Shimlas stun Tuks in try fest
The home side raced to a 36-15 lead at the break before the Bloemfontein students hit back in the final 40 minutes to register their second consecutive victory in the competition.
*In Port Elizabeth, a 13-man Maties side came from behind to beat NMMU-Madibaz 27-25 in a match riddled with refereeing errors. The referee, his assistants and the TMO had shockers as they allowed four tries to be awarded when clear errors had been made.
Nonetheless, Maties remain unbeaten while the Port Elizabeth side suffered their second successive heartbreak in the closing minute of the game.
*In the upset of the night, and probably the competition, two-time champions UCT-Ikeys suffered a shock 9-10 defeat to CUT-Ixias in Bloemfontein. The tight, low scoring affair helped the hosts claim their first every Varsity Cup victory.
*In the final Cup match of the night, UJ rallied hard in the second half to record a 36-31 victory over NWU-Pukke in Potchefstroom. The Johannesburg students overturned a 17-23 first half deficit to bag their second consecutive victory of the campaign. Despite the defeat, Pukke secured themselves two bonus points to remain three points behind log leaders Maties.
*In the Shield competition, UKZN-Impi extended their lead on top of the standings with another dominant performance, this time easily overcoming UFH 61-10 in Pietermaritzburg. The Impi have laid down the early marker as they remain the only unbeaten side in the competition after three matches.
UWC travelled to Pretoria to face TUT and walked away with a hard fought 21-15 victory, their second of the campaign. The result lifts them to second on the log, five points behind the Impi and two points above Wits, who have a game in hand.
Following the losses, Fort Hare and TUT bring up the bottom of the log, separated by points difference, with a solitary point each.
All Monday's scores and scorers!
NMMU-Madibaz 25-27 Maties
Maties dominated the opening minutes but stellar defence by Madibaz kept the visitors scoreless. The home side looked dangerous when they gained some possession but handling errors and ill-discipline at the breakdown stifled any momentum they built up.
The error count continued to rise for both sides as they struggled to come to terms with the gusty conditions, however, a sniping break by Madibaz' Brandon Brown took the home side from their half, into Maties' 22. Craig Barry got himself in an awkward position and was subsequently penalised at the breakdown. Simon Bolze slotted the penalty to hand the home side a 3-0 lead after 17 minutes.
The home side were enjoying all the momentum for the next 10 minutes as they kept plugging away at their opponents. Bolze doubled the lead in the 27th minute when he slotted his second penalty of the night after Maties were caught in an offside position.
The Stellenbosch students finally got themselves on the scoreboard when they won a tighthead on NMMU's five metre line. They sent the ball wide and Paul Streicher took two defenders with him to reduce the deficit to a solitary point in the 32nd minute.
It was Maties who held the momentum in the closing stages and their pressure paid off in the final minute when captain Beyers de Villiers benefitted from a well executed maul. Theo Stapelberg added the conversion to hand the visitors a 12-6 lead at the break.
The visitors picked up where they left off and grabbed their third try six minutes into the second half when hooker Craig Corbett bashed his way over the line, thanks to another successful maul. Stapelberg failed for the second time from the tee as the visitors led 17-6 after 46 minutes.
The Madibaz got themselves within four points of Maties when Kevin Kaba used his muscle to get over in the corner in the 62nd minute. Stapelberg extended the lead to seven points just four minutes later when he slotted a penalty before the drama unfolded in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Maties had two players sent to the sin bin and the Madibaz took full advantage on both occasions, with tries from Yamkela Ngam and replacement prop Marzuq Maarman. The Maties threw everything they had at their hosts with the final play of the game and replacements scrumhalf Brendon Nell reacted quickest at a breakdown to grab the score-levelling try.
Stapelberg held his nerve with the conversion to claim their second consecutive victory of the campaign.
Scorers:
For NMMU-Madibaz:
Tries: Kaba, Ngam, Maarman
Pens: Bolze 2
For Maties:
Tries: Streicher, de Villiers, Corbett, Nell
Cons: Stapelberg 2
Pen: Stapelberg
Teams:
NMMU-Madibaz: 15 Lindelwe Zungu, 14 Keanu Vers, 13 Jeremy Ward, 12 Andile Jho, 11 Yamkela Ngam, 10 Simon Bolze, 9 Ivan Ludick (captain), 8 Kevin Kaba, 7 Brandon Brown, 6 Jayson Reinecke, 5 Gerrit Huisamen, 4 Elandre van der Merwe, 3 Nemo Roelofse, 2 Tango Balekile, 1 Nicolaas Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Jean-Pierre Jamieson, 17 Marzuq Maarman, 18 Wynand Grassmann, 19 Andisa Ntsila, 20 Sibusiso Ngcokovane, 21 Michael Kean, 22 Khaya Malotana, 23 James Beyl.
Maties: 15 Craig Barry, 14 Brandon Asher-Wood, 13 Paul Streicher, 12 Jan Venter, 11 Duncan Saal, 10 Theo Stapelberg, 9 Remu Malan, 8 Jacobus van Dyk, 7 Janco Venter, 6 Beyers de Villiers (captain), 5 Wilhelm Sluys, 4 John Groenewald, 3 John-Roy Jenkinson, 2 Craig Corbett, 1 Wesley Adonis.
Replacements: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Niel Oelofse, 18 Geor Malan, 19 Conal Brown, 20 Brendon Nell, 21 Barend Smit, 22 Edwill van der Merwe, 23 Jacobus van der Merwe.
Referee: Sindile Ngcese
UP-Tuks 46-47 Shimlas
Shimlas broke the deadlock in the second minute thanks to a Stephan Janse van Rensburg penalty before the home side took a 5-3 lead after Johan Fouche barged his way through the Shimlas defence. The home side extended their lead in the 20th minute when they were awarded a penalty try. Joshua Stander made no mistake with the extras.
There was no let-up by the home side as they grabbed their third try of the match just five minutes when Duhan van der Merwe got himself over the line. Stander was once again on target with his second conversion of the game to hand the home side a 25-3 lead.
The try fest continued three minutes later when Teunis Nieuwoudt got the visitors' first try of the match. Janse van Rensburg made no mistake with the conversion the extra points as Shimlas trailed 10-25 after 29 minutes.
Shimlas were back on the scoreboard four minutes later when Mosolwa Mafuma got his name onto the scoresheet. Tuks grabbed their bonus point in the 38th minute thanks to Nicolaas Britz nine point try. Stander stepped up to slot the conversion to extend the home side's lead to 36-15 at the break.
Tuks began the second half with a bang when Ruan Steenkamp added his side's fifth try of the match. Stander's conversion extended the lead to 41-15 after 44 minutes. Mafuma replied three minutes later for the visitors to grab his second try to reduce the deficit to 21 points.
The visitors were back on the scoresheet in the 57th minute when Jacob Immelman grabbed their bonus point try. Frederick Mason added the conversion of the night to make it 43-29 in Tuks' favour. The home side kept the points ticking over thanks to a 61st minute Stander penalty.
Shimlas had their tails up and grabbed a nine-point try in the 68th minute when Jacobus van Vuuren drove his way over the line. Mason's second conversion of the match reduced the deficit to six points. Shimlas showed why they are the defending champions when Marco Klopper went over for his side's sixth try.
Mason was on song with his boot as he handed the visitors a 47-46 lead with five minutes remaining in the match. The visitors were able to hang on in the closing stages to claim the dramatic win.
Scorers:
For UP-Tuks:
Tries: Fouche, Penalty try, van der Merwe, Britz, Steenkamp
Cons: Stander 3
Pen: Stander
For Shimlas:
Tries: Nieuwoudt, Mafuma 2, Immelman, van Vuuren, Klopper
Cons: Janse van Rensburg, Mason 2
Pen: Janse van Rensburg
Teams:
UP-Tuks: 15 Nicolaas Britz, 14 Keanan van Wyk, 13 Stedman-Ghee Gans, 12 Adrian Maebane, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Joshua Stander, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Clyde Davids, 7 Frederic Eksteen, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Aston Fortuin, 3 Johan Fouche, 2 Cornelius Els, 1 Andrew Beerwinkel.
Replacements: 16 Jan Enslin, 17 Stephanus Genis, 18 Pieter Janse van Vuuren, 19 Marco van Staden, 20 Carlo Engelbrecht, 21 Quaid Langeveldt, 22 Oskar Calitz, 23 Justin Forwood.
UFS-Shimlas: 15 Frederick Mason, 14 Renaldo Meyer, 13 Stephan Janse van Rensburg, 12 Arthur Williams, 11 Mosolwa Mafuma, 10 Pieter-Steyn de Wet, 9 Renier Botha, 8 Albertus Erasmus, 7 Neil Claassen, 6 Refuoe Rampeta, 5 Dennis Visser, 4 Ntokozo Vidima, 3 Philip Botha, 2 Elandre Huggett, 1 Teunis Nieuwoudt.
Replacements: 16 Marco Klopper, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Jacob Immelman, 19 Musa Mahlasela, 20 Albertus Pretorius, 21 Apiwe Dinga, 22 Daniel Maartens, 23 Jacobus van Vuuren.
Referee: AJ Jacobs
CUT-Ixias 10-9 UCT-Ikeys
CUT were down to 14-men early in the match and UCT took full advantage as centre Hendrik Lategan opened the scoring with a seven point try. Flyhalf Robert Anderson added the extras to hand the visitors a 9-0 lead after 14 minutes.
Darren Baron got the home side on the scoreboard when he slotted a penalty in the 25th minute. Baron had a chance to reduce the deficit to three points but he failed to split the uprights in the 27th minute.
Neither side were able to add further points to the scoreboard as the visitors held a slender 9-3 lead at the break.
CUT took four minutes to grab the first try of the match when centre Clinton Toua found his way through the Ikey defence. Baron's conversion handed the home side a 10-9 lead. The points dried up from this point as the match went into the final five minutes with a single point separating the sides.
UCT were on the verge of stealing the victory in the dying seconds but a knock-on allowed the home side to boot the ball into the stands to claim the biggest upset in the history of the competition.
Scorers:
For CUT-Ixias:
Try: Toua
Con: Baron
Pen: Baron
For UCT-Ikeys:
Try: Lategan
Con: Anderson
Teams:
CUT-Ixias: 15 Willem van Tonder, 14 Pieter Toua, 13 Charles Hitchcock, 12 Louis Nel, 11 Henry Immelman, 10 Darron Baron, 9 Marius Grobler, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Mosoeu Maruping, 6 Dean Rossouw, 5 Rayno Nel, 4 Lodewyk Davis, 3 Gunther Janse van Vuuren, 2 Theunis Truter, 1 Jean Volkwyn.
Replacements: 16 Len Noort, 17 Gerard Baard, 18 Justin Basson, 19 Sylvester Makakole, 20 Dean Jacobs, 21 Aliqhayiya Mgijima, 22 Lethole Mokoena, 23 George Marich.
UCT-Ikeys: 15 Joel Smith, 14 Nathan Nel, 13 Lihleli Xoli, 12 Hendrik Lategan, 11 Suwilanji Chibale, 10 Robert Anderson, 9 Dylan-Lee Tidbury, 8 Guy Alexander (captain), 7 Luke Stringer, 6 Jason Klaasen, 5 Gary Porter, 4 Mark Prior, 3 Michael Kumbirai, 2 Brenton Greaves, 1 Joel Carew.
Replacements: 16 Keagan Timm, 17 Msizi Zondi, 18 Olwethu Hugo, 19 Nyasha Tarusenga, 20 Stephen Wallace, 21 Hilio de Abreu, 22 Gerard Pieterse, 23 Samuel Theron.
Referee: Jaco Kotze
NWU-Pukke 31-36 UJ
It took the home side just two minutes to register the first points of the match when a well-executed five metre line-out gave them excellent front foot ball. The ball was quickly shifted out wide to Lucian Cupido and the wing had an easy score. Rhyno Smith added the extras to hand the home side a 7-0 lead.
It took UJ a further five minutes to get themselves on the scoreboard thanks to a Divan Nel penalty to trail 3-7. Apiwe Dyantyi gave the visitors something to cheer when he got himself over the try line to score his side's first try of the match – a nine-pointer. Nel added the extras to take their lead to 14-7 after 15 minutes.
Wian Conradie got himself sent to the sin bin a few minutes later and Pukke nearly took full advantage, only to be denied their second try of the match for a double movement. The game heated up in the 22nd minute after Ronald Brown found himself in hot water for a dangerous tackle on Smith, the former being sent to the sin bin for the infringement.
Pukke made the extra men count when captain Jeandre Rudolph grabbed his side's second try of the game. Smith failed to add the extras as the home side trailed 12-14 after 25 minutes.
Despite being up against it, the Johannesburg students were able to extend their lead to 17-12 after 30 minutes when Nel slotted his second penalty of the match. Neither side were able to grab further points as UJ held onto their five point lead at the break.
Sylvian Mahuza sent the home crowd into ecstasy when he grabbed his side's third try – a nine pointer – just two minutes after the break. Smith's conversion handed the home side a 23-17 lead. Jeandre Rudolph was sent to the bin in the 46th minute for repeated infringements to hand the visitors the one-man advantage.
The visitors had a scrum five metres from their opponents' try line and a powerful scrum saw them being awarded a penalty try. Nel's second conversion of the night handing UJ a 24-23 lead after 49 minutes.
Three minutes later and UJ extended their lead to eight points when Dyantyi grabbed his second try of the match – a seven pointer. Nel's conversion made it a 10-point game with 27 minutes remaining in the contest.
The home side was back in the contest with 20 minutes remaining when Wilmar Arnoldi added his name to the try scorers list. Smith failed to add the extras as the home side trailed by five points. The match was far from over as Smith slotted a 68th minute penalty to bring the home side within two points of UJ.
However, Nel responded with a penalty of his own in the 71st minute to restore his side's five point lead. The visitors held on to their slender lead to claim a massive victory.
Scorers:
For NWU-Pukke:
Tries: Cupido, Rudolph, Mahuza, Arnoldi
Cons: Smith 2
Pen: Smith
For UJ:
Tries: Dyantyi 2, Penalty try
Cons: Nel 3
Pens: Nel 3
Teams:
NWU-Pukke: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Lucian Cupido, 13 Sylvian Mahuza, 12 Hendrik Marais, 11 Dean Stokes, 10 Barend Janse van Rensburg, 9 Malherbe Swart, 8 Marno Redelinghuys, 7 Jeandre Rudolph (captain), 6 Jaco Jordaan, 5 Walt Steenkamp, 4 Neil Morrison, 3 Bart le Roux, 2 Wilmar Arnoldi, 1 Mashudu Mafela.
Replacements: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Johan Smith, 18 Daniel Jordaan, 19 Gideon van der Merwe, 20 Kurshwill Williams, 21 Schalk Hugo, 22 Akhona Nela, 23 Mogau Mabokela.
UJ: 15 Ronald Brown, 14 Andries Oosthuizen, 13 Bradley Moolman, 12 Robert de Bruyn, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Divan Nel, 9 Hilton Mudariki, 8 Jakobus Porter, 7 Kyle van Dalen, 6 Wian Conradie, 5 David Antonites, 4 Jeremy Jordaan, 3 Nico du Plessis, 2 Johannes Snyman, 1 Siya Nzuzo.
Replacements: 16 Emmanuel Morowane, 17 Kyle Kruger, 18 Johan Oosthuizen, 19 Phenyo Seriteng, 20 Johan Esterhuizen, 21 Kobus Engelbrecht, 22 Godfrey Ramaboea, 23 Waldo Weideman.
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe