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Ikey Tigers

The Ikey Tigers are a South African rugby union team from the University of Cape Town in the Western Cape who compete in the FNB Varsity Cup.

History

The "Ikey" nickname originated in the 1910s as an antisemitic epithet applied to UCT students by the students of Stellenbosch University, because of the supposed large number of Jewish students at UCT.

Since the inception of the FNB Varsity Cup, the Ikey Tigers have been one of the strongest competitors, winning the title three times, in 2011, 2014 and 2025, and finishing runners up five times.

Stadium

The Ikey Tigers play their home fixtures on the Groote Schuur Rugby Field which is adjacent to the university campus. The fields are known commonly by UCT students as The Green Mile. Since the inception of the Varsity Cup, the field has not met the required standards for night fixtures which has resulted in UCT playing two "home" finals away, namely in 2008 when they had to travel to Stellenbosch to play Maties and in 2011 when they had to travel to Pretoria to play Tuks. On 7 March 2011 the UCT rugby club received a $1 million donation from Neville Isdell which allowed them to dust off their longtime plans to build a proper rugby stadium.

Rivalries

The Ikey Tigers main rivalry is with Stellenbosch University's Maties. The rivalry is fuelled by the relative geographical proximity of the two universities, and their status as the two top universities in the Western Cape.

Results:

Season standings

Individual records

  • Tries (Season): Mathew Turner (9 tries in 2008); Therlow Pietersen (7 tries in 2011); Therlow Pietersen (6 tries in 2009)
  • Tries (Career): Therlow Pietersen (15 in 2009–11); Marcello Sampson (14 in 2008–10); Nyasha Tarusenga (14 in 2015–19); Ntokozo Makhaza (14 in 2022–2024)
  • Most Points (Season): Demetri Catrakilis (136 in 2011)
  • Most Points (Career): Ntokozo Makhaza (267 in 2024–2025)

Player awards

  • 2008 Top Try Scorer – Mathew Turner (9 tries)
  • 2009 Top Try Scorer – Therlow Pietersen (6 tries)
  • 2009 Back That Rocks – Therlow Pietersen
  • 2011 Top Try Scorer – Therlow Pietersen (7 tries)
  • 2011 Top Points Scorer – Demetri Catrakilis (136 points)
  • 2014 Forward That Rocks – Shaun McDonald
  • 2024 Overall Player That Rocks – Ntokozo Makhaza

Notable players and coaches

See also

References

External links