# 2018 Varsity Rugby

2018 Varsity Rugby was the 2018 edition of four rugby union competitions annually played between several university teams in South Africa. It was contested from 29 January to 16 April 2018 and was the eleventh edition of these competitions.

## Varsity Cup

The following teams competed in the 2018 Varsity Cup: CUT Ixias, Maties, NMMU Madibaz, NWU Pukke, UCT Ikey Tigers, UFS Shimlas, UJ, UP Tuks and Wits. All these teams also played in the competition in 2017. The competition was won by Maties, who beat NWU Pukke 40–7 in the final. NMU Madibaz finished bottom of the log and were relegated to the 2019 Varsity Shield. CUT Ixias remained in the Varsity Cup for 2019 after beating the WSU All Blacks in a relegation play-off.

## Varsity Shield

The following teams competed in the 2018 Varsity Shield: CPUT, Rhodes, TUT Vikings, UFH Blues, UKZN Impi, UWC and WSU All Blacks. All these teams also played in the competition in 2017. The competition was won by UWC, who beat WSU All Blacks 55–10 in the final. UWC were promoted to the 2019 Varsity Cup for the first time, while the WSU All Blacks remained in the Varsity Shield for 2019 after losing to CUT Ixias in a promotion play-off.

## Promotion/relegation play-offs
### 2019 Varsity Cup play-off

There was a promotion/relegation match between CUT Ixias, who finished eighth in the 2018 Varsity Cup and the WSU All Blacks, who finished runners-up in the 2018 Varsity Shield. CUT Ixias won 37–31 to retain their place in the Varsity Cup for 2019, while the WSU All Blacks remained in the Varsity Shield competition.

### 2019 Varsity Shield play-off

There was a promotion/relegation match between Rhodes, who finished seventh in the 2018 Varsity Shield and the University of Zululand, as the best-performing non-Varsity Rugby team at the USSA tournament. Rhodes won 44–5 to retain their place in the Varsity Shield for 2019.

## Young Guns
### Competition rules

There were nine participating universities in the 2018 Young Guns competition, the Under-20 sides of each of the nine Varsity Cup teams. These teams were divided into three regionalised sections and each team played every team in their section twice over the course of the season, once at home and once away.
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by eight points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The three section winners qualified for the semi-finals, along with the runner-up with the best record.

### Teams

| 2018 Young Guns North teams |
| Team | University | Stadium |
| UJ Young Guns | University of Johannesburg | UJ Stadium, Johannesburg |
| UP Tuks Young Guns | University of Pretoria | LC de Villiers Stadium, Pretoria |
| Wits Young Guns | University of the Witwatersrand | Wits Rugby Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 2018 Young Guns Central teams |
| Team | University | Stadium |
| CUT Young Guns | Central Institute of Technology | CUT Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| NWU Pukke Young Guns | North-West University | Fanie du Toit Sport Ground, Potchefstroom |
| UFS Shimlas Young Guns | University of the Free State | Shimla Park, Bloemfontein |
| 2018 Young Guns South teams |
| Team | University | Stadium |
| Maties Juniors | Stellenbosch University | Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch |
| NMMU Young Guns | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University | NMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| UCT Trojans | University of Cape Town | UCT Rugby Fields, Cape Town |

### Young Guns North
#### Log

The final standings for the 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns North were:
| 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns North log |
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts |
| 1 | UP Tuks Young Guns | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 318 | 49 | +269 | 4 | 17 |
| 2 | UJ Young Guns | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 70 | 193 | −123 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | Wits Young Guns | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 57 | 203 | −146 | 3 | 5 |
* UP Tuks Young Guns qualified for the semifinals as section winners.

#### Matches

The following matches were played in the 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns North:

### Young Guns Central
#### Log

The final standings for the 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns Central were:
| 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns Central log |
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts |
| 1 | UFS Shimlas Young Guns | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 262 | 126 | +136 | 4 | 20 |
| 2 | NWU Pukke Young Guns | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 227 | 162 | +65 | 4 | 12 |
| 3 | CUT Young Guns | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 109 | 310 | −201 | 2 | 2 |
* UFS Shimlas Young Guns qualified for the semifinals as section winners and NWU Pukke Young Guns qualified for the semifinals as the runner-up with the best record across the three sections.

#### Matches

The following matches were played in the 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns Central:

### Young Guns South
#### Log

The final standings for the 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns South were:
| 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns South log |
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Maties Juniors | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 207 | 66 | +141 | 4 | 20 |
| 2 | UCT Trojans | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 73 | 113 | −40 | 1 | 9 |
| 3 | NMMU Young Guns | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 73 | 174 | −101 | 2 | 2 |
* Maties Juniors qualified for the semifinals as section winners.

#### Matches

The following matches were played in the 2018 Varsity Cup Young Guns South:

### Final
## Res Rugby
### Competition rules

There were nine participating teams in the 2018 Res Rugby competition — the new name for the competition formerly known as the Koshuis Rugby Championship — the winners of the internal leagues of each of the nine Varsity Cup teams. These teams were divided into two divisions (a Championship division with five teams and a Premiership division with four teams) and each team played every team in their division once over the course of the season, either at home or away.
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by eight points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top two teams in the Championship qualified for the final.

### Teams

| 2018 Res Rugby Championship teams |
| Team | University | Stadium |
| Huis Marais (Maties) | Stellenbosch University | Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch |
| Lions (CUT) | Central Institute of Technology | CUT Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| Maroela (Tuks) | University of Pretoria | LC de Villiers Stadium, Pretoria |
| Patria (Pukke) | North-West University | Fanie du Toit Sport Ground, Potchefstroom |
| Vishuis (Shimlas) | University of the Free State | Shimla Park, Bloemfontein |
| 2018 Res Rugby Premiership teams |
| Team | University | Stadium |
| Cobras (UCT) | University of Cape Town | UCT Rugby Fields, Cape Town |
| Harlequins (Madibaz) | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University | NMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Junction (Wits) | University of the Witwatersrand | Wits Rugby Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Oppierif (UJ) | University of Johannesburg | UJ Stadium, Johannesburg |

### Championship
#### Log

The final standings for the 2018 Res Rugby Championship were:
| 2018 Res Rugby Championship log |
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Patria (Pukke) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 131 | 73 | +58 | 3 | 19 |
| 2 | Vishuis (Shimlas) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 143 | 45 | +98 | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | Maroela (Tuks) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 84 | 104 | −20 | 3 | 11 |
| 4 | Huis Marais (Maties) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 86 | 110 | −24 | 3 | 7 |
| 5 | Lions (CUT) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 59 | 171 | −112 | 1 | 1 |
* Patria (Pukke) and Vishuis (Shimlas) qualified for the final.

#### Matches

The following matches were played in the 2018 Res Rugby Championship:

#### Final
### Premiership
#### Log

The final standings for the 2018 Res Rugby Premiership were:
| 2018 Res Rugby Premiership log |
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Oppierif (UJ) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 141 | 24 | +117 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Cobras (UCT) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 74 | 59 | +15 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | Harlequins (Madibaz) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 71 | −35 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Junction (Wits) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 117 | −97 | 0 | 0 |

#### Matches

The following matches were played in the 2018 Res Rugby Championship: