'Play-offs a different story'
Former Springbok wing Breyton Paulse believes the FNB Maties will be hard to stop as the business-end of the 2010 Varsity Cup approaches, but he has warned them of the 'one-off' pressure they will face in the semifinals.
As a former Stellenbosch student - and Maties rugby star - Breyton is backing his old team to win a third successive FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International title, but he cautioned: "Play-offs are a one-off and anything can happen.
"That said, it is hard to see the Maties give up their title... They are setting the trend, once again, this year and they seem to be taking things to another level, having not lost a game."
The Ikey Tigers pushed Stellenbosch all the way last Monday, going down 17-23 in an entertaining match at the Danie Craven Stadium, and Paulse thinks John Dobson's charges are the only side capable of stopping the Maties juggernaut this year.
"It was a great match - two teams were out there trying to play running rugby and there was such a nice vibe at the stadium with a huge crowd," he said of last week's Cape Derby.
"I think that UCT are the only team capable of beating the Maties and, who knows, had they taken their chances, they could easily have done so (last Monday)," added the 64-Test veteran.
"When it comes to the play-offs, however, it's chances like that you need to take and that's why the Ikeys could be a danger [for the Maties] in the knockout stages."
The Maties - according to Paulse - will win their final-round league fixture later today against the FNB Pukke (kick-off 4.30pm), which means the Ikeys would 'simply' need to score a bonus point against the FNB Tuks (at 6.30pm) in order to book a third successive home semifinal, along with Stellenbosch.
The ex-Bok speedster old varsitycup.co.za: "The Pukke will be hurting after last year's final loss and they will feel they owe the Maties one. (But) the Maties will be on a high and determined to go into the semifinals unbeaten. It will be a good test for them, but I think they [the Maties] will win it.
"I think Shimlas will beat UJ to that fourth semifinal place, which means we could, perhaps, see another all-Cape final," he added.
"It would be great to see the Maties up against the Ikeys in the final again, but I am certainly not writing the other teams off - either way, however, the semifinals will be huge and yet another fantastic occasion in this tremendous tournament."
Paulse, the Master of Ceremonies at the 2010 Varsity Cup launch at the end of January, is clearly a big Varsity Cup fan and he concluded: "I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I wish we had the Varsity Cup around in my playing days. It puts players on the map, look how many guys have gone on to play professional rugby since making a name for themselves in the Varsity Cup?
"The reward is there and the rugby is great and everyone has fun - both on and off the field - but, let me tell you, the coaches and players work hard and I cannot blame them; it's a tournament worth winning."