Ikeys stalwart Richard Stewart is expecting a great atmosphere at Villagers for the Varsity Sevens tournament this weekend.
Stewart is a veteran of four Varsity Cup campaigns with the Ikeys Tigers, and the experienced wing is looking forward to showing what he can do on the Sevens stage.
The Villagers venue in Claremont is not far at all from the UCT campus, and Stewart is hoping that the Ikeys will get some good support from the locals who should create a festive atmosphere.
“Villagers is a really nice place to play, they have got an excellent pub which I think we have all enjoyed before, and with it being in Cape Town at this time of year I think they will draw a massive crowd at Villagers,” he told varsitysportssa.com.
With UCT having fallen to eventual champions UFS-Shimlas in the Varsity Cup semifinal, Stewart’s attention has shifted to Sevens in an effort to get up to speed with the rest of the squad.
“The Sevens guys have been training quite a bit during the Varsity Cup, so it is good to have a lot of the guys all on the same page. A few of us have come in a bit later after the Varsity Cup so we have had a few weeks now to fit in and a few warm-up games against CPUT and Maties so I think we are looking ready,” he said.
Stewart is looking forward to the opportunity to express himself with a bit more space than he is used to, and is feeling positive about his side’s chances of challenging for top honours.
“I’m really keen to get involved, it is a lot of fun, there is a lot more space out on the field and the guys can have a jol. The whole tournament just allows the guys to have a lot of fun out there.
“We have finally built up a squad where everyone has been playing together for a while now, we have played tournaments at Villagers before so we are really looking forward to it,” he added.
