This coming weekend, FNB UCT’s sevens rugby side will be heading to Villagers Rugby Club in the hopes that they can improve on their performance in last season’s competition. The team finished in fifth place last time around, and fans will be hoping that they can regain some pride for the side after the FNB Ikey Tigers’ disappointing run in the 2016 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
“The team finished fifth last season, so they’re aiming to at least get into the top four this time,” said Christiaan Esterhuizen, who has coached the sevens side before. This season, however, the team will be guided by Mike Miller, who is a very experienced sevens rugby player himself.
However, the side from UCT won’t have it easy, and they’ll have to dig deep if they want to perform better than they have before. “The preparation for the Varsity sevens is tough, because I’ll still have those guys playing fifteens with the first team squad leading up to the tournament. Maties, for example, release their sevens players ahead of time so they have more time to prepare,” said Esterhuizen.
“Our boys will only have two days to recover from a previous match, but we’ll send a strong squad to the tournament,” he added.
From the FNB Ikey Tigers team that participated in their FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International campaign, fans can expect to see Rob Anderson, Rayno Mapoe, Gerard Pieterse and Bradley Janse van Rensburg gracing the field this coming weekend.
As with all teams that call the Green Mile their home, the FNB Ikey Tigers sevens side will be hoping to play that trademark rugby while putting in the performances their fans want to see. “UCT always tries to play attractive rugby, so the boys will try to put that good brand of rugby on display. It is a sevens competition, so there will be more running and hopefully it will be more exciting,” concluded Esterhuizen.
The FNB Ikey Tigers 7s are set to take part in the Varsity Sports 7s tournament from Saturday, the 30th of April to Monday, the 2nd of April.
By Wessley Thring
