Varsity Cup Round 1 Review & Log
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Shimlas on the move in their Varsity Cup opener against Wits. Photo by Anton Geyser /Rugby15.
Morgan Piek – The 2013 Varsity Cup got underway last night with a couple of mouth-watering clashes.
FNB Maties 29 (0) vs FNB UJ 8 (8)
First up we had the mighty maroon machine the Maties kick-off proceedings against UJ in Stellenbosch last night. Never a dull fixture, very few people would have thought the visitors would be in the lead at half time, albeit only eight points. The men from Joburg used the wind at their backs well in the first half and forced the Maties onto the back foot for the entire opening forty. Stellenbosch conceded penalty after penalty. At one stage Maties had conceded twelve penalties in first half, as opposed to UJ’s three.
The home side came out all guns blazing in the second forty and the visitors had no answer.
Maties scored and unanswered 29 points in the second half which included a bonus point try. UJ were unable to get onto the score board after being the superior team in the first half.
Maties – Tries: Clearance Khumalo, Reniel Hugo, JP Lewis 2
Conversions: JH Potgieter 2, Dean Grant.
UJ – Try: AJ le Roux
Conversions: Kobus de Kock
FNB NWU-Pukke26 (24) vs FNB UP-Tuks 23 (0)
Potchefstroom was the scene of what can only be described as an epic Varsity Cup clash when the men from the University of Pretoria made the relatively short trip to face-off against the Pukke.
At one stage in the game one was wondering who the Pukke were playing as their opponents didn’t seem to know there was a rugby game on the go. Although Pukke are never the underdogs when playing Tuks, the latter were the favourites especially considering they are the current Varsity Cup champs and had never lost to the Pukke in the Varsity Cup.
The men from the North-West were about to set the record straight and blasted their much more fancied opponents off the park in the opening forty minutes. It has to be said Tuks were in for an uphill battle after losing their captain Jono Ross in the opening 5 minutes. Current SA u20 captain Marvin Orie was a more than capable replacement in the skipper’s role.
Pukke dominated every aspects of the game in the opening forty minutes and were able to cross the line on three occasions. Pukke went into the half time break with a 24-0 lead.
The first twenty minutes of the second half were dominated by the home side as well, although the men from Pretoria where looking a lot more positive.
Out of the blue, Tuks finally showed up for the game and started giving Pukke some of their own medicine back. A few quick tries by Tuks and we had a game again.
Tuks were able to score four fantastic tries in the last twenty minutes of the match however not being able to convert them bit them in the end. Pukke only managed to notch up two points in the second half which came via a penalty.
Despite not winning the game Tuks can walk away with their heads held high. Had the game been 5 minute longer I can almost guarantee they would have been the victors. Tuks managed to scrape two bonus points out of the game – one for four tries and the other for losing within seven.
Pukke – Tries: Robey Labuschagne, Ernie Strydom , Martin Dreyer.
Conversions: Gerhard Nortier 3.
Penalty: Gerhard Nortier.
Tuks –Tries: Vainon Willis, Riaan Britz, Sidney Tobias, Courtnall Skosan.
Conversions: Willie du Plessis, Tian Schoeman 2.
FNB UCT 5 (5) vs FNB NMMU 5 (0)
2011 Champions UCT played host to NMMU when the two locked horns at the “Green Mile” in Cape Town for Monte Taljaard trophy. In a low scoring affair the Ikeys took the lead 30 minutes into the game with an unconverted try.
The score remained 5-0 to the Ikeys going into the half time break.
Five minutes into the second half the Madibaz struck back with an unconverted try of their own to level the scores at five all.
The score was stuck at five all for the remainder for the game to give us very rare draw in Varsity Cup.
UCT – Try: David Ambunya
NMMU – Try: Ulrich Pretorius
FNB WITS 7 (2) vs FNB UFS-Shimlas 61 (32)
The University of the Witwatersrand were welcomed into the topflight of Varsity rugby with a serious Baptism of Fire by the Shimlas from Bloemfontein.
Recently promoted Wits found the going tough against the seasoned campaigners from the Free State, despite having the home ground advantage. It has to be mentioned that the weather was in nobodies favour as the pitch resembled an epic wet and muddy battle between the Union and Confederate Armies during the American Civil War.
It took a while for Shimlas to open the scoring – when it eventually started, it didn’t stop. Shimlas went in the half time break leading 32-2.
Witsies started the second forty much better and were able to stifle the Shimlas onslaught somewhat for a large chunk of the second half.
Once the flood gates opened again, they were opened properly and weren’t closed again. Shimlas were able to chalk up a further 29 points.
There was some consolation for Wits as they scored a last minute try to score their first Varsity Cup try and walk off the field with some dignity.
Wits – Try: Jacques Erasmus.
Penalty: Latiume Fosita.
Shimlas -Tries: Schalk van der Merwe 3, Oupa Mohoje 2, Kevin Luiters 1, Erik le Roux 1, Robbie van Schalkwyk 1
Consvesions: Francois du Toit 7
Complete log after Round 1:
| Team | Played | Win | Draw | Lost | PD | BP | Points | |
| 1 | Shimlas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Maties | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | NWU-Puk | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | NMMU | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Ikeys | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Tuks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -3 | 2 | 2 |
| 7 | UJ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -21 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Wits | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -54 | 0 | 0 |
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