The FNB UJ team will be back in action in front of its home crowd at the University of Johannesburg Stadium in Westdene on Monday, February 11. Photo: Eon Botha/Swirling Light Photography
The suburb of Westdene will be awash with orange when the University of Johannesburg team runs onto the field for its first home game against NWU Pukke in the FNB Varsity Cup tournament at the UJ Stadium on Monday, February 11 (7pm).
“Local rugby fans can look forward to more of the same spectacular ‘sportainment’ as last season,” said senior manager for marketing Flip van Zyl.
“Everything will, quite literally, be bigger and better. We’re going to have some fun with our new giant screen, showing more videos and clips, and our roaming fan-cam will capture random spectators in short interactive videos.
“We are also very excited about a new song called ‘We do it, UJ’, written by one of our students, Peacemaker, who will perform it live.”
With the UJ cheerleaders and Hoopie the mascot rallying the crowds in the 8 500-seater stadium, Van Zyl said the atmosphere promised to be electric.
“The players will once again make their entrance via a tunnel run, complete with smoke, flamethrowers, confetti and pyrotechnics.”
According to UJ coach Hugo van As, the team was in good form after beating the Russian national side in a pre-season friendly.
“Going down to the Maties in the semi-finals last year was very disappointing. We are striving for perfection but at the moment we are taking it one game at a time.”
Van As said the team would be without the services of star junior Springbok flyhalf Marais Schmidt, who is out for the season with a broken jaw.
“It was a heavy blow but we have to handle these setbacks together. We’ve got a few players from the Lions and one from the Sharks now to strengthen our current group.”
The next home game, against FNB UP Tuks, will take place next month on March 11, followed by the FNB UFS Shimlas clash a week later.
Tickets cost R20 and are available at the gate or from the sport shop in the Madibeng Building on the Kingsway Campus. Free park-and-ride facilities from Kingsway Avenue will be in operation two hours before the game.
Residents affected by road closures in the vicinity (see intersections below) can collect entry permits from the community kiosk at the West Sport Field entrance in Aberdeen Street between 3pm and 6pm from February 5 to 7.
On match days, the kiosk will be situated on the grassed area opposite the old Back to Basics restaurant in Auckland Drive from 2pm to 8pm. Please bring a utilities bill as proof of residence and your identification document.
Affected intersections: Maldon Road and Avalanche Street, Motor Street and 1st Street, Warwick Road and Aberdeen Street, Lancaster Road and Aberdeen Street, Lewis Road and Motor/Ararat Street, Lewis Road and Tenby South, Seymour Street and Thornton Road, Stafford Street and Thornton Road, Park Lane South and Dover Street, South Avenue and Thornton Road, Park Lane North and 4th Avenue, Monmouth Road and 4th Avenue, Glasgow Road and 4th Avenue, Ararat Road and Lewis Street, and Ararat Road and 1st Street.
