Madibaz are in dire straits again

AS IF things could not get worse for the struggling Madibaz, they will face a rampant Maties outfit in their next Varsity Cup outing in Port Elizabeth on Monday.

The Madibaz slumped to their fifth consecutive loss when they crashed to a heavy 69-8 defeat against the University of Johannesburg.

The Madibaz shipped nine tries against UJ and their suspect defence will be tested again by the Maties.

Maties maintained their unbeaten record on Monday with a decisive win over 33-14 win over Ikeys in Stellenbosch.

By the 26th minute of the game Maties had already raced to a 21-0 lead with the Ikeys’ decisionmaking and accuracy letting them down.

That win put Maties four points clear of Wits at the top of the log with three rounds to play.

Monday’s defeat against UJ has left the Madibaz floundering at the foot of the log just one point above fellow strugglers Tuks who are also winless.

Madibaz coach David Maidza knows that his team will have to dig deep in their final three games if they want to avoid the dreaded relegation axe.

After the clash against Maties, the Madibaz will complete their programme with away matches against Shimlas (March 9) and Tuks (March 26).

The game against Tuks will be a crunch game because both sides are battling to avoid relegation to the lower Varsity Shield tournament next year.

Like the Madibaz, Tuks are also winless and will be desperate to salvage some pride in their final home game of the season.

Every second year the team that finishes last in the Varsity Cup competition will automatically be relegated to the Varsity Shield while the team that finishes first in the Varsity Shield gains automatic promotion to the Varsity Cup.

The Varsity Cup team finishing second from the bottom will play a promotion/relegation match against the Varsity Shield team that finishes second from the top.