Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
15 September 2021 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Charl Devenish
The University of the Free State (UFS) netball team was honoured by UFS management at a special celebration. The side won a fourth Varsity Netball title and the UFS has now been champion in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021.

Set goals for yourself, commit to it, and give everything to achieve them.

According to Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS), this is what the UFS netball team did and why it is an example for the Kovsie community.

He celebrated the team’s achievement of winning Varsity Netball for a record fourth time and extending the run of the UFS as the most successful team in the tournament.

The Kovsies convincingly beat Maties 55-39 in the final to be crowned champions. It was the biggest victory margin in a final, and they did it after losing to Maties (46-54) in the first round.

Prof Petersen and his management group honoured Burta de Kock, the UFS Head Coach, and her team during a special celebration on 13 September 2021.

Working as an outfit

He said the side’s determination is a lesson to others.

“Once you have decided that these are my objectives and you commit yourself to achieving them, that is all you focus on.”

“It will always be possible if you put everything in and you showed it. Thank you for doing this.”

He praised the team for building the UFS brand. 

“You really work as an outfit. What I saw of the players was a right attitude when they play the game.”

Everything made easy

Sikholiwe (Sne) Mdletshe, the UFS captain, thanked her team’s management, the UFS, and its lecturers.

“We really want to thank the university for putting so much into us. It gives us a lot of resources.

“Some tests had to be written while we were in the bubble and our lecturers made that easy for us.”

She said the players never take the effort for granted. “The UFS makes everything easy to go out there and play netball – the sport we have been playing since we were little kids.”

DB Prinsloo, Director of KovsieSport, is immensely proud of the team.

“We even lost one of our best players in the first match, Chanel Vrey, due to injury. We have to take off our hats to the Kovsie netball team.”


News Archive

Unbeaten and hosting the Varsity Cup final
2015-03-31

Photo: Johan Roux

Not only will UFS Shimlas rugby team host their first-ever Varsity Cup final in Bloemfontein, but they still remain the only unbeaten side in this year’s tournament.

Shimlas knocked the defending champions, the University of Cape Town Ikeys team, out of the tournament during the semifinal in Bloemfontein on Monday 30 March 2015, beating the visitors 21-10. In Pretoria, North-West University’s Pukke crushed  top-of-the-log University of Pretoria Tukkies with a close-edged 29-28 win in the other semifinal.

It was the first-ever home semifinal for Shimlas. The home side showed determination from the start of the match when No.8 Niell Jordaan crossed the line early on for the first try of the clash. Shimlas’ Niel Marais was successful with the kick at goal, giving the home side an 8 - 0 lead.

Shortly afterwards, the Ikeys scored their first try of the match, but were unsuccessful with the conversion kick. Shimlas struck back with a driving maul where flank Daniel Maartens scored the second Shimlas’ try of the night, taking the scoreboard to 16-5 after yet another conversion by Marais.

Ikeys managed to get another unconverted try shortly before the halftime break, leaving the score at 16-10 after the first 40 minutes, with just two conversions separating the teams.

The second half saw less action, but Shimlas’ left wing Maphutha Dolo scored his team’s third and final try of the match, putting them in a 21-10 lead minutes before full time.

Shimlas will host Pukke for this year’s Varsity Cup final on Monday 13 April at 19:00 at Shimla Park, UFS Bloemfontein Campus.

Player that Rocks:
Daniel Maartens

UFS Shimlas point scorers:

Tries: Niell Jordaan, Daniel Maartens, Maphutha Dolo
Cons: Niel Marais (2)

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept