Varsity Cup is a chance for young South African stars to make their mark

Springbok Eben Etzebeth, who cut his teeth in the student tournament. (Photo Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images)

16 Feb 2025

The highly successful tournament kicks off on Monday, 17 February with a new set of youngsters aiming to stake a claim for higher honours.

The professional rugby season is never-ending, but many of the age-group and junior tournaments kick off in February.

Some of South Africa’s leading school sides will return to action in the coming weeks. The Junior Boks are also heading to Georgia in Eastern Europe for a three-match tour as part of their preparations for the U20 Rugby Championship and World Rugby U20 Championship later this year.

For nearly two decades, February has marked the start of one of the most distinctive tournaments in rugby: the Varsity Cup.

Many of its players are already on the radar of South Africa’s unions – some have already featured in the provincial U19 and U20 competitions – and yet, it’s in the Varsity Cup where these hopefuls are granted maximum exposure.

Varsity Cup honour roll

Duhan van der Merwe, who extended his try-scoring record for Scotland (31) in round two of the Six Nations, is a product of the University of Pretoria. The powerful South African-born winger set another record in 2016 when he scored six tries in a single Varsity Cup game against the University of Cape Town.

As many as 60 Varsity Cup players have gone on to represent the Springboks.

Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx, Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman, Trevor Nyakane, Handré Pollard, Damian de Allende, Vincent Koch and Franco Mostert are part of an elite group that has won the World Cup twice.

Kurt-Lee Arendse, who played for the Blitzboks and later starred for the Boks at the 2023 World Cup in France, often credits his stint with the University of the Western Cape as a stepping stone to greater opportunities.

More recently, Johan Grobbelaar (Tuks), André-Hugo Venter (Maties), Morné van den Berg (Wits), Jordan Hendrikse (Maties), Edwill van der Merwe (Maties) and Ben-Jason Dixon (Maties) made their respective debuts for the South African national side during a monumental 2024 season.

A number of promising players from last year’s Varsity Cup have progressed to the professional ranks and have featured for South Africa’s franchises in the United Rugby Championship, Champions Cup and Challenge Cup. They include 2024 Varsity Cup Rookie of the Year Likhona Finca (Lions and Junior Boks), Jonathan Roche (Stormers), as well as Ethan Wentzel and Prince Nkabinde (both Cheetahs).

Ethan Burger, who led Tuks to the Varsity Shield title and helped his side to gain promotion to the Cup tournament, has been snapped up by the Exeter Chiefs in England. Zander Reynders, another Tuks product, has gone on to represent the Blitzboks.

Varsity Cup Springbok Eben Etzebeth cut his teeth in the student tournament. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)

The tournament itself has been used as a platform for innovation over the past two decades. Many of the laws that have been adopted by senior professional tournaments – such as the shot clock for conversions and penalties, and the eventual replacement of a red-carded player – were previously trialled in the Varsity Cup. Speed and high ball-in-play time are paramount in this competition, and several other laws have been implemented in an attempt to boost the tempo and improve the spectacle.

Teams that launch an attack from inside their own half and go on to score a try are rewarded with seven points instead of five. This law has kept opposition defences on their toes.

Shimlas and Ikeys – the two most attack-minded teams in the tournament – contested the 2024 final in Bloemfontein. Ikeys looked to be on course for a famous victory, before Shimlas hit back in the dying moments to claim a 45-42 win – and their first Varsity Cup title in nine years.

Big questions for 2025

Due to the unique nature of the tournament, it can be tough to build and develop a team over several years, or for a side to maintain momentum from one season to another.

Players move on after graduating or “ageing out” after they turn 24. The rules prohibit the selection of players who don’t obtain sufficient study credits.

As mentioned, some of the best players are snapped up by professional outfits in South Africa and abroad. It’s a terrific result for the individuals and a tournament that styles itself as an incubator of future stars, yet a challenge for coaches and universities.

Shimlas lost 12 players in the wake of their 2024 triumph, and it remains to be seen whether the next wave of talent will produce the goods in 2025.

The good news is that coach André Tredoux has decided to stay on and will preside over a campaign that may yet culminate in a title defence.

Ikeys and Maties, of course, will have other ideas. The Western Cape sides have combined for seven of the past 16 titles. Incredibly, neither of these powerhouses have lifted the Varsity Cup since 2019.

Ikeys, in particular, will be desperate to atone for their defeat in the past two finals, and to secure their first title since 2014.

Tuks also bear watching this season, albeit for a different reason. After winning back-to-back Cup titles in 2021 and 2022, they finished last in the 2023 league phase and were relegated to the Shield.

In 2024, they hammered all their Shield opponents by substantial margins – thrashing Varsity College 95-21 in the final.

The tournament kicks off with some big fixtures on Monday, 17 February, with Ikeys facing North West University Eagles in Cape Town, and Maties tackling the reigning champions in Stellenbosch.

In Joburg, Wits will tackle Tuks and UJ will battle the Central University of Technology. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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Varsity Cup honour roll

Big questions for 2025