After both sides suffered defeats in their previous away fixtures in the Varsity Cup and Young Guns competitions, respectively, the FNB NWU Eagles and FNB Young Guns bounced back in style.

The Eagles fell short in the City of Gold, losing 35-29 to FNB UJ, while the YGs suffered their first home defeat of the season against FNB UCT YGs. Both sides responded with commanding performances on the road with the Eagles FNB Eagles securing a hard-fought win in Bloemfontein and the YGs claiming bragging rights in the Jacaranda City.

Eagles defeat Shimlas in Bloemfontein

The FNB NWU Eagles defeated the FNB UFS Shimlas 43-31 in an electrifying round four fixture at Shimla Park in Bloemfontein on Monday, 9 March, confirming their second-place position on the 2026 FNB Varsity Cup table.

The visitors took an early 7-0 lead in the sixth minute, but the Shimlas responded in the 20th minute to level the scores. However, the Eagles continued to put pressure on the hosts’ defensive line. Their determination paid off in the 29th minute when they regained the lead to make it 12-7. The visitors maintained their attacking momentum and extended their advantage to 19-7 heading into halftime following a dominant first-half performance.

The second half turned out to be an open, high-scoring contest. The Shimlas came back with high spirits after the break and added 24 points, but the Eagles matched their intensity with an impressive second-half haul of 34 points to claim an impressive 43-31 victory.

The Eagles displayed great attacking play and resilient defence throughout the match, securing a monumental third win of the season for the Purple Army. Ricardo Fourie was named FNB Player That Rocks for his outstanding performance.

Teams

FNB NWU Eagles: Alethwa Buthelezi, Jordan Mcloughlin, Jason Oosthuizen, Tian van Zyl, Schalk du Plessis, Ricardo Fourie, Schalk van Schalkwyk, Guhan du Bois, Zack Serfontein, Ruan van Willing, Therlow Prins, Leejay Petersen, Matthew Fortuin, Luyolo Doyi, Luan van der Walt.

FNB UFS Shimlas: Musa Teboho Moshoaliba, Jacobus Bezuidenhout, Ongeziwe Mobo, HJ de Beer, Juan Venter, Lukas Meyer, Maynard Kleynhans, Liam Shamburg, Erich Visser, Tiaan Kriek, Lilith Lunqe, Freddie Dreyer, Keehan Etson, Kirwin du Preez, Siviwe Zondani.

Young Guns secure commanding victory

In round three of the FNB Young Guns 2026 campaign, the FNB NWU YGs delivered a dominant performance to defeat the FNB Tuks YGs 50-19 at the UP Tuks stadium. This victory puts the NWU YGs in second place in Group B with 11 points, just one point behind log leaders UCT YGs.

The NWU ran an impressive eight tries and added five conversions. The hosts managed three tries and two conversions but were unable to withstand the visitors’ offensive pressure. The result marks a strong turnaround for the YGs, putting them in contention for a spot in the knockout stages.

Teams:

FNB NWU YG: Kian Rademeyer, De Wet du Plooy, Botshelo Motsepe, Enrich Potgieter, Raluano Romano, Liebretch Winterbach, Adrian Freemantle, GJ Steenberg, Dian Smith, Marno Greeff, David Ndala, Philip du Plessis, Lorenzo Kroutz, Vuyo Tshingana, Anele Ngwenya.

FNB Tuks YGs: Indiphile Moltshwa, Danre Pike, JJ du Preez, Keagan Pretorious, Dawid Prinsloo, Khanyisa Stamper, Divan Botha, Cyril Cherayi, Ighnatius Jantjies, Joshua Dampies, Tumelo Mohale, Jonathan Harding, Jason Ocks, Milani Madide, Ronan Bastiaanse