Tshwane University of Technology's Bushy Moloi says the Varsity Football semi-final will once again be played for the pride of Tshwane.

TUT face their familiar city rivals UP-Tuks in this season’s one semi-final. The other semi-final is an all-Johannesburg affair again, with league-toppers UJ up against Wits.

TUT and UP-Tuks have been involved in titanic contests in Varsity Football over the years, and this semi-final will no doubt add to the list of classic battles. Since the inception of Varsity Football, the title has only left Tshwane once when UWC won it in 2015, with neither TUT nor UP-Tuks walking away with the silverware on the other occasions. 

UP-Tuks are the current Varsity Football champions after defeating Moloi’s team in last season’s showpiece.

“When we play Tuks, it is never about revenge. You are playing for the pride of Tshwane, and as I always say, we have the name Tshwane in our name and not Tuks!” Maloi said.

“If you look down the years, they have only beaten us in last season’s final.”

This does not mean, though, that TUT are underestimating their rivals, and instead, Moloi offers them the greatest praise.

“They don’t have any weaknesses,” he said. “They had two tough matches to play to qualify for the semis, and look how they beat North West (2-0) in Mafikeng and then thrashed UWC (3-0) at home. That takes a lot of mental strength to get through two such must-win matches,” he said.

Moloi believes if his team “are hungry enough” they can reach yet another Varsity Football final, which would be an incredible achievement considering they have played all their matches away from home this season.

“It has been a helluva ride and our boys have learnt so much on the road. There are two games to go now and we want to finish the job,” he said.