Ikeys back in business – UCT vs Hamiltons

Dangerman Therlow Pietersen still on the injury list
The Ikey Tigers are back from their break and will kick off the second half of the season against non other than old foe and reigning South African Club Champions Hamiltons tomorrow.

The break which included the World Cup and a number of Ikey style soccer matches was too short for some and too long for others which meant a lot of compromise from both coaches and players.

When asked whether the guys are ready for the Hammies challenge Ikeys coach Kevin Foote said, “We have to be honest with ourselves and the guys are not 100 percent ready” The varsity break has always been a problematic time for UCT teams and Foote and his coaching team of course have set the standards high.

“We are not as fit as we would like to be, or as prepared, for various reasons, but that fact is not something we are wasting too much energy on at this stage. We had a solid two weeks practise and as true Ikey Tigers are ready in spirit, and that’s good enough for now.” joked the former Springbok Sevens captain.

The Hamitons game which UCT won in grand style earlier in the season was probably the best performance of the team thus far this year. There have been a number of changes since then with a large amount of provincial call ups not helping selection, but the students are fielding a quality team to welcome the Hammies pros.

The Ikeys coach doesn’t expect too many suprises from the visitors “I expect Hammies to be their normal physical outfit, strong ball runners in the pack and midfield, with some dangerous finishers outside.”

The Ikeys have staged a 10 a side tournament last week to get back into contact but Foote knows what to expect “Hamiltons haven’t had a long lay off, so they will be game fit. The team and I for one are looking forward to a physical passionate encounter on the Mile!”

The list of unavailable players is long – but so is the list of quality players stepping up to the mark and filling the spots. Young scrumhalf Scotty Watermeyer is the only 1st team debutant starter, but there are a number of them on the bench eager to make their mark.

Tiger Bax and Hanyani Shimage have been released from Western Province for the weekend and the Ikeys who are involved in the WP Amateur selection have a bye so are available.

UCT Ikey Tigers:

1. Ash Wells 2. Hanyani Shimange 3. Dylan Rogers 4. Mike Ledwidge 5. Levi Odendaal 6. Don Armandt 7. Nick Fenton-Wells (c) 8. Jody Burch 9. Scot Watermeyer 10. Tiger Bax  11.Marcello Sampson 12 Adrian Kritzinger , Andre Coetzer 14. Paul Cohen 15. Ricky Rijs

Reserves: 

Page, Kemp, Heiberg, Manuel, Ryan Jans, Luzuko Panya, Sharief Hendricks,  Bailes, Winters