Tighter than a grasshopper’s hamstring!

Maties are guaranteed top spot (and a home semi) on the Varsity Cup log for 2013, but an industrial battle rages on for second place.

Maties skipper Helmut Lehmann scored a hat-trick in their predictably easy 48-21 victory over Wits on Monday, which left the newcomers sans a single win and ensured the Maties a season end at the top of the log.

Wits showed plenty of guts to come up with three tries of their own, but walked away from the contest empty-handed once more as Maties made it six wins out of six matches this season.

The battle for second place behind the Stellenbosch remains intense as UJ and Tuks played out a thriller in Joburg which saw the defending champions snatch a late 31-29 win. The two teams started the game level on log points, and the match was suitably hard-fought as each side ran in four tries in an intense battle.

UJ thought that they had snatched victory when fullback Kobus de Kock went over in the corner five minutes from the hooter, but Tuks hit back moments later as the ever impressive hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi powered past three defenders and offloaded brilliantly out the back of the hand in the tackle for Courtnall Skosan to run in the match winner.

The victory leaves Tuks in second place, but they are followed closely by Pukke who secured a sensational come from behind 39-36 victory over NMMU in Potch.

The Eastern Cape side were in charge of the game, leading 36-13 early in the second half, only to fall asleep and see the hosts score 26 unanswered points to take a stunning victory in front of their home supporters.

The victory leaves Pukke in third position on the log, just ahead of UJ who earned two log points, whilst the Madibaz move down to fifth position despite getting two bonus points away from home.

In Bloemfontein Shimlas were held to a 21-21 draw by a determined  UCT team, which means that they will need a few results to go their way next week if they are to sneak into the semifinals.

It was the Ikeys’ second draw for the season, and leaves them, like Wits, still searching for their first win of the year. The two sides play each other next week.

In the Varsity Shield CUT beat  UKZN in Bloemfontein, whilst Fort Hare beat TUT 25-18 in Pretoria.

Results and scorers:

Wits 21-48 Maties
Maties: Tries: Lehmann 3, Truter, Hodgskiss, Booysen, Cons: Grant 4, JH Potgieter
Wits: Tries: Arends, Torrance, Bothma, Cons: Peyper 2

UJ 29-34 Tuks
UJ: Tries: Du Randt 2, Pretorius, De Kock, Cons: De Kock 3
Tuks: Tries: Blommetjies, Lindeque, Adendorff, Skosan, Cons: Pollard 4, Pen: Pollard

Pukke 39-36 NMMU
Pukke: Tries: Oberholzer, Jordaan, Labuschagne 2, Niemand, Cons: Dorfling 4, Pen: Oosthuizen
NMMU: Tries: Godfrey, Willemse, Smith, Ferreira, Cons: Van Staden 4, Pens: Van Staden 2

Shimlas 21-21 UCT
UCT: Tries: Bax 2, Bosman, Cons: Jones-Davies 2
Shimlas: Tries: Penalty try, Mohoje, Strydom, Cons: Scheepers 2

The log:
Maties             28
Tuks                21
Pukke              19
UJ                    18
NMMU           17
Shimlas            14
Ikeys               7
Wits                 1

2 Comments

  1. NMMU certainly didn’t do themselves any favours. After leading by 23 points all they needed to do was shut out the game, which would have given them a far better chance of qualifying for the semis. Now they need to win against Tuks, and even at home that’s one hell of an ask. But 4th place could really come down to the wire: if NMMU get a losing bonus point against Tuks, and Shimlas get a less than 4 try win over UJ without UJ getting a losing bonus point, then there would be a three way tie for 4th place.
    Who would qualify for the semis in that instance?

    1. Err … Can I phone a friend? Not sure, but presume there is a sytem they would use that is up on their site. You right re it being tight for 4th spot though. Madibaz really fell apart in the second half last night …

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