NWU Eagles and UJ Orange Army set to battle it out for Varsity Netball crown

NWU Eagles will defend their title against UJ in next week’s Varsity Netball 2026 final (Monday, 28 September). The Eagles beat UP-Tuks in a tightly contested semi-final in Pretoria while UJ were victorious over UFS Kovsies in an equally pulsating semi-final that went into extra time in Bloemfontein.

UP-TUKS 50-52 NWU EAGLES

Defending champions NWU Eagles had to dig deep to beat UP-Tuks to seal a second consecutive final spot.

The opening 15 minutes of the first semi-final at the Rembrandt Hall in Pretoria produced end-to-end action with the home team starting like a house on fire, building up a six-goal lead. The defending champions, however, overcame a hesitant start and took the game to their opponents. They forced a narrow 13-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Stripe Generation returned high in energy in the second quarter, regaining their lead. It remained a closely contested affair and a battle of the goal shooters with Sunel Smit and Skyla Eley making no mistakes. It was a tug of war for the rest of the quarter, with the scoreboard reading 23-all at the half-time interval.

In the third quarter, the Eagles seemed to be in the driving seat with limited mistakes. Both sides could not capitalise on the first PowerPlay, with NWU only scoring two goals. The home side, backed by their fans, managed to take a narrow 36-35 lead heading into the last quarter.

It was all up to the last 15 minutes to determine who was going to take one of the spots in next week’s final. The Stripe Generation narrowly stretched their lead with a single goal in the last power play. The Eagles kept pushing, however, until the final whistle to earn a hard-fought 52-50 victory.

UJ 57-54 UFS KOVSIES

It took an extra 14 minutes of playing time in the Callie Human Hall in Bloemfontein before UJ managed to beat UFS Kovsies and advance to next week’s final. The Johannesburg side got their revenge after the match ended 47-47 following four thrilling quarters.

The hosts managed to hold on to the lead after the first quarter on their home court, despite a nervy start. UJ were out of the blocks much quicker but the five-time champions fought their way back to take a narrow 10-9 lead after the first 15 minutes.

The Orange Army moved into the lead by half-time after being more clinical in the goal circle. The Kovsies had their chances but were unable to convert as consistently as the visitors. The introduction of goal shooter Mari du Raan injected some energy but UJ managed to keep their noses in front to lead 22-18 at half-time.

UJ continued to hold a slender advantage after the third quarter. Very little separated the two sides, as expected in such a high-stakes knockout match. Despite the Free Staters being more accurate in the shooting circle UJ still managed to hold a narrow 34-32 lead heading into the final quarter.

After four quarters, the scores were locked at 47-47, meaning extra-time was required to determine who would go on to face defending champions NWU Eagles in the final.

In the end it was the Orange Army who showed greater composure when it mattered most. UJ edged ahead in extra-time to secure a 57-54 victory and book their place in the Varsity Netball 2026 final.