Maties snatch a last-gasp victory
IF THE latest nail-biting results are anything to go by, Varsity Cup fans should prepare themselves for a season of surprises.
Of the four matches played last night, three of the visiting teams took the spoils.
In the first game of weektwo action, Tuks recovered from a slow start to record a comprehensive 40-0 away win over provincial rivals TUT.
Despite impressive linebreaks, a decent attack and a 51 percent possession advantage, the home side struggled to convert pressure into points which gradually saw Tuks gain momentum.
While TUT struggled to hold onto the ball, Tuks maintained their composure to score four tries in the second half including a late penalty-try in the dying moments of the game.
In Potchefstroom, Maties waited until the 78th minute to sneak into the lead for the first time of a nail-biting 14-12 win against Pukke.
The Potchefstroom students impressed from the beginning of the match, securing good possession and using it well on attack. It didn’t take long for Maties to crack under immense pressure and Pukke winger Andrew van Wyk scored in the third minute.
Following a quick strategy break, the boys from Stellenbosch slowly got into the swing of the things and they built momentum and phases before fullback Ryan Nell dotted down in the corner.
After that, the game became scrappy as both teams put up a poor display of handling skills and unforced errors. With both teams scoring one try and two penalties a piece, it was the Pukke who led the match 12-9 for much of the second half with only a failed conversion attempt by Matie flyhalf Andre Kemp separating the teams.
Both teams struggled to put any points on the board as the game drew to a close, but it was the composure and class from the three-time champions that helped Maties snatch a lastminute victory.
Kemp put a penalty into touch to set up an attacking lineout inside the 22. This set the stage for an impressive driving maul, and replacement hooker Gareth Light silenced the fervent crowd by crashing over from short range for the game-winning try.
Things are not looking so rosy for the defending champions – winless UCT stuttered to a 29-15 loss against UJ in Johannesburg last night.
Even though the home side was kept scoreless in the second half, UJ did enough in the first forty minutes to secure the win.
This loss has left the Ikeys without a single log point after two outings, one at home, and one away.
An aggressive UJ outfit starved UCT of possession and kept their dangerous backline in check.
The NMMU Madibaz delivered the biggest upset of the 2012 competition, pulling together for a late surge to beat the Shimlas 29-27.
The Shimlas started the game in fine fashion, dominating territory and possession to edge into 18-5 halftime lead.
But the Madibaz scored a brace of tries in the fourth quarter to clinch a memorable win against a Shimlas side that scalped the defending champions in Cape Town last week.
In Varsity Shield action, UWC put on an impressive display in their first home game of the season, demolishing UKZN 61-10 in Bellville. In Bloemfontein, defending champions CUT scored a late bonus-point try to secure a solid 34-15 win over Fort Hare.