2016 Season comes to an end

The FNB Ikey Tigers wrapped up their season on Saturday afternoon, going down 48 – 31 to an inspired Walmers side. This draws the curtains on a season of mixed emotions, and all eyes are now set on the team’s preseason, which starts on October 1^st.

Despite ending the season with a loss, Mike van Rheede remained upbeat about the outcome. “We may not have gotten the result, but we still got the opportunity to get a good look at some of the younger guys and grow them,” he said.

“We were leading 31 – 19 with about fifteen minutes to play, but Walmers were brilliant in the last past of the game. Our discipline let us down, we got some untimely injuries as well so it all kind of conspires against you but that really is no excuse. We really should be able to close the game from that position,” said van Rheede.

“David Rawston did well in the game, and Joel Smith was fantastic again. Ibie Adams scored an absolutely outrageous try as well, but it just fell apart around the fifty-five-minute mark,” he added.

Season Recap:

The FNB Ikey Tigers kicked off their 2016 FNB Varsity Cup campaign full of excitement, but never quite hit the heights that we know they are capable of reaching. After a disappointing run, they found themselves facing off against FNB UWC in a relegation/promotion play-off. The team made no mistake in ensuring that there would still be Varsity Cup action at The Green Mile come 2017.

While the first team did improve over the course of the season, it was the u20 Ikeys that caught the eye. Our very own ‘Invincibles’, the team went unbeaten in all their league fixtures as they brought home the trophy.

The Presidents Cup gave the coaching staff a chance to rest a few players (ahead of preseason) and simultaneously get a good look at some of the up-and-comers present in the club. The future does look promising for the FNB Ikey Tigers, with the younger players impressing both in the u20 team as well as the first team.

Congratulations to all our boys in stripes for what was a challenging season; here’s to more success in 2017!