Varsity Cup CEO Duitser Bosman released a statement about the postponement and said, “The safety of the students, players and spectators is of immense priority to the board. We have immense compassion and respect for the situation and hope that amicable solutions can be reached with all parties.”

Perdeby spoke to TuksRugby executive Gert van Coller to gain more understanding of the situation. He explained that the main sponsors of the tournament, FNB and Steinhoff, will have a board meeting on Tuesday 8 March to discuss the way forward regarding the stability of rugby matches at all universities. On Wednesday 9 March the executive committee (Exco) of all the universities, Bosman, and South African Rugby Union CEO Jurie Roux will meet with these sponsors in Cape Town to discuss whether Varsity Cup will continue or not. If the decision to continue with Varsity Cup is made, a new game schedule will have to be drawn up to ensure that all Varsity Cup games finish before 18 April.

“The main concern here is whether campuses will be stabilised, and allow students to watch the game safely. Also, we need to see if the players will be able to cope with the changes academically. They missed classes for a week, and now might have to engage in more Varsity Cup games in the weeks to come.” The possibility of several games being played a week at stadiums like Loftus and Newlands will be discussed.

UP-Tuks captain Ruan Steenkamp said, “The postponement is a big frustration for us. We do not know what the Board of Varsity Cup will decide, and whether the tournament will continue or not.” He added, “I believe postponement can work in the favour of some teams, but can also be a bad thing for other teams. If teams use this time to work on their weaknesses, they could return stronger. I really hope Varsity Cup will return.”

VarsitySport supporters have also been left frustrated when the decision to postpone VarsityAthletics was made last week. The first meeting at the Coetzenburg Stadium, was postponed just days before it was set to take place on Friday, 4 March. Discussions about the next meeting, scheduled for 18 March, will continue before the meeting can be confirmed.

Photo: Stefan Stander

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