INTERVIEW: The prospect of a second-consecutive Varsity Cup title won’t curb the Shimlas’ penchant for attacking rugby in the next instalment of the tournament.
Varsity rugby is back. The Shield will kick off on Valentine’s Day, while the Cup tournament will commence on Monday, February 17.
The UCT Ikeys, last year’s finalists, will host the NWU Eagles in the opening fixture, while Maties will face the Shimlas, the reigning champions, in Stellenbosch.
Up in Johannesburg, Wits will tackle the newly promoted Tuks, while UJ will take on CUT.
One of the biggest questions heading into the 2025 tournament is whether the Shimlas can maintain their momentum and go back-to-back.
The Bloemfontein-based outfit won the Varsity Cup for only the second time in 2024, and in the aftermath, coach André Tredoux spoke about pushing for another title in 2025 and beyond.
“We don’t want to wait another nine years for our next title,” Tredoux said at the time.
Fast forward to the present, where preparations for the next campaign are all but complete.
Tredoux highlighted the challenges of competing with a younger squad, given that 17 of the 23 players who featured in last year’s final have moved on.
At the same time, the coach reflected on a broader development plan, which has already yielded a Varsity Cup title for the Shimlas senior side as well as a second-place finish for the Under-20s.
The bulk of last season’s Young Guns side will feature for the defending Varsity Cup champions in the 2025 campaign.
“When I first arrived at the Shimlas in 2022, we knew that we had to build a pathway between the Varsity Cup and Young Guns teams, and look to the future,” Tredoux told Rugby365com.
“We’ve reaped the benefits of that system in recent years, and our Young Guns side came very close to winning the title in 2024 [Maties scored a try at the death to deny the Shimlas victory in the final].
“Ultimately we have looked to recruit and develop players who can contribute to our attacking philosophy. That’s in our DNA, and we want players who can play with that speed and intensity.”
Tredoux pointed out that a few of the players who won the 2024 Varsity Cup have either stayed on or returned to Bloemfontein to complete a post-graduate degree.
Captain Nkoka Ngobe, flanker Henri van Heerden, lock Reinier Juan Martin Viljoen, and loosehead prop Ntokozo Hlophe should all have senior roles to play in 2025.
So how is the coaching staff and the team feeling about the prospect of going back-to-back?
It’s a tough ask at varsity level, given the high turnover of personnel, but teams such as Maties and Tuks have completed the double in the past.
“There’s a lot of confidence within this group, and the boys are determined to carry on the legacy,” Tredoux said.
“But we’ve spoken about our goals for 2025, and we’re not looking to defend the 2024 title, but rather to attack the new season with everything we have.
“They say that the best form of defence is attack, and that’s very much our philosophy, whether we are playing a specific game or planning for the season as a whole.”
Tredoux said that his charges will take nothing for granted at the start of the new campaign, which begins with a fixture in the Western Cape this coming Monday.
The Shimlas went down 29-38 to the Maties in Bloemfontein during the 2024 league phase, but managed to win 38-24 in the semifinal showdown staged in Stellenbosch.
“Danie Craven Stadium is the cathedral of student rugby in South Africa, so the boys are looking forward to the prospect of heading down to Stellenbosch and making the most of that experience,” the Shimlas coach said.
“The Maties are always strong at the set piece, and usually have speed to spare in the wider channels.
“It should be a humdinger of a contest, but no matter what happens, we will stay true to our running game.”
