Maties are the Varsity Cup champions

Maties are the champions. Again. This time, and for the second time, they have won the FNB Varsity Cup, presented by Steinhoff International. Maties, the University of Stellenbosch, beat Pukke, the University of the North West, 11-6 in the final on Monday night at Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch.

On your way to the Danie Craven Stadium you pass a statue of Danie Craven with his dog Bliksem outside the offices that he worked in for years and years.

The great man is buried on a hill side just outside Stellenbosch but how he would have enjoyed this student occasion – his stadium packed, his students in a joyous mood and his beloved side winning yet again.

It was not a game of many points but it was a game full of life and energy, played with intensity and commitment and lots of skill. The fewness of the points tells you more about the determination of the defences than about reluctance to attack and take chances.

The scrumming was hard, the collisions at the tackle fierce and the counterrucking fiercer. There was a contest for every ball. Both sides were clearly well coached, well organised. line-outs and kick-off showed that.

That the Maties won was probably fair…

They scored the only try of the match and dominated long periods of the game. But bless the Pukke for their huge effort at the end when they sloughed off fatigue in search of victory.

But they are a proud side, not the National Club champions for nothing.

The Pukke scored first when flyhalf Cecil Dumond goaled a penalty. It was his boot in the Rondebosch wind that had brought Pukke to the final. Would his boot do it again?

The Maties attacked down the left and the Pukke carried over to give the Maties a five-metre scrum. They scored a try directly from the scrum with a move that went 8 – 9 – 10 – 15 – 14. Burly Cameron Peverett gave to perky Donald Stevens who threw a long pass to smooth Johan Sadie at flyhalf though he more often is a centre. His perfect long pass was in the hands of exciting Adnaan Oesman who gave to Morné Jooste on the overlap. Eager Jooste stumbled but recovered his balance to go over in the right corner. Four passes had gone virtually the whole width of the field.

As it turned out it was the only try of the match. It came after 11 minutes. There were still 69 minutes to play.

Lots happened in the half but the score at the end of it was still 5-3 to the Maties.

A penalty gave the Maties a five-metre line-out and they bashed and then went wide to the right where Stevens got over but there had been a tiny knock-on. The Maties had a line-out five metres from the Pukke line but they overthrew the ball.

Lourens Adriaanse was penalised at a tackle and dead-eye Dumond aimed at goal but the ball bounced back off the upright. It was a shock to see him miss a kick.

Pukke put on pressure and attacked down the left where Lolo Waka, last year an Emerging Springbok, raced and then grubbered infield where tall Willem Barnard, grandson of a Springbok lock, was just beaten to the ball. But from a subsequent scrum the Pukke flung themselves into the attack and Maties were forced to defend. Dumond was close and Andries Mahoney closer but a long floating pass bounced at Barnard who knocked it on. The Pukke destroyed the Matie scrum but were penalised in doing so.

When Wilhelm Loock tackled Andrew van Wyk high, Dumond had a long kick at goal from a difficult angle but just missed.

During half-time the beauty queens from the eight universities gathered and Miss Matie, Jennifer Arlow, was crowned Miss Varsity Cup 2009 – an obviously popular choice.

Kurt Darren then had the crowd singing Ek wil huis toe gaan, which seemed a strange choice with 40 exciting minutes to come.

The Maties kicked off to start the second half and went on the attack, this way and that with long but perfect passes and great handling skills.

Oesman countered brilliantly and gave to Jooste who put a foot in touch five metres from the line. The Pukke stayed under pressure as the Maties attacked through phases and then Wouter Watermeyer broke out. Lanky Jonathan Adendorf tackled stocky Jaco Lötter high and Dumond goaled with a good kick. Pukke led 6-5 after 49 minutes.

Waka was penalised for holding on and Lötter threw the ball away. The advanced penalty spot made the kick possible but Stevens, always such a reliable kicker, was well short. The Maties stayed on the attack and from right in front Johan Sadie snapped over a drop. The home side was back in front. 6-5 after 57 minutes. Two minutes later Stevens goaled and it was 11-6.

Despite all the efforts of heart and sinew that is what the score stayed for the next 21 minutes.

After Oesman grubbered out five metres from the Pukke line and the Maties won the line-out, the Maties bashed and the Pukke withstood them till the Maties lost the ball.

Then the Pukke came back into the game and Wenstley Scott forced his way through a half gap to the line. He may have got over the line but the Maties held him up and forced him back till he was penalised for holding on. It was the Pukke’s best chance to score.

The last minutes of the game were played at a frantic pace as the Pukke threw everything into the attack and the Maties scurried about, keeping them back all the time till Loock stepped out and the final whistle went.

There were prizes. Oesman was given R5000 for being Man of the Match. Three Matie girls were given R1000 for being the fans who tried hardest, the Pukke were given R125,000 and then the Maties received R250,000 and the big cup from François Pienaar, the man who famously had received a cup from Nelson Mandela in 1995.

There was much glee in Stellenbosch.

The scorers:

For Maties:
Try: Jooste
Pen: Stevens
DG: Sadie

For Pukke:
Pens: Dumond 2

The teams:

FNB Maties: 15 Adnaan Osman, 14 Morné Jooste, 13 Jéan Stemmet, 12 Dabeon Draghoender, 11 Wilhelm Loock, 10 Johan Sadie, 9 Donald Stevens, 8 Cameron Peverett, 7 Jonathan Adendorf, 6 Wesley Wilkins (captain), 5 Jaco Nepgen, Hugo Kloppers, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Mathew Dobson, 1 Johan Roets.
Replacements: 16 JP Köster, 17 Andrew Crausaz, 18 Jean Rossouw, 19 Marinus Pretorius, 20 Morné Hanekom, 21 Johan Herbst, 22 Lwellyn Winkler.

Head coach: Chean Roux

FNB Pukke: 15 Willem Barnard, 14 Andrew van Wyk, 13 Wenstley Scott, 12 Wouter Watermeyer, 11 Lolo Waka, 10 Cecil Dumond, 9 Andries Mahoney, 8 Willem van der Wal (captain), 7 Savvas Nel, 6 Jaco Lötter, 5 Markus Fourie, 4 Grant le Roux, 3 Stephan Bezuidenhout, 2 Stoffel Duvenage, 1 BG Uys.
Replacements: 16 Lourens Botes, 17 Dewald Coetzee, 18 Victor Kruger, 19 Thabo Molete, 20 Theuns Kotzé, 21 Marcel du Toit, 22 Randall April.

Head coach: Rudy Joubert

Referee: Gareth Lloyd-Jones
Touch judges: Francois Veldsman, Dilbert November