A lose and a win for Joburg’s universities
JOBURG – Wits goes third on the Varsity Cup log as UJ goes seventh after second round.
Nail-biting finishes as Wits records second win while UJ fails to secure their first.
Wits University hosted the Central University of Technology (CUT) and won the game 2018 as the University of Johannesburg (UJ) lost to the University of Cape Town (UCT) 26-24 on February 21.
Wits got their second home game of the season off to a worrying start as they trailed 8-0 within the first 20 minutes thanks to a successful penalty by Floris Brand and a try by CUT’s Jacquin van Wyk. The home team would not let their home crowd down and fought back to score a Setshaba Mokoena try and a Chris Humphries conversions minutes later to have the score at 78.
Another try by CUT and penalty for Wits ended the first half at 10-13 in favour to CUT. CUT got the first points of the second half with a try but Wits kept the fight up and were rewarded in the 75th minute with an Azi Afrika try. Another Humphries conversion had Wits trailing 17-18 but a last-minute penalty gave the boys a chance to win the game. In the 79th minute, Humphries saved the day as he scored a penalty to win it for the home side 2018.
In Cape Town, the orange army got off to a hot start scoring two tries and conversions by the 26th minute to lead the game 14-0. Not to be embarrassed by the visitors, UCT managed to get themselves onto the scoreboard in the 29th minute but shortly afterwards gave up a penalty to UJ in the 34th minute, a try by Likhaya Tengimfene in the 38th and a conversion by Jonathan Viljoen.
At the half, the score was 245 to UJ but it was UCT who turned up the heat in the second half. In the 42nd minute, UCTs Alexander Castle scored a try followed by a conversion by Duran Koevort. Ntokozo Makhaza scored another try as Koevort scored his conversion once again, the score stood at 24-19 to UJ.
In the 75th minute, a try by UCT levelled the game at 24 all. Koevort sealed the win for UCT with his conversion in the 76th minute.
UJ will get to host their first home game of the season against the North-West University while Wits plays their first away game against Stellenbosch University on February 28.
