Wits produces the ultimate comeback; CUT the ultimate upset

ROUND TWO WRAP: Wits produced the ultimate comeback and CUT the ultimate upset as Round Two of the Varsity Cup delivered the usual batch of drama.

Cut travelled to Stellenbosch to upset their hosts at the Danie Craven Stadium, but the performance of the round was in Johannesburg – where Wirs came back from being 30 points down to beat the University of Johannesburg in a thriller.

The Round Two wrap!

MATIES 19-23 CUT

It was not pretty, but visiting CUT made history as they became only the fifth Varsity Cup team to beat the Maties at the Danie Craven Stadium, joining the likes of UP-Tuks, UCT Ikeys, UJ and NWU as victors in Stellenbosch in a titanic 23-19 tussle.

Referee Sean Miller dished out two early yellow cards to the Maties lock pairing of Juan Beukes and Thys Kitshoff, as the home side went down to 13 men. The inevitable happened with CUT hooker Tokelo Ntaopane powering his way over the try line before flyhalf Tyler Sefoor added the extras, either side of two penalties.

Maties made a short-lived comeback courtesy of a try by pocket rocket McKyle Volmoer which flyhalf Jurie Matthee superbly converted from the sideline. Asekho Marubelela’s converted try saw CUT stretch their lead to 20-7 at halftime.

The men in maroon managed to claw a try back after CUT flanker Ulrich Stander was yellow-carded and the advantage in the line-out saw reserve hooker Francois Beytenbach score. Maties replacement prop Ammaar Burton narrowed the gap to that of a single score as Matthee added the extras. But despite a ferocious comeback attempt in the final moments of the game, Maties were unable to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

This was only Maties’ seventh defeat since the inception of the Varsity Cup but it is probably one that hurts the most, especially since the visitors had been beaten 40–0, 75-12 and 62-24 in the previous encounters in Stellenbosch.

The scorers

For Maties
Tries: McKyle Volmoer, Francois Beytenbach, Ammaar Burton
Cons: Jurie Matthee 2

For CUT
Tries: Tokelo Ntaopane, Asekho Marubelela
Cons: Tyler Sefoor 2
Pens: Sefoor 3

Player that Rocks: Xavier Swartbooi (CUT).

UCT IKEYS 40-19 UP TUKS

Ntokozo Makhaza was the star of the show as UCT Ikeys scored an impressive 40-19 victory over defending champions UP-Tuksat Green Mile Fields. For Tuks, it’s back to the drawing board after last week’s one-point defeat against UFH Shimlas in Pretoria.

It took 12 minutes for the Ikey Tigers to break the deadlock when hooker Alex Castle went over after a successful driving maul by the home side’s forwards. Ten minutes later, the Tigers were starting to take control of the game thanks to a try by Jason MacLeod Smith with Makhaza’s boot adding the extras.

In the lead-up to half-time, UCT was running riot, adding two more tries with the scoreboard reading 29-0 at the break.

Tuks staged somewhat of a comeback at the start of the second half as they caught UCT napping. Outside centre Lincoln Daniels was rewarded with two tries while Pierre Fourie also dotted down.

It was the home side, however, who had the last say as Makhaza grabbed his second try of the match to take the score to 40-19 and secure a memorable victory.

The scorers

For UCT IKEYS
Tries: Alex Castle, Jason MacLeod Smith, Duran Koevort, Ntokozo Makhaza 2
Cons: Makhaza 3
Pens: Makhaza 3

For UP-TUKS
Tries: Lincoln Daniels 2, Pierre Fourie
Cons: Walter Visser 2

Player That Rocks: Ntokozo Makhaza (UCT Ikeys)

NWU 63-16 UFS Shimlas

The NWU Eagles continued with their brilliant start to their 2023 campaign with a 63-16 win over NWU Shimlas at the Fanie du Toit Sportsground.

Shimlas started the game strongly with a try from Michael Annies within the first minute of the game after he stormed over the Eagles’ defence from his half. The home team showed great character to fight back and score a try through Vernon Paulo.

There was a slight delay as NWU’s Zane Bester was replaced by Jandre Nel following a serious knee injury. For Shimlas, it was William Moffat who left the field with a head injury with LiyemaMgwigwitaking his place.

Things got worse for Shimlas as Chadd Adams was sent to the sin bin for dangerous play in the 28th minute. Two tries from Theuns Pretorius and another one from Naiden Jaarts ensured the Eagles went into halftime with a 32-9 lead.

Shimlas started the second half with the same intensity as the first with a try from Renier Viljoen. The Eagles quickly replied with ArminnPosthumus and Jandre de Beer going over. Keano Windvogel’s late try sealed an impressive victory.

The scorers

For NWU EAGLES
Tries: Vernon Paulo, Theuns Pretorius 2, Naiden Jaarts, Arminn Posthumus, Jandre de Beer, Keano Windvogel 2, Ruben du Plessis
Cons: Zinedine Robinson 4 Martin Venter
Pens: Zinedine Robinson 2

For UFS SHIMLAS
Tries: Michael Annies, Renier Viljoen
Cons: Ethan Wentzel 2

Player That Rocks: Vernon Paulo (NWU)

WITS 35-33 UJ

Wits staged an epic comeback, down 0-30 at half-time, to defeat Johannesburg rival UJ 35-33 in front of a packed Wits stadium.

UJ was far the better side in the first half, racing to a 30-0 lead at the break, with their first try inside the first 10 minutes when Philip Apea-Adu went over. The Orange Army continued to dominate the proceedings, with Wits pegged back by a high penalty count their opponents took advantage of, running in a further three tries.

The second half saw a rejuvenated Wits team, who upped the intensity, putting UJ under pressure. The hard work eventually paid off for the Witsies, who registered their first try courtesy of eight-man ZiyandaMasipha. Wits started to dominate proceedings with UJ often looking a little shell-shocked, making mistakes at crucial times.

Two more tries by Wits reduced the deficit to only seven points. Trailing by three points in the dying minutes of the game, George Devenish then picked up a ball out wide to dash past the UJ defenders and score the winning try.

The scorers

For Wits
Tries: Ziyanda Masipa 2, Kyle van Eyssen, George Devenish
Cons: Christian Humphries 4

For UJ
Tries: Philip Apea-Adu, Prince Nkabinde, Rowan Malgas, LikhayaTengimgene
Cons: Jonathan Viljoen 1
Pens: Jonathan Viljoen 1

Player That Rocks: Ziyanda Msipha (Wits)

Source: @varsitycup