Top of the table Tuks v Ikeys Varsity Cup match cancelled

Friday's top of the table Varsity Cup match between UP-Tuks and UCT Ikeys at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria has been cancelled in line with Covid-19 protocols.

This comes after three Tuks players tested positive for Covid-19. Tournament organisers said the three players, their roommates at the Tuks High-Performance Centre and other close contacts would be removed from the Varsity Cup Village.

Both teams have agreed that the match cannot be rescheduled during the third Varsity Cup bubble as it would result in too many games in a short space of time and have a negative impact on their preparations for the semi-finals and possible final.

Therefore, in line with the Varsity Cup by-laws, the match will be declared a 0-0 draw with both teams receiving two log points.

"We always knew that this would be a possibility," Varsity Cup tournament director Xhanti-Lomzi Nesi said in a statement. "We have dealt with it according to the Covid-19 protocols and put player safety first.

"The two teams involved, and the Covid-19 Committee doctors have been consulted throughout and we are working hard to establish where the exposure could have stemmed from.

"We are preparing to fog the Varsity Cup Village ahead of the Varsity Shield teams moving in on Saturday, which is standard procedure after each bubble.”

The match between UWC and UJ, which had been scheduled to kick off at Loftus Versfeld at 15:00, will now move into the time slot previously allocated to the Tuks-Ikeys match (17:00).

Ikeys currently top the Varsity Cup standings with five wins from six matches (26 points). They lead second-placed Tuks by four points (22).

The revised Varsity Cup line-up for Round 6 is as follows:

- CUT Ixias v Maties (14:00, Tuks B-Field, DStv Now channel 245)

- Madibaz v UFS Shimlas (16:00, Tuks B-Field, DStv Now channel 245)

- UWC v UJ (17:00, Loftus Versfeld, SuperSport Rugby channel 211)

- NWU Eagles v Wits (19:00, Loftus Versfeld, SuperSport Rugby channel 211)