Pukke aim to keep playoff hopes alive

It may be a far cry from the heart stopping and memorable final of three years ago, but the Varsity Cup clash between Pukke and UCT Ikeys will go a long way in determining where they finish this season.

Three years ago at the Fanie du Toit Stadium, Ikeys did the impossible by scoring three tries in the final five minutes to snatch an improbable victory from the jaws of certain defeat and deny Pukke their first title.

Today’s encounter between the two sides is nothing but a mid-table clash, but one that will surely see both sides want to relive the pulsating moments of three years ago as they look to get themselves into playoff contention at the competition’s halfway mark.

While Ikeys will always take heart from the historic dying minutes of that famous final, they will come into tonight’s clash with even more of a belief of upsetting the defending champions after the Cape side recorded a shock win against the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein last week.

After a bad start to the competition with a surprising defeat at the hands of the NMMU Madibaz, Ikeys have done well to resuscitate their campaign with two consecutive wins.

Pukke, on the other hand, started well with wins over UJ and the Madibaz, but came unstuck last week against Maties in a replay of last year’s final.

There will be two big derbies on the day with CUT hosting Shimlas in Bloemfontein, while a struggling UJ will be looking for a season changing victory against Tuks.

CUT and the table-topping Shimlas may be on opposite sides of the log, but the lesser fancied CUT will want to exploit some of Shimlas’ frailties from their defeat against Ikeys.

But the truth of the matter is that Shimlas are riding the crest of a wave even after conceding their first defeat of the season last week, and they will want to ensure that they finish the day still on top of standings.

Tuks have enjoyed a perfect start to the competition winning their first two games which were at home against Maties and the Madibaz, but they will face a test of their character in their first away game against a UJ outfit that is desperate to register their first win.

Maties will host the Madibaz at the Danie Craven Stadium and although the Port Elizabeth-based side has only won one of their three matches this season, they proved in their win against Ikeys that they can be dangerous travellers, especially when given the opportunity to play.