Maties rumble into final
23 Mar 2010
Maties recorded a convincing 47-11 win against Pukke in the Varsity Cup play-offs on Monday and will meet Ikeys in the final.
It was the repeat of last year’s final and the two Varsity Cup giants were psyched up from the outset as their season would be determined a success or failure after 80 minutes.
The strong wind in Stellenbosch saw the players prefer to run the ball in attack. Both teams produced crunching tackles and competed fiercely at the breakdown as they tried to gain the early momentum, but it was the home side who gained ascendancy as they created a 12-0 lead.
After a close contest in the first ten minutes, Maties scored the first points of the game as prop Mike de Neuilly-Rice drove over from close range. Moments later, the defending champions worked their way back into Pukke’s red zone and hooker Matthew Dobson dived over after several pick up and drives from the mobile Maties pack.
Maties were caught out running the ball from their own 22 as Pukke won a turnover. This saw wing SP Marias find space out wide for an easy run in. But scrumhalf Johan Herbst’s try restored Maties’ 12-point lead.
Pukke fullback Theuns Kotze and Maties pivot Andre Kemp then traded penalties as the half-time score stood at 20-8.
Pukke had a perfect start to the second stanza as Kotze kicked an early penalty. But it was to be all Maties for the rest of the game as they ran in another four tries. Dobson grabbed a brace while lock Andrew Prior, wing Tythan Adams and flank Jonathan Adendorf all scored to secure Maties’ third consecutive final.
The final will be an all Cape affair as Ikeys edged Shimlas 27-21 in the first semi-final in Cape Town.
Tries from No 8 JJ Gagiano, centre Marcel Brache and Marcello Sampson saw UCT build a comfortable 19-0 lead by half-time. But they had to fend off a late surge from Shimlas as they hit back with three tries.
But fullback Therlow Pietersen’s try and pivot Matt Rosslee’s penalty in the second half was enough to secure the win.
Semi-final results:
UCT 27 – 21 Shimlas
Maties 47-11 Pukke
Final:
29 March
Maties vs UCT
By Gareth Duncan
20 Comments
22 Mar 2010, 18:17 pm
To meet UCT in the final … will it be Maties again?
BTW final score in the first semi, UCT 27 – 21 Shimlas
22 Mar 2010, 18:34 pm
go maties
22 Mar 2010, 19:45 pm
yeah, go Maties, but please only win by 9
22 Mar 2010, 19:49 pm
@scar: doesn’t look like that’s going to happen..
22 Mar 2010, 19:50 pm
@wpjoulekkading: True, but ever the optimist I am hoping Pukke will come with a slap-riem!
22 Mar 2010, 19:51 pm
@scar: OK, it is never going to happen … now hoping on a massive victory so no one gets margin points!!
22 Mar 2010, 20:18 pm
With a result like this, the onus for success for Western Province rugby, lies squarely with the administration. Maties and UCT in the final – the quality is clearly there – the support is there from the spectators (we have the best attendance figures) – that means the money is there too – so c’mon administrators … don’t muck it up!
23 Mar 2010, 04:26 am
UCT are disadvantaged by always having to travel to Coetzenberg and because they can never play at their own Groote Schuur home ground.
23 Mar 2010, 06:46 am
Go Ikeys!!
23 Mar 2010, 07:46 am
western cape rugby in rude health it seems…..
perhaps a flutter of fear there in bulls land?
23 Mar 2010, 08:26 am
@grant10:
Nah they are smiling from ear-to-ear scurrying to get the chequebooks out.
23 Mar 2010, 09:03 am
@grant10: @PissAnt:
Yip, expect 90% of these Ikey and Matie stars to be playing for the Bulls age group levels at some time in the future.
WPRFU is absolutely useless at retaining young talent. USELESS.
Bunch of deadweight, nepotistic fat cats wearing old men’s shoes.
23 Mar 2010, 09:05 am
@WP Till I Die: rate cut Thursday???
What sayeth the wise men at Investec?
23 Mar 2010, 09:14 am
@grant10:
Our house view, considering recent inflation figures and the continued strength of the Rand, is that we can confidently expect a 50 basis points cut in the repo rate.
23 Mar 2010, 09:15 am
@WP Till I Die: 14
Awesome….i agree…
Will pop a bottle of champers i tell you…
23 Mar 2010, 09:18 am
@grant10:
It’s all subject to the Quarterly Bulletin, CPI and PPI data all being released this week.
We expect household consumption expenditure to show slight growth (although remaining weak), CPI year-on-year to come in at around 5.8% and PPI year-on-year at around 3.3%.
23 Mar 2010, 11:41 am
Tickets for the final available yet?
23 Mar 2010, 15:51 pm
I thought the pukke were pretty good.The more aggresive looking side…but man o man, how many knock-on’s did they have. Couldn’t get out of their own territory through their own ineptitude and poor handling.
players that stood out for me were the maties 13 and the pukke 11. Dam he looked fast and nasty.Maties 13 looked the spitting image of jaque Fourie.
23 Mar 2010, 16:11 pm
@Taahirah: its a seanon ticket sell out. you will be lucky to get in. the TV will be the better bet. it will be a all maroun affair
24 Mar 2010, 09:50 am
@Cheetahboytjie: Ill just climb up the mountain and slip through the fence like I have done in years past then.
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