Preview: UCT-Ikeys v UWC
UCT, who have won the Cup competition on two occasions – 2011 and 2014 – have had their worst campaign by a long shot. Winless after seven matches and conceding a total of 326 points from those matches, the Cape side will need to do something dramatic to get themselves out of this draught.
Significant losses that spring to mind were 9-10 against CUT in Bloemfontein, 33-46 against NMMU-Madibaz in Cape Town and a massive 25-100 loss at the hands of UP-Tuks.
"The Ikeys have a proud history and we understand the responsibility. That being said, it's important for us to focus on the actual game of rugby and not get caught up in the emotion of it all," UCT captain Guy Alexander said.
UWC, who initially finished third on the Varsity Shield log and narrowly missed out on this encounter, made their way into the match at the expense of UKZN-Impi. The Impi were docked 12 points for fielding an ineligible player.
The points deduction meant that UWC ended up in second place and are on the brink of securing a spot in the Cup division.
The Bellville-based university secured five victories in their eight matches to end up on 24 points. Their most famous victory of the round-robin phase being a 44-16 victory over UKZN.
"We've been really impressed with how UWC have played this season and we'll look at this game no different to any other Varsity Cup side. We know what this game means to them and they know what it means to us, so I'm sure it's going to be a tough encounter,"
Prediction: Any Cape derby will make for an interesting encounter because form, history and expectations are thrown out the window. UWC must be counting their lucky stars that they somehow managed to sneak into this match. Although UCT have been going through a torrid time, they will certainly be pumped up to silence all their critics. With much more than bragging rights on the line, UCT should have enough experience to claim victory by 10 points.
Teams:
UCT-Ikeys: 15 Gerard Pieterse, 14 Rayno Mapoe, 13 Sebastian Roodt, 12 Lihleli Xoli, 11 Bradley Janse van Rensburg, 10 Thomas Bednall, 9 Dylan Tidbury, 8 Mark Prior, 7 Luke Stringer, 6 Alva Senderayi, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Jade Kriel, 3 Samuel Theron, 2 Keagan Timm, 1 Joel Carew.
Replacements: 16 Sean Paterson, 17 Msizi Zondi, 18 Olwethu Hans, 19 Duncan Saffy, 20 Stephen Wallace, 21 Robert Anderson, 22 Kofi Appiah, 23 Jayson Landman.
UWC: 15 Darian Hock, 14 Minenhle Mthethwa, 13 Monre Lingeveldt, 12 Lubabalo Faleni, 11 Gordan Plaatjes, 10 Aidynn Cupido, 9 Clayton Daniels, 8 Matthew Faught, 7 Jeremy Papier, 6 Philbrey Joseph (captain), 5 Jose Julies, 4 Brandon Valentyn, 3 Tahriq Allen, 2 Peter Wanjiru, 1 Wayrin Losper.
Replacements: 16 Keenan Douw, 17 Kelvin de Bruyn, 18 Matthew le Roux, 19 Vernon Treu, 20 Matthew Nortje, 21 Courtney Cupido, 22 Marcus Kleinbooi, 23 Robin Paulse.
Date: Monday, April 11
Venue: Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch
Kick-off: 14.30 (12.30 GMT)
Referee: Rodney Boneparte
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Francois Pretorius
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
