Maties, Ikeys start well

The top two on the Varsity Cup log this year – and last year, FNB Maties and FNB UCT, both made bright starts in the Western Province’s competitive Super League A with comfortable wins.

Champions Maties thrashed the country’s second oldest club Villagers 49-17 in Claremont at the weekend. Villagers consist of may former Stellenbosch players as they are coached by Louis Blom, the former Stellenbosch and WP stalwart lock.

But, despite all this ‘inside info’, Maties were never troubled by Villagers. The visitors were up by 20 points at half-time, with loose forwards Bennie Booysen and Varsity Cup-winning skipper Wesley Wilkins most impressive.

This was Stellenbosch’s second league win, having seen off their second stringers Victorians narrowly 20-16 to give them nine log points from their two games thus far.

Chean Roux’s charges will be looking to emulate their league and Varsity Cup double again this year.

UCT were most impressive in beating the much-vaunted ‘Durbell’ team in Durbanville 29-8 – getting the full five points in their first outing in the league.

With head coach John Dobson resting a few Varsity Cup stalwarts like fullback Therlow Pietersen (who came off the bench) and talismanic captain JJ Gagiano, UCT laid down a marker to their archrivals that they should be one of the league contenders in 2009.

Of course, it also makes their Saturday, May 9 Intervarsity clash at Newlands an appetising one…