The Walter Sisulu University All Blacks camp are bracing for what they have described as their biggest test in the 2026 Varsity Shield as they welcome the University of the Western Cape to the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane on Friday (7pm).
The two teams are the only ones not to taste defeat in the competition so far.
UWC are top of the table after their bonus-point wins over the Fort Hare University Blues and Cape Peninsula University of Technology.
In those games, they showed a high-tempo and clinical attacking style, something that is former Blitzboks coach and now UWC mentor Paul Treu’s philosophy.
Despite their focus on speed, UWC has maintained a dominant forward pack to get an edge in set-pieces and use powerful rolling mauls to set an early tone in matches.
“They are a well-coached team by someone who is well-travelled,” the WSU All Blacks’ Thembani Mkokeli said.
“They have good running backs, but that is not where they are at their strongest, as many people would think.
“Their forwards are the reason they are among the dominant teams in the competition. Once you give them an easy run in the set-pieces, they hurt you.
“If you watch Fort Hare and CPUT, they laid the platform and got over the advantage line in their carries, which made the game very open.
“That is the first aspect we have been speaking about in camp; we can’t let them get easy ball from the breakdowns and set pieces. We have to make them sweat.
“We have to make sure we put pressure in both halves of the game and not let them have momentum and give them much of the ball because that will hurt us,” he said.
He said there were no major injuries in the squad for the UWC game.
The All Blacks have already been punished for their lapse of concentration, especially in the last 40 minutes in their past two games.
In their draw against Wits, they had a 20-plus lead by halftime but allowed in a plethora of points in the second stanza, with the score eventually ending 27-27.
Against Sol Plaatje University in Kimberley, they leaked three tries in the second half, though they won the game 48-22.
“We started off very well against Wits, but fatigue kicked in, and we ended up drawing the game.
“That hurt us as a team because we were on top of that game against a team that was playing Varsity Cup last year.
“In Kimberley, that second half was again a slight problem, but our bench managed to keep us in the game, and we pulled out the victory,” he said.
Though there are areas in their game that need improvement, Mkokeli said he was happy with how the team had improved this season after almost being relegated in 2025.
“What has helped us is that we have retained 19 or 20 of our players from last year. They understand the system we are using.
“Plus, we had a proper preseason where we played Madibaz, Fort Hare and East London Police as a measure, and those are quality teams,” he said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.