Dream run for Wits Rugby
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"One got the feeling that anything was possible"
The Wits Rugby team powered past its own expectations to reach its first ever Varsity Cup semi-final in 2018. The favourites, Maties, got the upper hand on 2 April in Stellenbosch, but Wits Head Coach Hugo van As, captain Constant Beckerling and the young Wits team can be proud of their fight and excited about the future.
Wits Sport’s Ferdinand Kelly thanked all supporters of the Wits team throughout the Varsity Cup season and particularly the alumni who attended the semi-final.
Adrian Carter, Head of Wits Sport, reflected on the season with pride:
“On Monday 19 March, after yet another monumental comeback from a supremely committed, passionate and resilient Wits Rugby team, they earned this proud institution its first ever Varsity Cup semi-final placing. What makes this achievement all the more remarkable was that the management team, prior to the start of the 2018 Varsity Cup campaign, was targeting two wins, against the Madibaz (Nelson Mandela University, in Port Elizabeth) and CUT (Central University of Technology, in Bloemfontein), to avoid any possibility of relegation for the next two-year cycle.” This was a realistic goal because some of the players in the 2017 Wits team had graduated and moved on.
“My opinion is that this team has something distinctive going for them this season,” said Carter. “When we started well against UCT and performed out of our skins against Tuks in front of a massive home crowd, one got the feeling that anything was possible. This feeling has been a long time in the making, with solid foundations being laid over the years.”
Carter said Wits University’s Senior Executive Team had decided to support sport as best they could despite serious challenges in the tertiary education sector.
He noted the loyal support of the Wits Rugby Club alumni, among many others, as contributing to the successful season.
“Seeing our Wits Stadium so full, with our diverse and passionate Witsies, was a beautiful sight. Talk about an awesome Wits student experience!”