The 2015 Varsity Shield was contested from 2 February to 6 April 2015. The tournament (also known as the ''FNB Varsity Shield presented by Steinhoff International'' for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth season of the

Varsity Shield Varsity Cup is the collective name for four South African rugby union competitions involving the top rugby playing universities in the country. It was launched in 2008, with eight teams participating in the Varsity Cup competition and each univers ...

, an annual second-tier inter-university

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

competition featuring five South African universities. The tournament was won by for the first time; they beat 29–24 in the final played on 6 April 2015. No team was promoted to the top-tier

Varsity Cup Varsity Cup is the collective name for four South African rugby union competitions involving the top rugby playing universities in the country. It was launched in 2008, with eight teams participating in the Varsity Cup competition and each univers ...

competition for

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Competition rules and information

There were five participating universities in the 2015 Varsity Shield. These teams played each other twice over the course of the season, once at home and once away. Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded). The top two teams qualified for the title play-offs. The team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finished second. There was no promotion/relegation between the Varsity Cup and the Varsity Shield at the end of 2015. The 2015 Varsity Shield used a different scoring system than the common scoring system. Tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points instead of two, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points instead of three.

Teams

The following teams took part in the 2015 Varsity Shield competition:

Standings

The final league standings for the 2015 Varsity Shield were:

Round-by-round

The table below shows each team's progression throughout the season. For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets:

Fixtures

The 2015 Varsity Shield fixtures were released as follows: * ''All times are South African (GMT+2)''.

Round one

The hooker and captain Hamish Herd scored two tries to help his side to a 21–16 victory over in Pretoria to initially end the round in second spot. However, this result was later expunged and the fixture was awarded as a win to , with a scoreline of 0–0. This meant that moved into topped the log after Round One. The moved into second spot on the log following a 16–5 victory over in Cape Town, with fly-half

Inny Radebe Inny-Christian Radebe (born 3 January 1995) is a South African rugby union player for the in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. He can play as a fly-half, inside centre or fullback. Rugby career Schoolboy rugby Radebe was bor ...

scoring a try and two conversions for the away side, ahead of joint-third sides and newly relegated who had a bye in this round. were bottom of the log after the first round.

Round two

A hat-trick from centre Marcel Coetzee helped to a comprehensive 68–5 victory over to increase their lead at the top of the log to four points, with TUT dropping to bottom of the log. played their first match of the campaign and ran out comfortable 39–24 winners over , with braces by Ish Nkolo and Constant Beckerling for the side from

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. Wits moved into second place on the log while UFH dropped down to third after suffering their first defeat of the season. had a bye this round and remained in fourth spot on the log.

Round three

Braces from Constant Beckerling and Tommy Damba helped emerge victorious from the top-two clash against , with a comprehensive 56–13 win – their second away win in a row – to move them to the top of the log and with a game in hand over UKZN. moved up to third on the log by beating bottom side 21–18 in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

, with a two-try haul from

Damian Stevens Damian Leothon Stevens (born 2 June 1995) is a Namibian rugby union player for South African side in the Rugby Challenge. He currently plays for NOLA Gold of Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. He is also the head coach of the Harah ...

proving decisive. UWC leap-frogged , who dropped to fourth spot after a bye in Round Three.

Round four

The top-versus-bottom match between and went according to form, with Wits running out 71–36 winners to extend their lead at the top to six points. They ran in ten tries, with Tommy Damba, Ferdinand Kelly and Luxolo Ntsepe getting a brace each, while fly-half Brandan Hewitt scored one of their tries and slotted seven conversions. In the other match, moved level on points with second-placed who had a bye round, securing an eight-try victory over and running out 49–34 winners with

James Verity-Amm James Nicholas Verity-Amm (born 8 June 1994) is a South African rugby union player. Currently released, he previously played for the in the United Rugby Championship and for the in the Currie Cup. He did play as a winger or full-back. Rugby c ...

grabbing a hat-trick of tries. Both of the losing sides, UFH Blues and TUT Vikings, picked up a bonus point for scoring five tries in their matches, but remained in fourth and fifth respectively.

Round five

League leaders dropped their first points of the season after they were held to a 37–all draw by third-placed in

. Wits were leading 37–16 after 55 minutes, but UWC responded with three more tries late in the game to level things up, with winger

scoring a second consecutive hat-trick after also getting one in Round Four against . took advantage of their main rivals drawing to secure a 21–13 victory over UFH, which saw them remain in second, but closed the gap to league leaders Wits to five points. UWC finished Round Five a further point behind UKZN, with UFH Blues remaining in fourth spot and , who did not play this round, staying in fifth at the halfway point of the regular season.

Round six

With top-placed side having a bye weekend, they saw their lead at the top reduced to just a single point from , who ran out 21–5 winners over third-placed . secured their second victory of the season, beating 29–18 in

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

to also pick up a bonus point for scoring four tries. Their log positions remained unchanged, however, with UFH Blues still in fourth and TUT Vikings in last place with two log points.

Round seven

After their bye in Round Six, leaders returned to form in spectacular style, running in twelve tries in a 93–0 demolition of in

. Luxolo Ntsepe scored a hat-trick, while Constant Beckerling and Josh Jarvis got two tries apiece and fly-half Brandan Hewitt scored one try and nine conversions for a personal points tally of 32 points. Second-placed kept the pressure on Wits however, scoring nine tries in their 66–41 victory over to remain just one point behind Wits on the log.

Marius Louw Marius Louw (born 24 October 1995) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in URC and in the Currie Cup. His regular position is centre, but he also played as a flanker earlier in his career. Rugby career 2008–2013: Sch ...

grabbed a hat-trick in their victory and Spa Dube contributed 21 points with the boot. remained in third place in the league with their bye, while TUT's four-try bonus point wasn't enough to move them ahead of fourth-placed UFH Blues.

Round eight

Hosts emerged victorious in the match between the top two teams in the league, beating 40–26 to extend their lead at the top of the log to four points. Both teams picked up a four-try bonus point in the match that was only settled with a last-minute Tommy Damba try. This result also meant that Wits secured their place in the final of the competition. kept up their attempt to clinch the other spot in the final by beating 63–10 in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. They ran in nine tries, with Quaid Langeveldt,

and Gordon-Wayne Plaatjes getting a brace each. This result saw them close the gap to second-placed UKZN to six points, with a game in hand. A bye round for saw them remain in fourth spot, well clear of bottom side TUT Vikings.

Round nine

With their sixth win of the season, ensured that they would finish the regular season top of the log, which meant that the final would be played in

. They ran out 50–5 winners over with two tries apiece from Tommy Damba and

Koch Marx Koch Peter Marx (born 21 January 1994) is a South African professional rugby union player for Jersey Reds in the RFU Championship. He can play as a centre or a winger. Rugby career Schools rugby Marx was born in Johannesburg and grew up in ...

. The identity of their opposition in the final was still unknown, since second-placed had a bye, which saw reduce the gap to just one point. UWC ran out 58–8 winners over with

getting his third hat-trick of the season and take his try tally up to eleven in just six appearances. That result also ensured that UFH Blues would finish the season in fourth spot with TUT Vikings guaranteed to finish bottom of the log.

Round ten

The final line-up was completed as joined already-qualified in the final. A hat-trick from centre

secured a 42–0 victory for UKZN over fourth-placed in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

to ensure the side finished second on the log. Meanwhile, log leaders and third-placed played out their second draw of the season, with their match finishing 21–all in

after drawing 37–all in their Round Five match in

. had a bye round and finished bottom of the log.

Final

The 2015 Varsity Shield was won by , who won their first ever title after handing their first defeat of the season; a 29–24 defeat in the match played in

. UKZN Impi took the lead fifteen minute in through captain Lwazi Ngcungama and didn't relinquish it for the remainder of the match. Fly-half

was the top scorer in the match with eleven points.

Honours

The honour roll for the 2015 Varsity Shield was as follows:

Players

Player statistics

The following table contain points which were scored in the 2015 Varsity Shield:

Squad lists

The teams released the following squad lists: Forwards * Jeremia Burger * Shaun de Wet * Neil de Witt * James Frost * Hamish Herd * Claude Johannes * Wessel Jordaan * Attie Joubert * Jean-Claude le Roux * Calvin Maduna * Armand Marshall * Percy Matlhoko * Mandla Mdaka * Ross Middlecote * Ratsaka Modjadji * DK Mukendi * Daniel Richter * Jaco van Staden * Wian van Schalkwyk * Did not play: * Isak Deetlefs * Mpho Kganakga * Dimpho Matshediso * Bethuel Mosetekoa * Lindokuhle Sambo * Ryan Sim Backs * Lisa Banzi * Dylan du Buisson * Shawn Jaards * Deon Joubert * Thabang Kibe * Tovhowani Nefale * Octavian Nkomonde * Edwin Oliver * Ruan Pienaar * Vian Riekert * Nelis Snyman * RW van der Wal * Lewies van Deventer * Litha Vumisa * Paul Walters * Did not play: *

Leroy Afrika Leroy or Le Roy may refer to: People * Leroy (name), a given name and surname * Leroy (musician), American musician * Leroy (sailor), French sailor Places United States * Leroy, Alabama * Le Roy, Illinois * Le Roy, Iowa * Le Roy, Kansas * Le ...

* Thomas Joubert * Ndivho Nematandani * Dwayne Swart * Dries van der Westhuizen Coach * Sax Chirwa Forwards * Lutho Klaas * Madoda Ludidi * Lwando Mabenge * Athenkosi Makeleni * Athenkosi Manentsa * Ntyatyambo Mkhafu * Olwethu Mputla * Lusindiso Nkomo * Lwando Nteta * Siphesihle Punguzwa * Zanoxolo Qwele * Sibusiso Sityebi * Sesethu Time * Mzinga Vitsha * Malusi Vula * Did not play: * Darren Alexander * Asiphe Fanele * Busiwe Fani * Litha Labase * Andile Makinana * Philisani Khangelani Ncoko * Siphelele Njobeni * Likhona Nkqoli * Ntsika Nyalambisa * Misubukhosi Pienaar * Siyabulela Sijula Backs * Siviwe Bisset * Sanelise Getye * Khanyiso Komani * Ntsika Kula * Aziyena Mandaba * Akhona Matutu *

Lithabile Mgwadleka Lithabile Mgwadleka (born 7 January 1991 in Bisho, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the . His regular position is winger or inside centre. Career UFH Blues He represented the side in the Varsity Shie ...

* Hlubi Mvana * Sthembiso Ngwenya * Lundi Ralarala * Elandre Sias * Khaya Siqoko * Sivakele Ulana * Did not play: * Luyolo Batshise * Benson Chiripanhura * Asiphe Fihla * Yanga Nakani * Sibusiso Sinuka Coach * Elliott Fana Forwards * Marné Coetzee * Chris de Beer *

Johan du Toit Johannes Willem du Toit (born 8 September 1995) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge. He has played as a flanker and a lock. Rugby career 2008–2013: Schoolboy rugby ...

* David Harel * Michael Hutton * Sizwe Kubheka * Sanele Malwane * Matthew Mandioma * Siya Mhlongo * Njabulo Mkize * Ntando Mpofana * Lwazi Ngcungama * William Paxton * Kwezi Puza * Christie van der Merwe * Mikyle Webster * Ado Wessels * Did not play: *

Henri Boshoff Henri Bossau Boshoff (born 8 February 1992 in Nelspruit, South Africa) is a Zimbabwean rugby union player, currently playing with SuperLiga side Timișoara Saracens. His regular position is loosehead prop. Career Pumas Born and bred in Nelspr ...

* Mees Erasmus * Sikhumbuzo Rowen Gasa *

Mzamo Majola Mzamo Majola (born 20 February 1995 in Durban, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is prop. Career He represented the Sharks a ...

* Emilien Mary * Milani Lutho Motlohi * Clive Musasiwa * Lindo Radebe * Nduduzo Thembelenkosini Sithole * Ayathandwa Tsengiwe Backs * Thobekani Buthelezi * Marcel Coetzee * Spa Dube *

Rowan Gouws Rowan Petrus Christiaan Gouws (born ) is a South African rugby union player who currently plays for Rugby ATL of Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. His regular position is scrum-half. He previously played for the in the Currie Cu ...

* Graham Koch * Rico Lategan *

* Shayne Makombe * Philip Marais * Yandisa Mdolomba * Gavin Nyawata *

* Langelihle Shange *

Alwayno Visagie Alwayno Visagie (born ) is a South African rugby union player for the in the Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams represen ...

* Sandile Zulu * Did not play: * Jurie Johannes Ingram * Manqoba Mqudi * Miguel Thabo Ncube * Michael Scheepers * Bongumusa Tshabalala Coach * Ryan Strudwick Forwards * Tahriq Allan * Stuart Austin * Curtis Beukes * Brandon Beukman * Alwyn Carstens * Kelvin de Bruyn * Matthew Faught * Lifa Ghana * José Julies * Heynes Kotze * Mitch Lingeveldt * Wayrin Losper * Darren Luiters * Sebenza Maphumulo * Chadwin Robertson * Brandon Valentyn * Did not play: * Axolile Apleni * Mische Kamlesh Vallabh Backs * Gavian Cloete * Clayton Daniels * Lubabalo Faleni * Dean Herbert * Gustav Heydenrych * Darian Hock * Keanu Langeveldt * Quaid Langeveldt *

Minenhle Mthethwa Minenhle Lethuxolo Mthethwa (born 5 August 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who most recently played with the . He usually plays as a winger, but can also play as an outside centre. Rugby career Youth rugby Mthethwa w ...

* Matthew Nortjé * Shane Pietersen * Gordon-Wayne Plaatjes * Yaasien Railoun * Herman Share *

* Octaven van Stade *

* Did not play: * Stephan Borman * Chad Christopher de Klerk * Blake Andre Reineke * Wilbré van Wyk * Melik Wana Coach *

Peter de Villiers Peter de Villiers (born 3 June 1957) is a South African professional rugby union coach and Good Party politician. He was coach of the South Africa national rugby union team from 2008 to 2011, after successes with the South African U19 and U21 ...

Forwards * Ben Baggott * Constant Beckerling * Richard Crossman * Jethi de Lange * Angus Gordon *

Rhyno Herbst Rhyno Herbst (born ) is a South African rugby union player for the Seattle Seawolves of Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played the in Super Rugby, the in the Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby u ...

* Ferdinand Kelly * Graham Logan * Ayabulela Mdudi * Chris Mills * Brandon Palmer * Luvuyo Pupuma * Cameron Shafto * Tijde Visser * Ameer Williams * Did not play: * Wazeer Desai * Mitchell Fraser * Gihard Visagie Backs * Alistair Ballantyne * Tommy Damba * Sicelo Champion * Ruan Cloete * Brandan Hewitt * Josh Jarvis *

* Sibusiso Mngomezulu * Ish Nkolo * Luxolo Ntsepe * AJ van Blerk * Dandré van den Berg * Ruan van Rensburg * Did not play: * Joel Bwanakawa * Kyle Wesemann Coach * Hugo van As

Discipline

The following table contains all the cards handed out during the tournament:

Referees

The following referees officiated matches in the 2015 Varsity Shield: * Stephan Geldenhuys *

Quinton Immelman Quinton Immelman (born 31 March 1981 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a rugby referee on the Premier Panel of the South African Rugby Union. In 2016, Immelman was added to the referees' roster for the 2016 Super Rugby season for the first time. Imm ...

* AJ Jacobs *

Cwengile Jadezweni Cwengile Dumisani Thando 'JD' Jadezweni (born 2 October 1986 in Stellenbosch, South Africa) is a rugby referee on the National A Panel of the South African Rugby Union. He also works as a rugby analyst at Sound Sure, along with fellow referee M ...

* Jaco Kotze * Vusi Msibi * Sindile Ngcese * Tahla Ntshakaza * Francois Pretorius * Fernando Uithaler * Ricus van der Hoven * Renier Vermeulen *

Kurt Weaver John Kurtis Weaver (born March 8, 1979) is a Rugby union match official for World Rugby and USA Rugby competitions. He has refereed men's and women's international matches for World Rugby and professional and top-level club matches and National ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Varsity Shield 2015

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2015 in South African rugby union 2015 rugby union tournaments for clubs