There were 2 thrilling draws in an intense opening round of FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International action on Monday.
Cape rivals FNB UCT and FNB Maties ended deadlocked on 32 / 32 at a sold out Green Mile, whilst in Bloemfontein 2-time champions FNB UP-Tuks and FNB UFS-Shimlas played out a 29 / 29 draw.
That means that FNB UJ top the standings after Round 1 following their 46 / 10 demolition of newcomers FNB CUT Ixias, and they are followed by FNB NWU-Pukke who scored 2 late tries to secure a 36 / 26 victory over FNB NMMU.
The first game of the tournament took place in Potchefstroom, and there was no shortage of drama with 10 tries, 5 Yellow cards and a Red card. In a match that could have gone either way hosts NWU-Pukke finished strongest to repeat their semifinal victory over the same opponents last year.
In the other semifinal replay down in Cape Town, Maties looked set to earn revenge for their 2 defeats to the Ikeys last year, but the defending champions fought back valiantly in front of their home crowd, and a late penalty try saw them salvage a tense draw.
In Bloemfontein CUT endured a baptism of fire as UJ ran in 8 tries to cruise to victory, leaving the Ixias as the only team without a bonus point to show for their efforts in the opening round.
Across town at Shimla Park it was far more competitive as UFS-Shimlas and UP-Tuks traded blows throughout an entertaining match which saw them score 4 tries and 3 conversions each.
As the only 2 teams to record victories in Round 1, UJ and NWU-Pukke lead the way, with 4 teams tied for 3rd place with 3 Log points each heading into the 2nd Round next week.
In the 2nd Round of the FNB Varsity Shield the FNB UKZN Impi backed up their impressive win against FNB UWC in Bellville last week by handing FNB TUT Vikings a 68 / 5 hiding, whilst in Alice FNB Wits made their return to the competition with a 42 / 24 victory over FNB Fort Hare.
NWU Pukke 36 / 26 NMMU:
FNB NWU-Pukke claimed a 36 / 26 victory over FNB NMMU-Madibaz in the opening match of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff international at the Fanie du Toit Stadium in Potchefstroom.
5 Yellow cards and a Red card took the edge off what was a thrilling try-fest as the momentum of the match changed hands with regularity.
NWU-Pukke dominated the early exchanges and spent most of the opening 10 minutes of the match inside Madibaz territory but were left frustrated by a resolute defence.
Their persistence was rewarded in the 13th minute when Rhyno Smith showed a clean pair of heels and a vicious hand-off to break through the Madibaz defence and get the first five pointer of the match. Johnny Welthagen missed the conversion attempt as Pukke led 5 / 0 after 15 minutes.
It would soon be 10 / 0 to Pukke when Rowayne Beukman broke through four tackles to cross the line in the 18th minute as Pukke’s confidence started to grow.
NMMU were reduced to 14 men in the 28th minute when Brian Skosana saw Yellow for repeated infringements at the breakdown, and was soon followed by Loftus Morrison in the 32nd minute for not retreating 10 metres after the Madibaz took a quick tap-penalty.
The Madibaz started gaining momentum and found their reward in the 37th minute when captain CJ Velleman crashed over the try line. The conversion was missed and Pukke held a 10 / 5 lead. The home side would have the final say in the final minute of the half when they set a driving maul, from a five metre line-out, and bulldozed their way through the Madibaz pack for captain Jeandre Rudolph to score his side’s third try of the match.
A change in place-kicker would reap no reward for the home side as they took a 15 / 5 lead into the halftime break.
Madibaz emerged from the break with renewed vigour and reduced the deficit to two points in the 51st minute when Skosana rounded off a Madibaz attack after Ruan Allerston had sent Andisa Ntsila through a hole, who then found Skosana, who sprinted his way under the poles. Ruan Allerston made no mistake with the conversion.
Pukke hit back straight away when Dalen Goliath scored in the corner to hand the home side a bonus point try in the 55th minute. Rhyno Smith slotted Pukke’s first conversion to restore their 10-point lead with the score sitting at 23 / 13.
The deficit was once again reduced to 2 points when Tythan Adams crossed the try line for the Madibaz in the 59th minute, with Allerston slotting his second conversion of the match. Pukke led 23 / 21 after 60 minutes.
The Madibaz took the lead for the first time in the match in the 70th minute when Yamkela Ngam showed his pace to burst through the Pukke defence to hand the Madibaz their bonus point and a 26 / 23 lead.
Skosana would go from hero to villain in the 72nd minute when he received a second Yellow card in the 72nd minute after he was penalised for not ensuring the safety of the defending player under a high ball. The home side would immediately capitalise on having the extra man when Dean Stokes crossed the line in the 73rd minute to hand Pukke a 28 / 26 lead.
The home side were awarded a penalty try in the 80th minute after Andisa Ntsila was penalised, and subsequently sent to the sin bin, for collapsing the maul 2 metres from his try line. Smith slotted the conversion as Pukke opened their account with a 36 / 26 victory.
FNB Player that Rocks: Rhyno Smith
Scorers:
NWU-Pukke:
- Tries: Rhyno Smith (1), Rowayne Beukman (1), Jeandre Rudolph (1), Dalen Goliath (1), Dean Stokes (1), Penalty Try (1)
- Conversions: Rhyno Smith (2)
NMMU-Madibaz:
- Tries: CJ Velleman (1), Brian Skosana (1), Tythan Adams (1), Yamkela Ngam (1)
- Conversions: Ruan Allerston (2)
Yellow cards: Brian Skosana (NMMU, 28th – repeated breakdown infringements), Loftus Morrison (Pukke, 32nd – not retreating 10 metres), Johnny Welthagen (Pukke, 57th – late tackle), Brian Skosana (NMMU, 72nd – not ensuring the safety of defender under the high ball), Andisa Ntsila (NMMU, 80th – collapsing a maul)
Red Card: Brian Skosana (NMMU, 72th – second yellow card)
Teams:
FNB NWU-Pukke: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Dalen Goliath, 13 Rowayne Beukman, 12 Johan Deysel, 11 Dean Stokes, 10 Johnny Welthagen, 9 Dillon Smit, 8 Jeandre Rudolph (Captain), 7 Loftus Morrison, 6 Rhyk Welgemoed, 5 Daniel Jordaan, 4 Ruan Venter, 3 John-Roy Jenkinson, 2 Jacques Vermaak, 1 Johan Smith
Replacements: 16 Wian Fourie, 17 Mogau Mabokela, 18 Marno Redelinghuys, 19 Molotsi Bouwer, 20 Kurshwill Williams, 21 Warren Gilbert, 22 Heinrich Smith, 23 Cayle Denner.
FNB NMMU: 15 Tythan Adams, 14 Brian Skosana, 13 Devon Lailivaux, 12 Andile Jho, 11 Yamkela Ngam, 10 Ruan Allerston, 9 Daniel Acker, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Wynand Grassmann, 6 Cyril-John Velleman (Captain), 5 Robert Louw, 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Steven Robbeson, 2 Dane Van Der Westhuyzen, 1 Arno Ebersohn
Replacements: 16 Warrick Venter, 17 Brenden Olivier,18 Rudolph Odendaal, 19 Ivan Du Preez, 20 Ivan Ludick, 21 Steven Hansel, 22 , 23 Marzuk Maarman.
Venue: Fanie du Toit Stadium, Potchefstroom
Kick-Off: 16:45 SA Time
Referees: Quinton Immelman, Cwengile Jadezweni
Assistant Referees: Local
TMO: Willie Vos
UCT 32 / 32 Maties:
FNB UCT Ikey Tigers and FNB Maties played to a dramatic 32 / 32 draw in the final match of the opening round of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
Maties looked to have the game in the bag with 7 minutes remaining in the match but 2 quick tries from Ikeys saw them stage another dramatic comeback, this time to claim a hard-fought draw.
There was a high intensity from the start as Ikeys looked to keep ball-in-hand and make their way up the field but were kept at bay courtesy of big tackles from the Maties defence.
Ikeys broke the deadlock in the 4th minute when Dylan Sage intercepted a pass inside Maties’ 22 to canter over for the first try of the match. Warren Seals added the extra points as Ikeys held an 8 / 0 lead after 5 minutes.
Maties got their hands on the ball and inched their way up the field before Ernst Stapelberg crossed the line thanks to sustained pressure on the Ikeys defence, however, the try wasn’t awarded as he was deemed to have lost the ball in his attempt to place it across the line.
The Stellenbosch students enjoyed the majority of possession after the Strategy Break and were camping in Ikeys’ territory, but couldn’t find a way through a stubborn defence, who had the partisan crowd in full voice with every tackle made by the home side.
Maties scored against run of play in 39th minute when a quick tap penalty from Jean Nel saw him make a few metres before releasing JP Lewis, who showed electrifying pace down the left touchline and crossed the try line unopposed. Stapelberg added the conversion to level matters as the teams went into the halftime break all square at 8 / 8.
UCT replicated their firsthalf start by getting over the try line 4 minutes after the restart when Mark Prior crashed over from close range. Seals restored Ikeys’ 8-point lead when he slotted the conversion to make the score 16 / 8.
Kobus van Dyk levelled the scores in the 52nd minute when he showed his strength to hold off 2 defenders and stretch his way over the line. Brandon Thomson added the conversion to take the score to 16 / 16. It was all Maties from that point as they took the game to the hosts.
Maties added their 3rd try a few minutes later when Lewis scored his 2nd try of the match. The wing sprinted, stepped and spun his way out of several tackles to hand his side the lead. Thomson added his 2nd conversion of the match to give the visitors a 24 / 16 after 57 minutes.
All the momentum was with Maties at this stage and they found their reward in the 66th minute when Craig Barry stepped his way past the last defender and stumbled his way over the line to hand Maties the bonus point. Thomson kept his 100 percent kicking record intact to stretch the lead to 32 / 16.
UCT were not going down without a fight and got themselves back into the match in the 72nd minute when Guy Alexander muscled his way over the line. Seals added the extra 3 points to set up an exciting final 7 minutes.
Ikeys had their tails up and were awarded a Penalty Try in the 77th minute after Maties were penalised for collapsing a maul on their try line. Seals added the conversion which levelled matters at 32 / 32.
Maties had a chance to steal the victory when they were awarded a penalty after the fulltime hooter had sounded, however, Thomson sent his kick flying past the right-hand upright.
FNB Player that Rocks: JP Lewis
Scorers:
UCT Ikeys:
- Tries: Dylan Sage (1), Mark Prior 91), Guy Alexander 91), Penalty Try (1)
- Conversions: Warren Seals (4)
Maties:
- Tries: JP Lewis (2), Kobus van Dyk (1), Craig Barry (1)
- Conversions: Ernst Stapelberg 91), Brandon Thomson (3)
Teams:
FNB UCT: 15 Khanyo Ngcukana, 14 Dylan Sage, 13 Brendan Rodgers, 12 Guy Schwikkard, 11 Lihleli Xoli, 10 Warren Seals, 9 James Alexander, 8 Guy Alexander, 7 Michael Botha (Captain), 6 Jason Klaasen, 5 James Kilroe, 4 Mark Prior, 3 Digby Webb, 2 Chad Solomon, 1 Joel Carew
Replacements: 16 Michael Kennedy, 17 Robin Murray, 18 Jade Kriel, 19 Tinotenda Zakeyo, 20 Ryan Dugmore, 21 Nicholas Holton, 22 Nathan Nel, 23 Kyle Whyte.
FNB Maties: 15 Mike Muller, 14 Craig Barry, 13 Christoff van Tonder, 12 Koos Loubser, 11 JP Lewis, 10 Ernst Stapelberg, 9 Jean Nel, 8 Kobus van Dyk, 7 Lungelo Chonco, 6 Beyers de Villiers, 5 Wilhelm van der Sluys (Captain), 4 Ian Groenewald, 3 AJ de Klerk, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Niel Oelofse
Replacements: 16 Wesley Adonis, 18 Grant Prior, 19 Justin Benn, 20 Bjorn Bernardo, 21 Brandon Thomson, 22 Kyle Leibrandt, 23 John Hubert Meyer.
Venue: The Green Mile, UCT
Kick-Off: 19:00 SA Time
Referees: Francois Pretorius, Rodney Boneparte
Assistant Referees: Local
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
UFS-Shimlas 29 / 29 UP-Tuks:
FNB UFS-Shimlas fought back to earn a thrilling 29 / 29 draw with FNB UP-Tuks in their FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International clash in Bloemfontein.
Both teams scored 4 tries and 3 conversions to claim 3 Log points each for their efforts in a highly intense match which saw momentum swing constantly.
UP-Tuks were 1st to score when fullback Riaan Britz broke through the UFS-Shimlas defence, but the hosts were back on level terms soon afterwards as No 8 Neill Jordaan crossed for a try after getting a flick pass from his captain AJ Coertzen.
The visitors were back in front just after the first strategy break when wing Duncan Matthews ran 60 metres to score against the run of play, with the easy conversion from flyhalf Josh Stander making it 16 / 8.
UFS-Shimlas responded just before halftime as a strong lineout drive saw flank Gerhard Olivier crash over for a try, but the conversion was missed from the touchline so UP-Tuks took a slender 16 / 13 lead into the break.
They extended that lead early in the 2nd half as centre Ryan Nell got over in the right corner, and Stander’s touchline conversion made it 24 / 13.
The visitors had the bonus point wrapped up shortly afterwards through a long-range try from Dan Kriel, but UFS-Shimlas were right back in it at the 2nd strategy break thanks to a try from wing Maphuta Dolo which made it 29 / 21.
It was not long before the home side managed to draw level as replacement prop Conrad van Vuuren crashed over, with the conversion from Marais making it 29 / 29 with 15 minutes to play.
That set up a tense finish but there was no separating the teams in the end as they played out a thrilling draw which saw them both take 3 Log points.
Scorers:
FNB UFS-Shimlas:
- Tries: Neill Jordaan (1), Gerhard Olivier (1), Maphutha Dolo (1), Conraad van Vuuren (1)
- Conversions: Neil Marais (3)
FNB UP-Tuks:
- Tries: Riaan Britz (1), Duncan Matthews (1), Ryan Nell (1), Dan Kriel (1)
- Conversions: Joshua Stander (3)
Teams:
FNB UFS-Shimlas: 15 AJ Coertzen, 14 Vuyani Maqina, 13 Nico Lee, 12 Tertius Kruger, 11 Maphutha Dolo, 10 Niel Marais, 9 Mthokozisi Mkhabela, 8 Niell Jordaan, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Gerhard Olivier, 5 Niel Claassen, 4 Nicolaas Immelman, 3 Chase Morison, 2 Elandre Huggett, 1 Hennie-Schalk Theron
Replacements: 16 Marco Klopper, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Boela Venter, 19 Daniel Maartens, 20 Nhlanhla Hlongwane, 21 Stefan Janse van Rensburg, 22 JP Coetzee, 23 Conraad Van Vuuren.
FNB UP-Tuks: 15 Riaan Britz, 14 Duncan Matthews, 13 Daniel Kriel, 12 Ryan Nell, 11 Jermaine Kleinsmith, 10 Joshua Stander, 9 André Warner, 8 Clyde Davids, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Wiaan Liebenberg (Captain), 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Irné Herbst, 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Juan Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Jan Enslin, 17 Nqobisiswe Mxoli, 18 Dennis Visser, 19 Ruan Steenkamp, 20 Emile Temperman, 21 Dewald Human, 22 John Jackson, 23 Andrew Beerwinkel.
Referees: Lesego Legoete, Jaco Pretorius
Assistant Referees: Local
CUT 10 / 46 UJ:
FNB UJ gave hosts FNB CUT Ixias a harsh initiation into the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International by handing them a 46 / 10 defeat in Bloemfontein.
It was a tough debut for the newly promoted Varsity Shield champions as UJ cantered to a comfortable victory in the end to storm to the top of the standings after Round 1.
UJ started in fine style as skipper Kobus Porter crossed for 2 early tries to put them 13 / 0 up. He broke through the CUT defensive line for his 1st and a strong driving maul saw him add another shortly afterwards.
After that early setback the Ixias regrouped well and got their 1st Varsity Cup try when hooker Anrich Bitzi got over in the corner from a short line-out move to make it 13 / 5 at the 1st strategy break.
UJ responded with their 3rd try as fullback Aphiwe Dyantyi broke through to score, and they wrapped the bonus point up with a Penalty Try just before halftime to take their lead to 26 / 5 at the break.
The carnage continued in the 2nd half as 1st hooker Siphatho Qinisile and then left wing Andries Oosthuizen dotted down to take UJ’s lead out to 36 / 5.
CUT hit back with their 2nd try when flank Dean Kouprihanoff crossed, but UJ responded with a 2nd try to Oosthuizen straight away which made it 41 / 10 with just 10 minutes to play.
Replacement Jaco Fourie put the finishing touch on a dominant display from the visitors with a try right on the hooter to cap a convincing win and a tough introduction to the competition for the Ixias.
Scorers:
FNB CUT:
- Tries: Anrich Bitzi (1), Dean Kouprihanoff (1)
FNB UJ:
- Tries: Kobus Porter (2), Aphiwe Dyantyi (1), Penalty Try (1), Siphatho Qinisile (1), Andries Oosthuizen (2), Jaco Fourie (1)
- Conversions: Campbell (2)