Eagles coach believes the team is ready to take on Shimlas
“Mentally, the guys are in a good place.”
This is how Burger van der Westhuizen, the head coach of the NWU-Eagles, has described the team in the lead-up to their highly anticipated showdown against inter-varsity rivals UFS-Shimlas in Bloemfontein tonight.
“It is very important now [that] after the win that we had [against UWC], we keep the confidence but cut the arrogance. So, we haven’t achieved anything yet,” he said.
The 2024 Varsity Cup season started on 19 February and so far the defending champions have won both the matches they played.
Emphasising the team’s focus on the present, and the future, Van der Westhuizen said, “We never discussed last year, last year is not part of our vocabulary. It is a new team with new guys. They need to build their own legacy.”
However, Van der Westhuizen stressed the importance of upholding the standards and culture established by previous team, saying, “Last year got nothing to do with [how the Eagles approaches this year], but we also got to be honest that there was a standard set so future teams and everyone will have that set standard and culture in mind.”
Looking ahead at the match against UFS-Shimlas, Van der Westhuizen said his approach to the game will be like that to any other game.
“[It] is just another step in the whole campaign that we need to take, so it is absolutely important that we really do well, and it is important that we keep the momentum, that is imperative.”
Gerrit Olivier, one of NWU team’s supporters and a fourth-year BCom student, said the chances of the Eagles winning the cup again is quite good if the team continues playing like it has done in the past few games.
Dian van Zyl, a final-year honours law student, said the Eagles was a strong team that stood a chance of winning the cup again.
Van Zyl said that it was important for students to attend the Varsity Cup Rugby tournament because it immersed them into the student culture.
“It also provides support to the team as it needs us, we need the team,” Van Zyl said.
What stood out in the previous game, were the tries and the scrums, said master’s pharmacy student Alné van der Linde. “It was just, wow, every time we scored a try,” she said.
With the NWU-Eagles currently sitting in second place on the league standings with nine points, and UFS-Shimlas in third place with seven points, the clash promises to be a thrilling encounter.
Fans can catch the action live on SuperSport TV, with kick-off scheduled for 7pm at Shimla Park. – By Lungile Matsuma and Nica-May van Zyl