The FNB TUT Vikings beat NWU Vaal 39-26 in a thrilling promotion/relegation play-off in Pretoria on Saturday to keep their place in the FNB Varsity Shield presented by Steinhoff International next year. Having finished in last place this year, TUT had to earn their place in the competition next season by beating NWU Vaal who won the 'C' Section of the USSA tournament in Grahamstown this year. It was intense from the outset as the teams tore into each other in the early stages, and there was no separating them as they went into half-time deadlocked at 21-21. The contenders NWU Vaal took the early lead with two tries putting them 13-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes. With their Varsity Shield place on the line, hosts TUT needed a response and scored two converted tries of their own to take a 16-13 lead. They stretched that further when lock Claude Johannes produced a moment of individual brilliance which saw him storm over from his own half with the ball in one hand, but NWU Vaal hit back just before the break as the sides went into half-time locked up at 21-21. Three unanswered tries in the second half saw TUT build up a comfortable 39-21 lead at the second strategy break, leaving NWU Vaal with plenty to do in order to break into the Varsity Shield. They threw absolutely everything at the Vikings and managed to score a try, but it was too little too late as TUT held on to secure their place in the Varsity Shield next season. The scorers: For FNB TUT Vikings: Tries: Truter, Burger, Johannes, Herd, Olivier, Smuts Cons: Afrika 3 For NWU Vaal: Tries: Oosthuizen 3, Thompson Cons: Vian Steynen 2

FNB Varsity Cup The youthful FNB Ikey Tigers squad took some valuable experience from the recent USSA championships in Grahamstown according to wing Lihleli Xoli. The reigning FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International champions ended in sixth place in the 'A' section of the national tournament after winning one of their three games, and Xoli said that it had been an important stepping stone for the youthful squad. =Day One kicked off with a local derby, the Tigers taking on fellow Cape side FNB Maties. The game was a hard-fought affair which UCT narrowly lost 32-33. Each side gave it their all, but the Tigers missed out on the win with a missed penalty kick late in the second half. Speaking about the impact the initial loss had on the rest of the games, Xoli said: "I think it allowed a lot of the younger players to learn going forward in the tournament. The loss on the first day gave the team a chance to change around and experiment with different combinations thereafter." And change things around they did. The Tigers bounced back on the second day of the tournament with a 29-24 over NMMU. While the Madibaz did their best to overcome the reigning Varsity Cup champions, it wasn't enough and UCT snatched the win. While expected to carry forward that momentum the next day, the team finished up their performance at the games with a 19-22 loss against FNB UFS-Shimlas. When asked about what he believes went wrong in the match, Xoli said 'we ran out of time'. With the win, the Shimlas took fifth place overall, coming in just behind the Maties. Third place went to FNB NWU-Pukke, who managed to beat Stellenbosch on the last day 17-10. The ultimate prize was taken away by FNB UP-Tuks, who beat-out defending champions FNB UJ 37-29 on the final day. Speaking about the fact that UCT put up a squad containing a lot of younger players, and the benefits of this, Xoli said: "Obviously the younger players brought in hunger and drive to want to prove their worth and stake their claim for next year’s squad." And lastly, giving his opinion on the overall value of a tournament of this nature, he said: "I think it’s a good tournament to bleed youngsters in, and it’s good to have those players who perhaps missed out of Varsity Cup to get their chance at a competitive level. "Also, there are other teams that play each other who otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to do so in their routine leagues," he went on. The Ikey Tigers now have a small break before they begin preparations for the second half of the WP Super League, their first game of which is on July 26.

FNB UP-Tuks took the spoils at USSA in Grahamstown by beating defending champions UJ 37-29 in the Final on Friday. The Pretoria side may have lost their Varsity Cup crown this year, but they showed that they can never be taken lightly by winning all of their games at the tournament hosted by Rhodes University this week. Third place was claimed by FNB NWU-Pukke who secured a 17-10 victory over FNB Maties on the final day whilst FNB UFS-Shimlas finished fifth by beating Varsity Cup champions FNB UCT 22-19 and FNB NMMU took seventh by beating FNB Wits 26-22. In the 'B' section it was Varsity Shield champions FNB CUT who took the spoils with a 27-22 victory over FNB TUT in the final which showed just why they will be playing in the Varsity Cup next year. Third place went to UWC who secured a 36-13 win over Varsity College, whilst beaten Varsity Shield finalists UKZN proved too strong for hosts Rhodes to claim fifth and Tisan beat FNB Fort Hare 43-10 to take seventh. NWU-Vaal will play a promotion/relegation play-off with TUT in Pretoria on July 9 for a chance to play in the Varsity Shield next year after claiming a hard-fought 24-18 victory over CPUT in the 'C' section final. Other results in the C section saw NMMU George take third with a 47-19 win against WSU BCC and MUT and WSU IBIKA finish fifth and seventh respectively after wins against Zululand and Limpopo. USSA Day Three results: Section A TUKS 37-29 UJ NWU Puk 17-10 Maties Shimlas 22-19 UCT NMMU 26-22 WITS Section B CUT 27-22 TUT PTA UWC 36-13 VC UKZN 47-14 Rhodes Tisan 43-10 UFH Section C NWU Vaal 24-18 CPUT NMMU George 47-19 WSU BCC MUT 24-0 Zululand WSU IBIKA 27-8 Limpopo Section D VUT 43-20 TUT B WSU Mthata 35-28 Invatation XV Venda 32-25 Mafikeng

Defending champions FNB UJ will face FNB UP-Tuks in the USSA 'A' section Final in Grahamstown on Friday. Both teams remained unbeaten in the tournament after claiming vital victories over FNB NWU-Pukke and FNB Maties respectively on Wednesday. UJ easily saw off the challenge of NWU-Pukke who went down 37-10, whilst UP-Tuks had to work a little harder for their victory over Maties who they edged 22-19. This sets up a mouth-watering trans-Jukskei final as UJ look to hold off the challenge of two-time Varsity Cup champions UP-Tuks in order to retain their crown. Maties and NWU-Pukke will square off in the third/fourth place play-off after their defeats on Wednesday, whilst FNB UCT and FNB UFS-Shimlas will battle it out for fifth and sixth place and FNB NMMU and FNB Wits will both be hoping to avoid finishing last. UFS-Shimlas cruised to a convincing 43-24 victory over Wits on Wednesday, whilst reigning Varsity Cup champions UCT were too strong for NMMU who went down 29-24. In the 'B' section the final will be between Varsity Shield champions FNB CUT who will play their first season of Varsity Cup next year, and FNB TUT who finished last in the Varsity Shield this year. CUT were far too strong for Varsity College who they beat 50-12, whilst TUT beat UWC 43-20 to progress to the final. As a result UWC and Varsity College will fight it out for third place on Friday, and the other match in the B section will see hosts Rhodes face FNB UKZN. The 'C' section final between CPUT and NWU-Vaal will have plenty riding on it with the winners qualifying for a play-off game against TUT for potential promotion to the Varsity Shield. CPUT saw off the challenge of NMMU G 16-9 on Wednesday, and NWU-Vaal continued their winning ways with a 48-17 win against WSU BBC. The 'D' section final will be between VUT and TUT B, after VUT defeated Venda 18-15 and TUT B secured a 22-15 win over WSU B on Wednesday. All the USSA Day Three results: Varsity College 12-50 CUT CPUT 16-9 NMMU G Limpopo 7-43 MUT NMMU 24-29 UCT NWU Vaal 48-17 WSU BBC VUT 18-15 Venda UFS-Shimlas 43-24 Wits UFH 14-27 Rhodes WSU M 15-22 TUT B UJ 37-10 NWU P Zululand 25-14 WSU IBIKA UKZN 31-5 NAM UP-Tuks 22-19 Maties TUT 43-20 UWC NWU Mafikeng 25-0 Invitational XV USSA Day Three fixtures - Friday, July 4 A section Final: UJ v UP-Tuks - Kings Field (11.20) 3rd/4th: NWU-Pukke v Maties - St Andrews (08.00) 5th/6th: UCT v UFS-Shimlas - St Andrews B (09.40) 7th/8th: NMMU v Wits - Prospect 2 (09.40) B section Final: CUT v TUT - Kings Field (08.00) 3rd/4th: Varsity College v UWC - St Andrews B (08.00) 5th/6th: Rhodes v UKZN - Prospect 1 (09.40) C section Final: CPUT v NWU Vaal - Kings Field (09.40) 3rd/4th: MUT v Zululand - St Andrews A (09.40) D section Final: VUT v TUT B - Prospect 1 (08.00) 3rd/4th: NWU Mafikeng v Venda - Prospect 2 (08.00)

There were two big FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International derbies on the opening day of the USSA tournament in Grahamstown and they both went down to the wire. The first big rivalry of the day in the 'A' section saw beaten 2014 Varsity Cup finalists FNB NWU-Pukke edge out FNB UFS-Shimlas 23-17. There is never any love lost between the sides and it was no different on Monday as NWU-Pukke finished on top in what was just the second match of the day. The other big clash in Grahamstown saw Cape rivals FNB UCT and FNB Maties lock horns, and it was the Stellenbosch outfit that managed to clinch a tight 33-32 victory over the reaigning Varsity Cup champions to get their campaign off to a positive start. Things were a little more one-sided in the Johannesburg derby between UJ and Wits, with UJ running away with a resounding 52-15 win. FNB UP-Tuks also made a great start to the competition, steamrolling FNB NMMU in a convincing 65-0 victory which left the Eastern Cape side scrambling from the outset. The 'B' section of the tournament consists largely of Varsity Shield sides, and 2014 champions FNB CUT underlined their class with a 62-19 win against Namibia. There was something of an upset when unheralded Varsity College managed to claim a 28-22 victory over FNB UKZN, whilst relegation-threatened FNB TUT were far too strong for FNB Fort Hare in a 64-0 win. The final match of the day saw hosts Rhodes go down 20-13 to FNB UWC who did just enough to hold them at bay. There is everything to play for in the 'C' section of the competition, with a shot at promotion to the Varsity Shield on the line and NWU Vaal were clearly highly motivated in the opening game as they recorded a 114-0 win against Limpopo. There were also big wins for CPUT who defeated Zululand 84-0, and NMMU G who beat WSU 71-15. USSA Day One results: NWU Vaal 114-0 Limpopo NWU-Pukke 23-17 UFS-Shimlas Varsity College 28-22 UKZN WSU Mthatha 37-13 NWU Mafikeng CPUT 84-0 Zululand UP-Tuks 65-0 NMMU WSU B 43-19 MUT VUT 17-10 Invitational XV CUT 62-19 Namibia UJ 52-15 Wits NMMU G 71-15 WSU Maties 33-32 UCT TUT 64-0 UFH TUT Shos 12-33 Venda UWC 20-13 Rhodes USSA Day Two fixtures: Varsity College v CUT - Kings Field (09.00) CPUT v NMMU G - St Andrews (09.00) Limpopo v MUT - Prospect 1 (09.00) NMMU v UCT - Prospect 2 (09.00) NWU Vaal v WSU BBC - Kings Field (10.40) VUT v Venda - St Andrews (10.40) UFS-Shimlas v Wits - Prospect 1 (10.40) UFH v Rhodes - Prospect 2 (10.40) WSU Mthatha v TUT B - Kings Field (12.20) NWU-Pukke v UJ - St Andrews (12.20) Zululand v WSU Ibika - Prospect 1 (12.20) UKZN v Namibia - Prospect 2 (12.20) UP-Tuks v Maties - Kings Field (14.00) TUT v UWC - St Andrews (14.00) NWU Mafikeng v Invitational XV (14.00)

There will be added significance in the 'C' section of the USSA tournament in Grahamstown next week, with the winner given a shot at playing in the Varsity Shield next year. The annual University Sports South Africa rugby tournament will be hosted by Rhodes University from June 30 to July 4, and there will be just as much attention on the third tier of the competition as any other. With FNB TUT having finished in last place in the Varsity Shield this season, the Pretoria-based side will have to defend their place in the competition in a promotion/relegation play-off at home on July 19. They will square off with the team that finishes top of the 'C' section of the USSA tournament in Grahamstown next week to determine which team goes through to compete in the Varsity Shield next year. The teams in Pool C ranked from are: 1 NWU Vaal 2 CPUT 3 NMMU G 4 WSU BCC 5 Mangusuthu University of Technology 6 WSU Ibika 7 University of Zululand 8 University of Limpopo Turfloop campus There will be some interesting derbies on Day One when FNB Varsity Cup champions UCT meet Cape rivals Maties, the Joburg Derby between UJ and Wits, Shimlas and the Pukke play each other and in Pool B the UKZN Impi will play Varsity College. The semifinals will be played on Wednesday, July 2, and the finals on Friday, July 4. USSA Day One fixtures: NWU Vaal v Limpopo - Kings Field (09.00) NWU Pukke v UFS-Shimlas - St.Andrews (09.00) Varsity College v UKZN - Prospect 1 (09.00) WSU Mthata v NWU Mafikeng - Prospect 2 (09.00) CPUT v Zululand - Kings Field (10.40) UP-Tuks v NMMU - St.Andrews (10.40) WSU B v MUT - Prospect 1 (10.40) VUT v Invitatinal XV - Prospect 2 (10.40) CUT v Namibia - Kings Field (12.20) UJ v Wits - St.Andrews (12.20) NMMU G v WSU Ibika - Prospect 1 (12.20) Maties v UCT - Kings Field (14.00) TUT v UFH - Prospect 1 (14.00) TUT Shos v Venda - Prospect 2 (14.00) UWC v Rhodes - Kings Field (16.30)

The FNB Madibaz will blood their new-look team at the five-day national student rugby championship in Grahamstown next week. The University Sport South Africa tournament will be the first major national test for coach David Maidza's squad following the departure of a number of senior players in the wake of the FNB Varsity Cup competition earlier this season. "We're in the process of building a team that we can use for the future," said Maidza, who joined the NMMU-based team at the beginning of the year. "This is my first year at the USSA tournament, so I'll be sounding out how strong the competition is and also looking to see how our new players cope at a higher level," he explained. The Port Elizabeth side will face off against the country's top seven rugby-playing institutions - including defending champions the University of Johannesburg - in the A-section of the tournament. "All of the teams will be in with a shout. Some of the universities don't send their strongest teams but I'm sure Tukkies, Maties and Pukke will be ones to watch," said Maidza. The Madibaz are yet to inscribe their name on the trophy after finishing sixth overall last year. They put in a strong showing at this year's Varsity Cup, going down by a single point to NWU-Pukke in the semifinals. The team was forced to regroup in the aftermath of the competition when a number of key players were taken up into various professional outfits. Maidza said his restructured side had had a stop-start local season so far but was confident that the squad would step up and be ready for their first Ussa fixture against the University of Pretoria. "Our Eastern Province Grand Challenge season hasn't gone as smoothly as I had anticipated but, with losing eleven players after Varsity Cup, it was always going to be a tough ask for us," he said. Of the nine matches played to date, the Madibaz have won six, drawn one and lost two. They are currently second in the standings behind log leaders Despatch. He commended new captain Jody Reyneke, wing Tythan Adams and centre Andile Jho, among others, for their fortitude in remaining with the team and continuing to play throughout the long season. "They have had to keep on playing since February. They have been the heartbeat of the team and true professionals." Maidza added that new faces such as scrumhalf Ivan Ludick and loose forwards Oyama Ngxakela and Matthew Tweddle had also acquitted themselves well in the club games. FNB Madibaz squad: Marzuq Maarman, Nicolas Roebeck, Mzuvukile Sofisa, Laurence Christie, Jody Reyneke, Tyrone Rankin, Johannes Huisamen, Robert Louw, Tapiwa Mabuto, Kuhle Sonkosi, Willem Snyman, Oyama Gxakela, Zaine Marx, Matthew Tweddle, Bunganga Magwentshu, Ivan Ludick, Marlin Ruiters, Gavin Hauptfleisch, Ruan Allerston, Steven Hansel, Andile Jho, Stefanus Booysen, Siphumelele Msutwana, Billy van Lill, Voughan Casling, Yamkela Ngam, Tythan Adams, Kayle Van Zyl

Rhodes University are hosting the annual University Sports South Africa (USSA) Rugby Week festival, which is starting on 30 June and ending on 4 July. This festival has attracted the top university rugby sides in the country such as Maties, NWU-Pukke, NMMU, UP-Tuks, UJ, UCT and more Varsity Cup and Shield teams. In total 32 tertiary education institutions have sent teams to compete. The teams have been divided into four pools, each consisting of eight teams. All teams will play against each other in their respective pools in a round-robin fashion. They have all been placed into their pools based on their results during the 2013 USSA Rugby Week. Pool A consists of the eight Varsity Cup sides while Pool B is made up of Varsity Shield sides and the hosts, Rhodes University. Pools A and B are using this festival as a pre-season event prior to their preparations for the Varsity Cup and Shield tournaments. The teams in Pools C and D have the chance to qualify for Pools B and C respectively. The winner of Pool C will face Varsity Shield wooden spoonists TUT in a promotion/relegation match in Pretoria on July 19, with the winner going on to play Varsity Shield rugby next season. The festival will be a fantastic spectacle for rugby fans in Grahamstown, as the top university sides will bring some serious talent with them and will be gunning for pre-season bragging rights. By Brandon Yates

There will be three more FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International Springboks on Saturday with Handré Pollard, Marcel van der Merwe and Teboho 'Oupa' Mohoje' set to makes their debut's for the national side against Scotland. Former FNB UP-Tuks star Pollard, who was recently named the IRB World Junior Player of the Year after leading the Junior Springboks to the runners-up spot at the Junior World Championships in New Zealand, will start at flyhalf whilst Mohoje has been named on the bench. Pollard has been earmarked for greatness since he guided the Junior Boks to the JWC title on home soil when he was still in school in 2012, and has gone on to represent the Bulls and Blue Bulls since featuring for UP-Tuks in their victorious Varsity Cup campaign last year. Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said Pollard had always been part of his plans for the June Tests, but that his selection as SA Under-20 captain meant he could only join the squad this week. "Handré is a very talented player and has a big opportunity this week, but he'll have Fourie du Preez's experience next to him, while he's played a lot with Jan Serfontein before. It's great to have the current and a former World Junior Player of the Year in the same backline," he said. Former FNB UFS-Shimlas skipper Mohoje will become the first player to play Varsity Cup and Test rugby in the same year. The all-action blindside flank, who can also play lock, was captain of UFS-Shimlas in 2013 and continued to play for them as they narrowly missed out on a Varsity Cup play-off spot this year. Following the Varsity Cup, Mohoje was quickly drafted into the Cheetahs side and impressed with a few dynamic displays to be called up to the extended Springbok squad for the June internationals. "'Oupa' still played Varsity Cup and Vodacom Cup rugby earlier this season before he got an opportunity to play Super Rugby for the Cheetahs because of injuries. He took his chance and now he's on the cusp of making his Test debut," said Meyer. Tighthead prop van der Merwe also played for UFS-Shimlas back in 2010 and went on to play Currie Cup for the Cheetahs before being signed by the Bulls. He has enjoyed a break-out season with the Pretoria-based Super Rugby franchise this year and will also take his place on the bench this weekend as back-up for the experienced Jannie du Plessis. South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 JP Pietersen, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Coenie Oosthuizen. Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 Stephan Lewies, 20 Teboho Mohoje, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Marnitz Boshoff, 23 Zane Kirchner.

The FNB Ikey Tigers will be out to add another title to their collection when they travel to Grahamstown to do battle at the USSA tournament next week. The reigning FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International champions are on a mid-season break from the WP Super League where they lie in first place on the log, and are sure to be eager to take the field once again. However, coach Kevin Musikanth pointed out that while they have enjoyed a 'well-earned break from the field' the team are keen to start up again with the upcoming USSA tournament. He also explained that the players in Cape Town 'have been on their mid season gym program at the High Performance Centre' as well, and are excited to put their hard work into practice. Singling out the tournament itself Musikanth said: "The USSA is more a development tour for us in that future talent is given a chance to compete against other Varsity Cup teams." He said that the tournament will reveal 'whether the guys are ready to make the step up.' As a result, the tournament will see a lot of new faces making their appearance, mixed in with a host of regular Varsity Cup campaigners to ensure that the Tigers boast a competitive side. He explained that it will be a good opportunity to gel ahead of the next phase of the league season. "The other factor is that the tournament gives us an opportunity to be able to get in some game time as two months off is a lot for a team," said Musikanth. The Ikeys coach is confident that his players will be going all-out to make an impression in Grahamstown. "Whenever UCT plays representative rugby it is important for us to put on an exciting, good show. "We now have to also realize that there is a responsibility that comes with being Varsity Cup champions that means that teams will not take Ikeys lightly so we need to be up and ready for those challenges," he finished off. By Megan Kinnaird

Two UKZN students, Matthew Mandioma and Shayne Makombe have been selected in the Zimbabwe national squad for the World Cup Qualifying Tournament to be played in the Stade Mahamasina in Antanararivo, Madagascar. The Stade Mahamasina is well known for its unique atmosphere; the stadium has only 23,000 seats, yet over 40,000 Malagasy regularly cram the standing terraces when their beloved Les Makis play international matches, and has been described by SARU CEO and FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International chairman, Jurie Roux as one of the most vibrant atmospheres in which he has watched international rugby. Both Mandioma and Makombe are on TRUDA SNACKS tuition bursaries at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Maritzburg campus. TRUDA company director is ex Varsity and Natal lock Colin van Heerden. Makombe enjoyed some recognition during the Varsity Shield tournament, where he won the Varsity Shield backline player that Rocks award. The Zimbabwe team go into camp next week and will also play a friendly against a Blue Bulls Vodacom Cup selection. The Four Nations qualifying tournament participants are Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya. The tournament winner will automatically qualify for RWC, while the runner up has a second chance in the repechage, where they will face the winner of the Germany v Russia play-off. Former UJ flyhalf Guy Cronje and his twin brother, Ross have also been called up, although their current employer, the Lions franchise has not yet agreed to release them. By Mark Schulze

Two UKZN students, Matthew Mandioma and Shayne Makombe have been selected in the Zimbabwe national squad for the World Cup Qualifying Tournament to be played in the Stade Mahamasina in Antanararivo, Madagascar. The Stade Mahamasina is well known for its unique atmosphere; the stadium has only 23,000 seats, yet over 40,000 Malagasy regularly cram the standing terraces when their beloved Les Makis play international matches, and has been described by SARU CEO and FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International chairman, Jurie Roux as one of the most vibrant atmospheres in which he has watched international rugby. Both Mandioma and Makombe are on TRUDA SNACKS tuition bursaries at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Maritzburg campus. TRUDA company director is ex Varsity and Natal lock Colin van Heerden. Makombe enjoyed some recognition during the Varsity Shield tournament, where he won the Varsity Shield backline player that Rocks award. The Zimbabwe team go into camp next week and will also play a friendly against a Blue Bulls Vodacom Cup selection. The Four Nations qualifying tournament participants are Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Kenya. The tournament winner will automatically qualify for RWC, while the runner up has a second chance in the repechage, where they will face the winner of the Germany v Russia play-off. Former UJ flyhalf Guy Cronje and his twin brother, Ross have also been called up, although their current employer, the Lions franchise has not yet agreed to release them. By Mark Schulze