STANDINGS
MATIES VS CUT
In a historic victory, FNB CUT became the fifth team in the Varsity Cup to defeat FNB Maties at the Danie Craven Stadium, triumphing 23-19 in a hard-fought battle. Referee Sean Miller issued two yellow cards early on to Maties’ lock pairing of Juan Beukes and Thys Kitshoff, leaving the home side with only 13 players. CUT capitalized on their advantage, with hooker Tokelo Ntaopane scoring a try and flyhalf Tyler Sefoor adding two penalties and a conversion.
Maties briefly rallied with a try by McKyle Volmoer, converted by flyhalf Jurie Matthee, before Asekho Marubelela scored a try for CUT, extending their lead to 20-7 at halftime. Despite a try from reserve hooker Francois Beytenbach and a conversion from Matthee, and a late surge from Maties, they were unable to secure victory.
This defeat was only Maties’ seventh in the Varsity Cup, but it may be their most painful, especially considering their past dominant victories against CUT with scores of 40-0, 75-12, and 62-24 in previous encounters in Stellenbosch.
FNB Maties19 (7) – Tries: McKyle Volmoer, Francois Beytenbach, Ammaar Burton. Conversions: Jurie Matthee (2).
FNB CUT23 (20) – Tries: Tokelo Ntaopane, Asekho Marubelela. Conversions: Tyler Sefoor (2). Penalties: Sefoor (3).
FNB Player that Rocks: Xavier Swartbooi (FNB CUT).
IKEYS VS TUKS
Ntokozo Makhaza shone as FNB UCT Ikeys secured a remarkable 40-19 win against defending champions FNB UP-Tuks at Green Mile Fields. For Tuks, it’s a return to the drawing board following last week’s narrow defeat to FNB UFH Shimlas in Pretoria.
After 12 minutes, the Ikey Tigers broke the deadlock with hooker Alex Castle scoring a try from a successful driving maul by the home side’s forwards. Ten minutes later, the Tigers furthered their lead thanks to a try by Jason MacLeod Smith, with Makhaza adding the extras.
As the first half progressed, UCT dominated and added two more tries, ending the first half with a commanding 29-0 lead.
Tuks staged a partial comeback at the start of the second half, scoring three tries through outside centre Lincoln Daniels (2) and Pierre Fourie. However, UCT had the last word as Makhaza scored his second try of the match, sealing a memorable victory with the final score at 40-19.
FNB UCT IKEYS 40 (29) – Tries: Alex Castle, Jason MacLeod Smith, Duran Koevort, Ntokozo Makhaza (2). Conversions: Makhaza (3). Penalties: Makhaza (3).
FNB UP-TUKS 19 (0)– Tries: Lincoln Daniels (2), Pierre Fourie. Conversions: Walter Visser (2).
FNB Player That Rocks: Ntokozo Makhaza (FNB UCT Ikeys)
NWU VS SHIMLAS
FNB NWU Eagles continued their impressive start to the 2023 season by defeating FNB NWU Shimlas 63-16 at Fanie du Toit Sportsground. Shimlas got off to a strong start with Michael Annies scoring a try within the first minute after breaking through the Eagles’ defense from midfield. However, the home team fought back and responded with a try from Vernon Paulo.
The match was briefly paused as NWU’s Zane Bester was replaced by Jandre Nel due to a serious knee injury, while Shimlas’ William Moffat left the field with a head injury and was replaced by Liyema Mgwigwi.
Shimlas’ troubles deepened when Chadd Adams was sin-binned for dangerous play in the 28th minute. Two tries from Theuns Pretorius and another from Naiden Jaartsen gave the Eagles a commanding 32-9 lead at halftime.
Shimlas started the second half with the same intensity as the first, scoring a try through Renier Viljoen. However, the Eagles quickly replied with tries from Arminn Posthumus and Jandre de Beer. Keano Windvogel’s late try sealed an impressive victory for the Eagles.
FNB NWU EAGLES 63 (32) – Tries: Vernon Paulo, Theuns Pretorius(2), NaidenJaarts, ArminnPosthumus, Jandre de Beer, Keano Windvogel(2), Ruben du Plessis. Conversions: Zinedine Robinson (4), Martin Venter. Penalties: Zinedine Robinson (2)
FNB UFS SHIMLAS 16 (9) – Tries: Michael Annies, Renier Viljoen. Conversations: Ethan Wentzel (2).
FNB Player That Rocks: Vernon Paulo (FNB NWU)
WITS VS UJ
In front of a capacity crowd at the Wits Rugby stadium, FNB Wits staged a remarkable comeback, overturning a 30-0 deficit at halftime to defeat local rivals FNB UJ 35-33. UJ dominated the first half, scoring their first try early on through Philip Apea-Adu, and taking advantage of a high penalty count against Wits to score three more tries.
However, the second half saw a resurgent Wits team, who played with greater intensity and put UJ under pressure. The home team’s hard work paid off when eight-man ZiyandaMasipha scored their first try. From there, Wits continued to dominate, with UJ struggling to cope with their opponents’ renewed energy and making costly errors.
Wits closed the gap with two more tries, bringing the score to 30-28, before George Devenish sealed the win with a late try, leaving the UJ defenders in his wake. It was a thrilling victory for the Witsies and a bitter disappointment for UJ, who had looked so dominant in the first half.
FNB Wits 35 (0) – Tries: Ziyanda Masipa (2), Kyle van Eyssen, George Devenish. Conversions: Christian Humphries (4).
FNB UJ 33 (30) – Tries: Philip Apea-Adu, Prince Nkabinde, Rowan Malgas, LikhayaTengimgene. Conversions: Jonathan Viljoen (1). Penalties: Jonathan Viljoen (1).
FNB Player That Rocks: ZiyandaMsipha (FNB Wits)
