VARSITY CUP continued with their Monday ways with all the excitement and fast playing student rugby at the various universities.
This was no exception at the local universities in Johannesburg when FNB UJ showed their skills against a tough FNB – North West University side on Monday evening February 23.
UJ send NWU packing after a tight game of rugby was played at home sides and in front of a delighted crowd. FNB UJ kept their forwards close and never gave the visitors a chance to open up the match. Their victory of 10-8 was the side from Potchefstroom’s first defeat in the competition this year.
The visitors however fought back at the end to claim a well deserved bonus point, but UJ hung on the lead two points lead.
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 the earlier matches on Monday night’s Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International dished up some 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.
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 like the probable 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.
