FNB UJ secured another Predator League crown when they beat Raiders 33-24 in the final. The FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International side were in control throughout, and despite despite two late tries from Raiders the students cruised to another victory. Aphiwe Dyanti opened the scoring, and tries either side of half-time along with the steady boot of flyhalf Jamie Campbell saw UJ take the title. Raiders responded with late tries from Wensley Mbanje and Jimmy Baloyi, but it was not enough as UJ held out for the victory. It was UJ's third victory over Raiders in the last four years and sees them retain their title in the Predator League.

FNB UP-Tuks claimed the Carlton League title by beating Pretoria Police 35-13 in the final. Two tries from hooker Sydney Tobias put the students 12-3 up at half-time, and they never looked back as they went on to claim the silverware. It was a physical clash throughout, with both sides having players sent to the sin bin, but the well-drilled UP-Tuks side took their opportunities better on the day. The Police scored two tries of their own in the second half to set up a tense finish to the match, with UP-Tuks reduced to 13 men at one stage. However, they held on well to secure the victory, showing great character as the Police threw absolutely everything at them in the final stages.

The derby between Steinhoff Monash and the MGI Tigers in the Wits internal league was a thriller which Monash edged 26-24. Once the boys from Ruimsig had racked up an eighteen point half time lead in front of their very vocal supporters it seemed the game was over as a contest. The Midrand team had other ideas however and living up to their "Tigers" nickname, clawed their way back into the contest with three second half tries all of which were converted. In the other game in the Wits internal league, Steinhoff Engineers ran out comfortable winners against Steinhoff Mens Residence. The Raiders made their first appearance after the winter break when they came up against an in form Steinhoff Engineers combination in the early match. Lack of match fitness was clearly evident as the men in red struggled to contain a rampant 'Geers team in the first half. Steinhoff Engineers went 24-0 in front midway through the second stanza before Raiders managed to get on the scoreboard. A last minute try secured the bonus point win for Steinhoff Engineers.

A 36-11 victory over Steinhoff Kanniedood saw Bastion move to the top of the Steinhoff UJ Koshuis league. A hat-trick of tries from centre Jarred Branco saw Bastion to a comfortable victory in the end to put them two log points clear of Steinhoff Drom. Drom were held to a 8-8 draw by Steinhoff Oppierif as both sided scored one try and kicked a penalty. For Steinhoff Drom Riaan Scheepers was their star player and for Steinhoff Oppierif scrumhalf Wezi Mandla stood out. In the B-section Steinhoff DFC beat new comers city Waldorf 56-7. Steinhoff UJ Koshuis league table: (Under played, won, points) 1. Steinhoff Bastion (8, 6, 28) 2. Steinhoff Drom (8, 5, 26) 3. Steinhoff Kanniedood (8, 6, 22) 4. Steinhoff Oppierif (8, 4, 22) 5. Steinhoff Chiros (8, 2, 12) 6. Steinhoff Mjuba (8, 0, 0)

Steinhoff Onderstepoort continued their unbeaten run in the Steinhoff UP-Tuks Koshuis league with a 35-26 victory over Mopanie. In a replay of last year's final the defending champions showed their true mettle, and despite a strong start from Mopanie, they managed to fight their way back and secure the victory. In the other match in the first division Steinhoff Maroela handed Steinhoff Boekenhout a 20-0 defeat. In the Under-20 league Steinhoff Sonop still lead the way and in the second division it is Steinhoff Geelhout that tops the table. Steinhoff Tuks Barbarian team: 15 Kobus Eloff - Steinhoff Sonop 14 Donald Crawford - Steinhoff OP 13 Brink Botha - Steinhoff OP 12 Wynand Bezuidenhout - Steinhoff Mopanie 11 Lourens Weyer - Steinhoff Mopanie 10 Nicolaas Bester - Steinhoff OP 9 Albert Jordaan - Steinhoff Mopanie 8 Pieter Griesel - Steinhoff Sonop 7 Rosche Cronje - Steinhoff OP 6 Christiaan du Toit - Steinhoff Mopanie 5 Andries Lesch - Steinhoff OP 4 Boeta Erasmus - Steinhoff Sonop 3 Dario Cremona - Steinhoff OP 2 Derek Botha - Steinhoff Sonop 1 Pepler Stander - Steinhoff Maroela 16 Jeandre Taljaard - Steinhoff Maroela 17 Tiaan Heenop - Steinhoff Mopanie 18 Tiaan Visser - Steinhoff OP 19 Sipho Siboza - Steinhoff Sonop 20 Hanro Cloete - Steinhoff Sonop 21 Dean Alberts - Steinhoff Mopanie 22 Werner Els - Steinhoff Sonop 23 Wikus Olivier - Steinhoff Maroela

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