Ikeys excited to run out one last time
Come Monday, the FNB Ikey Tigers will play their last game of the 2017 FNB Varsity Cup against FNB Wits in Johannesburg. While winning this match won’t change their log position it all, the team will be hoping to end the season on a high as they are presented with an opportunity to play a match without the added pressure of trying to make the semi-finals.
“The boys are very excited for this. They’ve put the fact that we missed out on the top four behind them, so the pressure is off and they’re excited to go out there and enjoy the game,” said coach Christiaan Esterhuizen.
The FNB Ikey Tigers will be searching for their third and final win of the season after losing their last four games in a row. In spite of this, the team has improved considerably since last season and there have also been moments of pure brilliance along the way, the most recent one being Nyasha Tarusenga’s try against FNB Tuks.
Their opponents, FNB Wits, are coming off the back of a narrow loss to FNB UJ, and sit above the FNB Ikey Tigers in sixth place on the FNB Varsity Cup log. FNB Wits have fared well in their first season in the FNB Varsity Cup, and Monday’s game should prove to be an exciting one. Win or lose, there has been progress in the FNB Ikey Tigers’ camp. If they continue on this trajectory, we could very well see them battling it out in one of the semi-finals in the 2018 FNB Varsity Cup.
The FNB Ikey Tigers team set to take the field:
- Lohan Lubbe, 14. Rayno Mapoe, 13. Seb Roodt, 12. Hendrik Lategan, 11. Joel Smith, 10. Rob Anderson, 9. Michael Henning, 8. Nyasha Tarusenga, 7. Nama Xaba, 6. Jason Klaasen (c), 5. Gary Porter, 4. Duncan Saffy, 3. Michael Kumburai, 2. Cuan Hablutzel, 1. Wayrin Losper.
Replacements:
- Msizi Zondi, 17. William Day, 18. Lee-Marvin Mazebuko, 19. Alva Senderayi, 20. Sanele Malwane, 21. Hilio de Abrue, 22. Tristan Mouton, 23. Gerard Pieterse.
The match is set to kick-off at 18:30 on Monday, the 27th of March at Wits Rugby Stadium in Johannesburg.
