BLOEMFONTEIN – The Shimlas, the men’s rugby team of the University of the Free State (UFS), are under pressure to improve their position in the Varsity Cup tournament and secure a slot in the semifinals. The Kovsie lads are among the potential semifinalists, but need at least two wins to advance.
They are in a stiff contest with the Maties of Stellenbosch University (SU) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ). All three are tied at 11 points after four tournament rounds.
The Shimlas find themselves in a predicament following a 34 – 45 loss to the second-place Eagles of the North-West University (NWU) in the round-four match played on Monday 9 March. This was the Shimlas’ second loss following their 22 – 38 defeat inflicted by the University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks) two weeks ago.
Going into round five of the competition on Monday 16 March, the Shimlas are looking for a tie-break win that will improve their prospects to qualify for the semifinals. The important win could be at the expense of the UJ in a fixture that is equally important for both sides. The crucial match will be played in Johannesburg.
The Shimlas’ two remaining matches are against the Ikeys Tigers of the University of Cape Town (UCT) in Bloemfontein on 23 March, with their last match away against Emeris (formerly Varsity College) on 30 March.
With just two rounds to go to end this year’s competition, bottom-ranking teams like the Ixias of the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, are compelled to avoid relegation. They are yet to record a win in the competition, leaving them sitting second from the bottom of the log table with a mere two points.
Their poor run saw them lose 17 – 78 to the log-leading UP-Tuks in an away fixture, extending their losing streak to four. To escape the dreaded relegation, the Ixias boys are bound to win their three upcoming fixtures. They could start with fellow troubled opponent Emeris on 16 March in a match to be played in Durban. Their other two remaining matches are against UJ on 23 March, and then Maties on 30 March.
