Ikeys book home semi-final at Groote Schuur
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Ikeys Rugby
UCT secured a third consecutive home semifinal in the Varsity Cup with a 38-24 win over Tuks, despite putting in a lacklustre display in front of their home fans at Groote Schuur on Monday.
In the end, the result was comfortable enough for John Dobson’s team, but it was a performance that would hardly have struck fear into the three other playoff contenders.
UCT made a great start to the game, with a massive scrum pushing Tuks off their ball only five metres from the visitors’ line. The tighthead gave UCT the ball and after Tuks transgressed in defence, Douglas Mallett (who had a rare start at flyhalf ahead of Matt Rosslee) knocked over the simple penalty to give UCT an early 3-0 lead.
Playing into a strong wind on UCT’s famous ‘Green Mile’, Tuks couldn’t kick out of their own half and tried to run their way out of trouble.
The mistake inevitably came, and with UCT getting a quick turnover ball inside opposition territory, it didn’t take long for the Ikey Tigers to break through the Tuks’ defence.
Burly prop Grant Kemp got the ball in space and burst through a tackle and over for the opening try, 10 minutes in. Mallett’s conversion made it 10-0 and it looked as if the home side would have far too much firepower for the men from Pretoria.
Despite having a much stronger pack, UCT struggled to control their own ball at scrum-time and gave up a lot of possession at the set-piece in a messy first half of rugby.
On defence, the Ikeys players were lethargic and their one-on-one tackling was especially poor – allowing Tuks to run at them and make good ground.
Tuks, for their part, tried to create something with ball in hand, but for the most part their attack was nonthreatening.
Mallett extended the lead to make it 13-0 at the quarter mark, but Tuks advantage in the possession stakes eventually bore fruit as big lock Franco Mostert crashed over after a continued assault on the UCT line.
As halftime approached UCT finally showed signs of getting into gear, with some slick hands through the backline putting impressive centre Mark Esterhuizen into space.
Straight, hard running and a clever dummy by the No.13 saw him dive over on the left hand touchline and after a superb conversion from Mallett it was 20-7 to the Tigers.
That breathing space was almost immediately choked on though, as a suicidal long pass was caught up in the wind, gifting Oswin Mentoor an intercept and a clear run to the line.
Ikeys went into the 20-12, and although the lead was eight points, it would have not been the most of halftime chats from Dobson and his coaching staff, knowing they had to contend with playing into a stiff breeze for the second half.
But whatever was said in the change room seemed to work, as UCT returned to the field a more determined, unit.
Replacement prop Chris Heiberg drew the first real cheers from the modest UCT crowd with a bullocking run that gave Ikeys a good platform from which to attack.
And attack they did. The players looked far more composed and they set-up phases close to the Tuks line, which finished with No. 8 JJ Gaginao crashing over to extend the lead to 13.
That score sparked UCT into a period of dominance, and they showed signs of the adventure that have made them such an exciting team to watch in this year’s Varsity Cup.
Strong running by fullback Marcel Brache, wing Pete Haw and flank Sam Peter got UCT entrenched in the Tuks half. A massive shove on Tuks’ ball saw the ball bobble free on their own five metre and scrumhalf Stu Commins – who had a great game – was on hand to pick up and dive over to give UCT a 20 point lead, effectively ending the match as a contest.
Mallett continued his great night with the boot, knocking over to further extend the lead.
Tuks, to their great credit, refused to give up and accept defeat, and they managed to hit back with two tries of their own to make the score more respectable.
Captain Shaun Davids and replacement back Stanley Twiname got their names on the scorecard to earn Tuks a bonus point, while replacement Rosslee took over where Mallett left off with a penalty to make the final score 38-24.
In the end, it was a good result for UCT – and they will be happy to have a semifinal on home turf next Monday. However, they will know that they will need to improve if they are to have a shot at winning their first ever Varsity Cup crown. – Sapa
UCT
Tries: Grant Kemp, Mark Esterhuizen, JJ Gagiano, Stu Commins.
Conversions: Douglas Mallett (3).
Penalties: Mallett (3), Rosslee.
Tuks
Tries: Franco Mostert, Oswin Mentoor, Shaun Davids, Stanley Twiname.
Conversions: Gert Smith (2).
[Story from Iol.co.za]
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