The University of Johannesburg came out victorious at the recent Varsity Sevens rugby tournament.
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) rugby team shrugged off an early yellow card to win the Varsity Sevens title with a decisive 20–0 win over Stellenbosch University (SU) in Johannesburg on Saturday, 5 October. The tournament took place at the Pirates Club in Greenside and the Orange Army avenged their 2018 finals loss after losing to the University of Pretoria (UP).
UJ captain Johan Esterhuizen said he was overcome with joy after the final whistle blew, “To be honest, it still feels a bit unreal and I am lost for words at the final result. Last year we came second to Tuks (UP) so we really wanted to rectify that outcome.”
UJ suffered a massive blow after being served with a yellow card early in the game. The UJ defence proved relentless as they kept their opponents at bay ensuring that they didn’t get onto the scoreboard regardless of being one man down. UJ’s Musawenkosi Tshabalala registered the first try for the final after he beat several defenders to put them 5 – 0 ahead. That was followed by a decisive moment when UJ crossed for a second try during a power play, which resulted in them taking a 15–0 lead into half-time. Desperate to get back into the game, the Maties tried everything they could but were unable to crack the UJ defence.
Near the end of the second half, UJ’s Odwa Nkunjana sealed it for his team as he side-stepped three Stellenbosch players in one of the tries of the tournament to take the score to 20–0. The celebratory mood was beginning to creep into the UJ side but they acknowledged that it was an intense game. The boys in orange paid their respect to their opposition. Esterhuizen thanked the team for their effort in what he called a ‘very tough game in the final’.
Nkunjana was named FNB Player of the Tournament, which he described as a great feeling. He said, “I am very thankful at receiving this award and we are very excited to have won the tournament.”
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