2019 Varsity Shield
The 2019 Varsity Shield was the 9th season of the Varsity Shield, the second-tier competition in the annual Varsity Rugby series. It was played between 18 February and 11 April 2019 and featured seven university teams.
| 2019 Varsity Shield | |
|---|---|
| Countries | South Africa |
| Date | 18 February – 11 April 2019 |
There was a debut in the competition for NMU Madibaz, who were relegated from the Varsity Cup in 2018.
Competition rules and information
There were seven participating university teams in the 2019 Varsity Shield. They played each other once during the pool stage, either at 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 after the pool stage qualified for the semifinals, which were followed by a final. 2019 is a non-relegation year.
Teams
The teams that played in the 2019 Varsity Cup are:
| 2019 Varsity Cup teams | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team name | University | Stadium |
| CPUT | Cape Peninsula University of Technology | CPUT Sports Stadium, Cape Town |
| NMU Madibaz | Nelson Mandela University | NMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Rhodes | Rhodes University | Rhodes Great Field, Grahamstown |
| TUT Vikings | Tshwane University of Technology | TUT Stadium, Pretoria |
| UFH Blues | University of Fort Hare | Davidson Rugby Field, Alice |
| UKZN Impi | University of KwaZulu-Natal | Peter Booysen Sports Park, Pietermaritzburg |
| WSU All Blacks | Walter Sisulu University | Buffalo City Stadium, East London |
Pool stage
Standings
The final log for the 2019 Varsity Shield was:[1]
| 2019 Varsity Shield log | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PD | Pts |
| 1 | NMU Madibaz | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 200 | 30 |
| 2 | CPUT | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 105 | 25 |
| 3 | WSU All Blacks | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 18 |
| 4 | UKZN Impi | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 16 |
| 5 | UFH Blues | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −12 | 9 |
| 6 | TUT Vikings | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -175 | 5 |
| 7 | Rhodes | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -160 | 4 |
| Correct as at 20 February 2019. |
| Legend and Competition rules | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Legend: | |||
| Qualified for the semifinals. | P = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, PD = Points Difference, TF = Tries For, TA = Tries Against, TB = Try Bonus Points, LB = Losing Bonus Points, Pts = Log Points | ||
| Competition rules: | |||
| Qualification:
The top four teams qualified for the semifinals. |
Matches
The following matches were played in the 2019 Varsity Shield:[1]
Round One
| 18 February 2019 | NMU Madibaz | 38–21 | CPUT | NMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth | ||
| 18:30 | Having been relegated from the Varsity cup, NMU started the game as a team that had something to prove. They played hard and were the evetualy winners. |
| 18 February 2019 | UFH Blues | 22–36 | WSU All Blacks | Davidson Rugby Field, Alice | ||
| 18:30 |
| 18 February 2019 | UKZN Impi | 50–10 | Rhodes | Howard College Rugby Stadium, Durban | ||
| 18:30 |
| Bye/s: TUT Vikings |
Round Two
| 21 February 2019 | Rhodes | 13-12 | UFH Blues | Rhodes Great Field, Grahamstown | ||
| 16:45 |
| 21 February 2019 | CPUT | 57-28 | TUT Vikings | CPUT Sports Stadium, Cape Town | ||
| 18:30 | CPUT and TUT looked evenly matched through out the game. In the first half it looked as though the game could go either way. However in the 2nd half, CPUT came out strong and dominated to eventually secure the game. |
| 21 February 2019 | WSU All Blacks | 3-32 | NMU Madibaz | Buffalo City Stadium, East London | ||
| 19:00 |
| Bye/s: UKZN Impi |
Round Three
| 25 February 2019 | NMU Madibaz | 53-8 | Rhodes | NMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth | ||
| 18:30 |
| 25 February 2019 | WSU All Blacks | 22–28 | CPUT | Buffalo City Stadium, East London | ||
| 18:30 |
| 25 February 2019 | TUT Vikings | 7–52 | UKZN Impi | TUT Stadium, Pretoria | ||
| 18:30 | Playing away from their TUT stadium the game promised much. TUT cam out firing but the UKZN players absorbed the pressure and eventually came back to thoroughly dominate the game in all aspects. |
| Bye/s: UFH Blues |
Round Four
| 4 March 2019 | UKZN Impi | 12–41 | NMU Madibaz | Peter Booysen Sports Park, Pietermaritzburg | ||
| 18:30 |
| 4 March 2019 | Rhodes | 6–32 | WSU All Blacks | Rhodes Great Field, Grahamstown | ||
| 18:30 |
| 4 March 2019 | UFH Blues | 33–7 | TUT Vikings | Davidson Rugby Field, Alice | ||
| 18:30 | Try: Brandt Fields,Sokhana Mpemba(2),Rocur Julies,Mihlali Nobomvu,Lukho Jongizulu Con: Rocur Julies (2), Brandt Fields (2) |
Tut was soundly beaten in the forward battle. Many a scrum went backwards by the might of the UFH scrum. TUT will need to up their game to regain pride this season. | Try: Laro Delport Con: Mauritz Maritz |
| Bye/s: CPUT |
Round Five
| 11 March 2019 | WSU All Blacks | 27-28 | UKZN Impi | Buffalo City Stadium, East London | ||
| 18:30 |
| 11 March 2019 | TUT Vikings | 25 –17 | Rhodes | TUT Stadium, Pretoria | ||
| 18:30 | TUT's first win of the season. Playing for pride the bottom feeders played a tough game.In an evenly matched game, the eventual winners were TUT |
| 11 March 2019 | CPUT | 41–25 | UFH Blues | CPUT Sports Stadium, Cape Town | ||
| 18:30 |
| Bye/s: NMU Madibaz |
Round Six
| 18 March 2019 | NMU Madibaz | 62–5 | TUT Vikings | NMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth | ||
| 18:30 | Can any team stop NMU? certainly not TUT who were completely dominated in all aspects. Big loss for TUT |
| 18 March 2019 | UKZN Impi | 18–24 | UFH Blues | Howard College Rugby Stadium, Durban | ||
| 18:30 |
| 18 March 2019 | Rhodes | 10–52 | CPUT | Rhodes Great Field, Grahamstown | ||
| 18:30 |
| Bye/s: WSU All Blacks |
Round Seven
| 25 March 2019 | UFH Blues | 9–32 | NMU Madibaz | Davidson Rugby Field, Alice | ||
| 18:30 |
| 25 March 2019 | TUT Vikings | 13–40 | WSU All Blacks | TUT Stadium, Pretoria | ||
| 18:30 | This game started off as an evenly matched affair. Till the second half where WSU came back to thrash TUT. New blood is needed in TUT. |
| 25 March 2019 | CPUT | 69–40 | UKZN Impi | CPUT Sports Stadium, Cape Town | ||
| 18:30 |
| Bye/s: Rhodes |
Play-offs
Semifinals
| 4 April 2019 | FNB CPUT | 40–8 | FNB WSU | CPUT Sports Stadium, Cape Town | ||
| 4 April 2019 | FNB Madibaz | 46–0 | FNB UKZN | |||
Final
| 11 April 2019 | FNB Madibaz | – | FNB CPUT | Madibaz Stadium | ||
| 18:15 |
References
- "2019 Varsity Cup". Varsity Cup. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.