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20 August 2018
Alicia Puren captain of the Kovsie netball team
Alicia Puren, captain of the Kovsie netball team, will play in her fifth Varsity Netball series.
Now is the time for Kovsie Netball to claim gold again, says their captain, Alicia Puren, ahead of the Varsity Netball series.

Alicia explained that they are hungry for success, and that it’s been too long since they last won a title. “We don’t only want to win gold for our coach Burta de Kock, but also for ourselves,” said Alicia. Some of the veterans could possibly play in their final tournament, so fellow team members want them to finish on a high note.

The Kovsie Netball team won the first two competitions in 2013 and 2014, but since then could not progress further than the semi-finals. They have very favourable draws, with five of their seven matches in the group stages being played in Bloemfontein, including the game against the finalists of the previous two years, Tuks and Pukke.

They also have a very experienced team. Tanya Mostert will participate in her sixth series, Rieze Straeuli and Alicia Puren are playing in their fifth, and Khomotso Mamburu, Maryke Coetzee, Khanyisa Chawane, and Gertriana Retief are all playing in their fourth. Lefébre Rademan is playing in her third series. Jabulile Mabina, Bianca de Wee, and Petro Coetzee are the only newcomers in the squad of 15 players.

“We have a lot working in our favour; we have to make it count,” says Alicia.
Kovsie Netball will start their campaign on 26 August in the Callie Human Centre against the defending champs, Tuks.
 
Their match fixtures are as follows: 26/8 vs Tuks in Bloemfontein; 27/8 vs the University of Johannesburg in Bloemfontein; 2/9 vs the Vaal University of Technology in Bloemfontein; 3/9 vs the University of the Western Cape in Bloemfontein; 9/9 vs the Madibaz in Stellenbosch; 10/9 vs Maties in Stellenbosch, and finally 24/09 vs Pukke in Bloemfontein.

The Kovsie Netball squad players are: Alicia Puren (captain), Ané Retief, Gertriana Retief, Jana Scholtz, Khanyisa Chawane, Khomotso Mamburu, Lefébre Rademan, Meagan Roux, Sikholiwe Mdletshe, Tanya Mostert, Maryke Coetzee, Rieze Straeuli, Jabulile Mabina, Bianca de Wee, and Petro Coetzee.

News Archive

Culture contributes to success of UFS rugby teams
2015-12-15

The Sevens team of the University of the Free State followed in the footsteps of the Shimlas when the team was crowned national champion. The Kovsies Sevens team beat Tukkies April in the final of the Varsity Sevens tournament. Photo: Supplied. 

The University of the Free State (UFS) Rugby Club has succeeded once again in creating a culture of values.

Marius van Rensburg, Chairman of the UFS Rugby Club, believes this was one of the reasons why Kovsies had so many rugby successes this year.

The UFS knows that money, which is more abundant at bigger universities, won't change the club into a rugby force, but "there is something special here," he said.

Van Rensburg added that the success of Shimlas, who won the Varsity Cup for the first time, also helped to build a winning culture.

Seven finals

Seven of the UFS Rugby Club's teams played in finals during 2015.

Shimlas beat the Pukke in the Varsity Cup final at Shimla Park on the Bloemfontein Campus.

The Kovsie Young Guns (against Tukkies) and Vishuis (Mopanie from Tukkies) got stuck in Bloemfontein in Varsity Cup finals.

The Shimlas won Section B of the USSA tournament in Johannesburg (against Madibaz in the final).

A strong Irawa rugby team beat Shimlas in the City Cup.

The Kovsie Sevens team was crowned as the Varsity Champions in Cape Town after beating Tukkies in the final. The team was beaten by Maties in the final of the USSA Sevens tournament in George.

Shimlas lays foundation

According to Van Rensburg, the Varsity Cup triumph by Shimlas laid a good foundation.

“After what happened in the Varsity Cup, the winning culture kind of washed over the other teams,” he said.

He also thinks the 2015 successes didn't happen overnight, but that the club managed to bring back good values. He feels that Franco Smith, the former Shimlas coach who is the Cheetahs’ current coach, also played an important part.

Greater pressure in 2016

In 2016, the UFS's rugby teams will have a greater target on their backs.

Van Rensburg agrees that there will be greater pressure, but the structures are in place.

He feels that Varsity Cup success goes together with a touch of luck, of which Shimlas had some this year.

“Looking at the draw, Shimlas will play their first two matches away against Ikeys and Tukkies. Therefore, after two matches, one might have no league points, and that would place the team under immediate pressure.”

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