2018 Varsity Cup

The 2018 Varsity Cup was contested from 29 January to 16 April 2018. The tournament (known as the FNB Varsity Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the eleventh season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-university rugby union competition featuring South African universities.

2018 Varsity Cup
CountriesSouth Africa
Date29 January – 16 April 2018
ChampionsMaties (4th title)
Runners-upNWU Pukke
RelegatedNMU Madibaz

Competition rules and information

There were nine participating universities in the 2018 Varsity Cup. During the round-robin stage of the competition, these teams played each other once over the course of the season, either home or 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 four teams qualified for the title play-offs. In the semi-finals, the team that finished first had home advantage against the team that received fourth, while the team that finished second had home advantage against the team that finished third. The winners of these semi-finals played each other in the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.

Tries were worth five or seven points, depending on the point where the try-scoring move originated. If the try-scoring move originated in the opponents' half, it would count five points. If the move originated in the try-scoring team's own half, two bonus points were awarded and the try would be worth seven points.

For the 2018 season, the Varsity Cup introduced a Power Play rule; when a team calls for the Power Play, they can nominate two opposition backline players to be removed from the field of play for a period of three minutes.[1]

Teams
Location of teams in the 2018 Varsity Cup

The following teams took part in the 2018 Varsity Cup competition:

2018 Varsity Cup teams
Team Name University Stadium
CUT IxiasCentral University of TechnologyCUT Stadium, Bloemfontein
MatiesStellenbosch UniversityDanie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch
NMU MadibazNelson Mandela UniversityNMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth
NWU PukkeNorth-West UniversityFanie du Toit Sport Ground, Potchefstroom
UCT Ikey TigersUniversity of Cape TownUCT Rugby Fields, Cape Town
UFS ShimlasUniversity of the Free StateShimla Park, Bloemfontein
UJUniversity of JohannesburgUJ Stadium, Johannesburg
UP TuksUniversity of PretoriaLC de Villiers Stadium, Pretoria
WitsUniversity of the WitwatersrandWits Rugby Stadium, Johannesburg

Standings

The final standings for the 2018 Varsity Cup were:[2][3]

2018 Varsity Cup standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts
1 Maties8620301129+17240166034
2 NWU Pukke8611306156+15039216133
3 UJ8512261154+10731224127
4 Wits8413241230+1133296125
5 UFS Shimlas8503246286-4033384024
6 UCT Ikey Tigers8404182181+123242321
7 UP Tuks8215257208+4935263215
8 CUT Ixias8107178435-2572455318
9 NMU Madibaz8008139332−1931744134

Matches

The following matches were played in the 2018 Varsity Cup:[4]

Round One
Bye/s: NMU Madibaz

Round Two
Bye/s: NWU Pukke

Round Three
Bye/s: UJ

Round Four
Bye/s: UP Tuks

Round Five
Bye/s: CUT Ixias

Round Six
Bye/s: UFS Shimlas

Round Seven
Bye/s: UCT Ikey Tigers

Round Eight
Bye/s: Maties

Round Nine
Bye/s: Wits

Semi-Finals

Final

See also

References
  1. "Varsity Cup announces exciting new Power Play for 2018" (Press release). Varsity Cup. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  2. "Fixtures & Logs". Varsity Cup. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  3. "SA Rugby Log – 2018 FNB Varsity Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  4. "Varsitybeker: Tuks en Maties vroeg slaags". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 8 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
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