CUT eyeing Wits opener
The current champions and holder of the coveted FNB Varsity Shield, the FNB Ixias of the Central University for Technology (CUT) in Bloemfontein, are ready to defend their title successfully.
The FNB Ixias start their campaign against the other finalist last season, FNB Wits, in Bloemfontein on Monday.
The kick-off at 5pm of the opening match at the CUT Rugby Stadium in Bloemfontein will give a good indication of what to expect of the two favorites in the tournament.
The head coach Theuns Hanekom believes that after two hard warm-up matches against the strong Varsity Cup teams, Shimlas (UFS) and Tukkies (UP), earlier this month the Ixias is ready to take on the other five sides successfully in the race to the 2012 Shield final .
"All the teams in die FNB Varsity Shield competition learned a lot last year.
"They are better prepared and I expect the competition to be twice as tough as last season, but we are ready."
The FNB Ixias (CUT) showed that the gap between the sides in die FNB Varsity Shield competition and those competing for the FNB Varsity Cup has narrowed.
In the warm-up against Shimlas both the Bloemfontein sides used different and experimental combinations and all their reserves and no clear view of the two teams' capabilities was gained.
Against the feared Tukkies from Blue Bull country the Ixias - under the leadership of Inus Kritzinger - showed their mettle. After a few defensive mistakes the Ixias took on the visitors in every aspect of the match. Tukkies won by a narrow margin 32-20 and the Ixias showed that their hard work was not in vain.
The Ixias wre strong in the scrums and with players like Rudi Britz and Baksteen van Heerden in the front row they can give their opponents a torrent time. With the support of players like Charl Wegner, Donovan Ball and Ruan Lombaard they can keep Wits on the back foot in the opening match of the season.
Unfortunately one of their trumpcards, attacking fullback Charlie Hitchcock, injured his ankle and won't take the field against Wits.
But CUT have enough reserves to overcome this setback. With players like Jannie Myburgh, Kritzinger, Gerhardt Smit and Alec Mhlanga the Bloemfontein side has the ability to run opponents ragged.
The Ixias squad: Jannie Myburgh, Alec Mhlanga, Gerhardt Smit, Mapello Mpondo, Nico Steenkamp, Inus Kritzinger (captain), Stephan Griesel, Ruan Lombaard, Donovan Ball, Grant Shai, Carl Wegner, Gavin Annandale, Petri Coetzee, Baksteen van Heerden, Rudi Britz, Danie van der Merwe, Rudi Fuls, Shaun Mageer, Francois Harvey, Juan Hugo, Leon Pretorius and Jacques Boesak.
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