Varsity Shield: A solid season for UKZN team

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) rugby’s team showed marked improvement during this year’s FNB Varsity Shield campaign, delivering a more competitive performance compared to the previous season. UKZN Impi head coach Naseeb Abrahams said the 2026 season revealed encouraging progress within the squad, with the team registering key victories and earning recognition for their efforts. Abrahams noted that his players demonstrated resilience in several fixtures, often fighting back strongly against their opponents.

The season also saw the emergence of new talent, with a number of previously unknown players making a significant impact. There was a lot of improvement this season. We looked competitive in most of our matches, and in a few of those games we came very close to winning.

“We were also able to move closer to the top four or five positions, which is a positive step forward. “It gives us a solid foundation to build on for next year.” Among the standout performers was inside-centre Freddy Malgas, who enjoyed an impressive debut season. Malgas was named Rookie of the Year and also earned two Player That Rocks accolades, underlining his influence throughout the campaign.

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Meanwhile, in the premier competition, University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks) claimed a record sixth FNB Varsity Cup title with a commanding 31-3 victory over North-West University (NWU Eagles) in Monday night’s final. Played in wet conditions before a capacity crowd at Tuks Stadium, the showpiece clash lived up to expectations as the top two teams on the log went head to head.

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