Discipline costs Madibaz in narrow loss to CUT
CRUCIAL mistakes and poor discipline let his team down when they slipped to a narrow 38-37 defeat against CUT Ixias in Bloemfontein, Madibaz captain Riaan Esterhuizen said.
The defeat left the Madibaz winless after two games and joint bottom of the log with Tuks after an opening defeat against the UCT Ikey Tigers in Port Elizabeth.
The Madibaz led 22-15 at the break, but could not close the game out against an Ixias side who recorded only their second win in the competition.
“We made crucial mistakes in crucial areas and we just could not finish off our attack plays,” Esterhuizen said.
“It was a see-saw game with a lots of points scored. In our first match against the Ikeys our discipline was average and in the game against Ixias it was not good and we played 20 minutes with 14 guys on the field.
“We cannot afford two yellow cards each game. We just put ourselves under pressure and we need to fix our discipline,” Esterhuizen said.
Both sides scored five tries in a match that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
Ixias skipper Rayno Nel praised the noisy support his team had received from the Bloemfontein crowd.
“Ixias made a statement tonight. We are not in this competition just to make up the numbers,” Nel said.
“It was our first home game and our first win and we have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. I cannot be more proud of my guys and the crowd was fantastic with their wonderful support.”
With 10 minutes left, Wynand Grassmann scored to give the Madibaz the lead, but CUT hit back immediately with a try scored by LP Heymans.
A late try by Jordan Koekemoer was almost enough for Madibaz, but the conversion was missed by Simon Bolze and CUT sealed a 38-37 victory.
After successive defeats the Madibaz will be desperate to win when they host Wits on Monday.