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Varsity Cup set to titillate fans

PASSION: Derrik Matthew, marketing executive director of Steinhoff International Group Services. Pic. Duif du Toit. 31/01/08. © Gallo Images.
PASSION: Derrik Matthew, marketing executive director of Steinhoff International Group Services. Pic. Duif du Toit. 31/01/08. © Gallo Images.

University rugby in South Africa will never be the same again.

University rugby in South Africa will never be the same again.

That was the message yesterday at the launch of the FNB Varsity Cup, presented by Steinhoff International, which will kick off on February 18.

The top eight universities in the country take part in the inaugural year, with one of the matches televised live on a Monday night.

The concept was derived from the very successful Monday Night Football in the United States and will become a reality with the help of First National Bank and the SA Rugby Union.

The eight teams play in a single round against each other, followed by two semifinals and a final. A FNB Varsity Cup Festival will be held in George over the Easter weekend. There the eight teams will play three league fixtures each, based on the successful model of the old national club championships in Durban.

"Steinhoff International's varied and national involvement in varsity and youth league sport is all about commitment and passion," says Derrik Matthew, Marketing Executive Director of Steinhoff International Group Services.

The participating teams are NWU-Puk Rugby Institute (NWU-Pukke), the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of Pretoria (Tukkies), the University of Stellenbosch (Maties), the University of the Free State (Shimlas), the University of Cape Town (Ikeys), the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).

Francois Pienaar, former Springbok captain and chairman of the Varsity Cup board of directors, said it was a true privilege to add value to rugby in a country that was crowned World Champions in 2007. - Sapa

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