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Next generation for Varsity Cup

Friday, 20 May 2011 17:02

Hot on the heels of the success of the inaugural Varsity Shield, the Varsity Cup Exco has announced another new and exciting expansion to the Varsity Cup with the addition of an Under-20 tournament.

 

 

This students-only Varsity Cup Under-20 tournament, as with the Varsity Shield and the Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships, will run parallel with the Varsity Cup in 2012.

Like the Varsity Cup proper it will involve the same eight teams, with the universities seeded according to their senior teams' performances in the four-year history of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.

These eight teams will be divided into two pools of four each (according to their seedings), with the universities playing three league matches followed by the semifinals and the final; with the latter set to be played as a curtain-raiser to the 2012 Varsity Shield Final.

All Varsity Cup U20 matches will be played as curtain-raisers to Varsity Cup fixtures, as the country's best schoolboy players get the opportunity to step straight into the Varsity Cup in their first year out of school - encouraging more aspiring rugby players to combine professional careers with an education.

"Given the student quota that we have in the Varsity Cup, a students-only Under-20 tournament - where all players must be full-time students at their respective universities - will help the universities identify their bona fide students for promotion to the Varsity Cup proper," explained Varsity Cup Managing Director Duitser Bosman.

"We need to help our member universities of the Varsity Cup to be internally strong from the 'juniors' through to the 'big boys'."

Bosman continued: "At the same time, it will also allow the South African Under-20 coaches to cast their net a bit wider when it comes to SA U20 selection - especially with the IRB World Junior Championships set to be held on our own turf next year.

"As we saw with the Varsity Shield this year, there is tremendous depth at universities level and this gives another 16 coaches, eight managers and plus/minus 240 (more) players the opportunity to experience being a part of the Varsity Cup."

SA Under-20 coach Dawie Theron added: "This really is wonderful news!

"The northern hemisphere teams have their own Six Nations tournament - running parallel with the senior Six Nations tournament - and I've always felt we needed something like this ahead of the IRB World Champs which takes place before our local provincial tournaments kick-off.

"My job is not just about coaching the SA Under-20 team, but also about unearthing new, young talent and a tournament like this can only benefit South African rugby on the whole. I'm very grateful to the Varsity Cup for allowing this - it's great news for junior rugby in South Africa!"

The fixtures and the pools for the first-ever Varsity Cup Under-20 tournament will be announced later this year on varsitycup.co.za


My Question to you and the Panel:

From a club rugby point of view : Do you think this new version of the Varisty Cup U20 Division is going benefit the local Rugby Club ??

This is just another way of excluding the not so fortunate, this only benefit the universities and no-one else. Come up with an idea that will involve all, not just a hand pick few.

Wolf wrote: This is just another way of excluding the not so fortunate, this only benefit the universities and no-one else. Come up with an idea that will involve all, not just a hand pick few.

Why should the Youngster leaving School play club rugby ?? Already the numbers in the U20 Club rugby Divisons are low at most clubs some cant even field one side... And the itroduction of U20 Varsity cup will make it even worst....  

Why should the youngsters playing club rugby not be allowed to continue.

Club rugby is not considered at all in these types of initiatives and it will be up to the clubs to champion its own cause.

Guys not all our n/20 tallent will go run off to Maties or UCT to get chosen for their u.20 side but i do take the concern that maybe this is one step further to the development of more to come. It takes time and money to administrate compititions like this, but believe me if more of us voice our oppinion to WP board in time we might have our own compititions. Just make sure that each and everyone lifting our opinion about this matter, get down to our local rugby club and speak to your officials which is incharge of these matters and which can now go down to the meetings and voice an opinion atleast if we dont try our luck nothing is going to happen.

Now more school leavers will not join a non varsity team, Universities will get an influx of school leavers who all want to play varsity cup and only 30 will be chosen, the rest will all be registered with the varsities and play in funny make up leagues instead of the SLA or SLB u/20 section of other clubs e.g Village , bay, durbell. WP needs to sort this out as clubs even in the U20 SLA section will not be able to field teams.

arnie wrote: Now more school leavers will not join a non varsity team, Universities will get an influx of school leavers who all want to play varsity cup and only 30 will be chosen, the rest will all be registered with the varsities and play in funny make up leagues instead of the SLA or SLB u/20 section of other clubs e.g Village , bay, durbell. WP needs to sort this out as clubs even in the U20 SLA section will not be able to field teams.

great idea, but agree that if you're a late developing, talented youngster who can't afford tertiary fees at the varsty cup participating institutions or simply put do not have the brain power to be admitted to a tertiary institution, your road to opportunity has just become longer. where will the talent scouts be going? my guess is u/20 varsity cup...

how about allowing a similar "knock-out" competition for rugby academies?

 

Dear JP,

Please have a look at the post I have created called "steroids rife in schoolboy rugby". Can this be discussed on Cape Rugby TV?

a Q to Adiel Abbas(your junior rugby interview this week)
in an area like Manenberg, he is doing a sterling job with the youngsters. with the all the obstacles in the surrounds(poverty, crime) what does he say is the recipefor maintaining this?

we have a similar set-up at Rangers RFC in Surrey Est(next to Manenberg) with approx 200-250 juniors each week, so i am sure his input could be a valuable lesson for us as well.

Zaahid