With the recent form of Tuks rugby in the Varsity Cup, PDBY have decided to roll back the years in a unique way with an interview from former Tuks first team manager, Jan Hendrik Robbertse. Robbertse managed Tuks in the Varsity Cup from the inaugural tournament in 2008 to 2010.
When he was asked about the greatest challenge that he faced as manager, he said, “In 2008, the last three games were played in George, at a so-called ‘bumper weekend’. We had to play three matches in six days, which were very tough”. According to Robbertse, Tuks had to win all three games to qualify for the semi-final, which they successfully did. However, they lost the semi-final to an unforgiving last-minute penalty that they conceded to Maties. The upside to this loss is that Tuks later went on to win the Varsity Cup two years in a row in 2012 and 2013. Hopefully for the current fans this can be an omen of what to expect going forward, that this year is nothing more than a stumble that will lead to future success..
Robbertse was also asked about the original vision of the Varsity Cup, and how it has changed since its establishment. “Varsity Rugby via intervarsities and the Super Bowl, before 2008, gave Varsity Rugby players the opportunity to play against each other. The Varsity Cup just took this to a higher level and gave student rugby players the opportunity to play in a tournament that was on such a level (almost like a professional tournament). The travel and television exposure elevated the profile of student rugby players and gave them exposure to study and perhaps be drawn into the professional rugby setup at a later stage. After a few years, universities started to use professional rugby players, already contracted at the unions, to play in the Varsity Cup. “Instead of creating new opportunities for student rugby players to become professional like in the beginning, this was in my view, contrary to the original intention.” With this, Robbertse brought to light an issue that has been stated a few times regarding the Varsity Cup. That is whether it is ethical to use contracted professional players in a student focused tournament. This leaves us with a question; should Varsity Cup only be for student players, or should it be rebranded as a unique youth development competition centred around universities?
