by Pheladi Sethusa | Mar 6, 2014 | Sport
Despite their best efforts in this week’s match, the Wits Varsity Cup rugby team have lost yet again.
The Boytjies played valiantly this week against the NMMU, another tight match with a very close score margin.
DRENCHED: Both teams had to focus on ball handling due to slippery weather conditions on Monday evening. Photo: Luke Matthews
Where do we stand?
Wits is still at the bottom of the log with two points and only two more games left. If the Witsies don’t manage to get themselves even one place higher on the log, they will find themselves relegated back to the Varsity Shield tournament, having to fight their way to the top of that log to make a Varsity Cup return.
Coach Andrew Royale said that their matches this season have been very competitive and that there’s a vast “improvement, considering where we’ve come from”. This is only the second year that the Wits team has been competing in the Varsity Cup tournament, last year the team was “blown away” by much more experienced teams in their first appearance in the Cup, said the coach.
Royale said the improved performances this year have to do with the players “having confidence in their abilities”, no drastic changes have been made to the team – with the core team from last year remaining the same.
Toeing the line
The Varsity Cup rules for this year stipulate that only 3 players on the team may be non-students, to ensure the integrity of the student based tournament. This rule was implemented after rumours of some teams cheating by having older, more experienced players in their teams emerged.
Last year’s winners of the tournament, Tuks have been accused on more than one occasion of this kind of “cheating”, and as punishment the team received a “strong reprimand”.
Wits is historically an academics-focused institution and this could account for the way the team is structured to their disadvantage. “Other teams are running full professional clubs with students who study on the side. Our players are students who play a little rugby on the side,” explained Royale.
[pullquote align=”right”]”All we can do is keep on keeping on”[/pullquote]
In the Wits team only one player is a professional player, who has a contract with the Lions. Royale said: “we don’t want to put money into non-students, our highest priority are Wits students.”
With regards to relegation Royale said that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world and in fact would give the Boytjies the opportunity to nurture new, young talent. “Everyone understands our position, all we can do is keep on keeping on,” said the optimistic Royale.
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by Staff Reporter | Mar 4, 2014 | Sport
LINE OUT: Witsies try their best to gain possession of the ball during their match against NMMU on Monday night. Photo: Luke Matthews
by Luke Matthews
The rain and gloom of Johannesburg’s weather matched Wits’ performance in their match against Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).
The Wits rugby team were defeated 18-12 in a Varsity Cup match on their home turf.
Hopes were high when Wits scored the first try of the game, giving them a 4-0 lead. Although the rain may have steered away some supporters, the stands still roared with excitement.
NMMU hits back
With increased pressure on the visiting side, The Madibaz as the NMMU team is known, quickly recovered when flank Chris Cloete scored a try putting them 5-4 in the lead.
LADIES MEN: Pupils from Parktown Boys dressed in drag as part of their initiation attended the match to show their support for Wits. Photo: Luke Matthews
The rain and wet weather conditions also made for a challenging game as the forwards were constantly put to the test.
The Wits side suffered another setback when lock Rinus Botha was sent to the sin bin for stepping on another player’s head.
In the second half the boys in blue had an abysmal start when the NMMU side extending their lead to 13-8.
But not all faith was lost. During the final ten minutes of the game Wits pushed back with a try from Brent Crossley. This was however, too little too late when the Madibaz scrumhalf, Enrico Acker secured the victory for NMMU with a final try leaving Wits defeated at 18-12.
Varsity Cup festivities heat up the stands
Although Wits has taken a few knocks in this seasons Varsity Cup, the close score against NMMU shows some improvement.
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by Caro Malherbe | Feb 14, 2014 | Sport
SCRUMMAGE: Tuks trashed Wits 53-8 at their Varsity Cup match on Monday. This is the second loss for the team this season. Photo: Caro Malherbe
The manager of the Wits rugby club, Andy Royle, is worried about the lack of experienced players in the team and is concerned it will throw them off for this year’s Varsity Cup.
The drop in experienced students came as a surprise after eight failed to qualify academically, said sports officer Yvonne Swanepoel.
As per a Wits ruling, out of these eight, only three can be chosen to play as non students for the University, making the picking box only 25 players full, with 13 of these playing for the first time for Varsity Cup.
“In the beginning of the year we were quite healthy but then when a further two didn’t make it we were completely thrown off in preparation for the season,” said Royle.
In terms of experience and combinations, the squad is lacking in preparation and “can’t go out on the field and expect to get great results”, said Royle.
“We try to keep a balance where we have either two in the back and one in the front or the other way round, but the inexperience in the team has definitely thrown us out.”
Tuks thrashed Wits on Monday night 53-8. Royle said “the guys know what needs to be done and how they can improve and will keep fighting in every match of the season”.
Although the team has not been practising together for long, Royle feels it is still better than last year’s team and can only improve from here on.
The academic requirement for rugby players stands at a total of 48 academic points. Any less than this does not necessarily go against Varsity Cup rules but Wits would not let them play.
Wits allocate points to all subjects. Dependent on the marks received, a certain amount of points will be given. For example: the subject Marketing may allocate X number of points for a student who got an A symbol, then X number for a B symbol and so on, according to Estelle Nobin, deputy registrar from the School of Commerce, Law and Management.
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by Pheladi Sethusa | Feb 14, 2014 | Sport
Earlier this week the Wits Rugby team got smashed by Tukkies in Monday’s Varsity Cup match. Tuks is known for their rugby and being a physically aggressive team. Wits, not so much. The 53-8 thrashing drove this point straight home.
[pullquote]”Fifteen burly men, a ball that bounces funny and more than one way to score…”[/pullquote]
There are still weeks of Varsity Cup matches yet to come, which means many more beatings (for our team and others) so perhaps a primer is needed for those of us who are rugby neophytes but want an appreciation for the ruthless game.
Fifteen burly men, a ball that bounces funny and more than one way to score—sounds like my kind of game. Rugby is one of the only sports I enjoy watching because as a nation we tend to prosper in that field.
Wits and Tuks going head to head in a scrum during their Varsity Cup match on Monday. Photo: Caro Malherbe
There’s something inspiring in knowing the team you’re backing actually stands a chance of winning (side-eyes Bafana Bafana). There is more to the game than hoping on a try though.
The 15 giants on each team are made up of eight forwards and seven backs, with a bench that allows for up to eight more players. Much like life, rugby is about scoring, in this case scoring the most points by the time the two 40-minute halves have run their course.
Kick-off starts after a coin toss, followed by a kick from the halfway line that flies at least ten metres. If unsuccessful, the opposing team gets to pick between a scrum (short for scrummage) or a line out to fight for the ball
A scrum is when die manne do that intense huddle that somehow requires giving one another wedgies, pushing and shoving until the ball is kicked backwards to the mouth of their teams scrum, passed to a halfback who will either run like Forest or kick like Montgomery.
There are three main ways to score points during the 80 minutes of play.
Firstly a try, running through the opposing teams line of defence and touching down in their goal area, this gets five points on the scoreboard.
Secondly, a conversion can add on another three points, after a successful try, the best kicker on the team (usually a flyhalf) gets a go at kicking the ball through the goalposts for what’s called a drop goal.
The Varsity Cup 2014 scoring system is slightly different to regular scoring where conversions are usually only worth two points. Another difference is that penalty kicks or drop goals are only worth two points, as opposed to three.
There are rules on rules on rules on how players tackle one another, go for the ball etc, but those are lessons for another day. Until then, take this primer and get out to a Varsity Cup rugby match and cheer for our boys in blue.
by Caro Malherbe | Feb 11, 2014 | Sport
WITS THRASHED: Tuks receive another line out at the 10m mark in their match against Wits last night. Photo: Caro Malherbe
Wits walked away empty handed at home after a crushing 53-8 loss against UP-Tuks, (University of Pretoria), on Monday night.
It was a disappointing loss as Wits struggled to establish themselves in a match reminiscent of the club’s poor performance in last year’s competition. The team finished last on the log in the 2013 season after failing to win a single match.
Wits started off on a high note, scoring the first try of the match within the first five minutes, thanks to scrumhalf, Matt Torrence.
Tuks equalised two minutes later with a try by Wiaan Liebenberg. Former junior Springbok, Dries Swanepoel put Tuks in the lead with another try within minutes of the first. Missing the second conversion, the score stood at 8-13 to Tuks, 15 minutes into the game.
Wits clearly lacked discipline and made some silly mistakes, handing over penalties and helping Tuks gain ground towards the try line where Swanepoel scored his second try of the match plus a cleared conversion. At half-time Tuks lead with 21-8.
A full Wits Rugby Stadium shows their support while singing the South Africa national anthem. Photo: Caro Malherbe
At half-time, the filled-to-capacity Wits Rugby Stadium were entertained by the Wits cheerleaders who now boast two male members.
During the second half, Wits upped their defence preventing Tuks from scoring as they made a playfor the close to the try line. At almost an hour onto the game, Tuks managed to push through with Swanepoel scoring his third try for his team, leading 29-8 after a successful conversion.
Tuks’ Swanepoel received a yellow card for a high tackle on fly half, Ashlon Davids. However, the officials seemed to have made a mess of things as Tuks continued with a 15 man team.
A further three tries were scored by Tuks captain ,Reniel Hugo followed by wing, Jade Stighling and replacement for Swanepoel, Leneve Damens scored the last try of the night, finalizing the scoreboard at 52-8.
Tuks, last year’s Varsity Cup champions, admittedly were surprised by Wits’ effort. Man of the match, Swanepoel said: “It was tougher than we thought it would be. Wits came in very hard but unfortunately it was our night.”
Wits coach, Andy Royle went into the game with only five members from last years’ final Varsity Cup match against UCT. A number of players did not meet Wits’ academic requirements and therefore have restrictions on their playing time. Royle was hoping his team would make a comeback after last year, but the lack of experienced players in the Wits side is going to make things tricky for the rest of the season.
by Nomatter Ndebele | Feb 7, 2014 | Sport
SIGN HERE: A student signs up for Wits Vibe and gets a complimentary t-shirt Photo: Nomatter Ndebele
The Old Mutual Sports Hall was abuzz this week with students signing up for various sports clubs and teams. This year Wits Sports Administration boasts 37 clubs for students to choose from.
The new kid on the block is Wits vibe. A team dedicated to breathing life into Wits’ sporting community. Wits Vibe is a community based organisation that offers students a fuller sporting experience for every season.The group will be revealing a new sports mascot for Wits and allowing students With Wits Vibe cards free entry at Monday’s Varsity Cup rugby match.
The match will also showcase the first cheer of the year from the Wits’ cheerleading squad. The squad, who are sponsored by Samsung, only started last year and are still recruiting more cheerleaders. Those who get through the auditions could be in line to receive a bursary to the value of R6 000.
Several students crowded around the table tennis club
, taking turns to have a go. Students who join the table tennis team will be joining the 2012/2013 university sport champions. The team consist of five national players, offering students an opportunity to learn from the best.
The group also offers an opportunity to go on an international tour. Team member Hlumelo Rubushe described the sport as being similar to Play Station “You have to apply yourself because table tennis is easy to learn but difficult to perfect,” said Rubushe.
On Tuesday the team had already registered 30 students, with many more queuing up to join the club.
When one hears the word ‘frisbee’, you may think of a group of people leisurely throwing a plastic disk at each other. But the Wits Ultimate Frisbee team takes the sport to a whole new level. “It’s all about running your legs off and diving very hard”, said club chair Sally Crompton. Ultimate Frisbee games are refereed by the team players. “It’s a very honest game, if there’s a problem we stop play and figure it out altogether,” she said.
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by Caro Malherbe | May 17, 2013 | Featured 1, Sport
QUEER AS FUN: Wham! members enjoy a day of social rugby at Wits. Photo: Provided
WHAM! A queer social rugby club based at Wits was started this year by Witsie Gabriel Khan and a group of his friends.
“I love rugby and I love the queers, it was the natural thing to do!” said Khan, who works for the Gay and Lesbian Archives (GALA).
Wham! is made up of Wits students, some ex-Witsies as well as people who are linked to Activate, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Intersexual student society (LGBTI), as well as other GALA members.
“Wham! is about creating a healthy social space for queer people to meet and make friends, outside the usual scene of bars and clubs.”
“Although we have other queers who heard about rugby, and decided to join in as well, Activate has been great in supporting this initiative,” said Kahn. Khan said Wham! members come together every Saturday and play a game of rugby, usually followed by a drink and the vibe is “usually quite chilled.”
“There aren’t many safe spaces for queers to meet socially, and I thought sport is a healthy way to get out there and have a good time.”
Although Wham! started as a social game, the team are looking to become more competitive and hope to play against other teams such as the Cape Town based queer rugby team, Blight Rugby club. “We’d be keen to play against other Wits teams, just for the fun of it!” said Khan.
Anyone can join in the fun and players don’t necessarily need to be queer.
“We don’t discriminate against straight people. It’s mostly about having a good time and it’s also a great way to get fitter,” said Khan.
Khan said anyone who is interested can join the team on Saturday, even if it’s just to watch and support. Khan said Wham! has a Facebook page with information on practices and events.
by Caro Malherbe | Mar 15, 2013 | Featured 1, Sport
Witsie- Rinus Bothma making a break for it just before handing off the opposition lock. Photo by Caro Malherbe
THE WITS rugby side lost its match, 48-21, against Stellenbosch Maties in the FNB Varsity Cup at the Wits Rugby Stadium on Monday despite showing tremendous perseverance and playing their hearts out.
In what was arguably the best game Wits has played this season, the boys made it a very difficult win for the Stellenbosch team.
From the start of the game Maties came out strong, scoring a try within the first five minutes. Their smirks were short-lived as Wits managed to strike back with a try scored by left wing Riaan Arends, then a conversion from kicker Kyle Peyper evened the score at 8-8.
Maties had plenty of opportunity to score, having greater possession of the ball throughout the match, but Wits played a strong defensive game leaving Maties struggling through many scrums.
At half-time, the clearly frustrated Maties led the score by 32-8. Both teams came back eagerly as they entered the second half of the game. Maties captain Helmut Lehmann managed to score his third try of the game against Wits.
Although behind, the Witsies were not discouraged as scrumhalf Matthew Torrance re-instilled some faith by making it over the try line, putting the score at 32-13.
Managing to score again, Maties settled their score at 48 points.
A last minute try was achieved by Witsie Rius Bothma which ended the game at 48-21 to Maties. The crowd showed their massive support by continuously backing the boys in blue and yellow right to the end.
Despite being on the losing team, the match adjudicators recognised Wits’ Jason Frazer’s tremendous playing skills and fast-footed breakaways by naming him the Man of the Match
by Jay Caboz | Mar 1, 2013 | Featured 1, Sport
By Jay Caboz
FNB Wits have been left a mountain to climb after falling to bottom place with a 63-24 loss to FNB University of Johannesburg after squaring off in their first Varsity Cup match.
“The match obviously didn’t pan out the way we would have wanted but we have to take the positives out of it. We started the game too slow and after UJ got a few early tries we were playing catch up, which is never an easy thing to do,” said Wits Captain Devin Montgomery.
UJ ran in an overwhelming 9 tries to Wits’ three. Wits also fell short of a needed bonus point by a single try in their last two games. The points would have narrowed the broadening gap between Ikeys and Shimlas who are now four and six points ahead of Wits.
Luckily, Wits’ position in the Varsity Cup is secured for the 2013 season. Montgomery explained that there was no relegation zone this year guaranteeing that Wits will have two years in the competition.
“This is to ensure that we are given a fair chance to learn and adapt to this high level of rugby,” he said, “We know that every game in this competition is going to be tough and each week it’s never going to get any easier.”
“We have defended a lot this season and there has been a big gap between the number of tackles we have had to make compared to our opponents in every game.”
Wits are gaining a reputation of a never-say-die attitude on the field. During their match against UJ, Wits showed brief moments of brilliance when going forward. One of the key members to watch is Number 8 Carel Greeff who has proven to be an influential player in the squad having added another two tries to his five for the season in four matches.
“Carel is a great player and is playing great rugby at the moment. We have a couple of go-to ball carriers in the team, one of which is Carel,” said the captain.
The No. 8 has become well known for his crashing runs through opposing lines and he is a tenacious tackler that has made him an important element in the squad.
Montgomery said the “this Varsity Cup campaign is about learning and gaining experience playing at this top level of rugby for us.”
The team’s goals were to work hard in training and aim to perform for the full 80 minutes with making as little mistakes as possible.
“Wits will earn the reputation of being a difficult fixture I have no doubt about that. The team has a special bond and because we spend so much time together there is a family sense amongst the team,” he said.
For more Varsity Cup action follow the link
FNB WIts vs FNB NWU-PUKKE
by Jay Caboz | Feb 22, 2013 | Featured 1, Sport
HARD BALL: Captain of FNB Wits Devin Montgomery drives through FNB NWU-Pukke’s defensive line during their match at the Wits Rugby Stadium on Monday evening. Wits have not won a game since being promoted to the Varsity Cup. Photo Jay Caboz
Story and Photos by Jay Caboz
FNB Wits took a beating after FNB NWU-Pukke ran in a haul of 10 tries to, losing 71-25 on Monday nights Varsity Cup match held at the Wits Rugby Stadium.
Despite the overwhelming score line, Wits put up a good show and for the majority of the game were in running contention. But the visitors from North-West University tore through Wits defence in the second half with 5 unanswered tries leaving Wits in the dust and one try short of a salvaged bonus point.
“We were incredibly happy with our performance in the first half, we just have to learn to play for 80 minutes,” said Wits captain Devin Montgomery.
The score line opened a minute after the starting whistle when Wits flanker Thato Mavundla ran the ball over the line from a driving maul deep in Pukke’s half.
TRIES FOR CHARITY: A fan waits for the kick-off between FNB Wits and FNB NWU-Pukke. The pink ball is a new introduction to this year’s Varsity Cup and allows players to add a R2 000 donation if they score for their team during the “Rugby that Rocks Time” period. Wits Rugby Club supports Usindiso Ministries, a shelter that offers support, assistance and care to teenage girls, abused women and their children. Photo Jay Caboz
The ball continued to roll in Wits’ favour after Carel Greeff broke through Pukke’s defensive line and put another try in.In the 15th minute Pukke shook off their shock and responded with a try of their own to bring the score to 16-5.
Pukke put another eight points on the board when SJ Niemand drove over the try line.
Wits were able to extend their lead by another two points after converting a long-ranged penalty to end the first quarter. The home team managed to extend their lead to 10 points when they scored what would be their last try of the match.
Play continued to swing in both halves with Wits making some crunching tackles. But Pukke gained some level footing after scoring another try to decrease the deficit. The final nail on the coffin was drawn when Pukke put in two more tries to end the half 31-25.
The second half remained a contest until 15 minutes in when the floodgates opened. Pukke ran in five more tries which completely overwhelmed Wits’ defence. The visitors size and field play was just too much for Wits to handle.
“Yes we took a beating, but a lot of the points we conceded were from mistakes on our own behalf and turning over the ball,” said Montgomery. “We have UJ [University of Johannesburg] next week and it’s a more familiar game to us than this week. We are looking forward to it.”
The result leaves Wits hanging in last place on the log, two points behind 7th Ikeys (UCT). Wits will need to put in a good performance against UJ, who are currently sitting 3rd, to draw some points ahead of their clashes with bottom of the log teams.
jay@witsvuvuzela.com
by Brendan Roane | Feb 27, 2012 | Featured 1, News, Sport
Wits will be making several changes for their match tonight against their Free State rivals.
Midway through the Varsity Shield competition, Wits find themselves in second place while tonight’s opponents, Central University of Technology (CUT) trail them by one point in third position.
Bronson Lange and Ryan Odendaal will take over the centre pairing from Rudolf Prinsloo and Heinke Hartdegan, when they kick off at 7pm at the Wits Rugby Stadium.
Mandla Dube will have a chance to impress on the wing, which sees Zunaid Kock dropped to the bench, while Petrus van Biljon replaces Thato Mavundla at flank.
Tonight’s encounter is most likely to be a close match, as Wits and CUT have the best defences in the league, conceding 71 and 78 points respectively.
Meanwhile Wits will be hoping University of Forth Hare (UFH) can pull off a surprise win over current log leaders, University of the Western Cape (UWC). This result would see Wits regain the top spot, providing they beat CUT tonight.
by Enos Phosa | Aug 11, 2011 | News, Sport
WITH less than a month before the Rugby World Cup takes flight in New Zealand, the Springboks need the whole nation, now more than ever, to stand behind them in their quest to defend the world title.
The world champions were recently outclassed 40-7 and 39-20 respectively by traditional rivals New Zealand and Australia in their opening games of the Tri-Nations competition. Even though injuries to key players have restricted coach Peter de Villiers from fielding his strongest line-up, there is evidently a lot of work still to be done by the technical staff before the first game of the title defence on September 11, against Wales.
To add to the world champions’ woes, the recently launched “Springbok Friday”, an initiative encouraging South Africans to show support for the Boks by wearing the team’s match jersey on Fridays, has been given minimal attention.
In comparison to “Football Friday”, a similar initiative during the 2010 Soccer World Cup to support Bafana Bafana, which was overwhelmingly supported by millions, including students, there are hardly any green Boks shirts in sight on Wits campus and the surrounding Johannesburg areas.
With two more return leg Tri-Nations matches scheduled against Australia in Durban tomorrow and the following Saturday against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth, there is a perception that the Boks need to score consecutive wins to build confidence heading to the World Cup.
However, De Villiers said on Supersport.com that the essential issue for the team in the two games before the World Cup is “to get our systems going and then building into it after that”.
De Villiers said there are two things that the team needs to work hard on in the next two weeks, firstly to show an improvement in defence and, secondly, to be more sharp in attack.
A “killer instinct” is what he said needs to be developed by the Springboks if they are to return from New Zealand in October having successfully defended the most prestigious trophy in world rugby. With the support of the entire nation, the Boks can certainly do it. Good luck, Bokke!
