Rugby World Cup-winning coach and former Director of Rugby of SA Rugby, Johan “Rassie” Erasmus, is to be awarded an honorary doctorate by the North-West University (NWU). The NWU Council approved the decision during their ordinary meeting on Thursday, 16 November 2023. The request for the awarding of the degree Philosophiae Doctor (Honoris Causa), in the discipline Coaching Science, was made by the NWU’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Two rounds and two resounding wins. The North-West University (NWU) Eagles gave their home crowd at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds enough to cheer about as they beat the University of the Western Cape (UWC) 49–15 in their Varsity Cup clash.

A purple wave of six tries washed over the visitors and the tide was firmly in the Eagles’ favour. Telling is the – perhaps mournful – fact that a number of opportunities for the home team went to waste. The Eagles should have won by a bigger margin, and they will be the first to admit it.

How’s that for laying down a marker? The North-West University (NWU) Eagles, the defending champions, showed no ring rust as they got their Varsity Cup campaign off to the best of starts by beating Maties 23-12 at the hallowed Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch.

The tennis courts on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU) will once again play host to some of the world’s top junior players when two ITF J100 tournaments serve their first volleys on 26 February.

ITF is an acronym for the International Tennis Federation, which is the governing body of world tennis.

The tournaments, the last of which will conclude on 8 March, will once again showcase the NWU’s world-class facilities and underline why the university is the preferred destination for international athletes and events.

His name is Schalk, Schalk Pretorius. And if it had not been for Schalk Pretorius, the North-West University (NWU) would have lost a tennis champion.

Many years ago, in the maize farming community of Bothaville, a young Schalk decided that he wanted to play tennis. Very well, said Mom Erika and Dad Vickus, you will play tennis. If the one child plays, the other one does too, and Schalk’s three-year-old sister Suzanie – still more toddler than person – also received a racket in the hand.

She is by no means overly tall, and on the netball court she is often surrounded by skyscrapers. However, heart and courage are not measured in centimetres, and Martiné Jordaan from the North-West University (NWU) is a firebrand on the court.

She has even caught the eye of the selectors for the Protea team, and from 22 to 28 January she was part of a national training camp in Stellenbosch.

Here her fearlessness was clearly apparent, but she says she undergoes a metamorphosis when she leaves the court.

It is a dance of swift feet and balls travelling in soaring arcs. It is a tapestry of teamwork, sewn together by threads of unrelenting attacks and staunch defence. Netball is a sport like no other, and one the North-West University (NWU) has mastered.

“Take a break, please!” shouts coach Riaan Venter to the players under his direct supervision on the court at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds. It is mid-January, a month and a bit removed from the triumph of the North-West University (NWU) Eagles at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tennis tournament in Makhanda, formerly known as Grahamstown.

By: Phenyo Mokgothu and Lerato Tshweu

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus ladies football team has been crowned stream B University Sports South Africa (USSA) champions after they defeated Nelson Mandela University by 1-0 in the final of the tournament hosted at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology from 4 to 8 December 2023.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus is gearing up to be the host of the 22nd edition of the Southern African Universities Staff Sports Association (SAUSSA) games.

Taking place from 11 to 15 December 2023, the event is poised to draw member universities from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, promoting a spirit of sportsmanship and camaraderie.

Annually convened in December, the games are hosted on a rotational basis among member universities, with staff members participating in recreational sports, arts, and cultural activities.