UCT Ikey Tigers invited to World University Rugby Cup

The University of Cape Town Ikey Tigers have been invited to Oxford where they will be one of eight varsities to compete for the inaugural University World Champions title from mid September.

The inaugural tournament will be hosted by Oxford University Rugby Football Club (OURFC), one of the world’s oldest university rugby clubs, and involve eight universities from as many rugby nations.

“The opportunity to compete on the field, and build relationships off the field, with seven other teams, from seven different cultures around the globe is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  To have this take place during the hosting of the Rugby World Cup is the icing on the cake.” commented Matt Sherman, Director of Rugby at Stanford University. 

The World University Rugby Cup 2015 will involve:

– University of Oxford (England)

– Trinity College Dublin (Ireland)

– University of Cape Town (South Africa)

– New Zealand Universities (collective university team) (New Zealand)

– Waseda University (Japan)

– University of British Columbia (Canada) 

– Stanford University (USA)

– Siberian Federal University (Russia)

UCT RFC president Dugald Macdonald, himself a OURFC old boy quibbed: “To our hosts, OURFC – we look forward to thanking you profusely – September cannot come quickly enough.”

It has been a few years since the Ikey Tigers visited the UK, the last time was a three match tour in 2003 that included games against both Oxford and Cambridge University. 

FNB UCTRFC has been hard at work behind the scenes over recent months to provide an opportunity for the team to travel and be part of this great new initiative. The team themselves are also getting involved raising funds in various ways, one of which is a multi-day coaching clinic geared at 8 to 13 year old's at UCT on 13th-16th July. 

The World University Rugby Cup Teams will be split into two pools and play each other once. Group stages will take place at St Edward’s School, on Tuesday the 15th and Friday the 18th of September. 

After the group stages, the teams will progress to the knock-out rounds which will take place at the Iffley Road rugby ground, the home of Oxford University RFC, on Friday the 18th, Saturday the 19th, Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st of September. 

At the closing ceremony the ‘baton’, will he handed over to Waseda University as part of Japan 2019, the next hosts of the World University Rugby Cup.