Live coverage of vibrant Varsity Cup
If, at some point in 2012, you see the Maties leading the NWU-Pukke by two points to nil, don't adjust your TV screens; it's simply due to a new points system being trialled in this season's FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
Penalties and dropgoals will be worth two points during the 2012 Varsity Cup, which begins on Monday and will be broadcast on SuperSport.
Additionally, conversions will have their value increased to three points - meaning a converted try will thus be worth four penalties. Tries will again win the day at student rugby level.
As if that’s not unusual enough, there are now four tournaments taking place under the umbrella that is Varsity Rugby; meaning 29 teams competing for four trophies with a total of 82 fixtures until the national finals day on April 9.
That’s the Varsity Cup (now in its fifth year of existence), the Varsity Shield, the Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championship and the all-new Varsity Young Guns competition.
The Young Guns competition is an eight-team (divided into two pools of four universities), students only Under-20 tournament which will run in conjunction with its big brother, the Varsity Cup, with all Young Guns matches being played as curtain-raisers to Cup matches across the country in February and March (with the play-offs taking place in April).
As usual, two Varsity Cup matches will be televised every week (including the semifinals and final), with the Varsity Shield Final and the Young Guns Final (on April 2) and the Koshuis Final and the promotion/relegation match (on April 9) also being broadcast live on SuperSport.
BROADCAST DETAILS (all times are CAT, SA, GMT+2)
Monday
FNB UCT v FNB Shimlas (UCT Rugby Fields, Cape Town), 5pm (SS1)
FNB UP-Tuks v FNB UJ (Tuks Rugby Stadium, Pretoria), 7pm (SS1)