It's almost time to bring the 'gees' and back your 'boytjies' as the 2018 Varsity Cup will kick-off on Monday the 29th of January.
University campuses across South Africa will soon take centre stage on Monday evenings with the 2018 Varsity Cup set to kick off on the 29th of January. South Africa's top nine rugby universities will lock horns over nine rounds of round-robin games before the top four sides go head-to-head in the semi-finals.
Reigning Champions, Tuks, come into this one as hot favourites to retain their title but they will face stiff competition from local rivals UJ as well as the Stellenbosch-based Maties.
Sides Competing in the 2018 Varsity Cup
The University of Pretoria (Tuks)
2017 Finish: Champions
The University of Stellenbosch (Maties)
2017 Finish: Beaten Finalists
The University of Johannesburg (UJ)
2017 Finish: Semi-Final Exit
The University of the Free State (Shimlas)
2017 Finish: Semi-Final Exit
The University of Witwatersrand (Wits)
2017 Finish: Fifth
North-West University (NWU)
2017 Finish: Sixth
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (Madibaz)
2017 Finish: Seventh
The University of the Western Cape (Ikeys)
2017 Finish: Eighth
Central University of Technology
2017 Finish: Ninth
Law Variations
The biggest change to the laws this year is the introduction of a Power Play which will allow the attacking team to take off two of their opponent's backline players for a three-minute period. The Power Play can only be called by the attacking team when they are in possession of the ball in their own half and the call must be made by the captain. A Power Play can only be called once, and if the team score from the Power Play they will be awarded seven points for the try.
The scoring rules have been left the same as they were in 2017 with tries starting in an attacking side's own half counting for seven points and those originating in an opponent's half only worth five points.
The Red Card rule has also been kept with players who are shown a red card sent off the field for the remainder of the match. After 20 minutes have elapsed after the player has been sent off, the carded player's side is allowed to bring on a substitution.
Title Contenders
Tuks will come into this one as red-hot favourites with the bookmakers. The men from Pretoria played some mesmerizing rugby last year and ended the regular season with a staggering 46 tries to their names. They have managed to keep the core of their squad together for their title defence only losing a few players to the Blue Bulls set-up.
2017 defeated finalists, Maties, have endured far more player turnovers than Tuks and it looks like this could be a year of rebuilding for the Setllenbosch outfit. They have some quality players but their lack of experience is likely to see them struggle to advance further than the semi-finals.
With Maties seemingly out of the equation, the two biggest threats to Tuks' title defence are likely to come from their close neighbours UJ and Free State representatives Shimlas. Both of these teams played some very attractive rugby last year but will need to improve defensively if they are to claim the title.
Dark Horse
My dark horse for this year is Pukke. The 2016 champions were a shadow of their stoic selves last year as they could only muster up a sixth-place finish. Last season's poor showing will have only made the men from the North-West more hungry for success.
They play a very exciting brand of rugby which has drawn admirers from across the country. If their dangerous backline can be more clinical this season, then they may well find themselves lining up for a final come early April.
Verdict: Tuks
My money is on the men from Pretoria retaining their title. They have a great squad who now know how to win a Varsity Cup.
from Hollywoodbets Sports Blog http://ift.tt/2Bi0Qi9
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