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30 January 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Varsity Cup
Varsity Cup
Shimlas scrumhalf, Rewan Kruger, played for the Junior Springboks last year and he was also jointly named Junior Player of the Year for the Shimlas alongside Lubabalo Dobela.

A fresh and inexperienced Shimla team, branded as the youngest squad ever, came two log points short of reaching the semi-finals of the Varsity Cup in last season's tournament. Ten of the players in the squad were still U19 last year. The 2018 rugby year proved to be a reconstructive one for the Shimlas after they parted ways with several members of their team in 2017.

After winning three of their first four encounters, including two away fixtures, the Shimlas were set for a spot in the semi-finals, which could possibly have been a home game. The three victories were against the defending champions Tuks by 19-17, 44-24 against Wits, and a 32-27 win over Ikeys.

The Shimlas played a total of 17 matches in 2018, claiming victory in 12. They finished fourth at the University Sport South Africa (USSA) tournament and won the Mangaung Metro league.

Johan Kotze, Shimla captain and prop, was titled ‘Senior Player of the Year’.

In the same breath, Lubabalo Dobela and Rewan Kruger, who both played for the Junior Springboks, were jointly selected as the ‘Junior Players of the Year’.

Vishuis was named the country’s best hostel rugby team for the third consecutive year. They defeated Patria of the North-West University in the finals by 55-29.

The UFS U20 team won all four of their matches in the group stage of the Young Guns competition before they lost to Tuks in the semi-final.

The Kovsie Sevens team won the bowl competition at the USSA tournament and at the Varsity Sevens they ended in 6th position.

News Archive

Mathematical problem-solving solutions found in African indigenous games
2015-04-02

A recent study by Dr Tshele Moloi, a Mathematics Education lecturer at the Qwaqwa Campus, revealed that games such as Diketo or Morabaraba enhance the understanding of abstract mathematical concepts in children.  Diketo is a children’s game where 10 small stones or marbles and 1 ghoen or big stone are made available to each player. A small hole about 5cm deep is dug in which the small stones are placed for the players.

During this game of Diketo, learners can identify the variables involved – both dependent and independent.  In round one of the game, it was found that the stones scooped out of the hole can be described by the pattern: f(n)= -n/2   +  21/2 , (where n denotes the throwing of the ghoen). Stones placed in the hole can be illustrated by the pattern:  f(m)= -m/2   +  10, (where m denotes the throwing of the ghoen). There are many patterns that can be obtained when the players are in round two.

The patterns which emanate from rounds one, two, and three can be put on the Cartesian Plane, which can then demonstrate the linear functions.

Read more about this study into mathematical solutions based on African indigenous games here.

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