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31 March 2022 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo ASEM Engage, C&C Photo Agency
Shimlas
The replacement Kwezi Dlamini scored one of the five tries for the Shimlas against the University of Johannesburg on Monday (28 March 2022). His wing Asanda Kunene (left) also crossed the line earlier.
The University of the Free State (UFS) Shimlas started working harder for each other.

According to Thabang Mahlasi, the Shimla captain, this is one of the reasons why his team managed to pull itself together to get back to Varsity Cup winning ways.

The UFS is back at the top of the log after two consecutive wins against the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ). And it remains on course for semi-final spot.

The Shimlas are in first place with 27 log points, followed by UCT (26), the University of Pretoria (UP) (25), and Stellenbosch University (SU) (24), making up the top four.

Although the UFS is sitting pretty after two rounds, with games against UP at Shimla Park and the Madibaz (Nelson Mandela University) in Gqeberha ahead, it wasn’t just smooth sailing.

The Shimlas defeated the University of the Western Cape (56-16), SU (50-28), and the Central University of Technology (48-27) in their first three encounters, but then lost their way by losing to Wits University (31-53) and the North-West University (22-32).

Mahlasi and his troops had to dig deep and came back with wins over UCT (58-7) and UJ (35-26) on Monday (28 March 2022) .

Lessons learnt

The Shimla leader says his side is happy with its current log position and has been rewarded for its effort so far.
But the UFS has learnt some valuable lessons along the way.

“I think in the two matches we lost, we went into those matches with a bit of comfort,” says Mahlasi.

“We now know that there is no room in this competition for being comfortable. You need to graft week in, week out, because every team is competitive. We started working harder for each other.”

Showing true character 

In Johannesburg, the Shimlas had to fight back to beat UJ 35-26 this week, after trailing 16-23 at half-time.

Mahlasi says the match was a bit scrappy and his team decided to go ‘back to their systems’.

“We had to show massive character, because the crowd wasn’t making our job out there very easy.”

We had to show massive character, because the crowd wasn’t making our job out there very easy. – Thabang Mahlasi (Shimla captain)
The UFS next play the University of Pretoria, the defending Varsity Cup champions, in Bloemfontein on Monday (4 April 2022).

According to Mahlasi, it is tough for any team coming to Shimla Park.

“The first 20 minutes will be very important. We will have to make a massive statement and play our brand of high-intensity running rugby.”

 


News Archive

Kovsies hoist the rainbow flag to show support for International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia
2015-05-25

Photo: Lihlumelo Toyana

Kovsies reaffirm diverse expressions of love  (Facebook video clip)

Transformation is not about black or white anymore, it's about including different diversities (Facebook video clip)

 

 

Violence and discrimination against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) community is rife in South Africa. Advancing the spirit of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Human Project, Out@Kovsies and the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice (IRSJ) showed their true colours by hoisting the rainbow flag in front of the Main Building on the Bloemfontein Campus.

International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia

This event was in anticipation of International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia celebrated on Sunday 17 May 2015. People across the world, regardless of their sexual orientation, come together annually on this day in support of the LGBTI community. This year, Kovsies became part of that global community when, for the first time in history, the rainbow flag –  a popular symbol of LGBTI pride – fluttered high over the Red Square.
 
Human embrace

Committed to the human embrace, this event was another decisive step towards true transformation. “Transformation is not about black or white anymore,” said Zanele Thela, coordinator and guardian of Out@Kovsies, during the event. “It’s about including different diversities, different sexual orientations.”

Laura-Jane Watkins, research assistant at the IRSJ, said that this day “reflects our attitude as a collective community to embrace difference. Today is a day that we reaffirm diverse expressions of love beyond societal perceptions of gender as an inherent human need and right. Let us now stand together as a student community to promote the value of humanness.”

Rainbow flag

The rainbow flag, also fondly known as the freedom flag, was designed by civil rights activist, Gilbert Baker, and was hoisted publically on 25 June 1978. The modern version of the flag consists of six colours, each with a specific meaning. Red stands for life, orange for healing, yellow depicts sunlight, green stands for nature, blue for serenity, and violet for spirit.

The hope that Thela holds is for everyone to be free to express themselves and their love for one another, because “that’s the one thing we all have in common: love”.

 

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