New captain takes over as Varsity Cup 2021 kicks off
The Varsity Cup 2021 competition kicks off in April in what is to be a bio-bubble tournament held at the University of Pretoria (UP) and at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
The North-West University (NWU) is starting the season with a new captain, the first player of colour to lead the team in the history of the university at Varsity Cup level. But fans will not be able to see him and the team in action at the Fanie du Toit sport ground. Even after the restrictions have been lowered to level one, fans still cannot watch live sports.
Lincoln Daniels (23) takes over as captain from Edmund Rheeder (24) who hung up his boots at the end of 2020. Daniels hails from Pretoria and will complete his B.Ed. degree this year.
Daniels is not a newcomer to the Varsity Cup. He has been a member of the team since 2018 after rubbing shoulders with a big rugby union like the Lions. He is thrilled about receiving the captain’s armband. “To be given backing not only by my coaches but also my teammates, is just a real dream come true,” he said.
NWU head coach and former Springbok player André Pretorius said deciding on a new captain was not easy. “When you talk about players coming through the system, who show respect to everyone and have fantastic leadership, and not to mention professionalism, then he [Daniels] is definitely the man for the job,” Pretorius said.
Gustav du Rand (22), a hooker and member of the NWU 2020 and 2021 squad, said Daniels is a great leader on and off the field. “He leads by example on the field with his fitness and makes sure if there’s a mistake, it gets fixed,” Du Rand said. A newcomer in the team, Awethu Lushozi (23), said he is proud. “He [Daniels] always went the extra mile for the team. The boys would listen and immediately know we need to pick up our socks.”
NWU Rugby Institute director Mervyn Taylor is excited about the appointment of the new captain. “For him [Daniels] it’s all about being an example of what a NWU student does on and off the field,” Taylor said.
He added that he is thankful to have Varsity Cup rugby go ahead again. “After a difficult time in 2020, sport suffered quite a lot. Luckily with the help of the tournament organisers, as well as our own NWU sport staff members, I’m just happy to have rugby back again,” Taylor said.