UJ's 29-24 victory against their neighbours, Wits, was very important as it meant the Orange Army have now climbed out of the FNB Varsity Cup relegation zone.
Prior to kick-off, UJ sat in a precarious position as the ninth-placed side on the combined 2021-22 FNB Varsity Cup log. As per tournament regulations, the teams that finish at ninth and 10th at the end of this season will be automatically relegated to the FNB Varsity Shield.
The pressure was on UJ to deliver – and deliver they did against their Johannesburg rivals. The hosts bossed the scrums and the breakdowns, with co-captain Johannes Terblanche enjoying a big game on the ground. They converted several attacking chances in wet and challenging conditions and showed remarkable fortitude on defence.
Wits were competitive at the lineout, though, and managed to build some momentum in the second stanza and they took the lead with time running out on the clock, but UJ weren’t done yet. Kelvin Kanenungo rounded off a point-of-origin try, and then Shaun-Christian Baxter held his nerve to slot two important kicks to complete a big win.
Scorers:
FNB UJ 29 (14) – Tries: Darnell Osuagwu, Likhaya Tengimfene (1x7), Kelvin Kanenungo (1x7). Conversions: Shaun-Christian Baxter (2). Penalties: Baxter (2)
FNB Wits 24 (3) – Tries: Setshaba Mokoena, Phillip Krause, Luhle Matyolweni. Conversions: Chris Humphries (3). Penalty: Humphries.
In Cape Town, reigning champs UP-Tuks scored seven tries in a resounding 51-19 win over UWC. Playing with a howling south-easter at their backs, Tuks had the better of possession and territory in the first half and converted most of their opportunities.
Big men like prop Ethan Burger carried strongly to breach the UWC defence on a regular basis. The visitors scored four tries in only 28 minutes to secure the bonus point.
UWC were outplayed at the set pieces and at the collisions. While the wind influenced their performance in the first half, they were their own worst enemies with ball in hand and conceded far too many penalties. The hosts were more accurate in the second stanza, and managed to score three tries. Nevertheless, they failed to reduce the deficit sufficiently to claim any consolation bonus points.
Scorers:
FNB UWC 19 (0) – Tries: Aydon Topley, Justin Theys, Shaine Orderson. Conversions: Lyle Hendricks (2).
FNB UP-Tuks 51 (28) – Tries: Ethan Burger (2), Bernard van der Linde (1x5, 1x7), Allister Williams, Orateng Koikanyang, Divan Venter. Conversions: Clyde Lewis (7).
Action from the Joburg Derby between UJ and Wits.
In cold and wet conditions in Bloemfontein, Maties blew the CUT Ixias away with a brilliant first-half performance that saw them score six tries to lead 47-0 at the break. Hooker Sean Swart crossed the line twice and went on to win the FNB Player That Rocks award.
To their credit, the hosts showed far more fight in the second half, restricting their opponents to just one more try – wing Sibabalwe Xamlashe’s second – while scoring three themselves, including two from captain Luvuyo Ndevu. Maties had to play 15 minutes of the second half with 14 men after replacement prop James Combrinck was red-carded for the apparent use of a knee on a player.
Scorers:
FNB CUT Ixias 19 (0) – Tries: Septimus Derkesen, Luvuyo Ndevu (2). Conversions: Zinedene Booysen (2).
FNB Maties 52 (47) – Tries: Brendan Venter (1x7), Sean Swart (2), Marcqiewn Titus (1x7), Sibabalwe Xamlashe (2), Nevaldo Fleurs (1x7). Conversions: Nevaldo Fleurs (4). Penalty: Fleurs.
Having begun their 2022 campaign with three impressive victories, the UFS Shimlas suffered a second consecutive defeat when they went down 32-22 to the NWU Eagles in Bloemfontein.
The Free State students responded with two late first-half tries and another early in the second half that slashed the deficit to just three points. But they conceded a penalty try when collapsing an Eagles’ lineout driving maul in the 55th minute and then lost replacement prop Blaine Golden (red card) and flyhalf George Lourens (yellow card) in quick succession.
NWU Eagles wing Naiden Jaarts’ 73rd-minute try put the result beyond doubt, although UFS Shimlas did score their fourth try in the final play of the game to earn a bonus point.
Scorers:
FNB UFS Shimlas 22 (12) – Tries: Jooste Nel (2), Litha Nkula, Lourens Oosthuizen. Conversion: Litha Nkula.
FNB NWU Eagles 32 (20) – Tries: Tino Swanepoel (2), penalty try, Naiden Jaarts. Conversions: Nivan Petersen (2). Penalties: Petersen (2).
At the Green Mile in Cape Town, hooker Keagan Blanckenberg’s 75th-minute try from a lineout driving maul gave the UCT Ikeys a 33-26 win against the Madibaz from Nelson Mandela Bay.
The visitors had raced into a 16-0 lead after nine minutes thanks to converted tries from fullback Kyle Cyster (point-of-origin) and No 8 Siyamthanda Jwacu. But the Ikey Tigers hit back with two tries of their own, which saw them trailing 19-14 at half-time, and then scored a third at the end of the third quarter to take the lead.
The Madibaz’s third try made it 26-26 with 10 minutes remaining, but it was UCT who finished the game strongly to secure a hard-fought bonus-point win.
Scorers:
FNB UCT Ikeys 33 (14) – Tries: Kyle Bowman, Ruben Labuschagne, Keagan Glade, Mika Schubert, Keagan Blanckenberg. Conversions: Duran Koevort (4).
FNB Madibaz 26 (19) – Tries: Kyle Cyster (1x7), Siyamthanda Jwacu, Leon van der Merwe. Conversions: Sibalomzi Mqeni (3). Penalty: Mqeni.
FNB Varsity Cup Round 6 fixtures (21 March):
● FNB Wits vs FNB UWC (17h00, Wits Rugby Stadium, SuperSport channel 211)
● FNB Maties vs FNB NWU Eagles (19h00, Danie Craven Stadium, SuperSport channel 211)
● FNB UP-Tuks vs FNB CUT Ixias (19h00, Tuks Stadium, SuperSport Schools App)
● FNB UFS Shimlas vs FNB UCT Ikeys (19h00, Shimla Park, SuperSport Schools App)
● FNB Madibaz vs FNB UJ (19h00, Madibaz Stadium, SuperSport Schools App)
