2016 Varsity Shield

The 2016 Varsity Shield was contested from 1 February to 18 April 2016. The tournament (also known as the FNB Varsity Shield presented by Steinhoff International for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the Varsity Shield, an annual second-tier inter-university rugby union competition featuring five South African universities.

2016 Varsity Shield
CountriesSouth Africa
Date1 February 2016 — 18 April 2016
ChampionsWits (2nd title)
Runners-upUWC
PromotedWits
RelegatedNone
Matches played21
Tries scored165
(average 7.9 per match)
Top point scorerTristan Tedder (114)
Top try scorerThobekani Buthelezi (9)

Following a disruption during the Varsity Cup Round Three match between UFS Shimlas and NMMU Madibaz[1][2] and general unrest on various university campuses, all fixtures scheduled for 29 February were postponed to 4 April,[3] with the semi-finals and final also postponed by a week. On 1 March, it was also announced that the round of matches scheduled for 7 March would also be postponed, with the situation at various universities being monitored to determine when the competition will resume.[4] After a meeting by the executive management of Varsity Rugby on 9 March, it was decided that all remaining matches in the competition would be played at neutral venues and that matches should resume on 14 March.[5]

The tournament was won by Wits for the second time; they beat UWC 39–2 in the final played on 18 April 2016. Wits was also promoted to the top-tier Varsity Cup competition for 2017.

Competition rules and information

There were five participating universities in the 2015 Varsity Shield. These teams played each other twice over the course of the season, once at home and once away.

Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).

The top two teams qualified for the title play-offs. These teams played each other in the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.

The Varsity Shield winner was promoted to the 2017 Varsity Cup competition, while the bottom team in the Varsity Cup was relegated to the 2017 Varsity Shield. There was also a promotion/relegation match between the 7th-placed team in the Varsity Cup and the Varsity Shield runner-up at the end of the 2016 season. Three new universities will join the Varsity Shield in 2017.

The Varsity Shield used a different scoring system to the regular system. Tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points.[6]

Teams

Location of teams in the 2016 Varsity Shield
2016 Varsity Shield teams
Team Name University Stadium
TUT VikingsTshwane University of TechnologyTUT Stadium, Pretoria
UFH BluesUniversity of Fort HareDavidson Rugby Field, Alice
UKZN ImpiUniversity of KwaZulu-NatalHoward College Rugby Stadium, Durban
Peter Booysen Sports Park, Pietermaritzburg
UWCUniversity of the Western CapeUWC Sport Stadium, Cape Town
WitsUniversity of the WitwatersrandWits Rugby Stadium, Johannesburg

Standings

The final league standings for the 2016 Varsity Shield were:[7]

2016 Varsity Shield standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts
1 Wits860234296+24650126232
2 UWC [note 1] 8503179186−728253024
3 UKZN Impi [note 2] 8701382144+23851194020
4 TUT Vikings8107136355−2191750228
5 UFH Blues [note 1] 8107102360−2581454125

Round-by-round

Team Progression – 2016 Varsity Shield
Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 Final
Wits 1
(4th)
6
(2nd)
6
(3rd)
11
(2nd)
16
(2nd)
17
(2nd)
22
(1st)
22
(3rd)
27
(2nd)
32
(1st)
Won
UWC 4
(2nd)
4
(3rd)
8
(2nd)
8
(3rd)
8
(3rd)
13
(3rd)
18
(3rd)
24 [note 1]
(2nd)
24
(3rd)
24
(2nd)
Lost
UKZN Impi 4
(1st)
8
(1st)
13
(1st)
18
(1st)
18
(1st)
22
(1st)
22
(2nd)
27
(1st)
32
(1st)
20 [note 2]
(3rd)
N/A
TUT Vikings 0
(5th)
0
(5th)
1
(5th)
2
(4th)
3
(5th)
3
(5th)
3
(5th)
3
(4th)
3
(4th)
8
(4th)
N/A
UFH Blues 1
(3rd)
1
(4th)
1
(4th)
1
(5th)
5
(4th)
5
(4th)
5
(4th)
3 [note 1]
(5th)
3
(5th)
5
(5th)
N/A

The table above shows a team's progression throughout the season.
For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets.
Key: win draw loss bye

Matches

The following matches were played in the 2016 Varsity Shield:[10]

Round One

Bye/s: TUT Vikings

Round Two

Bye/s: UFH Blues

Round Three

Bye/s: Wits

Round Four

Bye/s: UWC

Round Five

Bye/s: UKZN Impi

Round Six

Bye/s: TUT Vikings

Round Seven

Bye/s: UFH Blues

Round Eight

Bye/s: Wits

Round Nine

Bye/s: UWC

Round Ten

Bye/s: UKZN Impi

Final

Honours

The honour roll for the 2016 Varsity Shield was as follows:

2016 Varsity Shield Honours
Champions: Wits
Player That Rocks:Thobekani Buthelezi, UKZN Impi[55]
Forward That Rocks:Rhyno Herbst, Wits[56]
Back That Rocks:Aidynn Cupido, UWC[57]
Top Try Scorers:Thobekani Buthelezi, UKZN Impi (9)
Top Points Scorer:Tristan Tedder, UKZN Impi (114)

Players

Player statistics

The following table contain points that were scored in the 2016 Varsity Shield:[58]

Squads

The following squads were named for the 2016 Varsity Shield:

Discipline

The following table contains all the cards handed out during the tournament:[64]

Referees

The following referees officiated matches in the 2016 Varsity Shield:

See also

Notes

  1. On 22 March 2016, the Varsity Cup Executive Committee announced that UFH Blues had two points deducted for fielding an ineligible player in their Round One match against UWC. In addition, UWC was awarded an additional point.[8]
  2. On 5 April 2016, the Varsity Cup Executive Committee announced that UKZN Impi had twelve points deducted for fielding an ineligible player throughout the season. Despite previously qualifying to play in the Varsity Shield final and in a Varsity Cup promotion play-off against UCT Ikey Tigers, UKZN Impi were replaced by UWC in both these matches.[9]

References

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