this impressive list of ex-Maties and Ikeys players turning out for Griquas in 2010, the last few Monday nights have produced some interesting in-house ‘battles’ – all, no doubt, in preparation for Monday’s Varsity Cup Final in Stellenbosch. (Kick-off 6.30pm.)
“I guess it doesn’t help that I live with an Ikey,” said Wilkins, with a hearty chuckle, to varsitycup.co.za.
“Dylan Rogers (who played two Varsity Cup seasons for UCT) is my house-mate,” he added, “and there has been plenty of banter and plenty of bets flying around the house!
“Beer seems to be the common denominator when it comes to placing our bets… Dyl seems pretty confident, but I guess we’ll all know for sure come Monday’s final.”
As mentioned above, house-mates Wilkins and Rogers are simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to former Varsity Cup representatives plying their trade in Kimberley at present.
Former Maties Jacobie Adriaanse (the brother of current Maties prop Lourens), Jaco Nepgen, Donald Stevens (the 2009 Varsity Cup Player of the Tournament) and Coenie van Wyk, along with ex-UCT lock Michael Passaportis, make up the rest of the Varsity Cup contingent now playing for the Peacock Blues.
“We’re watching with a heavy heart as we all miss the tournament – it did a lot for us, as players and as individuals, and, of course, it was so much fun playing with our mates and having our friends supporting us in the crowds every week,” said Wilkins, who captained the title-winning Maties in 2009, having missed the 2008 final with an ankle injury.
“At the same time, however, it’s been nice being able to follow the games every week, although the Maties didn’t get a lot of TV games early on!”
Wilkins, and some of his new Griquas teammates, are hoping to attend Monday’s second Maties-UCT Varsity Cup Final at the Danie Craven Stadium – that is, however, if they beat the Golden Lions in Vodacom Cup action this coming weekend.
“If we beat the Lions we get a whole week off,” revealed the 24-year-old loose forward. “If that happens, we’re planning to get down to the Cape and, of course, go to the final.
“I’m confident of a Maties victory, we don’t lose many matches at the Danie Craven Stadium – especially big games like this – but it’s important that the guys relax and stick to their gameplan (come the final).
“I remember in 2008 and 2009 how tense the guys were and they made a few unforced handling errors,” he continued.
“(So) they just need to relax and have confidence in their abilities and the gameplan from the start – after all, we saw how close the league match was against these two sides a few weeks ago.”
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