2014 Varsity Rugby

C

cr@zydude

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It's that time of year again, so let's get this thread started.

The teams in the Cup and Shield have not changed this year:

Cup
UP-Tuks
Maties
UJ
NMMU Madibaz
NWU-Pukke
UFS Shimlas
Ikey Tigers
Wits

Shield
Cut Ixias
UWC
UKZN Impi
UFH Blues
TUT Vikings

Changes from last year, include promotion and relegation. The winner of the shield will be promoted, in place of 8th place in the cup. The losing finalist from the shield will play off against 7th for a place in the cup. The UKZN Impi will also host half their matches in Durban, with the other half in Pietermaritzburg.

Teams are now also required to have 20 full time students in their squads, up from 18. marks can now be taken anywhere on the field, instead of only in the 22. Each cup game will also use 2 referees.

Cup teams play each once, followed by semi-finals and a final. Shield teams play each other twice, followed by a final, all matches take place on Mondays.

This week only has shield matches:

16:45 CUT Ixias v UKZN Impi CUT Stadium, Bloemfontein
19:00 UFH Blues v UWC Davidson Rugby Field, Alice
 
Joeboy69

Joeboy69

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Tickets bought for the Tuks game, Wynie Strydom guest speaker, can't wait !,
 
C

cr@zydude

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Chris said:
Come on Ikeys!

Please don't be an embarrassment like the last two seasons by finishing 7th...
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No you guys can just stay at the bottom of the table. It saves the rest of us hearing about you guys being cheated for not having a stadium.

I used to root for NMMU not to get relegated, but the last 2 years were great. I am hoping for another semi-final.
 
The_Right_Honourable_Brit

The_Right_Honourable_Brit

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Three new law changes:

PROP JERSEY
One is the extra material on jerseys to help front row players to bind more securely, the second is the two-referee system and the third is allowing a mark to be made outside of the 22.

Danie Craven, who had a massive impact on all aspects of rugby, used to use the koshuis system at Stellenbosch University, a powerful competition of over 42 teams who play intense rugby at a high level, as a laboratory to test law changes. It seems that this is a function being fulfilled by the Varsity Cup.

The addition to the jerseys was developed by the firm NO LIMITS with the help of Balie Swart and other props. The idea is to present an obvious place for props to bind and a material more conducive to secure binding.

TWO REFEREES
The two-referee system was introduced into koshuis rugby at Stellenbosch in 1987 and is still in use. Statistics prove that using the system reduces the number of penalties and other stoppages adding significantly to ball-in-play time.

In this system the two referees move up and down the length of the field which is thus divided in half vertically. In the Varsity Cup the two referees will be in communication. There are many top people in refereeing who believe that this is the future of refereeing, extending the length of referees’ careers and reducing the amount of criticism of referees.

FREE CATCH
A form of extending the mark was also used in the koshuis system, though it will be differently used in the Varsity Cup,

In brief by this change a mark may be made from an opponent’s kick anywhere in the field on the same terms as the mark inside the 22 but not confined to the 22. The player who catches the ball has the option of running with it or making the mark. If he makes the mark he is allowed everything that is allowed under a free kick, in that he is allowed to kick the ball, opt for a scrum or tap and run. If he taps and runs the opponents must be 10 metres from him before they react.

It is hoped that this will discourage aimless kicking on the one hand and encourage counterattack on the other.

The Stellenbosch system was different. If a player kicked an opponent could raise an arm to show that he intended to mark the ball and then he became untouchable and could claim a scrum there the kick was made. That system also made for more attacking rugby and much less kicking.

All three of these changes are made with improvement in mind.
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http://varsitycup.co.za/news/varsity-cup-news/how-the-new-laws-will-work/
 
D

Devill

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I think that the two ref thing is going to work wonders for pleasing the crowd via correct calling.
 
DJ...

DJ...

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Also has the potential to slow the game down considerably...
 
D

Devill

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DJ... said:
Also has the potential to slow the game down considerably...
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Yes but it could speed it up a tad as well.

We will have to wait and see. I for one would prefer 5 minutes extra per game spent making the correct calls.
 
C

cr@zydude

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Does anyone know what will happen at TUT? Will all matches be behind closed doors while the campus is shut down?

I like the idea of 2 refs. I'm not too sure how the free catch rule will affect the game.
 
MickeyD

MickeyD

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cr@zydude said:
I'm off to NMMU soon to watch the Madibaz beat Maties.
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And the Madibaz are giving the Maties a SERIOUS klap!!!! 45-29

Wish we had better commentators... everything is about how poorly the Maties played, not about how brilliantly the Madibaz have played.
 
D

Devill

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MickeyD said:
And the Madibaz are giving the Maties a SERIOUS klap!!!! 45-29

Wish we had better commentators... everything is about how poorly the Maties played, not about how brilliantly the Madibaz have played.
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That is sad. Give credit where credit is due.
 
W

Werner Harding

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DJ... said:
Also has the potential to slow the game down considerably...
Click to expand...

Thought the same thing, but after watching the Tuks game last night it actually worked very well, the only problem I have with the experimental law changes is the Free Catch. It will destroy the up-and-under compeletly with the free catch it does not give you the chance to compete for the high ball
 
DJ...

DJ...

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The free catch rule sounds ridiculous to me. Let's just call it Aussie Rules and be done with it...
 
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