Not a dazzling 80 minutes, perhaps, but certainly an enthralling conclusion to a tournament that’s injected a shot of raw electricity into South African rugby. In two very short years, FNB’s crazy idea to give American college sport a local spin through rugby has taken off remarkably, and last night’s final in Stellenbosch brought the second edition of the Varsity Cup to an end with an almighty flourish. The only downside? We’ve got to wait an entire year for the next tournament.

The best game of rugby I’ve seen this year hasn’t been a Super 14 game, or a Six Nations match (the Ireland-Wales finale made for compulsive viewing, but it was hardly champagne rugby). It was the Maties-Tukkies clash in the final round of competition, a week before the teams met again in the semis. Hard, physical rugby, played at a furious pace, by two skilled and adventurous sides — it’s university rugby that’s stealing Super 14’s show at the moment, and doing so in some style.

Two wins in two tournaments is a well-deserved record for what is an impressive Stellenbosch side, and one that’s impressively coached by Chean Roux, who along with John Dobson at UCT represents a new wave of creative, thinking coaches who gel so well with the spirit of university rugby, and the excitement inherent in the style of play. Racked by unintelligible ELVs that offer scant reward for gamebreaking and innovation, the Super 14 has stuttered along (Crusaders-Stormers, anyone?); at the same time, the Varsity Cup has provided inspirational rugby week after week, and got people talking with a passion and excitement that appeared to have been lost from the university game.

The level of sponsorship, the television coverage, the professionalism of the sides (for Pukke to have a coach the calibre of Rudy Joubert illustrates just how seriously teams are taking the competition) — all have combined for a tournament that reflected, in yesterday’s packed stadium in front of a crowd Hong Kong would have been proud of, just how much the Varsity Cup has caught the imagination. Once tomorrow’s hangovers settle, though, the simple question that will emerge will be: where to from here?

The success of the tournament means that the 2010 edition is guaranteed plenty of attention, and already players are daydreaming through lectures, picturing what’s quickly become the most sought after title in university rugby. But such rampant success has raised the question of doing something similar for club rugby, and injecting life into a weary section of the local game that’s all but on life support.

It won’t be a simple process — Varsity Cup operates on a very small scale compared to national club rugby, and can draw on a captive, passionate audience that revels in both the carnival atmosphere of the game, and the chance to celebrate in your home team’s colours. University allegiance runs deep, and that’s been key to the tournament’s raging success; the translation to club level across the country would make for an almighty challenge.

But the success of the Varsity Cup has more than just inspired fans; it’s taken rugby that sat in the dark shadows of Super 14’s glamour, and stormed into the spotlight. Club rugby can only benefit from that, and the eight sides from the tournament will return to their respective club competitions as new stars, carrying with them the energy from this tournament, and passing a little of it on.

I spoke to Francois Pienaar briefly after the game, and he made a simple observation: the Varsity Cup, rather than the players, has been the real star, sweeping up crowds in it’s flair and passion, but that even so, by the end of yesterday, a new generation of rugby players have leapt into our imagination, taking a small but significant step towards the world of American college sport. They’ll be floating through classes later this week, local stars after a season on television, and it won’t be long before they start filtering into Super 14 and Currie Cup teams. The Super 14 in particular could do with some Varsity Cup soul; for now, we’ve got a two-year-old rugby tournament that’s already something extremely special. Roll on Varsity Cup 2010, then — and a first title for my UCT Ikey Tigers…

  • Contact Dan at dan@metropolis.co.za
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