Fort Hare will back themselves
The University of Fort Hare are preparing for the red-hot cauldron of Varsity Shield rugby with a demanding tour of the Free State ahead of their televised opening game against Wits on home turf in Alice on January 31.
Fort Hare head coach Elliot Fana is under no illusions about the magnitude of the task facing his squad in the inaugural competition, but he believes the pre-season tour will be vital to his team's success.
He told varsitycup.co.za: "We are playing against the Border Rugby Union on January 17 and then we are going on tour to the Free State where we will play against Rovers Rugby Club in Welkom on January 22 and against the University of the Free State (Shimlas) on January 26.
"We will definitely be tested, especially against Shimlas, and after that game we will know where we stand. In my honest opinion some of the teams playing in the Varsity Cup could easily beat some of the Vodacom Cup teams," he added.
Fana has a solid coaching pedigree, having been involved in numerous representative sides in recent years.
For starters, he was the technical coach for the Griffons team that won the Currie Cup B-section in 2008. He has also coached the Griffons' Craven Week and Under-21 teams, as well as filling the role of technical coach for the South African Under-20 team for the last three years.
He has been at Fort Hare since the beginning of 2009 and believes that the biggest obstacle for the success of rugby at the Eastern Cape University is the lack of player depth.
The Fort Hare boss explained: "As much as it is exciting for us to be involved in the Varsity Shield we are also very aware of the huge challenge it poses us.
"We do not have great player depth, when you are playing week- in and week-out - and picking up injuries - you need good back-up. Our situation down here is not the same as the other institutions in the competition in terms of rugby numbers."
However, he has promised that whatever the situation on the field his players will be out to give people a taste of what rugby in the Eastern Cape is all about.
"We will back ourselves with our skills, we do have skills and whatever we do is based on that. We like to play with the ball in hand and if we find space we will show what we are made of," he warned.
Looking ahead to their first fixture - against the highly-rated Wits outfit - Elliot is excited about the occasion and the quality of opposition.
"The first game is in Alice - it is a big one for us and our local community," he enthused.
"I don't know that much about Wits," he admitted, "I know they played against an academy side last month and although they lost, the information I have is that they are a well-drilled team."
The Varsity Shield will be a demanding tournament for Fana and his players, but they are clearly keen to make a statement and will look to punch above their weight throughout.
By Michael de Vries
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