No holding Madibaz back in hunt for Shield
The Madibaz rugby juggernaut continued down its lethal path to thrash the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) 62-5 at the Madibaz Stadium in Port Elizabeth on Monday night.
In a dominant display, the rampant Madibaz side outscored TUT by 10 tries to one to stay at the top of the Varsity Shield table.
It was a fifth straight win for the on-fire Madibaz, who can start making plans for the semifinal playoffs.
Relegated from the top tier Varsity Cup in 2018, the Madibaz have become the dominant force in the lower league Shield competition.
In their previous game, the Madibaz scored a crushing 41-12 win over the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Maritzburg and they took that momentum into the TUT clash.
After opening a healthy 19-5 lead at the break, the Madibaz were over for the fourth try in the first minute of the second period when hooker Ruan Jonker scored.
The floodgates were starting to open and Laken Gray crossed for the home team’s fifth try after 48 minutes.
A brilliant individual try from Madibaz flyhalf Tristan Fourie took the side’s try tally to six in the 52nd minute.
The Madibaz backline were starting to stretch their legs and Charles Radebe scored a seventh try against a tiring TUT.
In the first half, a neat crosskick from alert Madibaz flyhalf Tristan Fourie paved the way for wing Njabulo Tony to crash over for the first try in the eighth minute.
There was another fivepointer for the home team four minutes later when fullback Yomelela Kwesa raced over to give the Madibaz a 12-0 lead.
The TUT defence was feeling the pressure as they struggled to hold the marauding Madibaz backs, who scented blood after their early tries.
But, although they enjoyed territorial advantage, the Madibaz struggled to make it count against the hardworking TUT defensive line.
The dam wall eventually broke after 37 minutes when burly Madibaz prop Bunganga Magwetshu crashed over for his team’s third try.
Though they were seeing little of the ball, TUT scored a try in one of their first forays into the Madibaz half.
On the stroke of halftime, TUT loose forward Zavien Klaasen shrugged off the Madibaz defence to give his team their only points.
Scorers: Madibaz 62: Tries: Njabulo Toni, Yomelela Kwesa, Bunganga Magwetshu, Ruan Jonker, Laken Gray, Tristan Fourie, Charles Radebe, Bevan Prinsloo, Dirk Ferreira, Christopher Hollis. Conversions: Tristan Fourie (6) TUT 5: Try: Zavien Klaasen