Beware the PE wind, warns Brandt
FNB NMMU head coach Kolie Brandt is hoping that the notorious Port Elizabeth wind dies down before the opening day of Varsity Cup action in PE on Monday, February 1.
The Men from Port Elizabeth will be hosting three matches on a jam-packed opening day in three Mondays time - an early curtain-raiser between UWC and Fort Hare, before UCT take on Shimlas in Varsity Cup action at 2.30pm and then NMMU host the all-conquering Maties at 4.30pm.
As they ponder that tough first-up encounter with the defending champion Maties, Brandt and his troops have been hard at work on the training field since the start of last October, but - after taking a break in the latter stages of December, before re-assembling last Monday - they have been greeted by severe winds in the aptly-named 'Windy City'.
"We're obviously very excited and looking forward to hosting three matches at our stadium, but hopefully the wind dies down before then - it's not pleasant playing in that kind of weather," Brandt told varsitycup.co.za.
"Wind speeds hit up to 184km/h the other night," he added, "we've had some serious damage here and those strong winds would make rugby virtually impossible!"
However, aside from having to deal with strong winds at their home base, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University also have a fairly tough playing schedule to worry about.
They will be hosting the Maties, UCT and NWU-Pukke at home in 2010, with away games against Shimlas, Tuks, UJ and TUT - and Brandt is under no illusions as to the job at hand in the third installment of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International side.
"Maties, UCT and the Pukke will be pushing for semifinals again, so those are tough games - even at home," lamented the NMMU head coach.
"We worked very hard during the off-season and I was very happy with the condition of the guys when they returned from their break," added Brandt.
"We have a very young team, having lost a few guys since last year - in fact, just three guys in our current squad were involved last year.
"It's quite hard attracting guys to this region, as we don't have a Super 14 franchise, like the Bulls, Sharks or Stormers, for our players (to aim towards)... (but) that's why it would be great for us to get a Super Rugby franchise in this area - it would give our players even more to play for."
NMMU will be playing their only pre-season match - before the Varsity Cup - against the Mighty Elephants' Vodacom Cup team this coming Monday.