We take a look at the Week 3 Varsity Cup action taking place on Monday the 3rd of March including a close look at the betting odds.
Let’s start with a look at the top of the table where Tuks and Maties are currently on 10 points ahead of CUT on 8 points and Shimlas on 7.
SHIMLAS v UJ – Click here to bet
Shimlas opened their campaign with a 41-37 loss away to the Maties before hammering Wits 59-29 on home turf last weekend.
UJ are yet to get a win in the Tournament, losing 29-13 to CUT at home in Week 1 and 37-29 away to Tuks last week.
Head-to-Head
Last year Shimlas won this fixture 34-31 at UJ and the year before, as hosts, they won 31-30. The last 4 meetings between the sides have all had more than 60 points in them.
Handicap: Shimlas [-25.5]
MATIES v CUT – Click here to bet
Maties are off to a perfect start, but they certainly haven’t had things their own way. They narrowly beat Shimlas by 4 points at home in a high scoring encounter in Week 1 and then had to defend their line doggedly in their final minutes to beat the Eagles 29-27 on the road last week.
CUT have been the surprise package of the Tournament and they beat UJ 29-13 away in Week 1 despite starting as underdogs and last week they shocked Ikeys, winning 23 -19 in Bloemfontein.
Head-to-Head
Maties beat CUT by 6 points in a low scoring encounter on the road last year and the year before CUT stunned Maties in Stellenbosch, winning 23-19.
Handicap: Maties [-10.5]
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UCT IKEYS v UP TUKS – Click here to bet
Ikeys got off to a strong start with a 32-23 home win over the Eagles in their opening game. They then travelled to Bloemfontein to take on CUT where they lost 23-19.
Tuks have signalled their return to the top flight with two victories. They were too strong for WITS in wet conditions winning 35-8 in Johannesburg in Week 1 and then beat UJ by 8 points in in Pretoria in a game where they squandered plenty of opportunities.
Head-to-Head
These sides last met in 2023, the year that Tuks got relegated, where UCT won 40-19 at home.
Handicap: UCT Ikeys [-3.5]
WITS v NWU EAGLES – Click here to bet
WITS have now gone 7 Varsity Cup games without a victory and they have lost their opening two games of the season going down by 27 points at home to Tuks and losing by 30 points away to the Shimlas last week.
The Eagles are also off to a shaky start, losing by 9 points in Cape Town against UCT in Week 1 and then getting edged by 2 points at home against the Maties last week.
Head-to-Head
The Eagles hosted WITS last season winning 51-22 and the last time they played in Johannesburg was in 2023 when the Eagles came out 36-3 victors and they have beaten WITS by 28 points or more in their last two meetings.
Handicap: WITS [+20.5]
Suggested bets on the week 3 action to follow during the course of Monday. Note some of the handicaps may have changed from when the preview above was written.
Bet 1: Shimlas -22.5 at 1.85
Tuks should have beaten UJ by further last week and while they fought gamely I am expecting Shimlas to be far more ruthless and to win by 23 points or more.
Bet 2: CUT +11.5 at 1.95
CUT are a team the bookies tend to underestimate and I think they may have done so again. CUT have a great recent record against Maties and can push them close.
Bet 3: Wits +20.5 at 1.91
Wits will be desperate for an improved performance and the Eagle don’t look to be playing to the same standard of recent seasons.
I am not going to have a bet on the UCT v Tuks game
Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
