Sharks legend Jacques Botes has been contracted as part of Burger van der Westhuizen’s coaching staff for the upcoming club rugby competitions, which – given his abundance of experience – can prove to be an astute signing.

There are two flights of stairs leading to the first floor of the North-West University’s High Performance Institute. Traversing these stairs you will find, on the one side, photographs of the sports managers who have led the NWU to the top echelons of varsity glory. Helené Botha guided the NWU netball squad to Varsity Cup glory, as did Conrad de Swardt with cricket, Mervyn Taylor and Ronel Emms with rugby, Terseus Liebenberg with athletics.

North-West University (NWU) alumnus Thulani Tlhapi has proven that netball is not a sport only women can excel in.

Jean Verster’s enthusiasm is contagious. World champions can attest to this – just ask Caster Semenya and many others.

Chederick van Wyk was born in the year of champions, and that is what he has become. The world first met this future sprinter on 18 February 1995, a few months before the Springboks lifted the Web Ellis Trophy on a historic afternoon at Ellis Park. Destiny also had a plan for the young boy from Prieska.

The North-West University Eagles are off to a solid start in the 2021 Varsity Cup tournament with two wins from three games. They first beat the Madibaz from NMMU 47–28 and old rivals Shimlas 32–22 before André Pretorius’s side came undone against Tukkies in a resounding 33–15 loss.

Covid-19 has revolutionised how businesses and other institutions are run. The sports industry is no exception and has been massively affected by the global pandemic. Even though the industry has been broadcasting sports events for more than two decades now, this has been limited to professional teams and clubs.

The Eagles have landed! The NWU got their Varsity Cup campaign off to a winning start by beating the Madibaz from NMMU by 47–28 in Pretoria on Monday, 5 April.

Jo-Ané van Dyk has just completed and hour-long physio session, but – like always – her personality is bubbling like champagne. “No,” says the 23-year-old javelin champion of the North-West University (NWU), there are no injuries: “Just maintenance work!”

There are loose forwards blessed with the flair and razzmatazz reserved for their much more flamboyant brothers in the backline. They are the Kwagga Smiths and Bobby Skinstads who can step and swerve with the best of them. They have a deceptive turn of space and silky hands, and they know how to execute those deft touches that open up defences.