Varsity Cup Final Preview: Will Odds Continue in Tuks Favour as They Enter Maties Den in Varsity Cup Final?

Varsity Cup Final Preview: Will Odds Continue in Tuks Favour as They Enter Maties Den in Varsity Cup Final?

Keba Mothoagae
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:01 PM
  • The University of Stellenbosch and the University of Pretoria will meet in the 14th final of the FNB Varsity Cup tonight in Stellenbosch
  • Both teams were victorious last week away in daunting semifinals, Maties accounting for the University of Cape Town, and Tuks defeating the University of the Free State
  • Maties and Tuks have an incredible record at the business end of the competition, boasting the most wins on top of meeting regularly in the final

The FNB Varsity Cup will conclude this evening with what promises to be a humdinger of a final between the University of Stellenbosch and the University of Pretoria.

The match will take at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch, where a capacity crowd is expected to be very much partisan towards Maties. The home side swept aside their arch-rivals UCT Ikeys 58-19 in Cape Town last week in the semifinals, while the visitors marched into Bloemfontein to upset the UFS Shimlas 29-19.

FNB Varsity Cup Final Review: University of Stellenbosch Maties vs University of Pretoria Tuks
Maties (maroon) defeated Tuks (white) 19-9 earlier this season. Image source: @Netwerk24Sport
Source: Twitter

The two finalists are the definition of pedigree when it comes to success in the competition since its inception back in 2008. Including tonight's encounter, Maties have been to a record 10 finals, with defending champions Tuks getting there on seven occasions.

Maties have won the competition a record five times, while Tuks is one behind on four. For good measure, these varsities have collided four times in the decider, with the a 3-1 split in the Tshwane team's favour.

Kick-off is at 7pm South African time on SuperSport channel 211.

Lineups:

FNB Maties – 15 van der Bank (c), 14 Mavovana, 13 Solaan, 12 Schoor, 11 du Toit, 10 Fleurs, 9 Bursey, 8 Miller, 7 Nel, 6 Dlamini, 5 Gray, 4 Beukes, 3 Manganyi, 2 Swart, 1 Matongo.

Subs: 16 Rossouw, 17 Rijnsburger, 18 Weilbach, 19 Johnson, 20 Matanda, 21 Volmoer, 22 Mathee, 23 Titus.

FNB UP-Tuks – 15 Coetzee, 14 Mokoena, 13 Reynders, 12 Daniels (c), 11 Manuel, 10 Visser, 9 van der Linde, 8 Koikanyang, 7 Smit, 6 Schoonees, 5 Venter, 4 Stamper, 3 Klopper, 2 Williams, 1 Burger.

Subs: 16 Fourie, 17 van der Merwe, 18 Wessels, 19 Nkombua, 20 Gie, 21 Valentine, 22 Galant, 23 Zenzile.

Varsity Cup: North West University Eagles soar above Wits University to end their season on a high with a win

The North-West University (NWU) Eagles ended their Varsity Cup season in style, beating Wits by 31 points to 3.

As reported by Sports Brief, Wits started the game on the front foot, scoring a penalty in the fifth minute.

It sadly was the only points they would accumulate all game. However, the Eagles dominated the game after that, scoring five tries.

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Keba Mothoagae
Editor- Local Desk
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South AfricaVarsity Cup