# 2016 Varsity Rugby

2016 Varsity Rugby was the 2016 edition of four rugby union competitions annually played between several university teams in South Africa. It was contested from 1 February to 18 April 2016 and was the ninth edition of these competitions.
Following a disruption during the Varsity Cup Round Three match between UFS Shimlas and NMMU Madibaz and general unrest on various university campuses, all fixtures scheduled for 29 February were postponed to 4 April, with the semi-finals and final also postponed by a week. On 1 March, it was also announced that the round of matches scheduled for 7 March would be postponed, with the situation at various universities being monitored to determine when the competition will resume.

## Rules

All four 2016 Varsity Rugby competitions used a different scoring system to the regular system. In the Varsity Cup, tries could be worth five, seven or nine points, depending on the point of origin of the try. In the Varsity Shield, Young Guns and Koshuis Rugby Championship competitions, tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points.

## Varsity Cup

The following teams competed in the 2016 Varsity Cup: CUT Ixias, Maties, NMMU Madibaz, NWU Pukke, UCT Ikey Tigers, UFS Shimlas, UJ and UP Tuks. All these teams also played in the competition in 2015. The tournament was won by NWU Pukke, who beat Maties 7–6 in the final. UCT Ikey Tigers finished bottom of the log, but beat 2016 Varsity Shield runner-up UWC in a relegation play-off to remain in the Varsity Cup for 2017.

## Varsity Shield

The following teams competed in the 2016 Varsity Shield: TUT Vikings, UFH Blues, UKZN Impi, UWC and Wits. The tournament was won by Wits, who beat UWC 39–2 in the final. Wits were automatically promoted to an expanded nine-team 2017 Varsity Cup, but runner-up UWC lost to UKZN Impi in a promotion play-off to remain in the Varsity Shield for 2017.

## Promotion/relegation play-offs
### 2017 Varsity Cup play-off

There was a promotion/relegation match between UCT Ikey Tigers, who finished bottom team in the 2016 Varsity Cup and UKZN Impi, who finished as runners-up in the 2016 Varsity Shield. UCT Ikey Tigers won 40–5 to retain their place in the Varsity Cup for 2017, while UWC remained in the Varsity Shield competition.

## Young Guns
### Competition Rules

There were eight participating universities in the 2016 Young Guns competition. These teams were divided into two pools and each team played every team in the other pool once over the course of the season, either 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 seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top two teams overall qualified for the title play-off final.

### Teams

2016 Young Guns teams :
| Team | University | Stadium |
| CUT Young Guns | Central Institute of Technology | CUT Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| Maties Juniors | Stellenbosch University | Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch |
| NMMU Young Guns | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University | NMMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| NWU Pukke Young Guns | North-West University | Fanie du Toit Sport Ground, Potchefstroom |
| UCT Trojans | University of Cape Town | UCT Rugby Fields, Cape Town |
| UFS Shimlas Young Guns | University of the Free State | Shimla Park, Bloemfontein |
| UJ Young Guns | University of Johannesburg | UJ Stadium, Johannesburg |
| UP Tuks Young Guns | University of Pretoria | LC de Villiers Stadium, Pretoria |

### Standings

The final league standings for the 2016 Varsity Cup Young Guns were:
| 2016 Varsity Cup Young Guns log |
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | UJ Young Guns | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 217 | 138 | +79 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 2 | UP Tuks Young Guns | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 106 | 53 | +53 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | UFS Shimlas Young Guns | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 155 | 115 | +40 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 4 | Maties Juniors | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 152 | 135 | +17 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| 5 | NMMU Young Guns | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 78 | 116 | −38 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | UCT Trojans | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 153 | 105 | −48 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 7 | NWU Pukke Young Guns | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 94 | 130 | −36 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | CUT Young Guns | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 54 | 217 | −163 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| * Legend: Pos = Position, Pl = Played, W = Won, D = Drawn, L = Lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TF = Tries for, TA = Tries against, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points The top two teams qualified to the final. Points breakdown: *4 points for a win *2 points for a draw *1 bonus point for a loss by eight points or less *1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match |

### Matches

The following matches were played in the 2016 Varsity Young Guns:

#### Round one

* Bye/s: CUT Young Guns, Maties Juniors, UCT Trojans, UJ Young Guns

#### Round two

* Bye/s: NMMU Young Guns, UJ Young Guns

#### Round three

* Bye/s: CUT Young Guns, Maties Juniors, NMMU Young Guns, NWU Pukke Young Guns

#### Round four

* Bye/s: UCT Trojans, UP Tuks Young Guns

#### Round five

* Bye/s: UFS Shimlas Young Guns, UP Tuks Young Guns

#### Round six

* Bye/s: NWU Pukke Young Guns, UFS Shimlas Young Guns

#### Final
## Koshuis Rugby Championship
### Competition Rules

There were eight participating teams in the 2016 Koshuis Rugby Championship competition, the winners of the internal leagues of each of the eight Varsity Cup teams. These teams were divided into two pools and each team played every team in the other pool once over the course of the season, either 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 seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top two teams overall qualified for the title play-off final.

### Teams

| 2016 Koshuis Rugby Championship teams |
| Team | University | Stadium |
| Dagbreek (SU) | Stellenbosch University | Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch |
| Harlequins (NMMU) | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University | NMMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Mopanie (UP) | University of Pretoria | LC de Villiers Stadium, Pretoria |
| Oppierif (UJ) | University of Johannesburg | UJ Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Patria (NWU) | North-West University | Fanie du Toit Sport Ground, Potchefstroom |
| Rhinos (CUT) | Central Institute of Technology | CUT Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| Tornadoes (UCT) | University of Cape Town | UCT Rugby Fields, Cape Town |
| Vishuis (UFS) | University of the Free State | Shimla Park, Bloemfontein |

### Standings

The final league standings for the 2016 Koshuis Rugby Championship were:
| 2016 Koshuis Rugby Championship log |
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts |
| 1 | Patria (NWU) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 171 | 44 | +127 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | Vishuis (UFS) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 167 | 26 | +141 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| 3 | Dagbreek (SU) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 121 | 79 | +42 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 4 | Mopanie (UP) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 103 | 135 | −36 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| 5 | Rhinos (CUT) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 83 | 125 | −42 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 6 | Oppierif (UJ) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 73 | 149 | −76 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | Tornadoes (UCT) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 69 | 137 | −68 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 8 | Harlequins (NMMU) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 127 | −92 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| * Legend: Pos = Position, Pl = Played, W = Won, D = Drawn, L = Lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TB = Try bonus points, LB = Losing bonus points, Pts = Log points The top two teams qualified to the final. Points breakdown: *4 points for a win *2 points for a draw *1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less *1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match |

### Matches

The following matches were played in the 2016 Koshuis Rugby Championship:

#### Round one

* Bye/s: Dagbreek (SU), Vishuis (UFS)

#### Round two

* Bye/s: Mopanie (UP), Patria (NWU)

#### Round three

* Bye/s: Dagbreek (SU), Rhinos (CUT)

#### Round four

* Bye/s: Oppierif (UJ), Tornadoes (UCT)

#### Round five

* Bye/s: Harlequins (NMMU), Tornadoes (UCT)

#### Round six

* Bye/s: Harlequins (NMMU), Mopanie (UP), Oppierif (UJ), Patria (NWU), Rhinos (CUT), Vishuis (UFS)