Springbok and Stormers scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies believes the FNB Varsity Shield competition played a huge role in his and Springbok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse\u2019s becoming World Cup winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 27-year-old Jantjies, a World Cup winner in Japan in 2019, speaks fondly of his time playing for FNB UWC in the Varsity Shield competition and the role it played in his development as a player,\u201d the Kylemore-born rugby star recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, the Varsity Shield is a very exciting competition and was something that I really needed in my career at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was not getting a lot of game time at Western Province, and it was something I really needed at the time just to get that spark back in my game. The way the game is structured nowadays with age-group rugby, it is good for any young player to play Varsity Cup or Varsity Shield. It was one of my most enjoyable periods since I started playing rugby. The crowds and the whole excitement around the competition was really lekker<\/em> for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jantjies was particularly inspired by UWC coaches such as the late Springbok wing Chester Williams and former Springbok scrumhalf Bolla Conradie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCoach Bolla was especially great for me. I think it\u2019s wonderful for any young player to have that kind of experience to guide you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Paul Roos Gymnasium old boy represented WP at Craven Week, u-16, u-19 and u-21 level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, the 27-year-old Arendse, who won a World Cup medal with the Springboks in France last year, was recognised while playing for UWC in the Varsity Shield competition, when the legendary Williams was also the coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKurt-Lee and I have known each other since our school days. When we were u-19 he was not at the WP Institute, but was part of our group at u-21 level. We went to UWC at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKurt-Lee was always destined for greatness. The same things he produced has so far produced for the Boks he did when he played Varsity Shield. This gave him that opportunity. Eventually he went on to play for the Springbok 7s team and is now with the Bulls, and he is still playing brilliant rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Springbok and Stormers scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies believes the FNB Varsity Shield competition played a huge role in his and Springbok wing Kurt-Lee Arendse\u2019s becoming World Cup winners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":45877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"9ca7db1e-3d06-46bb-9ed2-2995f69df9d3","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Adnaan Mohammed","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-45875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dea9471319984594918f59b73638a0a5.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46621,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/varsity-cup-2024-all-eyes-on-the-future-stars-of-south-african-rugby-20240219\/","url_meta":{"origin":45875,"position":0},"title":"Varsity Cup 2024: All eyes on the future stars of South African rugby","author":"Eikestadnuus","date":"19 February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The heat is back on as the to FNB Varsity Cup and FNB Varsity Shield 2024 kicks-off this week!.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1a64e39b7ae4468fb3d0e8a0b8146df6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1a64e39b7ae4468fb3d0e8a0b8146df6.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1a64e39b7ae4468fb3d0e8a0b8146df6.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1a64e39b7ae4468fb3d0e8a0b8146df6.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1a64e39b7ae4468fb3d0e8a0b8146df6.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":296425,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/defending-cup-champs-stunned-at-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":45875,"position":1},"title":"Defending Cup champs stunned at home","author":"Eikestadnuus","date":"9 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Stellenbosch University's FNB Varsity Cup Women's competition campaign got off to a losing start, as they were stunned 5-19 by their University of Fort Hare counterparts at the Danie Craven Stadium last Friday (6 March). Maties managed a solitary score by Palesa Matee in the tough encounter. Here Maties player\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"FNB Varsity Cup Women's competition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tcwomen_66945.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tcwomen_66945.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tcwomen_66945.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tcwomen_66945.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tcwomen_66945.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46094,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/maties-women-to-kick-off-varsity-cup-campaign-20240322\/","url_meta":{"origin":45875,"position":2},"title":"Maties women to kick-off Varsity Cup campaign","author":"Eikestadnuus","date":"22 March 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"FNB Maties will be looking to successfully retain their title as champions of the inaugural FNB Varsity Cup Women\u2019s tournament when they kick off their campaign against FNB UKZN at the Howard College Stadium in Durban this afternoon (Friday 22 March)","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/851c1609d4e44c44822475767b2cd46b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/851c1609d4e44c44822475767b2cd46b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/851c1609d4e44c44822475767b2cd46b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/851c1609d4e44c44822475767b2cd46b.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/851c1609d4e44c44822475767b2cd46b.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/851c1609d4e44c44822475767b2cd46b.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50181,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/nwu-eagle-shatters-maties-hope-for-varsity-cup-final-20230411-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":45875,"position":3},"title":"NWU Eagle shatters Maties\u2019 hope for Varsity Cup Final","author":"Eikestadnuus","date":"11 April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"FNB Maties hopes of reaching the 2023 Varsity Cup Final was shattered when FNB NWU Eagles crushed the Maroon Machines\u2019 dream with a hard-fought 19-10 victory in Potchefstroom. The half-time score was 7-3.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1c17249f8df44214992ce08edc840872.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1c17249f8df44214992ce08edc840872.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1c17249f8df44214992ce08edc840872.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1c17249f8df44214992ce08edc840872.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1c17249f8df44214992ce08edc840872.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1c17249f8df44214992ce08edc840872.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46624,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/coaching-maties-for-2024-fnb-varsity-cup-not-without-its-challenges-coach-20240219\/","url_meta":{"origin":45875,"position":4},"title":"\u2018Coaching Maties for 2024 FNB Varsity Cup not without its challenges\u2019 \u2013 coach","author":"Eikestadnuus","date":"19 February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Although looking forward to this year\u2019s FNB Varsity Cup, FNB Maties coach Kabamba Floors said it remained a challenge to try and get the team back to the top as champions. They last won the title in 2019.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f6fb32728e5545a4a944e9085b8f8827.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f6fb32728e5545a4a944e9085b8f8827.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f6fb32728e5545a4a944e9085b8f8827.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f6fb32728e5545a4a944e9085b8f8827.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f6fb32728e5545a4a944e9085b8f8827.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/f6fb32728e5545a4a944e9085b8f8827.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50136,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/maties-crowned-first-ever-varsity-cup-womens-champions-20230416\/","url_meta":{"origin":45875,"position":5},"title":"Maties crowned first-ever Varsity Cup Women\u2019s champions","author":"Eikestadnuus","date":"16 April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A rampant FNB Maties outscored FNB UJ 63-9 to claim an emphatic victory in the inaugural FNB Varsity Cup Women\u2019s final in Cape Town.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5d2cf5c8dba04890ad79bfe4b299fec8.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5d2cf5c8dba04890ad79bfe4b299fec8.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5d2cf5c8dba04890ad79bfe4b299fec8.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5d2cf5c8dba04890ad79bfe4b299fec8.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Eikestadnuus","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45875"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=45875"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=45875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}