Ixias stun defending champs

VARSITY CUP WRAP: CUT Ixias continued their winning ways with a sensational win over defending champions UP-Tuks  on Monday while Maties, Shimlas and UJ were also victorious in the 2023 Varsity Cup.

The 41-39 win for CUT meant back-to-back victories for the team that can no longer be considered a pushover while for Tuks the alarm bells will be ringing as it was their third straight defeat.

Tuks winger Zander Reynders opened the scoring but the home team struck back two minutes later with a try by Jandré de Beer who was later named the Player that Rocks.

For the rest of the first half, it was a see-saw battle with Ulrich Stander dotting down for CUT and Ethan Burger and Zenzile Ambesa for Tuks, giving the visitors a 23-16 lead at the halftime break.

In the second 40 minutes, the home team managed to outmuscle the defending champions thanks to two tries by Francois Bester and another one by Daniel Venter.

This led to the Ixias taking a slender 41-39 lead, and from there it was a matter of defending like crazy for the final ten minutes, which they successfully managed to do.

Maties overcame a ten-point deficit at halftime to beat NWU Eagles 31-28 in Potchefstroom to get their Varsity Cup campaign back on track.

It took the home team just three minutes to open the scoring when Vernon Paulo went over the line after a driving maul.

Two more tries for the Eagles, including a second by Paulo, and three penalties by Maties flyhalf Jurie Mattheetook took the scoreboard to 19-9 at halftime for NWU.

Maties came back firing on all cylinders in the second half with a beautiful try from Waqar Solaan.

The home team responded with a try by Arminn Posthumus but a yellow card for Paulo left them wanting. A late try by Louw Nel sealed an emphatic win for Maties over NWU.

UFS Shimlas returned to winning ways edging Wits 26-25 in a tense and exciting clash in Bloemfontein. This was Wits’ first loss of the season.

Kwezi Dlamini opened the scoring in the fourth minute, however, it wasn’t too long before Wits struck with a try courtesy of hooker Dameon Venter.

Despite another try for the home team by Nkoka Ngobe, it was the visitors who were leading 20-14 at halftime, courtesy of a long-range try by flyhalf Christian Humphries. He also landed two penalties.

Dlamini completed his brace early in the second half and another try by Pierre Uys gave the Shimlas a reasonably comfortable lead.

Wits replacement Gerswin Mouton went over for a try with two minutes left on the clock but a missed conversion by Humphries denied the team from Johannesburg a third straight victory.

UJ scored their first victory of this year’s tournament when they beat UCT 43-24 in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in Johannesburg.

The match got off to a cracking start with Prince Nkabinde scoring the home team’s first try. UJ continued to dominate with Tengimgene Likhayaalso crossing the try line.

The Ikey Tigers fought back with Alex Castle scoring a try from a driving maul. At halftime, UJ had the upper hand with a 14-10 lead.

The Orange Army continued their impressive play in the second half, at one point building up a ten-point cushion. UCT however fought back with back-to-back tries by Enos Ndiao to level the scores at 24-24 with 20 minutes left on the clock.

UJ then switched to the highest gear with tries by Francois Pretorius and Mpho Kubheka while Viljoen added insult to injury with another penalty, securing a comprehensive victory.

Results and scorers:

CUT 41-39 UP-TUKS

The scorers:

For CUT:
Tries: De Beer, Stander, Bester 2, Venter.
Cons: Sefoor 5.

For UP-Tuks:
Tries: Reynders, Burger, Ambesa, O’Connell.
Cons: Visser 4.

Player That Rocks: Jandre de Beer (CUT).

MATIES 31-28 NWU EAGLES

The scorers:

For NWU Eagles:
Tries: Paulo 2, Robinson, Posthumus.
Cons: Robinson 3.

For Maties:
Tries: Nel, WSolaan.
Cons: Matthee 2.
Pens: Matthee 5.

Player That Rocks: Louw Nel (Maties).

UFS SHIMLAS 26-25 WITS

The scorers:

For UFS Shimlas:
Tries: Dlamini 2, Ngobe, Uys.
Cons: Wentzel 3.

For Wits:
Tries: Venter, Humphries, Mouton.
Cons: Humphries 1.
Pens: Humphries 2.

Player That Rocks: Kwezi Dlamini Kwezi (UFS).

UJ 43-24 UCT

The scorers:

For UJ:
Tries: Nkabinde, Likhaya, Qaba, Pretorius, Kubheka.
Cons: Viljoen 5.
Pens: Viljoen 2.

For UCT Ikeys:
Tries: Castle, Blanckenberg, Ndiao.
Cons: Makhaza 3.
Pens: Makhaza 1.

Player That Rocks: Kelvin Kanenungo(UJ)

Source: @VarsityCup