Tuks send strong message in Varsity Cup
Pretoria side tops the log with massive 53-8 win over rivals.
Monday night’s Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International dished up some more thrilling action with FNB Tuks surging to the top of the log with a crushing 53-8 win over Maties in Pretoria.
In Monday’s first match, newly promoted FNB CUT continued to struggle in the competition as FNB Shimlas ran riot in the Bloemfontein derby, beating their city rivals 0-57. Handling errors and ill-discipline all cost Ixias dearly and they were reduced to 14 men twice in the match. The win took Shimlas to 12 points after three games with two wins and one draw and they sit second on the log.
Second on the log are FNB UJ, who got back to winning ways with a gutsy 10-8 victory over FNB NWU-Pukke in Johannesburg on Monday. The Potchefstroom team fought back well to claim a bonus point, but fell short in the end as UJ hung on to hand the visitors their first defeat of the season. The win sees UJ move past NWU-Pukke into third place on the standings on points difference, as they bounced back from their home defeat to FNB UFS-Shimlas last week.
In Cape Town, FNB UCT scored five tries at the Green Mile to crush FNB NMMU 40-13 to get their title defence back on track.
In Monday night’s final Varsity Cup clash, FNB UP-Tuks sent a clear message to the rest of the teams in the competition when they crushed FNB Maties 53-8 in Pretoria. Tuks were unstoppable in all facets of the game as they ran in seven tries to remain unbeaten in the competition and establish themselves as the forerunners to lift the trophy this year. They are at the top of the table with 13 points after winning three out of their three matches.
In the FNB Varsity Shield, a James Verity-Amm hat-trick helped FNB UWC claim an away 37-37 draw against the high-riding FNB Wits. It was a game of two halves with Wits looking the likely winners after leading 37-16 at one stage of the game, but a spirited fight back led by Verity-Amm ensured that the points were shared.
Despite the draw, Wits remain at the top of the top of the table with 18 points while FNB UKZN are second on 13 points after they beat FNB Fort Hare 13-21 at the Davidson Rugby Stadium in Alice.
