After suffering a 50-33 loss to FNB UWC in the opening round of the 2025 Varsity Shield, FNB WSU is determined to bounce back in round 2. They are set to face FNB UKZN on Thursday, 20 February and captain, Lukhangele Tshayi says there are positives to take from their round one defeat.
“Our set piece was good last week, but execution and finishing let us down,” said Tshayi.
“Those are the key factors we want to work on. The work at the breakdown wasn’t the best and defense-wise, we need to do well.
“I thought we defended well for periods, but our communication must be at its best if we want to win.”
WSU was almost blown away by UWC but managed to score four tries of their own, courtesy of Mangaliso Zixesha, Qhayiya Makhalima, Axola Mtalana, and Khanyo Solani.
Tshayi expressed pride in his team's resilience despite the cards dealt against them.
“I think we showed them too much respect and that allowed them to dominate the early exchanges in the game.
“Nevertheless, the positive is that the boys showed character and despite the score, we tried our best.”
The skipper is one of the team's most experienced players, having donned the black and white jersey for three years.
He stressed the importance of bouncing back against UKZN as well as building momentum and asserting themselves as title contenders this season.
“This is an important season for us. We are under pressure as players and the coaches as well are expected to deliver.
“We have been trying for years, and we finally need to put all the pieces together. We want to win it for our fans, and It starts this week against UKZN.”
Kick-off between the two teams is at 19:00.
Fixtures: HERE
Tickets: HERE
By: Avuyile Sawula
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