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03 February 2020 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Varsity Cup
William Eybers read more
Centre William Eybers is the new captain of the Shimlas.

With an experienced squad at its disposal, the Shimla team is approaching the 2020 Varsity Cup with confidence – despite a very difficult first assignment.

The 13th version of the student rugby competition starts on Monday (3 February), with the University of the Free State team travelling to Stellenbosch to face the champions of the previous two years, Maties.

The Shimlas retained 19 players from last year’s team. This is compared to the previous two campaigns where they had little experience and a bunch of very young players. Head coach Hendro Scholtz can call upon ten players who have played in this competition before and who know what it is all about.
Even more important is that the ten senior men are playing in key positions, such as the hooker (Hanno Snyman), eighth man (Mihlali Peter and Bertie de Bod), scrumhalf (Rewan Kruger), and fullback (Ruan Henning). Snyman will participate in his fourth Varsity Cup.

The Shimlas have a new leader in centre William Eybers in 2020. He was named joint best backline player for 2019 at last year’s Shimla Rugby Club prize-giving ceremony.
The Shimlas won four of their eight matches in 2019 to book in spot in the semi-finals against Maties.

Monday’s encounter starts at 19:15 in the Danie Craven Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on SuperSport. The remaining Shimla fixtures are: 10 February against UWC (home), 17 February against NWU (away), 24 February against Tuks (away), 2 March against Ixias (home), 9 March against UJ (home), 16 March against Ikeys (away), 30 March against Wits (home).

News Archive

DiMTEC hosts second conference on disaster risk reduction
2009-06-02

 
Dr Anthony Turton, the Director: TouchStone Resources (Pty) Ltd. delivered the opening address at this year’s two-day annual international conference on disaster risk reduction that was presented by the Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) at the University of the Free State (UFS).

In his presentation: Sitting on the horns of a dilemma: South Africa and its strategic water supply, he said: “We have simply reached the limit of the water resources in South Africa. On the one hand, we deal with the quantity dilemma in terms of strategic water storage. South Africa and Zimbabwe counts under the top 20 countries in the world in terms of dams built. We can only build about ten more dams.”

“On the other hand, we must deal with quantity. Previous solutions are not future solutions. When water is recycled, hormones such as oestrogen do not disappear. We must become creative and do something else,” he said.

“Science can make a difference. The UFS is well placed in terms of its groundwater research. Universities must invest in the necessary technology because the testing of toxins is essential. We must work in ways to prevent toxins from re-entering the water cycle,” he said.

A number of international speakers such as Dr Fabrice Renaud, Associate Director at the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) in Bonn, Germany, Dr Eugene Poolman, Chief Forecaster: Disaster Risk Reduction, South African Weather Service, and Prof. Rob Bragg from the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the UFS, attended the conference, as well as attendees from 11 different countries.

At the conference were, from the left: Mr Andries Jordaan, Director: DiMTEC at the UFS; Dr Ing Jörn Birkmann, Head of Section: Vulnerability Assessment at the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS); Dr Anthony Turton, Director: TouchStone Resources (Pty) Ltd.; and Dr Fabrice Renaud, Associate Director: UNU-EHS.
Photo: Supplied

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