Varsity Cup to Continue in 2021 - University of Pretoria
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Varsity Cup to Continue in 2021
AUTHOR: VALERIE BELLADONE
The 2020 Varsity Cup came to an abrupt end the 2021 Varsity Cup is set to kick-off in Training could continue under strict
with our FNB UP-Tuks 1 team only having March. Covid-19 restrictions as instructed by
Ikeys and UWC left to play in the pool the BBRU.
When President Cyril Ramaphosa
rounds. The team had their eyes firmly set
addressed the nation for the first time in Protocols that were in place during 2020
on a semi-final but when the tournament was
2021 everyone waited anxiously to hear had to be reinforced and sharpened to
called off the team was positioned second in
what the new ‘rules’ will be. To all our ensure the safety of all players and staff.
the log and had to accept that the tournament
relief under the new level 3 regulations
would not be concluded. UP-Tuks 1 head coach, Nico Luus,
we were given the go ahead to continue
praises his squad, saying that they have
training and with that came the
It has since been officially confirmed that been excelling in all aspects. Be it on the
confirmation of the 2021 Varsity Cup.
field or academically, the players have
shown great perseverance and
determination. Luus also adds that the
time without rugby has given his players
the opportunity to recover from any old
injuries that they may have had. The
coaches have worked meticulously and
closely with the players since late 2020
to ensure that the players are slowly
integrated back into the game.
With the team growing stronger by the
day it is looking to be an exciting Varsity
Cup.
2020 UP-Tuks1 lining up to sing the National Anthem before a Varsity Cup game.
IN THIS ISSUE
COACHES CORNER: GILBERT PLAYER IN FOCUS:
KENNEDY TSIMBA GAZETTE WERNER FOURIE
2021 // January-February // 003
institutes in the world. There is a lot Kennedy Chiedza Tsimba was born, on
OTHER NEWS of historical tradition to draw 23 July 1974 in Makoni Zimbabwe. He
Coaches Corner inspiration from for the young
students entrusted to me.”
represented Zimbabwe in six
internationals from 1997 to 1998. On
Kennedy Tsimba He has no illusions about the
the local scene he made his name first
AUTHOR: MORRIS GILBERT as fly-half of the Cheetahs (97
challenges awaiting him: “It has been matches; 1674 points) and later in the
A successful coach is one who improves almost a year since all the players Blue Bulls jersey (25 matches; 73
players’ lives, not just their game. That played any rugby, but we have points).
will enable them to play to their potential, embraced it. It has given us an
says Kennedy Tsimba, newly appointed opportunity to recalibrate our mind After retiring Kennedy transitioned
Young Guns Head Coach. sets to the new normal which has into coaching and was appointed as
“It’s an honour to be appointed in this been really empowering.” assistant coach with the Free State
Cheetahs SuperRugby team in 2011
position at one of the leading Since joining TuksRugby he has before assuming the role as Coach of
learnt a lot about the club’s strong Rustenburg Impala 1st team and Head
winning culture. It’s a high of Academy.
performance environment in which
we all can grow and learn. He has Impala went on to win the National
come to appreciate that the Varsity Club Championships twice with
Cup Competition is special in its Kennedy at the helm. His technical
competitiveness and fanatical crowd ability and recruitment strategies were
support. key components in Impalas’ success.
animal’ tenacity when under extreme
‘Ingredients’ that come to mind are
pressure. During the first half water
a proud tradition brought on by more
break the then head coach, Pote
than a century of making memories,
Human, told his players: “What is
and established winning culture, and
done is done. We will have to do with
abundant availability of top players,
Young Guns Head Coach, 14 players for the remainder of the
coaches and support staff and a state-
Kennedy Tsimba. of-the-art-infra-structure. final and that means I must ask more
of you than just giving it your best.
Photo: Reg Caldecott But all these attributes would 100% will not be good enough. We
dwindle without the presence of need at least 110% of all of you.”
OTHER NEWS guts. And there is so many shining
Gilbert Gazette examples of where guts carried UP- And how the team rose to this
Tuks 1 through, none better than the challenge, beating Police 35-13 after
AUTHOR: MORRIS GILBERT 2014 Carlton Cup final against arch- leading 12-3 at halftime.
In my 10-year long tenure as team manager rivals Pretoria-Police at Loftus
This glorious win was afterwards
of UP-Tuks 1, I have often been asked the Versfeld.
same question repeatedly: “What are the hailed by even the enemy camp as
Only 7 minutes into the match UP- one of the most courageous and
secrets of your team’s sustained success in
Tuks 1’s captain and lock, Pieter ‘defeating the odds’ performances
all the competitions it takes part in?”
Griesel, was red carded for a in the history of the coveted
There is no simple answer to why UP-Tuks dangerous tackle. Many in the crowd
Carlton Cup.
1 has been such a dominant force in the gleefully thought this was the end of
Varsity Cup Competition, Blue Bulls the defending champions, but they And it was all thanks to guts, in its
Carlton League and USSA Championships. lost sight of UP-Tuks 1’s ‘wounded purest and rawest forms!
IN THIS ISSUE
PLAYER IN FOCUS: PLAYER IN FOCUS: SPONSOR: TW
WERNER FOURIE CHAD-LEE VALENTINE PROFILE 2 | P a g e
2021 // January-February // 003
FND UP-Tuks 1 Hooker
Player in Focus: Werner Fourie
AUTHOR: MARGO MEYER outcome of a hospital visit after a game. Although rugby is a very large part of his
Boksburg born and bred, Werner Fourie On 3 February 2020, in the Varsity Cup life, he wants to complete his degree in
clash between UP-Tuks and NWU, BIS Information Science on time.
matriculated from Hoërskool EG Jansen
Werner sustained a head injury and Werner was very grateful for the way his
in 2016 and made his debut as hooker for initially played it off as a concussion.
UP-Tuks in 2017. lecturers assisted him after his recovery
His headache seemed to worsen as time to finish his 2020 academic term.
Werner is known as a hat-trick master and passed and he decided to have it checked
out at the hospital. To his shock, after Lockdown has largely affected rugby,
has saved his team in many dire situations,
doing CT scans and a MRI the doctors but Werner is positive that they have
but he could never have imagined the
informed him of a brain tumour. The made use of all the possible ways to stay
PLAYER FACTS tumour had been there for a while and fit and overcome these challenges. The
according to doctors, it wasn’t rugby team’s preparation for the 2021 Varsity
related in any way.
What is your go- Cup season is on point and Werner
Two weeks later, on the 19th of February believes that they will be able to uphold
to song? Werner underwent surgery to have the this excellent form throughout the year.
tumour removed. His road to recovery Everyone on the squad is hungry for
Answer was an uphill battle, but with a great games to resume.
fighting spirit and eagerness, Werner
NF – Remember this overcame this setback. “There were Fourie still has many goals he wants to
more aspects to the recovery than what I achieve, such as becoming a
expected.” His journey to recovery was professional rugby player, and his
What is your long and tedious, but his determination attitude of “If you don’t try, you’ll never
has allowed him to return to the playing know” is what steers him towards
favorite rugby field. For him, his biggest motivation to achieving these goals.
get back on track, was his studies.
memory?
Answer
Most recent favorite is the last minute
win we had against NWU last year.
What is your favorite
post game meal?
Answer
Fourie scoring a try in the 2020 Varsity Cup game against Pukke.
Must be a steak.
IN THIS ISSUE
PLAYER IN FOCUS: TUKSRUGBY SPONSOR: GET INVOLVED AT
CHAD-LEE TW PROFILE TUKSRUGBY 3 | P a g e
2021 // January-February // 003
FND UP-Tuks Scrumhalf
Player in Focus: Chad-Lee Valentine
AUTHOR: MARGO MEYER
He is currently playing as a scrumhalf and would love
to try fullback, which he played for a long time, again.
Some of Valentine’s strongest assets is his skills and
exceptional ability to notice gaps.
Due to Covid-19, Valentine is still awaiting his final
matric results but he is positive that it went well and
therefore aspires to study a degree in Education at the
University of Pretoria. He is passionate about teaching
and helping young ones. He also feels that this is the
Chad-Lee scoring a try for Hoërskool Garsfontein’s perfect career for him after his professional rugby
1st team. career.
The Garsfontein golden boy and key player, Chad-
Chad-Lee sees it as a massive honour to be part of the
Lee Valentine, is hard at work to make his debut
Tuks Varsity Cup squad and assures a great effort from
for UP-Tuks in the 2021 Varsity Cup season.
his side to make his mark on the team. He is constantly
Valentine was born in the beautiful and rural town learning from his senior teammates and is evolving as a
of Mamre, just North of Cape Town. His rugby person and player. He sees this as an amazing
days started at the young age of seven, when most opportunity to improve his game even more.
boys are introduced to the sport in grade one.
Keep an eye out for Chad-Lee Valentine’s debut!
Chad-Lee soon fell in love with the game and
excelled beyond measure while making a name for PLAYER FACTS
himself in his high school career at Hoërskool What is your go to
Garsfontein. He played for the Blue Bulls from
u/16 through to u/18 and also played for his song?
Answer
school’s first team and Interprovincial sevens.
Jugg, by Fetty Wap
“My most memorable rugby moment is the try I
scored in the 2019 Craven week game against the What is your
Lions.” Saying this, Chad-Lee adds that his motto
favorite post game
in life is “I’ll never forget where I come from, but
staying isn’t the plan”, and believes that he will meal?
still cherish many good rugby moments to come. Answer
His rugby dream is to become a professional McDonalds
player and then play overseas in France. Chad-Lee kicking for points
for Hoërskool Garsfontein.
IN THIS ISSUE
TUKSRUGBY TUKSRUGBY’S PROUD GET INVOLVED AT
SPONSOR:TW PROFILE SPONSORS TUKSRUGBY 4 | P a g e
2021 // January-February // 003
APPRECIATIONS/THANK YOU’S
TuksRugby
Sponsor: TW Profile
AUTHOR: NINA EVANNA
TW Profile joined the TuksRugby explaining that he himself played a bit of
family in 2020 when they became rugby at school however his son is the
one of the official club sponsors and real family rugby star.
will remain a sponsor of the club in
Smuts’ passion for the game is what drew
2021.
him and his company toward TusRugby.
TW Profile was established in 1994. Smuts also mentioned that he has built
It was in 1998 that TW Profile up many strong friendships over the years
scaled from a small building to a through rugby.
large factor and has since become
Smuts’ son, Ginter Smut, is a TuksRugby
one of the largest steel service
alumni himself, and started his rugby
centres in South Africa. They take
career at Hoërskool EG Jansen. Smuts is
pride in in keeping up to date with
now the very proud father of the Pumas
the latest technologies and providing
scrum-half.
their customers with top quality
service. Some of their specialized It is evident that rugby is deeply rooted
services include laser cutting, within the TW Profile family and their
plasma cutting and chamfering to sponsor is enabling TuksRugby to
only name a few. continue producing world class talent. To
everyone at TW Profile we say thank you Flame cutting procedure at TW Profile
TW Profile MD, Joost Smuts,
from the TuksRugby family.
expressed his love for the game
GET INVOLVED
WITH TUKSRUGBY
Email:
tuksrugby@up.ac.za
Contact number:
012 420 6068
Shaun Waring (TW Profile Director), Joost Smuts (MD) &
Aldrin October (Director).
5|Page
2021 // January-February // 003
TuksRugby
Sponsored By
MISSION STATEMENT
Striving to develop quality student-athletes within a high-
performance environment who will graduate with meaningful
degrees.
Preparing young men and women for life after rugby, competing
for championships on and off the field, for future generations to
follow.
6|Page
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