News24.com | Cheetahs' signing of NWU star shows unions are tapping into value-for-money Varsity Cup market

• The Cheetahs' signing of NWU Eagles hooker Vernon Paulo illustrates again that there is value in the Varsity Cup market.
• In fact, a whole host of stars are making their mark in this year's Currie Cup or are primed to do so from next season.
• The Pumas and Griquas in particular have been shrewd in tapping into this sphere for recruitment.

The Cheetahs on Monday announced that they had signed Vernon Paulo on a two-year deal, a piece of recruitment that once again highlights the latent value to be had in targeting Varsity Cup stars.

The NWU Eagles hooker, part of their title-winning squad this year, is part of a substantial group of young men who have made their debuts in this season's Currie Cup campaign or will be available from next year onwards.

News24 takes a look.

VERNON PAULO (Cheetahs)

An Oakdale alumnus, Paulo was superb as an Eagles' dynamo in the front-row, eye-catchingly bustling but also willing to put in the hard yards in terms of work rate.

He reserved his best performance for when the stakes were at their highest - a thrilling final against Ikeys.

Paulo scored a brace of tries and also memorably flattened opposition half-back Asad Moos in the second half in a Man of the Match showing.

The Cheetahs wasted little time stating that they are "proud to have such a hard-working young man to add to the team".

RUAN 'SAMPIE' SWIEGERS (Pumas)

Much like Marcell Coetzee, Swiegers hails from the rugby backwaters of Empangeni and moved to NWU solely to study before he caught the eye playing hostel (koshuis) rugby.

Chaka Willemse, the Eagles' grizzled assistant coach, realised the young prop was the son of his former Bulls team-mate, Gielie, and took him under his wing.

Swiegers was inspirational in his final year of varsity rugby, proving an outstanding leader and, importantly, is an accomplished and sometimes devastating scrummer, a rare commodity in many upcoming front-row forwards.

READ | One for the late bloomers: Eagles skipper Sampie Swiegers, the Varsity Cup's made man

Acutely aware of how hard he's had to work to get here, he'll fit in seamlessly in Jimmy Stonehouse's regime in Nelspruit.

DYLAN SJOBLOM (Griquas)

Back in 2020, just as local rugby was restarting, the Bulls heralded their new focus on making club rugby a genuine pipeline by calling up three Under-21 players from their amateur structures, men who weren't contracted to the union.

One of them was Sjoblom, a patently unknown lock from Bergvlam in Nelspruit.

His limited yet influential exploits in Pretoria caught the eye of the ambitious Shimlas and subsequently he became a vital cog in a forward pack that has to provide a platform for its attractive brand of play.

Rangy and athletic - Sjoblom has a sevens background from his school days - the second rower has proven equally adept in both the No 4 and No 5 jerseys.

Griquas coach Pieter Bergh relishes reliable and versatile locks - think Derik Pretorius - and wasted little time adding another to the roster.

THABO NDIMANDE (Griquas)   

A hasty centre at Hans Moore on the East Rand, the 23-year-old's move to flanker paid off as his pace and compact frame made him an ideal opensider who plays towards the ball and possesses the game-breaking ability of a Jaco Kriel.

Covid-19 denied him the opportunity to stake a claim for the Junior Springboks, but his Benoni roots meant he could gain experience in the Valke junior structures early and then decided to move to Bloemfontein.

His rise was gradual as he used 2021's Varsity Cup bubble to establish himself and then flourished to the extent that he was arguably the Shimlas' most valuable player in 2022, as well as the official Forward of the Tournament.

Bergh has used the same approach, beating a steady path alongside Ndimande before unleashing him in the middle of this year's Currie Cup campaign.

ANDRE FOUCHE (Pumas)

Following in Jeandre Rudolph's footsteps, Fouche went from NWU Eagles star to cult hero at the Mbombela Stadium.

STEFAN COETZEE (Pumas)

Plucked out of relative obscurity - he grew up in the remote mining town of Aggeneys in the Northern Cape - by the Bulls at junior level, Coetzee saw his initial dreams being derailed by shoulder and ankle injuries.

Out of the spotlight, he worked his backside off as Tuks took a punt on him and eventually installed him as one of their talismans.

Lanky and elusive, Coetzee's attacking manner reminds of the legendary Wallabies fullback Chris Latham and he was instrumental in Tuks' back-to-back Varsity Cup titles in 2021 and 2022.

Shrewdly, Stonehouse jumped at the opportunity and now seems keen to use him as a strike-runner at No 13, especially with Diego Appollis off to the Sharks.

JANDRE DE BEER (Griffons)

Hamstrung by a limited budget, the Griffons made the shrewd decision to add the Ixias play-maker and skipper to their roster.

Blessed with nimble footwork and consistently a purposeful runner, De Beer is an ideal option for the Currie Cup's also-rans because he can play both flyhalf and inside centre.

A senior-level gig in an environment where he can not only gain experience but, arguably, only flourish personally seems ideal.