CAPE TOWN – UWC and UCT will play for the Chester Williams Memorial Trophy when they meet in the Varsity Cup at Loftus Versfeld on Monday.
Williams coached UWC to the 2017 and 2018 Varsity Shield titles, the second of which earned them promotion to the Varsity Cup.
The 1995 World Cup-winning Springbok legend tragically passed away on 6 September 2019 at the age of 49. However, his legacy lives on, particularly at the University of the Western Cape where he made such a massive contribution.
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It’s therefore fitting that UWC will play for a trophy bearing Williams’ name in a tournament that meant so much to him.
“Following engagements with the Chester Williams Foundation and family, UWC and the UCT Ikeys have resolved to play our Varsity Cup derbies in honour and memory of Chester Williams,” UWC Director of Sport Administration, Mandla Gagayi, tells VarsityCup.co.za.
“The reason for this collaboration is that Chester was always enthusiastic and looking forward to playing against the UCT Ikeys, whether in the WP league or Varsity Cup, because he always believed that UCT is the only club that could give UWC an honest measure of their progress.
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“Our players’ familiarity also provides a perfect platform to create good competition, while also honouring Chester’s memory," Gagayi adds.
The floating trophy, provided by UWC, will be competed for on an annual basis in the Varsity Cup. Should one of the teams fall out of the tournament, their WP league encounter would become the memorial match.
Monday’s Varsity Cup clash between UWC and UCT at Loftus will kick off at 17:00 and be broadcast live on the SuperSport Rugby channel (211).
Varsity Cup