Ikey Tigers blow Shimlas away

FNB UCT produced a sensational first-half performance to put FNB Shimlas away 57-20 in their semifinal meeting in Cape Town, as they booked a place in the 2011 Varsity Cup Final for the third time in four years.

Tuks spoil UJ’s semifinal party

Speaking ahead of the Varsity Cup semifinals, FNB Tuks described their Last Four meeting with FNB UJ as a David v Goliath-type contest. Well, David – once again – felled Goliath as the fourth-placed Tuks beat the top-of-the-log UJ side by 25-11.

Tuks will host the 2011 final on April 11

Ikey Tigers blow Shimlas away

The Ikeys ran in six unanswered tries in an explosive opening half-hour that left their opponents stunned and the lively Groote Schuur crowd on their feet.

In all, the home side scored eight tries to three. After a scintillating first half the Ikey Tigers led 45-3; the second half was a waste of time. Flat beer is never good, certainly not after champagne.

The day was almost entirely wind-free, a rare treat for the ground exposed to every wind that blows in the Cape Peninsula where there is usually a wind. The teams walked out, each player holding the hand of a girl from Rustenburg Primary, just down the hill from UCT. The girls wore pink, each with a big letter to spell out Keep Agro on the Field, part of the Varsity Cup initiative to create awareness of violence against women.

The national anthem was sung by the UCT Choir, and it was such an emotional moment and rendition.

Then the game started. It was weird. You will have heard the cliché – a game of two halves. This was a game of two halves all right. Usually the cliché means a change in fortunes between the two sides. This was a change in play. The first half was bright and exciting from the start; the second half was a drab, dreary affair that seemed as if it would never end. But if you are a UCT man you will hang onto the brilliance of the first half when Racehorses played Clodhoppers.

Shimlas kicked and UCT countered – right, left, right, and fit-again inside centre Adrian Kritzinger, with scrum cap and moustache, threaded through a grubber. Therlow Pietersen, the outside centre, chased and scored in the corner. Demetri Catrakilis of the metronomic boot converted. 7-0 after just two minutes.

The next try was not long in coming as the Ikeys made capital out of the clumsy Shimla hands. They dropped the ball near the Ikey 22, Pietersen picked up, raced away and grubbered infield for Peter Haw to collect the kind bounce and set course for the posts. 14-0 after six minutes.

A penalty gave George Whitehead a score for his side but when the Shimlas knocked on, Kritzinger picked up and was brought down near the line. The Ikeys went wide left and fullback Ricky Rijs scored. 21-3 after 11 minutes. (Kritzinger was hurt in this action and replaced by WP’s Marcel Brache.)

It was astonishing – hardly a fitting situation in the do-and-die of a semifinal.

Lock Levi Odendaal then charged down a kick by Franna du Toit, picked up the bouncing ball in skilful fashion and gave to Brache who scored. 28-3 after 22 minutes.

There was an air of unreality about – gleeful unreality on the UCT stand.

The Shimlas mounted an attack of many passes but Charl Weideman dropped the ball and Odendaal picked up. He gave tolock partner Don Armand who gave to No.8 Greg Mallett who sped down the right, passing inside to Brache who got a great, long pass to Haw who scored his second try. 35-3 after 24 minutes.

Catrakilis kicked a penalty and then the Ikeys won a turnover off Whitehead inside their own 22 and set Pietersen running down the left. He gave to ubiquitous Nick Fenton-Wells who gave back to Pietersen who just managed to get over in the corner. The TMO confirmed the try and Catrakilis converted from touch. 45-3.

The Ikeys looked like scoring again when they made an overlap for Haw and the Shimlas should have scored when Enrico Acker broke and scurried for the corner, inexplicably dropping the ball close to the line.

What a breathless half!

The second half started with Catrakilis kicking. It was clearly a change of tactics and a prelude to rugby as dull as ditch water. It was a sloppy half – sloppy scrums, sloppy line-outs, sloppy tackle/rucks, sloppy handling. It went on and on. It was the half the rugby died.

There were a few lively moments.

Acker knocked on and Rijs cut through the Shimlas and a deserved Haw scored his hat-trick try. 50-3.

The liveliest player on the field in this half was a Shimla, a replacement Shimla – Shaun Davids, who went to fullback. He had running in his mind and legs. He started running from his own line and eventually gave left wing Jamba Ulengo a run-in for his side’s first try. 50-8 with 25 minutes to go.

The Shimlas bashed and bashed and eventually prop Charles Marais scored in the corner. 50-13 with 14 minutes to go.

Davids broke free and gave to Divandre Strydom as they raced down the field. Strydom gave back to Davids who, near the line, gave to right wing Cameron Jacobs who scored. 50-20 with 11 minutes to go.

In those 11 minutes Strydom was given a yellow card for a tip tackle, Frederick Ngoza was given a yellow card for punching and the 13-man Shimlas won a tighthead. The tighthead came back to bite them for they dropped the ball and Pietersen footed through and completed his hat-trick on full-time.

Afterwards, UCT’s excellent captain Nick Fenton-Wells was pleased but calm and aware of the final ahead and all its challenges.

Peter Haw, the Player That Rocks (Man of the Match), scored three tries on the field and heavily off it. His captain gave him the car-hire (the Captain’s Choice!) and he then received a pink cap, a smart watch, a pink cheque for R1,000 and 50 pink roses which – he said – would go to his girlfriend.

And so the Ikeys will be going up north for the final; all the remains to see who their opponents will be – FNB UJ or FNB Tuks…

Tuks spoil UJ’s semifinal party

Speaking ahead of the Varsity Cup semifinals, FNB Tuks described their Last Four meeting with FNB UJ as a David v Goliath-type contest. Well, David – once again – felled Goliath as the fourth-placed Tuks beat the top-of-the-log UJ side by 25-11.

As an added bonus, Tuks will now host the 2011 final on April 11 – due to UCT’s lights not being fit to deal with a 7pm televised match – giving the Men from Pretoria yet another welcome shot in the arm.

That, of course, is if they even needed another confidence booster – their three-tries-to-one victory over UJ a well-deserved win, as they dominated the exchanges up front and turned that dominance into points when it mattered most.

Man of the Match Andries ‘Boeboes’ Coetzee (pictured) was his team’s undoubted hero, thanks to his try double, but captain Wesley Dunlop also deserves plenty of praise for his leadership and 15-point haul; his try, two conversions and two penalties helping to keep his team’s noses in front when it mattered most.

The match started with some shuddering hits – mainly from Tuks players on UJ players! – but it was the home side who held their nerve to take the lead in the fifth minute through a well-taken Theuns Kotze drop-goal.

Dunlop had a shot at goal in the eighth minute, which he missed, but he made no mistake with his next effort – a conversion attempt from wide out after Coetzee opened his team’s account with a try in the left-hand corner.

Coetzee profited from a superb over-the-top pass from outside centre Jean du Plessis, that after Tuks had kept the pressure on UJ for some time – the dam-wall eventually breaking thanks to Du Plessis’s clever pass.

Kotze popped over a penalty a few minutes later to keep his team just one point adrift, but Tuks landed something of a hammer-blow right on half-time when captain Dunlop spun out of two tackles to dive over for Tuks’ second try.

Dunlop hit the ball away in delight – before slotting the conversion – but he knew just how crucial that try was; Tuks’ concerted pressure once again paying off, but the visitors going into lead by 14-6 at half-time.

The second half began with a Dunlop penalty – to put them ahead by 17-6 – but the home side showed terrific strength in character when lock Johan Snyman forced his way over for a try from close-range in the 48th minute.

UJ captain Justin Wheeler had turned down a kickable penalty and his gamble paid off when Snyman powered over. Kotze’s conversion attempt hit the upright – leaving them 11-17 down – but they were back in the match with over half-an-hour of play left.

But powerful defence from Tuks never allowed the home side another serious crack at their line and when the visitors held onto the ball for another prolonged period, Coetzee took advantage of some missed tackles to squeeze in at the left-hand corner for what would be the match-deciding score.

Dunlop missed the conversion, but with his team leading by 22-11 going into the final quarter the home side had to score more than one converted try to make a game of it.

Kotze missed a penalty attempt in the 64th minute, before Dunlop officially put the game out of UJ’s reach with his second penalty two minutes from full-time.

The scorers:

For FNB UJ:
Try: Snyman
Pen: Kotze
DG: Kotze

For FNB Tuks:
Tries: A Coetzee 2, Dunlop
Cons: Dunlop 2
Pens: Dunlop 2