Hard work pays off for Roux
FNB Maties head coach Chean Roux has paid tribute to his fellow coaches – and the hard work of his players – after Stellenbosch secured a hat-trick of Varsity Cup titles with a hard-fought 17-14 win over FNB UCT on Monday evening.
The Men in Maroon scored three tries to one at a sold-out Danie Craven Stadium, having withstood a spirited UCT fightback to edge out their Cape rivals for the second time in the final of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
“It’s nice to end off like this after all the hard work that we put in,” said the Maties coach to varsitycup.co.za.
“It was a tough competition… Sure, we ended unbeaten, but both of our games against UCT could have gone either way and if the Kovsies had had a kicker in our league match, things could’ve been different too.
“Obviously I’m very happy, but it wasn’t easy – there are no pushovers in the Varsity Cup – and that’s why I’m delighted that all our hard work paid off in the end.”
However, that hard work will continue without respite this week. Aside from his business commitments (Roux manages Super Spar outlets in the Boland region), the Maties have to prepare for the start of their local league – the Western Province Super League.
“It was the same last year… I was back in the shop a day after the Varsity Cup – it’s a busy time for us with stock-taking,” explained Roux (pictured above with backline coach Sollie Goosen).
“But my work commitments aside, we’re basically going straight into the local league – playing nine games in just over four weeks; that’s tougher than the Varsity Cup.
“This first round of competition is a very, very tough one for us as the winner (of Round One) qualifies for the National Club Championships,” he added.
“Sure, we’ll give it a go, but the Club Champs are not our major focus right now… and certainly not a very realistic goal. It’s a lot to ask of the players – after a tough tournament like the Varsity Cup – to play Wednesday and Saturday games and basically win them all.”
There have been plenty of rumours doing their rounds since Monday night – and even before – about Roux’s coaching future.
As the most successful coach in the Varsity Cup, talk is that the well-respected 34-year-old is in hot demand across the country from some top unions – but he is still very happy in Stellenbosch.
“I can tell you that I am still here, in Stellenbosch, and loving coaching the Maties,” Roux told varsitycup.co.za. “In fact, if they still want me, I’ll be here for the next five years!
“What’s the problem with staying loyal to a wonderful club like this for ten years? It fits in nicely with my business interests (here), so why should I move on?”
By Howard Kahn
