Then there were four. The draw for the Hollywoodbets Murray Cup semi finals was held in the Jock Leyden Media Centre at Jonsson Kings Park on Monday evening and sees the last four sides left in the competition all set and squaring up for action at the home of Bidvest Insurance Crusaders in Ranleigh Crescent Durban North on Friday evening,
FNB UKZN Pietermaritzburg who finished bottom of the log in the Fidelity ADT Premier Division league have done the impossible and deserve huge credit for ending up in the top four of the Murray Cup knockout competition. The sttudents have drawn SA Home Loans Durban Collegians in the first of the semi-finals.
The Whites of Maritzburg Varsity have only won the prestigious competition once and that was way back in 1930 when they beat Maritzburg Collegians in an all Pietermaritzburg derby. Coach Dean Younie is fully aware of the enormous challenge that his young side have on their hands but is prepared to face the much more favoured Collegians outfit that have won the trophy more times than any other club having lifted the silverware on 32 occasions. Can Collegians make it 33 wins in this the 119th playing for the 128 year old trophy.
The other final sees Varsity College up against the holders of the cup College Rovers, unquestionably, the club that has dominated the club scene since 2000 having held the trophy high on 13 occasions in the last 17 years.
Varsity College is a club that came into being with the amalgamation of DHS Old Boys and Glenwood Old Boys in 2006 Looking back at the history of DHS Old Boys a club founded in 1910 their name was engraved on the priceless piece of silverware for the first time in 1933 and had three unforgettable years between 1989 and 91. Glenwood Old Boys on the other hand first won the cup in 1931 five years after they were founded in 1926. The club last won a cup in a KZNRU competition as Glenwood Falcons in 2002 four years before the amalgamation.
With that its all to play for with all their second stringers following them to contest the Peter Taylor Knockout cup. The opening game between Varsity and Collegians kicks off at 7pm followed by the other semi final at 8.30pm
The Junior Murray Cup semi final will also be played on Friday evening with UKZN Durban hosting a vastly improved Westville Old Boys line up at while up North Piet Retief will host Ladysmith.
The post Club Rugby Column appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
The Cell C Sharks will be hoping to open our Currie Cup campaign against the Vodacom Blue Bulls at JONSSON KINGS PARK this weekend on a positive note and build momentum right from the get go.
Cell C Sharks prop Juan Schoeman admits that despite playing back-up to Beast Mtawarira at loosehead prop during the Vodacom Super Rugby campaign, he eyes the Currie Cup as the chance to really make an impression.
“This is an opportunity to step up and improve even more from where I was last season,” he explains.
“There’s a big responsibility on the shoulders of all the new guys who are now getting an opportunity, to use their chances to the full and to showcase their potential.”
On a personal level, he admits that he’s more a doer than talker. “I love being part of the unit and although I don’t talk much on the field, like the rest of the team, everyone is a leader in his own right. My role is to slot into that unit, be the best player I can be and contribute to the team’s success.”
The Sharks pack during the Vodacom Super Rugby competition was known for its physicality and this is something that Schoeman expects will continue into the upcoming Currie Cup competition.
“For sure, physicality is one of the most important aspects of rugby, if you don’t bring it, chances are, you’re going to lose. So if we want to win, we need to be as physical as we can; even improve. And that’s across the board, we want to get better in every facet of the game so we can show what we have inside each of us.
“It’s going to be important to play as a unit and if every individual brings his A game, the whole unit will perform well.”
Schoeman warns that with the shortened form of the Currie Cup – just six matches over one round before the play-offs in October – there is little opportunity to play catch up if things don’t get off to a good start and that’s what they will be aiming for in this opening clash against the Blue Bulls on Saturday.
“It starts from the first game, there’s no second chance to get back into the season if you lose the first game or two. So winning from the start is very important because the competition is so short.”
The Cell C Sharks will go into this game off the back of a successful hit-out in the Durban Challenge match against Bordeaux Begles at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Friday evening, looking for another impressive performance.
“Bordeaux is a very experienced team so they were good opposition to play a warm-up game against,” Schoeman explains.
“It was an opportunity to see what we do well and where we can improve, which was a good platform to get our engines going for the start of the Currie Cup against the Blue Bulls.”
The Bulls themselves come off a win of their own, a big Currie Cup defeat over Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein when they ran out comprehensive 34-12 victors.
“We’ve watched that game and identified that their line speed is massive, scrum time as always is an important part of the game and we know they’ll bring is full-on. The set-phases are going to be very important, a real challenge for us to front-up.”
The post Stepping Up appeared first on Sharks Rugby.
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