Former Ikey Tigers head coach Tom Dawson-Squibb on what makes the FNB Varsity Cup so 'unbelievably special'

Tom Dawson-Squibb has just spent a month in India consulting with the Dutch national cricket team as a performance coach. It’s the third Cricket World Cup he’s been at, the previous two were with the Proteas.

It’s a strange landing point for a man who between 2019 and 2024 coached the FNB UCT Ikey Tigers to three Varsity Cup finals.

Dawson-Squibb is a man who wears many hats, including being a published author, yet during his stint as head coach at FNB UCT donned the blue and white headgear with the most pride.

“I don’t think I’ve had a job that I’ve loved more than that project,” Dawson-Squibb said to FNB Varsity Cup. That’s rich praise from a man who has worked in rugby and cricket at franchise and international level.

“It was hard and it was a lot of stress and there was a lot of obsession but I wouldn’t give it up for anything,” he said.

“I absolutely loved it. I love the people that I coached with. I was very, very lucky to have some exceptional human beings.”

Outside of his current cricket duties, Dawson-Squibb also consults with Edinburgh Rugby. His role as a performance coach is his main focus at the moment. Despite coaching from his school days, Dawson-Squibb basically fell into coaching at FNB UCT after being initially being approached to head up the Young Guns side.

A few years in Australia serving as a performance coach for the Melbourne Rebels followed before his gig as FNB UCT head coach came about.

Dawson-Squibb is well-travelled and has worked across a variety of different sporting competitions. But the FNB Varsity Cup is a competition that remains “unbelievably special” to him because of how unique it is.

“I think the Varsity Cup is unbelievably special,” he said.

‘They’ve found a uniqueness. It’s on Monday nights. It’s got a massive vibe around it.

“They’re targeting a specific audience. They’re not necessarily targeting rugby lovers, although rugby lovers love it. They’re targeting students who want to get behind the university, who want to come for a vibe. That for me is just genius.

“I also think the quality of the competition is really good.”

FNB UCT as an institution ranks among the best in Africa. It’s why Dawson-Squibb elected to complete his studies there which includes a Masters Degree in Organisational Psychology there.

But sport and its facilities are not one of the main drawing points of the university situated at the foot of Table Mountain. It’s one of the few universities without a sports stadium. But according to Dawson-Squibb those distinctive features are what make UCT’s FNB Varsity Cup rugby team so difficult to beat year-in, year-out.

“It’s actually the lack of facilities and major institutional support [that makes UCT so unique],” he said.

“That means you’ve almost got to get by on goodwill and human capital alone.

“It’s not like we have nothing, but it’s not a sporting university. The rugby almost has to operate independently in some ways, and I think it’s the fact that it’s hard that makes it special because that comes into your fabric.”

It’s an attitude that is similar to the philosophy Rugby World Cup winning coach Rassie Erasmus has employed in selecting his Springboks squad.

“You can’t have entitled and ungrateful people playing,” Dawson-Squibb explained.

“You have to have people who almost realise that without discretionary effort, we’re not going to get anywhere.

“Discretionary efforts is in the fabric and joy is in the fabric.

“It’s like, we’re going to have a good time. We want to win and no one’s having a good time if you don’t win. It feels competitive, but we’re going to make this a really, really fun experience and enjoyable experience.

“And I think that makes it really unique.”

Even while over in India, Dawson-Squibb was still keeping a key eye on the proceedings of the FNB Varsity Cup. UCT Ikey Tigers are without the performance coach and former head coach this season, but his heart and interest will always be with the University at the foot of the mountain.