The Maties rugby captain has called on supporters to fill up the Danie Craven Stadium on 14 April, when the team will play against University of Cape Town (UCT) Ikeys Tigers in the final of this year’s Varsity Cup.
“I heard it was UCT that won, so it’s all Cape,” said Carel van der Merwe, Maties’ loose forward and acting captain for the rest of the season. “Varsity Cup is coming back to Cape Town. The prep is gonna start tomorrow; hard focus [and] hard energy to bring back the last game.”
Maties progressed to the final after beating the University of the Free State’s Shimlas 19-7.
SMF News attended the semi-final, which took place at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on 7 April.
Carel van der Merwe, Maties’ loose forward and captain for the recent semi-final against Shimlas, leads the lineout as the receiver. Van der Merwe received his second FNB ‘Player that Rocks’ award for his performance against University of the Free State’s Shimlas. PHOTO: Jared Moorgas
“We knew Shimlas was gonna bring tricks and quick taps and move the ball around,” said van der Merwe. “For us, it was [important] to stay in the system and trust the structure.”
“I think we fought to the end; that’s the most important thing,” said Nkoka Ngobe, captain of Shimlas, and the team’s right centre. “Playing away from home is always difficult.”
The referee of the semi-final addressing Nkoka Ngobe, captain of University of the Free State’s (UFS) Shimlas, and Carel van der Merwe, Maties’ captain for the match, along with members of their respective teams. Ngobe said that his team was tested and made a lot of errors. “But not once did we shout at each other,” said Ngobe. “We were uplifting each other more than anything, and that’s a positive that comes out of this game.” PHOTO: Jared Moorgas
Maties on the front foot
Maties started the match on the front foot, building up an early lead through flyhalf Christiaan van Heerden Smith’s penalty kicks.
CJ Marx, centre for Maties, displaying quick footwork against University of the Free State’s Shimlas. Earlier this season, Maties beat Shimlas 41-37 at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch on 7 April. PHOTO: Jared Moorgas
The second half saw Maties score first, as Grant de Jager, right wing for the team, capitalised on a Shimlas error, scoring an unconverted try, pushing the home side’s lead to 16-7.
Maties defence
Van Heerden Smith converted another penalty, pushing the score to 19-7. Maties’ defence held strong in the final 10 minutes, as Shimlas pushed for a last minute upset.
“We always pride ourselves in our defence, and I think today was no different,” said Luan Botha, left lock for Maties. “We knew it was gonna be a war from the get go.”
Preparation for the finals
Ezekiel Ngobeni, Maties’ captain earlier in the season, said that the team’s focus was solely on today’s match.
“The fight, the character, from minute one to minute eighty, the guys showed endless fight,” said Ngobeni, who was sidelined due to injury earlier this year.
Ngobeni said that the team’s mentality for the final is focused on capitalising on each opportunity.
Prince Mulela, prop for Maties, embracing fellow teammate Samuel Badenhorst, centre for the team, as Maties progressed to the Varsity Cup final. PHOTO: Anke Spies