Picture: The Varsity Cup champions, NWU Eagles/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The mood is high at the North West University (NWU) Eagles camp after beating Ikeys from the University of Cape Town (UCT) 27-25 during the Varsity Cup final held at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds in Potchefstroom on Monday night.
This is for the second time the NWU Eagles crowned Varsity Cup champions after winning it in 2016. During the group stage, the NWU Eagles under the tutelage of coach Burger van der Westhuizen, showed their pedigree by being at the summit of the Varsity Cup log having lost only one game.
The game was nerve-racking, nail-biting, and mesmerising as the Eagles only missed 16 tackles and made a mountain full. It seems the Eagles’ fanatical home support worked in their favour.
The stands were painted in the NWU’s distinctive purple and the stage could not have been more perfectly set for an unforgettable evening.
On the other side, the Ikeys had nothing to lose and this did not bode well for the Eagles. The home team was the firm favourite and all the pressure was on them. However, they had everything going for them, then there was the lingering disaster of 2014 to contend with.
Although none of the players were part of the team that lost to Ikeys during that final in Potchefstroom, they were well aware of the stigma sticking since that encounter. Ikeys scored three tries in quick succession, to eradicate the Eagles’ more-than-comfortable lead with five minutes of game time to spare.
The NWU Eagles showed ample fortitude and all resolve. They kept fighting, defending, and eventually won.
The NWU principal and vice-chancellor, Prof Bismark Tyobeka congratulated the NWU Eagles and said this was a well-deserved victory.
“You were great and it was a triumph seven years in the making after we last won the Varsity cup in 2016. Now, we have reclaimed our mantle as Varsity Cup champions.
“The NWU community is proud of you. We are indeed the champions,” Tyobeka said.
The Guardian 