Relegated Wits | Runners-up NWU Pukke Matches played 31 | |
 | ||
Date 3 February – 7 April 2014 Champions UCT Ikey Tigers (2nd title) | ||
The 2014 Varsity Cup was contested from 3 February to 7 April 2014. The tournament (also known as the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International for sponsorship reasons) was the seventh season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-university rugby union competition featuring eight South African universities.
Contents
The tournament was won by UCT Ikey Tigers for the second time; they beat NWU Pukke 39–33 in the final played on 7 April 2014. Wits were automatically relegated to the second-tier Varsity Shield competition for 2015, but UJ won their relegation play-off match against UKZN Impi to remain in the Varsity Cup for 2015.
Rules
The Varsity Cup used a different scoring system to the regular system. Tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points.
All Varsity Cup games also had two referees officiating each game, props' jerseys featured a special gripping patch to ensure better binding, intended to reduce collapsing scrums and the mark will be extended to the entire field.
Competition
There were eight participating universities in the 2014 Varsity Cup. These teams played each other once over the course of the season, either home or 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 four teams qualified for the title play-offs. In the semi-finals, the team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finished fourth, while the team that finished second had home advantage against the team that finished third. The winners of these semi-finals played each other in the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.
The bottom team in the Varsity Cup was relegated to the 2015 Varsity Shield competition, while the Varsity Shield winner was promoted to the 2015 Varsity Cup. There was also a promotion/relegation match between the 7th-placed team in the Varsity Cup and the Varsity Shield runner-up at the end of the 2014 season.
Teams
The following teams took part in the 2014 Varsity Cup competition:
Standings
The final league standings for the 2014 Varsity Cup were:
Fixtures and results
The 2014 Varsity Cup fixtures were as follows:
Player statistics
The following table contain points which have been scored in competitive games in the 2014 Varsity Cup:
Squad lists
The teams released the following squad lists:
Referees
The following referees officiated matches in the 2014 Varsity Cup: