Verster boost for underfire TUT
FNB TUT Vikings captain flanker Emile Verster was today cleared to play against UCT this coming Monday, despite being sent off in a Varsity Cup - and Pretoria Derby - clash against Tuks earlier this week.
"I never doubted my innocence as I did nothing to warrant a red card.
"All I did before I was sent off was to ask the referee (Mlungiseli Mdashe) why he awarded the penalty to Tuks on the wrong spot," Verster told varsitycup.co.za.
"After the game I asked him why I got a red card. He replied that he heard me saying: 'Open your eyes, you arse'. If those words were used, it was not by me as all the players in the immediate vicinity were prepared to testify too," he added.
Even so, Verster could relax only after the case against was thrown out at noon today (Friday).
"A formal hearing did not even take place, as the presiding officer found too many conflicting issues in the referees' report," explained Verster.
Meanwhile, FNB Vikings assistant coach Jimmy Watt was relieved at the outcome, saying: "It was a week of frustration and disruption. I'm just glad to now put it behind us."
With Verster being cleared, the only change to the Vikings starting line-up - which went down 30-42 to Tuks on February 15 - is on the other side of the scrum where Alfred Khoza has been replaced by Blue Bulls Vodacom Cup player Vincent Gwavu.
Khoza will warm the bench against the Ikey Tigers, who are second on the 2010 Varsity Cup log and are yet to taste defeat this season - or at all against TUT in the history of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
The FNB TUT Vikings team: 15 Hansie Graaff, 14 Johan Swartz, 13 Jaco Oosthuizen, 12 Lutho Nyeka, 11 Thabo Motau, 10 Jacques Venter, 9 Manny Raposo, 8 Wikus Botes, 7 Emile Verster (captain), 6, Vincent Gwavu, 5, Dewald van Deventer 4 Johan Steenkamp, 3 Braam van der Merwe, 2 Dean Muir, 1 Juan Pike.
Replacements: 16 Alfred Khoza, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Werner Lourens, 19 Ryno Lopes, 20 Theunis Schoeman, 21 Simphiwe Mtkulu, 22 Ruan van Loo, 23 Johann Visser.
Date: Monday, February 22
Venue: Groote Schuur
Kick-off: 4.30pm (Live on SuperSport One)
Referee: Luke Burger
By Morris Gilbert