The Varsity Cup B-section known as the Varsity Shield gets underway with the televised game at 16h35 between the University of KwaZulu-Natal Impis and the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
The Sharks are the only major SA rugby union without a Varsity Cup A-section team and the urgency level to get the UKZN promoted seems greater than ever. However for this 2015 campaign UKZN will be pinning their hopes on a mainly homegrown squad of players, which isn’t exactly the norm in the province. The Sharks’ success has been built around the acquisition of top players from schools outside the region and even the high schools in KZN seem to become more and more reliant on “imported” players to get the job done. Anyway interesting and hopefully successful times ahead for the Impis.
BTW 2015 is not a promotion-relegation season Varsity Cup season.
TEAM
| UKZN Impis | School | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Njabulo Mkize | Westville |
| 2 | Chris de Beer | Hilton |
| 3 | Sizwe Kubheka | Maritzburg College |
| 4 | David Harel | Empangeni |
| 5 | Christie vd Merwe | Piketberg |
| *6 | Lwazi Ngcungama | Port Shepstone |
| 7 | Johan du Toit | Swartland |
| 8 | Adam Wessels | AHS Kroonstad |
| 9 | Graham Koch | St Charles |
| 10 | Inno Radebe | St Stithians |
| 11 | Rico Lategan | Overkruin |
| 12 | Marius Louw | Grey College |
| 13 | Marcel Coetzee | Maritzburg College |
| 14 | Shayne Makombe | Churchill (Zim) |
| 15 | Spa Dube | Sarel Cilliers |
| 17 | Ntando Mpofana | Port Shepstone |
| 16 | Mikyle Webster | DHS |
| 18 | Matthew Mandioma | Churchill (Zim) |
| 19 | Sanele Malwane | Sarel Cilliers |
| 20 | Michael Hutton | Weston |
| 21 | Langa Shange | Westville |
| 22 | Gavin Nyawata | Blackrock College (Ireland) |
| 23 | Yandisa Mdolomba | Kokstad College |
| *6 | Siyabonga Mhlongo | Michaelhouse |
| * subject to eligibility |
another win on Monday vs Wits keeps UKZN Impi in with a chance. They are off to Wits next week for the title decider methinks. Coetzee keeps his good form.
Two good wins for the Impi to start the shield season. Marcel Coetzee scoring three tries in the win against TUT last night
@Playa: Would hope so.
@RugbyDad: Are they all enrolled at UKZN?
Glad to see two sarel boys coming thru. If i am correct they played in the same team as Razor that is currently at maties
Desperate doesn’t come close to describing it. They have taken a host of contracted players away from the Premier Division clubs and allocated them to UKZN in an effort to win the Shield section. These team is mostly made up players who played for other clubs last year. Should be called UKZN Barbarians