We get another week of epic rugby action underway with the third round of the 2019 Varsity Cup kicking off on Monday 18 February.
The third round of the 2019 Varsity Cup should prove to be an absolute belter with first and second place sides, Maties and Tuks, set to square off at the Tuks Stadium in the final game of the day.
Prior to that blockbuster, there will be clashes between winless sides CUT and UJ, while NWU take on new boys CUT, and Wits play host to Shimlas.
Monday 18 February
CUT V UJ
CUT Rugby Stadium
16:45
To Win (80 Mins)
CUT
Draw
UJ
Handicap
CUT
UJ
*betting to be added on release
CUT will be looking to bounce back from successive defeats when they take on UJ in the day’s opener. The hosts really have struggled in the first two rounds going down to 23-6 to Tuks in Round 1 and then 25-15 to Wits in Round 2. The two aforementioned games were away fixtures, and CUT will be hoping a return to their home turf corresponds with an upswing in fortunes.
UJ also head into this one off of a tough fortnight, with the Johannesburg Varsity going down 8-23 to NWU in Round 1 and 19-40 to Tuks in Round 2. Unlike their opponents for this Monday, both of UJ’s defeats came on home soil.
Verdict: CUT *betting to be added on release
When these two sides met last year, UJ absolutely hammered their opponents as they ran out 48-21 victors. That was a far more talented UJ side, however, and I expect this fixture to be a lot closer. As such, I’m on the CUT plus.
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NWU v UWC
Fanie du Toit Sports Ground
18:30
To Win (80 Mins)
NWU
Draw
UWC
Handicap
NWU
UWC
*betting to be added on release
Next up we have a clash between unbeaten NWU and new boys on the block UWC. The hosts impressed in the opening round as they beat UJ 8-23 out in Johannesburg. That moment was stifled somewhat last week as NWU had a bye week.
UWC may have played a game more than their opponents but they are in a far worse position on the log having claimed no points from their opening two games. Despite failing to pick up a log point, UWC have been rather impressive on attack running Ikeys close in Round 1 before going down 25-47 to a rampant Shimlas side in Round 2.
Verdict: NWU*betting to be added on release
UWC have been solid on attack this term but the defensive side of their game has been extremely poor. As such, NWU are likely to run up a big score against UWC’s turnstile defence.
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Wits v Shimlas
Wits Rugby Stadium
18:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Wits
Draw
Shimlas
Handicap
Wits
Shimlas
The penultimate game of the day will see Wits take on Shimlas at the Wits Rugby Stadium. The hosts bounced back from their opening day 33-17 defeat to Maties by registering a 25-15 victory over CUT in Round 2.
Shimlas, who sat out the opening round of the competition due to a bye, got their 2019 campaign off to a splendid start as they racked up a 25-47 bonus point victory over UWC.
Verdict: Wits *betting to be added on release
The Witsies are a nightmare to take on at their own patch with many a big name team struggling at the Wits Rugby Stadium last season. The hosts will also be keen to atone for last season’s round-robin loss to Shimlas, that saw them go down 24-44 out in Bloemfontein.
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Tuks v Maties
Tuks Stadium
19:00
To Win (80 Mins)
Tuks
Draw
Maties
Handicap
Tuks
Maties
We close out the day’s action with an almighty clash between second-placed Tuks and first-placed Maties. Both sides are undefeated headed into this one with Tuks beating CUT 23-6 and UJ 19-40 in the opening two rounds, while Maties have beaten Wits 33-17 and Ikeys 5-66.
When the two sides met last season, Tuks managed to give the Western Cape giants a real run for their money with the game ending 24-16 in favour of Maties. This game should be even tighter than that one as Tuks have a better side this season and are also at home.
Verdict: Tuks *betting to be added on release
I can see Tuks giving Maties a real test here. While I still fancy the Stellenbosch outfit to get the win, I doubt it will be by a big margin.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
