Resurgent UJ ready to end play-off drought

EXCLUSIVE: Coach Therlow Pietersen credits cultural changes as well as a fresh identity for UJ’s impressive run of results in this year’s Varsity Cup.

Twelve months ago, UJ were fighting for survival in the Varsity Cup, having finished seventh in the league phase.

While they came through the promotion-relegation playoff with a valuable 24-21 win against the Madibaz, expectations were duly tempered ahead of the 2026 season.

Fast forward to the present, where the Orange Army have won four of their six matches, and are fourth in the Varsity Cup standings with one round to play.

“Most of the players who played in that promotion-relegation match are still with the team,” coach Pietersen told Rugby365.

“It’s been a crazy 12 months or so.

“The results have started to come in recent weeks, and some of those players have been forced to pinch themselves.

“It wasn’t long ago that they were fighting for survival – now they’re in a position to play in a semifinal.”

UJ boosted their playoff prospects with a 29-13 bonus-point win against CUT in Bloemfontein on Monday night.

It was a crucial result in the context of the playoff race – although UJ (21 log points) could still be overtaken by UCT (17) and Shimlas (16) next week.

“We always knew it was going to be tough at CUT, because they are fighting to avoid automatic relegation – and as we’ve seen this year, Varsity Cup teams are different prospect when they play on their home ground,” said Pietersen.

“We spoke about the fact that we hadn’t won at CUT for the past four years, and how we wanted to achieve that this week. Not everything went to plan, but I’m proud of the way the boys came through.”

Tuks and the NWU Eagles have already qualified for the playoffs, and the final round of the league on Monday will determine whether Maties, UJ, UCT or Shimlas claim the remaining spots.

“This is what we spoke about at the start of the season,” said Pietersen.

“We wanted to put ourselves into a position where destiny was in our own hands – and now we will only have ourselves to blame if we don’t make the semifinals.

“I think that every team sets out with the goal to qualify, because nobody wants to be also-rans.

“But we knew we had to make some changes, and that started with our culture.

“We looked back at past UJ sides that qualified for the semifinals, and what characteristics and behaviours shaped their success – on and off the field.

“We had an honest talk about the team’s identity and what we needed to do.

“There was a lot of buy-in, and we’ve really tried to create an environment where everybody enjoys themselves, and everyone feels like they belong.

“It’s an ongoing process, and it won’t change completely in one campaign, but there are encouraging signs.”

Indeed, UJ can’t afford to take their eye off the prize at this late stage.

If UCT lose to the Eagles in Potchefstroom and Shimlas suffer an unlikely loss to newcomers Emeris, UJ may progress to the playoffs regardless of their result against Tuks.

Pietersen, however, doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.

“As coaches, we’ve just got to keep reminding the players about the culture that they’ve played an active role in creating, and what it will take to make the next step,” he said.

“Tuks are very confrontational, with a great scrum and maul, and they love to come at you from around the corner.

“We stood up well against similarly physical teams like Pukke and Shimlas, so we should be ready for that challenge.

“There’s a lot to think about in the lead-up to that match, and we will be going all out for the win.

“I’m sure the UJ fans will turn out in their numbers and make it a special environment for us, because there is a lot at stake.”