FNB Varsity Cup Reaches Historical Milestone as Bitter Rivals UCT Ikeys and Stellenbosch Maties Collide

• The FNB Varsity Cup will reach a historic milestone with its biggest rivalry tonight in Cape Town
• The University of Cape Town and the University of Stellenbosch will meet in the competitions 500th match on the Green Mile
• The Ikeys and the Maties have met have played out memorable encounters, including meeting in the final of the competition twice

The University of Cape Town and University of Stellenbosch will headline today's Varsity Cup schedule with historical significance.

The Ikeys and Maties will collide in the 500th match of the storied competition that has become a beloved fixture on the rugby landscape since 2008. The premier intervarsity tournament has been the platform for more than 2 000 players to display their rugby prowess.

Of these players, 49 went on to play for the Springboks and 40 for the BlitzBoks. Several hundred more have gone on to play professionally at home and abroad.

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As reported by SuperSport, the very first FNB Varsity Cup encounter took place at the very same UCT Rugby Fields where the 500th match will be played. UCT Ikeys hosted NWU Pukke (now known as NWU Eagles), with the visitors winning 23-17.

The match featured the likes of Brown, JJ Gagiano, England Sevens player Matt Turner and Namibia international Theuns Kotzé. The visitors were coached by Matthew Proudfoot, who went on to win the World Cup with the Springboks as an assistant coach, while current Stormers head coach John Dobson headed up the coaching at UCT Ikeys.

Adding to this momentous occasion of the 500th FNB Varsity Cup match, is that these two sides – UCT Ikeys and Maties – have met in two previous finals (2008 and 2010) with both played at the Danie Craven Stadium. Maties won both finals and have gone on to win the competition a record five times while UCT Ikeys won the competition in 2011 and 2014.

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Football

FNB Varsity Cup: Sensational University of Free State Shimlas absolutely demolish University of Cape Town

The University of the Free State put in the performance of the season in an amazing demolition of FNB Varsity Cup favourites, the University of Cape Town.

The Shimlas ran in seven tries to the Ikey Tigers' solitary effort in a 58-7 annihilation, which Sports Brief monitored.

This clash was postponed due to bad weather in Bloemfontein on last Monday night. While the skies cleared on the next morning ahead of the 9 am kick-off, the field was wet and players on both sides struggled to adapt to the conditions.