2015 Varsity Shield
| 2015 Varsity Shield | |
|---|---|
| Countries | South Africa |
| Date | 2 February – 6 April 2015 |
| Champions | UKZN Impi (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Wits |
| Promoted | None |
| Matches played | 21 |
| Attendance | |
| Tries scored | 173 (average 8.238 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Brandan Hewitt (133) |
| Top try scorer | James Verity-Amm (11) |
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← 2014
2016 →
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The 2015 Varsity Shield was contested from 2 February to 6 April 2015. The tournament (also known as the FNB Varsity Shield presented by Steinhoff International for sponsorship reasons) was the fifth season of the Varsity Shield, an annual second-tier inter-university rugby union competition featuring five South African universities.
The tournament was won by UKZN Impi for the first time; they beat Wits 29–24 in the final played on 6 April 2015. No team was promoted to the top-tier Varsity Cup competition for 2016.
There were five participating universities in the 2015 Varsity Shield. These teams played each other twice over the course of the season, once at home and once away.
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top two teams qualified for the title play-offs. The team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finished second.
There was no promotion/relegation between the Varsity Cup and the Varsity Shield at the end of 2015.
The 2015 Varsity Shield used a different scoring system than the common scoring system. Tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points instead of two, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points instead of three.
The following teams took part in the 2015 Varsity Shield competition:
The final league standings for the 2015 Varsity Shield were:
The top two teams qualify to the final, with the higher-placed team having home advantage.
Points breakdown:
* 4 points for a win
* 2 points for a draw
* 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less
* 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
The table below shows each team's progression throughout the season. For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets:
The 2015 Varsity Shield fixtures were released as follows:
The TUT Vikings hooker and captain Hamish Herd scored two tries to help his side to a 21–16 victory over UFH Blues in Pretoria to initially end the round in second spot. However, this result was later expunged and the fixture was awarded as a win to UFH Blues, with a scoreline of 0–0. This meant that UFH Blues moved into topped the log after Round One. The UKZN Impi moved into second spot on the log following a 16–5 victory over UWC in Cape Town, with fly-half Inny Radebe scoring a try and two conversions for the away side, ahead of joint-third sides TUT Vikings and newly relegated Wits who had a bye in this round. UWC were bottom of the log after the first round.
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