by Luca Kotton | Apr 9, 2014 | Sport
This year’s Varsity Cup tournament ended with an unlikely finish when Ikeys came back from an 18-point deficit with six minutes remaining to claim the title.
University of Cape Town Ikeys took the match, 39-33, in the Monday match against NWU-Pukke, which left the hometown crowd in Potchefstroom disappointed.
The Pukke were left with a sour taste in their mouth after they threw away a guaranteed victory with a rash drop goal by flyhalf, Johnny Welthagen, after the final hooter which could have been kicked into touch for a victory.
Ikeys ran over the whitewash after 83 minutes to a thrilling victory, which left the UCT fans at their Cape Town fan park in delirium.
Two controversial tries were disallowed by the television match official. The decision left the 7 900 Potch fans at the stadium feeling hard done by, as it left Pukke without a trophy after topping the log all season.
Disappointment was nothing to new to fans of the Wits varsity rugby team, which lost all seven of their games this year and have been relegated to Varsity Shield.
NEXT YEAR:A full Wits rugby stadium shows their support while singing the South Africa national anthem. The Witsies will battle their way into the Varsity Cup next season after being relegated this year. Photo: Caro Malherbe
University of Johannesburg was in a danger of being relegated but were able to fight for their place in the Varsity Cup in a play-off match against the University of KwaZulu-Natal. UJ was able to keep their spot with a decisive 42-8 victory.
by Luca Kotton | Mar 29, 2014 | Sport
by Luca Kotton | Mar 21, 2014 | Sport
by Luca Kotton | Mar 18, 2014 | Sport
BOYTJIES BUMMED: Scrum after scrum saw the iKeys Tigers taking possession of the ball, leaving the Wits Boytjies with mud on their faces. Photo: Luca Kotton
By Luca Kotton and Lutho Mtongana
Wits rugby ended their Varsity Cup season as the only team without a win after seven group games, last night. The home ground advantage and sassy cheerleaders couldn’t help the Boytjies snatch a win in their final Varsity Cup game.
Wits will now play rugby for the next two years in the Varsity Shield competition.
It has been a hard season for the Witsies but despite this, they remain optimistic for the upcoming years.
Wits rugby team captain, Devin Montgomery said, “[It’s been] very disappointing … We set high goals for ourselves and we could have done better … I definitely think we have improved but we are just not there yet, so we are going to have to work our way back into the competition”.
In the game, Wits were 10-0 down at half time and came out the blocks in the second half with a renewed energy.
The team struggled to get past their halfway line, as they continued to fumble the ball. University of Cape Town (UCT) team, iKeys Tigers could have buried the game earlier but their kicker seemed to struggle on the night missing all of his five kicks.
In the face of a seventh loss, Wits put all their effort in trying to revive their hopes of a victory. Unfortunately, their last gasp effort and single unconverted try was not enough against the strong finish of the iKeys Tigers who ended the match 25-5.
The UCT captain, James Alexander, at the prospect of a home semi-final told Wits Vuvuzela, “We came here thinking we are going to win the competition. So to have a semi-final we are in pretty good shape. We brought in new management…we came here quite confident, especially away from home we’ve done really well”.
Throughout the entire game the Wits crowd remained enthusiastic and filled the stadium with energy and song, supporting their team in the hope of a victory.
Miss Varsity Cup makes her debut
If UCT gets to the final of the Varsity Cup 2014 competition, they will be joined by the newly crowned Miss Wits Varsity Cup, Callie Shepherd.
Shepard won through a combination of likes on the Miss Varsity Cup 2014 Facebook page, photo-shoots, interviews and a fashion show.
[VIDEO: A full interview with the new title holder].
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by Luca Kotton | Mar 14, 2014 | Sport
SUPER COACH: Olympic hockey player and Wits first team coach, Pietie Coetzee, watches on during a practice session at Wits’ astroturf. Photo: Luca Kotton
Olympic hockey player and world record holder, Pietie Coetzee, believes Wits hockey will see its first national team player within the next three years.
The recently appointed Wits women’s first team hockey coach told Wits Vuvuzela: “I want to be associated with a top university. Hockey at Wits has reached a point where the potential for growth is very evident. I would like nothing more than to be part of the growth and achieving success.”
Who is Coetzee?
Coetzee, who has played in three Olympic Games, holds the world record for the most field hockey goals scored in international matches. She currently plays for the national team and runs her own coaching business. She was appointed to the Wits team this year and coaches a number of other teams and individuals.
[pullquote align=”right”]”The combination of studying and playing for the national team has been a familiar one for many, if not all the national players for many years. The students get so many more opportunities to play at high level competitions.”[/pullquote]
She said many professional players and young aspiring professionals use universities as a springboard, playing hockey and studying towards other careers. “In a South African context, university hockey is a very important platform. The combination of studying and playing for the national team has been a familiar one for many, if not all the national players for many years. The students get so many more opportunities to play at high level competitions.”
Team goals
Coetzee said she hoped the women’s team would finish in the top six of the southern Gauteng league and, more importantly, gain promotion to the A section of University Sports South Africa tournament this year. She planned to do this by establishing an ethos the team could call their own and be proud of. She said she believed her international experience had played a major role in her coaching style.
She was fortunate to have been exposed to many opportunities and she believed she had been shaped by those moments. The way she coached was a direct result of those experiences.
She believed her international background would create extra opportunities for Witsies. There were aspects of hockey she had specialised in and the hockey club would gain from her knowledge in these areas.
The Wits hockey club’s facilities were unique, she said, as the astroturf was of high quality. What made them even more special was the view of Johannesburg and the vibe students created.
What next for Coetzee?
After her professional hockey career, Coetzee plans to commit full time to coaching. The world record holder also wants to start a family. Asked what she does outside of hockey, Coetzee said: “I take long walks in the park, read novels and watch movies … Just kidding. I really don’t have much spare time to talk about.”
by Luca Kotton | Mar 12, 2014 | Sport
Luca Kotton, former academy player at Platinum Stars, Junior national player and current academy coach at Balfour Park Alexandra. Photo: TJ Lemon
No single association in South Africa has taken the responsibility to solve the problems we face in South African football. With current uncertainty over the position of Bafana Bafana coach, Luca Kotton, Wits Vuvuzela journalist and a soccer player, weighs in on the crisis in South African soccer.
The issues
Our current football leadership structures remain in disarray, with not enough time and effort being put into developing young talent across the country. The once successful School of Excellence is a shadow of its once very capable hands that saw the likes of Steven Pienaar being produced. This is an abuse to a country whose football talent far exceeds others. Football leadership is a vital part of our country succeeding on an international level. In many other countries pride is taken in developing their national youth soccer teams whereas, in South Africa national youth soccer teams are almost nonexistent. When compared to other higher internationally ranked sporting codes such as rugby and cricket, school soccer is clearly on the back foot.
[pullquote align=”left”]”The problem is everybody knows the problems but whose going to fix it. Let’s not talk, talk, talk, and let’s do it.” [/pullquote]
These issues extend to the highest organisational levels where the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and SAFA (South African Football Association) fail to see eye to eye in many circumstances. One of the consequences of the lack of synergy between these two key organisations is the repeated drama clubs not releasing players for internationals like the African Nations Cup. But where do we go from here? Who is the right person for the job?
Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt, who has often been rumored to step into the national coaching job by media, said there was a need for football associations to take a more proactive stance. “It was needed 20 or 30 years ago, the problem is everybody knows the problems but whose going to fix it. Let’s not talk, talk, talk, and let’s do it. We need people who know what they doing and the problem is do they know football,” he said.
Possible solutions
Local academy coach Daryn Patricio, who is linked with the Dutch football association (KNVB), said the Dutch system advocate linear thinking between all coaches and all members associated with the KNVB. “The Dutch Federation has a very simple way of thinking, you help me and I help you. The Dutch have two important parts to their success. First, they have a coach’s database, where amateur coaches can interact with the national team coach. The second is that each coach needs to re-take his or her coaching license every three years.
Failure to do so results in the license being revoked. The system works because it keeps the whole of the Dutch football community on the same page. This way of thinking would aid our national team because all our coaches would be on one similar path, instead of everyone trying to outdo each other.
SAFA needs to carefully think about their next move in terms of coaching and youth soccer development. A clearly defined youth program is needed if we aspire to be at the levels that Brazil displayed at FNB stadium on March 5 when they beat Bafana Bafana 5-0. For the sake of all the talented youngsters playing on the streets, in townships and school grounds, let’s hope the new SAFA can do justice to our future football stars.
by Luca Kotton | Mar 7, 2014 | Sport
THE BOSS: Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt credits “fantastic” Witsies for filling the home stadium and creating a great atmosphere for the Clever Boys. Photo: Luke Matthews
The players of Bidvest Wits have been on a winning streak, having won three matches in a row this year. This can, in part, be attributed to the amazing support students’ shower on their team, according to the team’s dynamic and experienced coach.
“The students have been fantastic,” Gavin Hunt, the 49-year-old Bidvest Wits head coach who praised the students of the university for filling up stadiums with enthusiasm.
This helped to create a great atmosphere for recent home matches.
In an interview with Wits Vuvuzela on Tuesday, the six-foot tall coach praised Wits students for their support.
This, he felt, contributed to the form of the players. The team is now placed third on the log, with a game in hand. Saturday saw a 3-1 victory over fellow league chasers, Mamelodi Sundowns. The game was highlighted by an impressive debut by 18-year-old Tebogo Moerane.
However, Hunt still believes there is a lot of work to be done and football changes will happen slowly but surely in a controlled manner. Despite the attractive football played this season, Hunt said, “I have a way I like to play and it will take a little bit of time”.
Varsity Cup Football
When asked about Varsity Cup football, Hunt said it is a good vehicle for talent identification and promoting the game on campus. He added, “I feel the varsity team should be closer linked to Bidvest Wits”.
[pullquote]Bidvest Wits has one of the strongest youth development programs in the country.[/pullquote]
Hunt will be watching the Varsity Cup tournament looking to potential talent to invite to training. It is clear from his Supersport United days, where he won three consecutive Premier Soccer League (PSL) titles, that Hunt is passionate about youth development. Bidvest Wits has one of the strongest youth development programs in the country and when asked, Hunt said that bigger clubs don’t produce academy players because of their financial muscle to buy players.
However, he said, “clubs like ours; we have to do it through the youth”. Hunt said he sees the PSL as more of a development league and a good platform to give young players the opportunities to play. Witsies can look forward to their team doing well in the Nedbank Cup, says Hunt. Regarding the Clever Boys’ league aspirations, Hunt said, “Chiefs are going to have to explode, if anyone stands a chance, which I don’t see happening but anything is possible in football”.
Bidvest Wits’ next game is scheduled for the ninth of March, after the international break. The team will be looking to continue their three-match winning streak in an away game against Polokwane City.
Hunt, the man
Hunt seems to be ideally placed to lead Bidvest Wits, describing his life thus: “Football, football and sport.”
Sport is his passion, when he is not soccer coaching, he is playing golf off his two handicap. The member of the Modderfontein Golf Club, also likes to read widely on a variety of topics.
by Luca Kotton | Mar 7, 2014 | Sport
ALL ROUNDER: Kirsten Morley-Jepson- sports star and doctor in the making poses with her hockey kit during practice. Photo: Luca Kotton
As Wits Hockey player of the year for 2013 and the longest-serving player on the team, Kirsten Morley-Jepson finds time to juggle practice and her degree in medicine. The 24-year old is in her sixth year studying a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBCH) degree and is looking to specialise in general medicine.
Why did you decide to play hockey?
I think I’d be miserable if I didn’t play hockey and I only studied medicine. It is a good social sport, particularly at Wits. It sets us apart from other varsities.
What do you do in your extra time?
I like to go on Nike runs and spend time with my friends. I go out to Great Dane and Greenside. I also work at the pathology lab, Gritzman and Thatcher.
What is the most rewarding thing about playing hockey?
I like the game and the Wits coaches are very cool. I played for four years for Southern Gauteng provincial hockey Ladies B team and our team at Wits is always improving. We have had a 20% influx of girls participating at trials this year. Also Wits has invested a lot of money into the sports department and now we have better facilities.
What makes the hockey club different from other clubs at Wits?
The club has a good social atmosphere. We are very proud of our social events.
What is the most challenging part of the sport? The sport doesn’t get as much attention as other sports. Women’s hockey isnt as televised as other sports. We need more people to be aware of our matches.
What is your advice to first year students who want to play hockey?
I would say don’t miss out on the Wits hockey experience because it’s been the highlight of my student years.
