It’s not about the stars for Gemmies team ahead of Madibaz clash
Varsity Cup
Deep down in the Gemmies team there’s a belief and determination. And despite the fact that only a handful of players have caught the headlines during the Varsity Shield competition thus far, the team themselves, as a unit, are a force to be reckoned with.
Image: Danie van der Lith
ROUND 5 of the FNB Varsity Shield had the tournament showing who is hungrier for glory as the campaign passed the halfway mark.
Log leaders CPUT were hammered 40-17 by Varsity College, which took them top of the standings. UWC beat UKZN 44-31, securing them the second spot on the table.
Meanwhile, lower down the table, but closer to Kimberley hearts, the Gemmies broke hearts in Alice as they snatched a late 39-33 victory over the Blues at Davidson Stadium.
SPU will also have noted that the Madibaz cruised past WSU at Sisa Dukashe Stadium. The Gemmies’ interest will be due to the fact that they will next face the Madibaz in their backyard on Friday when their Round 6 clash kicks off at 4pm at the Madibaz Stadium in Gqeberha.
Gemmies will have noted the challenges ahead, especially the Madibaz flyhalf Raashied Conrad who was arguably the most influential player for the Nelson Mandela University team and controlled the tempo of the game.
He was accurate with his boot, converted four tries, and led the attack admirably. For his performance against WSU, he was also named the FNB Player That Rocks.
But Conrad may not be the only thorn in the side of SPU, there’s another shining star in the Madibaz ranks.
The Gemmies defence will also have to keep a close eye on the Madibaz dynamic left wing Emihle Zaza
He won’t be hard to identify though. Zaza has become easily recognisable on the field thanks to his distinctive scrum cap, a garment not commonly used by backline players.
“I’ve become more assured in my abilities and understand that you have to back yourself on the field and learn from your mistakes,” he said during a recent interview.
But as far as mistakes go, there’s not many. Following victories over UKZN in Pietermaritzburg and log-leaders FNB UWC at home on Friday, the Madibaz have now won three of their four matches.
Yet they will be facing a team that knows how to fight, and young Jaiden Faviers embodied that determination last week in a close and dramatic encounter against the University of Fort Hare at the Donaldson Stadium.
Faviers put in a superb display as he stunned the hosts on their home turf, breaking the hearts of the local fans in the dying moments to hand his side their second win of the campaign with the second of his two crucial tries.
Deeper down in the Gemmies team though, there’s a belief and determination. And despite the fact that only a handful of players have caught the headlines, the team themselves, as a unit, are a force to be reckoned with.
As the Madibaz will, no doubt, learn on Friday.