Struggling Maritzburg Varsity are at home to Old Boys from Durban in a Moor Cup Premier Division club rugby match today.
The Varsity Rugby Stadium in the Peter Booysen Sports Park, off Golf Road, is the venue for a 3.30 pm fixture that both teams are desperate to win.
For the green and whites, the only Premier Division club in the capital city, their position at the bottom of the Moor Cup log is one of great concern for both the club and the future of the sport at this level in Pietermaritzburg.
Whatever anyone says, four losses from four matches has to be devastating to player morale, while a points-for tally of 50 as compared to a points-against figure of 190 doesn’t inspire confidence for tackling future matches in the competition.
In a nutshell, it means that every time the campus-based club have trooped off the pitch at the final whistle this season, they have scored an average of 12 points per game, with a torrent of almost 50 points against.
Varsity’s solitary log point is a bonus for finishing with seven of Harlequins last time they were at home. Other than an unlucky defeat at home to Jaguars, who have since gone on to pick up a brace of victories for a meritorious third place on the log at this early stage, Varsity have been hammered away to Crusaders and reigning Moor Cup champions College Rovers in Durban.
For the fourth-placed Old Boys, meanwhile, it’s a must-win at Varsity in order to stay in touch with pacesetters Rovers and Crusaders. And despite a convincing 33-12 defeat at the hands of Crusaders, Old Boys have won their three other matches.
While the U20A Division enjoys a bye, First Division South has a busy programme with battling PMB Waratahs at home to the equally struggling Wentworth in the 3.30 pm match at Woodburn Stadium. Among the other fixtures, PMB Collegians travel to Winterton for their muscle-up with the men from the Drakensberg.
Tomorrow's fixtures:
Prem Div (3.30 pm): Crusaders vs Harlequins; DBN Collegians vs Zululand; Maritzburg Varsity vs Old Boys. Reserves 2 pm. First Div South (3.30 pm): SCW vs Ballito;
Drakensberg vs PMB Collegians; Kokstad vs Toti; Durban Varsity vs Hillcrest; PMB Waratahs vs Wentworth (Woodburn Stadium). Reserves 2 pm. First Div North (4.30 pm):
Volksrust vs Sentraal; Newcastle vs Piet Retief. Reserves 3 pm. U20A (bye). U20B:
Saders B vs Hillcrest (12.30 pm); D Coll B vs South Coast Warriors (3.30 pm); Midlands B vs Old Boys B (2 pm, Varsity 2). U20C: PMB Collegians vs Amanzimtoti (2 pm, Woodburn 2).
Logs (After four matches):
Prem: 1 Rovers 20 pts; 2 Saders 19 pts; 3 Jags 14 pts; 4 Old Boys 13 pts; 5 Harlequins 7 pts; 6 Zululand 5 pts; 7 Durban Collegians 3 pts; 8 PMB Varsity 1 pt.
Premier Reserve: 1 Rovers 20 pts; 2 Old Boys 17 pts; 3 Zululand 11 pts; 4 Saders 10 pts; 5 PMB Varsity 9 pts; 6 Durban Collegians 5 pts; 7 Quins 5 pts; 8 Jags 0 pts.
U20A: 1 Rovers 20 pts; 2 Old Boys 18 pts; 3 Quins 12 pts; 4 Durban Collegians 10 pts; 5 Saders 9 pts; 6 Zululand 6 pts; 7 Midlands 6 pts; 8 Jaguars 2 pts.
