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Maties players named best in Varsity Cup tournament
Author: Maties Sport Media
Published: 19/04/2017

Every dark cloud has a silver lining and for the Maties rugby team it is the individual awards received by Kobus van Dyk and Craig Barry for their play in this year's Varsity Cup tournament.

On Monday, Maties lost against UP-Tuks in the final of the Varsity Cup in Pretoria. The score was 21-28.

However, after the final Van Dyk was not only named the Player of the Tournament, but also the "Forward that Rocks". Barry, Maties' captain, was named the "Back that Rocks".

The duo along with Duncan Saal were also included in the Varsity Cup Dream Team that will play against the Junior Springboks in the Danie Craven Stadium on Tuesday (25 April). There are also three Maties on the bench. They are Ernst Stapelberg, Michal Haznar and Johan Momsen.

Although the players are very disappointed, Barry made it clear that the defeat cannot undo the good things that have happened over the past few months.

"The tournament was actually a huge success for us. Several players had the opportunity to prove themselves and were very successful. It wasn't the end that we had worked or planned for, but there are many positive aspects that we can take from the tournament. As a team we are not defined by the defeat, but by the collective effort we all put in during the run-up and course of the tournament," Barry said.

It was Barry's last Varsity Cup tournament. With 42 games he is the player who made the most appearances ever in the competition and with his 16 tries – nine in this year's competition – he is also Varsity Cup's leading try-scorer.

Maties' Miss Varsity Cup finalist Lethukwenama Letsoalo was crowned first princess. The crown went to the University of Pretoria's Gizelle Venske.