The 2017 Varsity Netball competition is something of the past after a scintillating final in Pretoria on Monday that was won by UP-Tuks. Here are your final five facts from the final:
‘Unbeaten’ curse continues
Still no team has gone through a competition unbeaten. NWU lost their one and only match in the final. This is the fourth time in five years that this has occurred to a team, suffering their first and only loss in the final. It also happened to NWU in 2013.
Triple for coach Jenny
Jenny van Dyk of Tuks became the first coach to win the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League (BFNPL), National Championship and Varsity Netball in the same year.
First for Tuks
Tuks join Kovsies (twice) and NWU (twice) as the only three teams to have lifted the Varsity Netball trophy.
Winners in abundance
Five players from Tuks – Tshina Mdau, Marlize de Bruin, Lungile Mthembu, Shadine van der Merwe and Jasmine Ziegelmeier – joined six former Kovsies to have won all four major competitions in South African netball – the BFNPL, the National Champ, Varsity Netball and the University Sport South Africa (USSA) tournament.
Repeat of 2013
The 84 goals scored in the final was the same amount in 2013’s final when Kovsies beat NWU by 44-40 in Potchefstroom.
