The Varsity Cup continues on Monday the 24th of February and we take a look at the four fixtures from a betting angle.
TUKS v UJ – Click here to bet
Tuks returned to the Varsity Cup last week having played a season in the Varsity Shield where they dominated the opposition.
They were away to Wits in wet conditions, but turned in a brilliant display on the back of a tight forward dominance to win 35-8. That was enough to see them top the log at the end of week 1.
UJ were favourites to beat CUT at home last week, but were stunned 29-13 by the visitors, also in wet conditions. Based on that performance UJ could face a real battle to stay out of the relegation zone.
Head-to-Head
These sides last met in the 2023 Tournament where UJ beat Tuks 38-31 in Pretoria.
Handicap: Tuks (-13.5)
CUT v UCT – Click here to bet
CUT are one of those sides the bookies tend to underestimate and that certainly happened last week. They were away to UJ and their price ranged from +15.5 to +7.5. They made a mockery of the betting winning 29-13.
UCT have been beaten finalists for the last two years and they got their campaign off to a winning start last week when they saw off Pukke 32-23 at home, narrowly beating the handicap.
Head-to-Head
These sides last met in 2024 when UCT won 24-7 in Cape Town and the last time they met at this ground they had a 110 points in 2023 with UCT winning 79-31.
Handicap: CUT (+6.5)
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NWU PUKKE v MATIES – Click here to bet
Pukke had a tough opening fixture away to UCT and the game was disrupted by protests on Monday and was played behind closed doors on Tuesday. At the end of it the home team came out on top 32-23.
Maties started favourites at home to the defending Champions, Shimlas last week and the lead changed hands on Multiple occasions before Maties held on for a 41-37 victory.
Head-to-Head
These sides met in 2024 in Stellenbosch with Pukke winning 22-12 and the last time Pukke hosted Maties they won 19-10 in the 2023 semi-final.
Handicap: NWU Pukke (-4.5)
SHIMLAS v WITS – Click here to bet
Shimlas are defending the title they won when they beat UCT 45-42 at home last season. They were away to Maties in the opening round starting as underdogs, but gave a good account of themselves eventually losing a high scoring match by 4 points. A moment of madness by one of the props when Shimlas were hot on attack and were certain to score probably cost them the game.
Wits started narrow favourites against Tuks at home in a soaked Johannesburg last week. In the end they were overpowered by their Pretoria rivals, going down 35-8. It has now been 6 Varsity Cup games since Wits have had a victory.
Head-to-Head
Last season Wits hosted Shimlas and it was the Shimlas who came out on top 24-12 and the last time Shimlas hosted Wits they won 26-25 in 2023.
Handicap: Shimlas (-15.5)
WEEK 2 BETS
This section of the blog will be updated with any additional bets during the day.
1st Bet: Tuks -13.5 at 17/20
They were impressive last week whereas UJ were rolled at home. After 1 year without Varsity Cup I expect a big win in front of a passionate crowd.
2nd Bet: Maties win at 35/20
I expect this to be a close game with both changes having plenty of changes from last year. Maties showed me enough last week to suggest they are the value in this clash.
3rd Bet: Shimlas -15.5 at 17/20
This will be a small bet but I think that Shimlas will run Wits off their feet
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
