With an unbelievable 80-0 win against North-West University Vaal Campus, the Shimlas set off on their uncontested dominion of the University Sports South Africa (USSA) rugby tournament held in Johannesburg from 29 June-3 July 2015.

Two games down the line, and the Shimlas prevailed as the leading team in the tournament’s B-Section. Day two saw FNB CUT suffer a beating of 53-3 from the 2015 Varsity Cup Champions. The finals were no exception when the Kovsies made a come-back in the second half, conquering the Madibaz who were 3 points ahead at the break with a compelling score of 40-24 points.

Considering that the Madibaz pose the strongest threat to the Shimlas, Riaan Schoeman- the Shimlas’ manager, referred to the victory as a remarkable performance. Schoeman commended the Shimlas for the way they "kept composure" throughout the tough match.

“The idea was to stay unbeaten, and that is why these games meant so much for us,” added Schoeman. This approach ensured that the Shimlas emerged as the champions, depriving seven other pool B teams of upgrading into the A-Section.

Marco Mason rose to Stand-Up man with three tries and 10 conversions, settling for 35/80 points in Game 1. The final-year Human Movement Science student and Shimlas’ fullback reflected on the team’s grand slam win as a memorable highlight.  

Upholding the team’s standards “no matter whom we play against,” is what Mason takes pride.  “We were happy with the win but know we have to work on a few aspects of our game,” he added.

Both Schoeman and Mason are enthusiastic about the Shimlas competing for gold as A-section players at the 2016 USSA tournament. The intention is to remain the only team in the country to go unbeaten two seasons in a row.