Varsity Cup Final – Ikeys vs Maties

Some of the guys will be watching the game tonight – kickoff at 18h45 – at Villagers. Come along to add to the gees!!

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The universities of Cape Town (Ikeys) and Stellenbosch (Maties) will resume their intense rivalry when they meet in the FNB Varsity Cup final at the Danie Craven Stadium on Monday evening (kick-off 6.45pm).

The final outcome will determine not only the first winners of the inaugural Varsity Cup but also the bragging rights in the Western Province, where the two Southern universities are based.

The rivalry is as intense as ever since the first intervarsity between the traditional arch-rivals was played in 1911, when teams were cheered on by thousands of singing students who were egged on by gesturing cheerleaders wearing tailcoats.

The Ikeys have surprised friend and foe alike in reaching the final, more so after they staged spirited fightbacks to secure victory on three occasions.

At the outset, the Ikeys were seeded seventh.

The most recent of their noteworthy fightbacks was in the semifinal round and will no doubt still be fresh in the minds of the Maties, when they plot their strategy for the final.

The Ikeys literally came back from the dead after they trailed 0-17 and later 10-31 against the Pukke (Potchefstroom University) to score 22 unanswered points in the final 14 minutes to emerge 32-31 semifinal victors.

And if that’s not enough to alert the Maties of the Ikeys’ magnificent fightback capability, the records will show that they lost to the Ikeys (38-32) in the league phase of the competition, after they enjoyed a 20-14 half-time lead over the recent Easter weekend.

On their way to the final, the Ikeys have chalked up some remarkable victories and it remains to be seen whether these achievements may have drained their powers of recovery ahead of Monday’s clash.

The morale in the Maties’ camp would have been significantly boosted by the fact that they will enjoy home ground advantage.

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This article was originally published on the SuperRugby website on April 06, 2008