The round-robin phase of the 2019 Varsity Cup will come to a close on Monday the 1st of April.
It’s do or die time in the 2019 Varsity cup with four teams still duking it out for the last remaining semi-final berth. With so much on the line, you’re not going to want to miss a minute of today’s action.
Ikeys v CUT
UCT Rugby Fields
16:45
To Win (80 Mins)
Ikeys 1/12
Draw 30/1
CUT 13/2
Handicap
Ikeys (-16.5) 17/20
CUT (+16.5) 1/20
The first game of the day will see the sixth-placed Ikeys play host to seventh-placed CUT. The homes side currently trail the fourth-placed Shimlas by two points and a victory here would see them leapfrog the Free Staters into fourth. A victory for CUT would also see them go into fourth place, albeit by a solitary point.
The hosts enjoyed a solid week out in Round 8 as they held an impressive Tuks side to a 26-26 draw in Pretoria, which was enough to ensure they gave themselves a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals headed into the final round. CUT’s Round 8 was far less fruitful as they went down 7-60 to NWU.
Verdict: Ikeys 1/12
I fancy the homes side to take the spoils here. They have been solid at the UCT Sports Fields this term winning two of their three home games.
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UJ v Shimlas
Shimla Park
18:30
To Win (80 Mins)
UJ 7/4
Draw 25/1
Shimlas 9/20
Handicap
UJ (+6.5) 17/20
Shimlas (-6.5) 17/20
Our next fixture pits the already eliminated UJ up against current fourth-place occupants, the Shimlas. The hosts have endured a horrid campaign and have only managed to claim one win from their seven fixtures. They aren’t likely to suffer relegation, however, as they sit a foot above last-placed UWC who are extremely unlikely to take anything away from their away date with Maties.
The hosts had a bye week in Round 8 with their last game seeing them go down 29-17 to cellar-dwellers UWC in Round 7. The Shimlas also head into this one off the back of a defeat as they were hammered 14-59 by Maties last Monday.
Verdict: UJ (+6.5) 17/20
I can see the away side taking a very conservative approach to this one and claiming the spoils by an extremely fine margin. As such, I’m on the hosts’ plus line.
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Maties v UWC
Danie Craven Stadium
18:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Maties 1/100
Draw 35/1
UWC 14/1
Handicap
Maties (-33.5) 17/20
UWC (+33.5) 17/20
A second-string Maties outfit will take on last-placed UWC in the day’s third fixture. The hosts have already secured top spot on the log and are likely to test out a few of their young guns, while UWC desperately need to pick up at least two bonus points to avoid a relegation play-off.
The men from Stellenbosch have been sensational this term and have won all seven of their fixtures while claiming a bonus point in five of them. Conversely, UWC have only won one of their games – a home victory over a struggling UJ outfit – and head into the clash with a points differential of -143.
Verdict: Maties (-33.5) 17/20
While there is no onus on Maties to attack the game – they’re already locked in for a home final should they win their semi – I can still see the hosts running up a big score against a very poor UWC side.
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NWU v Wits
Fanie du Toit Sportsgrounds
19:00
To Win (80 Mins)
NWU 1/10
Draw 30/1
Wits 11/2
Handicap
NWU (-13.5) 17/20
Wits (+13.5) 17/20
We’ll close out the last of this year’s round-robin games with a clash between an NWU side who has nothing to play for and a Wits side that needs a win here to have any chance of advancing to the next phase of the tournament. The hosts cannot improve on their current position of third, while Wits need a win and the Shimlas to lose in order for them to make the semi-finals for the second year running.
The visitors were in impressive form last week as they hammered UWC 74-40, while NWU also put in a big shift beating CUT 7-60.
The hosts are likely to field a whole host of fringe players for this one so as to ensure their first stringers are fresh for next week’s semi-final away date with Tuks.
Verdict: Wits 11/2
This quite a few permutations heading into this one. If Shimlas win their early fixture then Wits will need to go for broke and try to secure a bonus point victory. If this scenario does play out then this game is likely to be a very high-scoring affair. Regardless of the day’s early results, I’ll still be having a crack on the visitors to pull off a famous away win.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
