Unchanged Ikey Tigers keep the faith
FNB UCT head coach John Dobson has announced an unchanged matchday 23 squad for Monday night’s Varsity Cup Final meeting with FNB Maties in Stellenbosch.
The Ikeys will travel to Coetzenburg to take on the back-to-back and defending champions in their own backyard – the second time that these two sides will clash in the final of this tournament.
On that occasion, in 2008, the Maties won 16-10 thanks to a last-gasp Morné Jooste try, but the Men from Cape Town will be hoping for a different result this year.
“In many ways, we have nothing to lose,” UCT captain Nick Fenton-Wells told varsitycup.co.za, “the Maties, on the other hand, have a lot of expectations as the home side and the defending champions.
“For us, it’s all about being part of an amazing occasion and, in the process, making our presence felt,” added the Ikeys flanker.
For Fenton-Wells – who recently recovered from a knee injury – it will be his first Varsity Cup Final, but Pete Haw, Matt Rosslee, JJ Gagiano, Mark Goosen, Mike Ledwidge and Wesley Chetty were all part of the 2008 event at this selfsame venue.
Monday’s all-Cape final will get underway at 6.30pm and will, again, be televised live on SuperSport.
The FNB UCT team: 15 Therlow Pietersen, 14 Pete Haw, 13 Marcel Brache, 12 Sean van Tonder, 11 Marcello Sampson, 10 Matt Rosslee, 9 Stu Commins (vice-captain), 8 JJ Gagiano, 7 Mike Morris, 6 Nick Fenton-Wells (captain), 5 Donovan Armand, 4 Levi Odendaal, 3 Grant Kemp, 2 Mark Goosen, 1 Ash Wells.
Replacements: 16 Matt Page, 17 Chris Heiberg, 18 Mike Ledwidge, 19 Sam Peter, 20 Nic Groom, 21 Douglas Mallett, 22 Mark Esterhuizen, 23 Wesley Chetty.
Head coach: John Dobson
Assistant coach: Kevin Foote
Date: Monday, March 29
Venue: Danie Craven Stadium
Kick-off: 6.30pm (Live on SuperSport One)
Referee: Tiaan Jonker
By Howard Kahn
