The University of Western Cape (UWC) and Fort Hare, which are pressing hard for FNB Varsity Cup qualification, have been handed a welcome cash injection.

The University of Western Cape (UWC) and Fort Hare, which are pressing hard for FNB Varsity Cup qualification, have been handed a welcome cash injection.

The rugby clubs of both universities were handed a whopping R450000 in a joint, equal three-way effort by their local top university structures, the South African Rugby Union (Saru) and the Varsity Cup, with each institution donating R150000.

Such a significant cash boost will be worth its weight in gold for the two historic rugby institutions, with Varsity Cup managing director Duitser Bosman saying: "Both UWC and Fort Hare have proud rugby histories and we'd love nothing more than both universities benefiting from this cash boost and, as a result, pushing hard for Varsity Cup qualification in the not too distant future."

Mervyn Green added: "Saru have made a request to help deliver rugby to the likes of UWC and Fort Hare and we, as Varsity Cup representatives, were more than happy to comply.

"It was a privilege witnessing the genuine excitement and appreciation from both universities."

Ilhaam Groenewald, the head of sports administration at UWC said: "It's always been our aim to push for inclusion in the 2010 Varsity Cup and a cash injection of this kind can only help us achieve that." - Sapa