The 2025 Varsity Cup was the 18th season of the Varsity Cup, the top competition in the annual Varsity Rugby series in men's rugby union. It was played between 17 February and 14 April 2025 and featured eight university teams.
One of the key storylines of the season was the resurgence, securing a place in the semifinals following a crucial 29‑19 victory over Stellenbosch's in late March. In the championship match at the in Stellenbosch, the captured the title with an emphatic 44‑21 win over Mat, claiming their third Varsity Cup crown. The final was played in front of a packed stadium, highlighting the continued growth in popularity of university rugby in South Africa.
Competition rules and information
There were eight participating university teams in the 2025 Varsity Cup. They played each other once during the pool stage, 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 seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top four teams after the pool stage qualified for the semifinals, which were followed by a final.
Teams
Location of teams in the 2025 Varsity Cup Western Cape
The teams that played in the 2025 Varsity Cup are:
2025 Varsity Cup teams Team name University Stadium North-West University Stellenbosch University University of the Free State University of Cape Town University of the Witwatersrand University of Johannesburg Central University of Technology University of Pretoria UP Tuks Stadium
Standings 2025 Varsity Cup Log The final log for the 2025 Varsity Cup was:
2025 Varsity Cup log Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts 1 7 6 0 1 248 131 +115 5 1 30 2 7 5 0 2 254 183 +71 5 1 27 3 7 5 0 2 273 180 +93 4 2 26 4 7 4 0 3 249 258 −9 4 2 22 5 7 4 0 3 324 161 +175 4 1 21 6 7 3 0 4 140 300 −170 2 1 11 7 7 1 0 6 164 265 −103 4 1 9 8 7 0 0 7 147 321 −172 1 2 5
Legend and competition rules Legend: Qualified for the semifinals. P = Games played, W = Games won, D = Games drawn, L = Games 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 Competition rules: Qualification:
Round-by-round
Team Progression – 2025 Varsity Cup Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 Semi Final 4 (4th) 5 (4th) 10 (4th) 15 (3rd) 16 (3rd) 21 (3rd) 25 (2nd) Won Won 5 (3rd) 10 (2nd) 15 (1st) 20 (1st) 25 (1st) 25 (2nd) 30 (1st) Won Lost 2 (5th) 7 (3rd) 12 (2nd) 12 (4th) 16 (4th) 17 (4th) 22 (4th) Lost 5 (1st) 10 (1st) 12 (3rd) 17 (2nd) 21 (2nd) 26 (1st) 27 (2nd) Lost 0 (7th) 1 (7th) 3 (7th) 3 (7th) 8 (6th) 8 (7th) 9 (7th) 5 (2nd) 4 (5th) 4 (6th) 5 (6th) 6 (7th) 11 (6th) 11 (6th) 0 (6th) 1 (6th) 6 (5th) 11 (5th) 11 (5th) 16 (5th) 21 (5th) 0 (8th) 1 (8th) 2 (8th) 2 (8th) 3 (8th) 5 (8th) 5 (8th) The table above shows a team's progression throughout the season.For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets.Key: win draw loss
Pool stage
Matches
The following matches were played in the 2025 Varsity Cup:
Round one
Round two
Round three
Round four
Round five
Round six
Round seven
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
FB 15Eldridge Jack RW 14Joel LeotlelaOC 13Ryan ManuelIC 12CJ Marx LW 11Grant De JagerFH 10Christiaan van Heerden Smith SH 9 Ezekiel Ngobeni (c) N8 8 Ethan SnymanOF 7 Luan Botha BF 6 Fortune MpofuRL 5 Carel Van Der Merwe LL 4 Zuko PoswaTP 3 Herman Lubbe HK 2 Armand Combrink LP 1 Prince Mulea Replacements:HK 16CJ Erasmus PR 17Janu Basson PR 18Jason Johnson LK 19Michael Chettoa LF 20Reuben Kruger SH 21Mckyle Volmoer CE 22Samuel Badenhorst FB 23Dylan Miller Coach: Kabamba Floors FB 15Duran Rayn KoevortRW 14Rethabile LouwOC 13Thomas NelIC 12Luke Burger LW 11Ntokozo MakhazaFH 10Alex vermeulen SH 9 Monray Daars N8 8 Xola Nyali OF 7 Connor Jack GordonBF 6 Siphomezo Dyonase (c)RL 5 Danio Botha LL 4 Enos NdiaoTP 3 Zachary Porthen HK 2 Keagan Blanckenberg LP 1 Matthew Beckett Replacements:HK 16J Lombard PR 17M Khuzwayo PR 18J Okonkwo LK 19K Mills N8 20A Da Costa SH 21J Miller FH 22K Davis CE 23A Norris Coach:Robbie Fleck Player of the Match: Keagan Blanckenberg
Assistant referees: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa), Jonathan Lottering (South Africa) Television match official: Egon Seconds (South Africa)
Honours
The honour roll for the 2025 Varsity Cup was as follows:
2025 Varsity Cup Honours Champions: (3rd title) Player That Rocks: Ntokozo Makhaza, Forward That Rocks: Carel van der Merwe, Back That Rocks: Ntokozo Makhaza, Rookie of the year: Alzeadon Felix, Top Points Scorer: Ntokozo Makhaza, (118)
Young Guns
Results
The following matches were played in the 2025 Young Guns Varsity Cup tournament:
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Round 5
Round 6
Semi finals
Finals
References