In an absorbing late Varsity Cup slot, Maties snuck past Tukkies, Pukke edged Ikeys, and the Madibaz held off Shimlas …
In Pretoria Maties got revenge for their defeat in last year’s Varsity Cup Final with a late 18-16 victory over Tukkies, with many calling it a victory for the amateurs over the professionals.
Ex Bok flank Rob Louw had this to say about the game on Twitter: “And the amateurs beat the pro Vodacom Bulls team … Well done Maties”
The resultant conversation on Twitter made for good reading, and no doubt a topic that will be addressed in a future column here on the Grunt. There is just too much talk about the inequality with regard to entrance standards at the various universities, and the difficulty of the actual courses on offer.
Not to mention the crux of the discussion – Should the Varsity Cup be an amateur or professional tournament?
But back to the rugby … The dramatic win sees the team from Stellenbosch retain their spot at the top of the standings as the only unbeaten team in the competition, but they were pushed to the limit by a physical Tuks outfit.
The teams were deadlocked at 16-16 at half-time, which is how it stayed until a late penalty from replacement flyhalf Dean Grant sealed the victory for the visitors. Both sides shunned shots at goal, opting to go for the much more lucrative 8 points on offer via a converted try (a penalty is only worth 2 points in this tournament), but made crucial errors either in the actual lineout or while trying to hold onto possession in the tackle.
It was the second defeat this season for defending champions Tuks after their opening round defeat to Pukke in Potchefstroom, and they have sunk to fourth position on the standings behind Maties, UJ and Pukke after four weeks of action.
In the earlier game, not worthy of the prime 17h00 TV slot, UJ secured second spot on the log with a resounding 63-24 victory over local rivals Wits, who really do look at sea in their first season at this level.
Fullback Kobus de Kock ran in four tries as UJ showed the Varsity Cup newcomers what life at the top is all about, notching nine tries in all in their dominant performance.
Pukke continued their winning ways when they held off a UCT side desperate for their first win of 2013, to record a tight 29-26 victory in Potchefstroom. The Ikeys did take two bonus points from another frustratingly close loss, though, and that keeps them away from the basement of the log.
In Port Elizabeth, the Madibaz secured a morale-boosting 14-10 win over Shimlas in another match that went right down to the wire. Two late penalties from flyhalf Justin van Staden sealed the Madibaz’s second home win of the season, but they had to come from behind having trailed 8-10 at the second strategy break
The defeat was Shimlas’ third loss in a row, and leaves coach Michael Horak’s team searching for some inspiration in the second half of the season.
Results and scorers:
Tuks 16-18 Maties
Tuks: Tries: J. Schoeman, penalty try. Cons: T. Schoeman 2
Maties: Tries: Alexander, Hodgkiss. Cons: Potgieter 2. Pen: Grant
Pukke 29-26 UCT
Pukke: Tries: Grobler, Oberholzer 2, Fourie. Cons: Nortier 3
UCT: Tries: Kilroe, Leyds, Katzen, Sithole. Cons: Jones-Davies 2
NMMU 14-10 Shimlas
NMMU: Try: Godfrey. Con: Van Staden. Pens: Van Staden 3
Shimlas: Tries: Strydom 2
UJ 63-24 Wits
Wits: Tries: Greef 2, Ludik. Cons: Peyper 3
UJ: Tries: De Kock 4, Esterhuizen, Kamanga, Wheeler, Le Roux, Botha. Con: De Kock 5
Varsity Cup log:
Maties 18
UJ 15
Pukke 14
Tuks 11
NMMU 11
Shimlas 7
Ikeys 5
Wits 1
In the Varsity Shield the TUT got their first win, beating UWC 18-8 in Pretoria. And UKZN returned to winning ways with a tight 20-18 victory over Fort Hare.
