Madibaz to face Ikeys

FNB NMMU Madibaz will travel to Cape Town this coming week, where they will face the defending FNB Varsity Cup champions UCT on Monday.

NMMU's captain, Jarryd Buys, will also make his return to the starting XV after missing the first two matches, and his presence will definitely bolster the Madibaz against a tough Ikeys side.

Madibaz head coach David Maidza welcomed Buys's return and said his leadership would help to guide the players in the right direction.

"I feel like we are gaining momentum as a team in this competition and I don't want to make too many changes to the squad at this point," said Maidza.

Madibaz, however, did make some strategic reshuffling to accommodate Buys at fullback.

Stand-in fullback Tythan Adams will return to his natural position at right wing, while acting captain CJ Velleman will slot back into the vice-captaincy.

Andisa Ntsila will be sitting out the next game due to a slight concussion, with Ivan-John du Preez moving off the bench to claim the number eight spot.

Brian Skosana will move from right to left wing, replacing Yamkela Ngam, who will be absent from the game due to a slight knock.

Devon Lailvaux holds onto the inside centre at number 12, while Andile Jho returns from his rest to start at outside centre.

Creswin Josephs moves to the bench for next week's game, while Stephan Zaayman gets his start ahead of Wynand Grassman, who joins the replacements.

Jody Reyneke will return from his three-week layoff to reclaim his position as utility forward, and Khaya Malotana will also come in to cover the backs on the bench.

Maidza said he was happy with the way the players were improving as a team and working diligently to advance their game strategies.

"We are satisfied to have claimed victory this week, but there are still many tasks ahead and we need to constantly push to perform better than we did in the last game if we want to succeed in this tournament."

FNB Madibaz:

15 Jarryd Buys (captain) 14 Tythan Adams 13 Andile Jho 12 Devon Lailvaux 11 Brian Skosana 10 Ruan Allerston 9 Daniel Acker 8 Ivan-John Du Preez 7 Stephan Zaayman 6 CJ Velleman (vc) 5 Rob Louw 4 Paul Tyler 3 Steven Robesson 2 Dane van der Westerhuizen 1 Arno Ebersohn

Replacements:

16 Warrick Venter 17 Brenden Olivier 18 Wynand Grassman 19 Jody Reyneke 20 Ivan Ludick 21 Crerswin Josephs 22 Khaya Malotana 23 Marzuq Maarman