The Varsity Cup may have the innovation of doing a few things differently, but what was supposed to be a celebration of student rugby somehow just seems like another tournament, in which the traditional power houses remain the traditional strengths in the tournament.

Much has been made of the Port Elizabeth-based Nelson Mandela University display this season and equally there has been bewilderment at how poor Shimlas have been. But it seems the old one two of Stellenbosch University (Maties) and University of Pretoria (Tukkies) are merely playing out a long rivalry in another guise.

More focus this year has supposedly been on reinvesting in the student and there are more stringent regulations permitting to team selection, which favour those who are currently studying.

But the tournament, for intents and purposes, is a professional breeding ground and the Tukkies team, as just one example, is a professional side that has carefully been constructed and then sold to the public as a bunch of students who just want to play Monday night footie.

I loved everything about the Varsity Cup in its inaugural year. It was fast paced, it was different to what I was watching in the professional leagues and it was showcasing a more carefree style of game, in which skills and entertainment were the selling point to lure in a new audience.

The promise of something special was definitely there. The tournament’s sponsors have not been shy with cash. They have also engaged strategically with sectors of the media to buy space that guarantees favourable presentation.

But the rugby that rocked in the first year is rugby that bores me in 2013. In a saturated market it is more an irritation than an inspiration.

Am I missing something? Does the student audience see it different? Is it beyond the rugby experience?

Is it predictable and from a rugby perspective how do you view it in the context of all else that is going on in the game of Rugby Union?

Is it a competition that has delivered on expectation since the inaugural year?

What am I missing?

Monday’s results
Ikey Tigers 15 Maties 37
NMMU 20 UJ 13
Tuks 52 Wits 0
Shimlas 38 Pukke 18

Grant, son of former Western Province scrumhalf Gary Grant, added a late penalty to win the match 18-16 after the teams changed ends 16-all.

Tukkies beat Maties in last year’s final but the latter are unbeaten in this season’s tournament.

It was a night of close encounters in the Varsity Cup and the Port Elizabeth-based Madibaz edged Shimlas 14-10 to add to the feel good factor in the Eastern Cape. It was the Madibaz second win in three matches after they lost narrowly away to Maties.

Shimlas have now lost three successive times this season.

NWU-Pukke were also too strong for UCT’s Tigers, winning 29-26. The Tigers are winless this year.

The only team to win easily was UJ who smashed neighbours Wits 63-24.

By Mark Keohane

The Cape side, now coached by ex-Bok coach Peter de Villiers, scored 40 unanswered points through five tries in the second half to take the game away from the Vikings.

Both teams showed plenty of enthusiasm and a willingness to run the ball from the offset, but could not find the killer blow, with the match scoreless at the first strategy break.

The visitors were enjoying a major territorial advantage in the first half with the wind at their backs, and piled on the pressure after UWC lock Methetheleli Fuzani was shown a yellow card for repeated infringements at the breakdown, but could not find a way over the tryline as the home side showed great commitment on defence.

With continuity a precious commodity it was the Vikings who took a slender 4-2 lead into the half-time break after outscoring UWC by two penalties to one in the opening half.

UWC came out after half-time and scored three quick tries to take the game by the scruff of the neck. Fuzani crashed over from close range shortly after the break and that was followed up by tries from scrumhalf Freddie Muller and left wing Minenhle Mthethwa to put them firmly in control at 26-4.

The bonus point was wrapped up after the second strategy break when replacement Donovan Williams cut the defensive line before finding outside centre Kenwin Weiner who dived over for the try which clinched a full house of five log points for the home side.

Meanwhile, in Pietermaritzburg, UKZN overcame a determined Fort Hare side in tricky conditions to register a gutsy 19-7 victory.

UKZN failed to win a single game last year to finish with the Varsity Shield wooden spoon, so the win will come as a massive boost as they look to build some momentum this season.

There was no shortage of commitment from either side in the pouring rain, and it was anyone’s game at the hour mark with UKZN holding a slender 8-7 lead.

However, the home side turned on the class in the final stages with the wind at their backs, and a try and three penalties sealed a valuable victory over the dangerous Eastern Cape side.

Varsity Shield action continues on Thursday when UWC travel to Bloemfontein to take on 2011 champions CUT, whilst the UKZN Take on TUT in Pretoria.

The Stellenbosch students scored four times, including a penalty try, and were successful with three conversions, while the SA U20 training squad scored three tries and slotted a conversion. Maties lead 12-7 at half-time.

The match was played in near perfect weather conditions and in front of a few hundred spectators.

Maties’ greater experience ultimately saw them safely home in an absorbing and entertaining tussle. They dominated the opening 20 minutes, but the SA U20 squad got better as the match progressed and produced their best spell of the match either side of half-time.

SA U20 coach, Dawie Theron, and his assistant coaches, Nazeem Adams and Brendan Venter, would have been pleased with their team’s defensive efforts just after half-time, when they prevented Maties from scoring at least three times after absorbing a lot of pressure from the students.

Theron lamented the fact that his charges created a lot of opportunities, but failed to convert their chances into points.

‘Maties started off very well and we were a bit shell shocked at the beginning, but the boys grew into the game and as a result created a lot of chances,’ said Theron. ‘Apart from scoring three times, I think we wasted at least seven more opportunities to score. But this strenuous workout against Maties was exactly what we needed.

‘A lot of our boys are still U18 and U19 and it was good for them to be exposed to that kind of pressure. Our aim was to keep to our structures and I think we contested much harder for the ball as the game progressed.

‘The boys learned today that they have to focus and play for the entire 80 minutes, something that we would need to do during the Junior World Championship in France. From that aspect, I would say it a very good exercise today.’

The squad’s third and last training match is on Saturday at 4pm against UCT at Brookside, the home of Villager Rugby Club in Claremont.

Scorers:

Maties – Tries: Neethling Gericke, Reniel Hugo, Johnny Kotze , penalty try. Conversions: Dean Grant, JH Potgieter.
SA U20 – Tries: Jacques du Plessis, Tim Swiel, JP Lewis. Conversion: Handré Pollard.

The focus rightly will be on students, and teams can’t load their match squads with semi-professional or professional players.

The 2013 Varsity Cup season was launched on Monday and it was confirmed that 18 of the 23 players in the match-day squad must be students, and they must have passed 30% of their courses in 2012.

The tournament starts on 4 February.

Defending Varsity Cup champions, Tuks, get their title defence off to a tricky start when they travel to Potchefstroom to take on Pukke, while the other TV game of the first round will see Maties entertaining UJ.

The much talked about points-scoring system of two points for a penalty and a drop-goal and three points for a conversion, which was first trialled last year, will continue in 2013.

Importantly, having earned the right to promotion, Varsity Cup new boys Wits have the comfort of knowing there is no relegation at the end of this season.

TUT will be spending 2013 and 2014 in the Varsity Shield after finishing 2012 as the bottom-placed team in the Varsity Cup, while Wits, the 2012 Varsity Shield champions (thus earning automatic promotion), have two full seasons of Varsity Cup rugby ahead of them – no matter what.

And the other announcement worth noting is the continued focus on academics. All Varsity Cup and Shield match-day squads have to boast an active student count of 78% (at least 18 out of the 23 players in the match-day squads), and these students’ results and attendances will be strictly monitored throughout the year.

Academic results from 2012 will also matter, as full-time students must have passed at least 30% of last year’s subjects to be allowed to play this year (as a full-time student). Also, a player who has not passed Grade 12 cannot play in any Varsity Rugby tournaments – even as a non-student.

The Young Guns and Koshuisrugby Championships tournaments continue to be students-only affairs, giving the eight Cup teams an opportunity to build more ‘student depth’ for years to come.

2013 VARSITY CUP FIXTURES

Monday, 4 February
Maties vs UJ, Danie Craven Stadium, 4:45pm (TV)
NWU-Pukke vs UP-Tuks, Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds, 7pm (TV)
UCT vs NMMU, UCT Rugby Fields, 7pm
Wits vs Shimlas, Wits Rugby Stadium, 7pm

Monday, 11 February
UP-Tuks vs UCT, Tuks Rugby Stadium, 4:45pm (TV)
NMMU vs Wits, NMMU Stadium, 7pm (TV)
UJ vs NWU-Pukke, UJ Stadium, 7pm
Shimlas vs Maties, Shimla Park, 7pm

Monday, 18 February
Shimlas vs UP-Tuks, Shimla Park, 4:45pm, (TV)
Maties vs NMMU, Danie Craven Stadium, 7pm (TV)
Wits vs NWU-Pukke, Wits Rugby Stadium, 7pm
UCT vs UJ, UCT Rugby Fields, 7pm

Monday, 25 February
Wits vs  UJ, Wits Rugby Stadium, 4:45pm (TV)
UP-Tuks vs Maties, Tuks Rugby Stadium, 7pm (TV)
NWU-Pukke vs UCT, Fanie du Toit Sports Ground, 7pm
NMMU vs Shimlas, NMMU Stadium – 7pm

Monday, 4 March
UCT vs  Maties, UCT Rugby Fields, 4:45pm (TV)
Shimlas vs NWU-Pukke, Shimla Park, 7pm (TV)
UP-Tuks vs Wits, Tuks Rugby Stadium, 7pm
NMMU vs UJ, NMMU Stadium, 7pm

Monday, 11 March
NWU-Pukke vs NMMU, Fanie du Toit Sports Ground, 4:45pm (TV)
UJ vs UP-Tuks, UJ Stadium, 7pm (TV)
Shimlas vs UCT, Xerox Shimla Park, 7pm
Wits vs Maties, Wits Rugby Stadium, 7pm

Monday, 18 March
UJ vs Shimlas, UJ Stadium, 4:45pm (TV)
Maties vs NWU-Pukke, Danie Craven Stadium, 7pm (TV)
NMMU vs UP-Tuks, NMMU Stadium, 7pm
UCT vs Wits, UCT Rugby Fields, 7pm

Monday, 25 March
Semi-final 1, 4:30pm (TV)
Semi-final 2, 7pm (TV)

Monday, 8 April
Final

Springbok captain Jean de Villiers, coach Heyneke Meyer and Saru president Oregan Hoskins made the draw at the team’s hotel in London.

There will be four pools of five open clubs competing in the inaugural tournament, which replaces the old National Club Championships. The top-two finishers in each group will advance to the knockout rounds.

The campaign starts on 16 February, with eight first-round match-ups and ends with the play-offs over the Easter weekend in George. This will see the tournament run at the same time as the Varsity Cup.

‘It’s fantastic to see club rugby coming back on to the radar and I feel privileged to have been able to draw the names of the first teams to ever play in the Community Cup,’ said De Villiers, who played club matches for Maties against Tygerberg and Villager in the Western Province Super League as recently as 2006.

‘Club rugby got left behind by professionalism in the sense that it was put on the back burner for a long time, but now competitions such as the Varsity Cup and Community Cup will hopefully ensure that club players have a proper stage on which to show just how much talent we have in this country which we’ve only just begun to tap into.’

Every weekend, there will be one league match televised, starting with the opening ceremony in Durban at College Rovers. Most of the play-off games will be televised.

The Community Cup fixture schedule will be finalised over the next week.

Pool A:
College Rovers (KZN)
Despatch (EP)
Villagers Worcester (Boland)
Sishen (Griquas)
SK Walmers (WP, wildcard)

Pool B:
Pretoria Police (Blue Bulls)
Durbanville-Bellville (WP)
Bloemfontein Police (Free State)
Welkom Rovers (Griffons)
African Bombers (EP, wildcard)

Pool C:
Rustenburg Impala (Leopards)
Roodepoort (Lions)
Noordelikes (Limpopo)
Bloemfontein Crusaders (Free State, wildcard)
Raiders (Lions, wildcard)

Pool D:
Old Selbornians (Border)
Brakpan (Valke)
White River (Mpumalanga)
Evergreens (SWD)
Roses Utd (Boland, wildcard)

Forget the mixed reactions to the new scoring system and the late controversy following the team selection scandal, this final was a great advert for the Varsity Cup: rugby that rocks. Tuks clinched their first title as they beat three-time champions Maties in an epic finish to the year.

It was a ferocious, physical battle between the two teams, especially up front among the forwards. The tackle points and rucks resembled a war zone as players put their bodies on the line to give their troops momentum.

While Maties ruled the lineout contests and were defensively strong, Tuks held the upper hand at scrums and collisions for most parts of the match, and the hosts utilised this platform to achieve victory and give the students from Stellenbosch their first defeat of 2012.

Tuks used their physical dominance well, and this ascendancy was taken in the opening moments of the match. They even turned down kickable penalties and opted for touch to pursue the whitewash. This led to their first try when outside centre Jerome Pretorius powered through after good phase play.

After the strategy break, Maties hit back thanks to the individual brilliance from fullback Andre Smith, who chipped the ball into space and gathered to dot down. Both sides headed into the half-time with the score deadlocked at 13-13, after Tuks reserve prop Basil Short and Maties lock Hugo Kloppers crossed the chalk in the final quarter.

Tuks’ second-half display was pivotal as they dominated shortly after the restart. They forced Maties on the back foot from the kick-off, and a midfield turnover was capitalised upon when scrumhalf Lohan Jacobs finished off a smart counter-attacking move.

Then came the telling score. Tuks persisted with the aerial route on attack, despite the lack of success earlier in the match. Clayton Bloemtjies won possession from an up-and-under that sailed into the Maties red zone, and the fullback offloaded to lock Franco Mostert to burrow through under the posts.

With a 16-point buffer at the death, the win was secured among the chants of ‘Tuks of niks’ from the 14 000-strong home crowd. Even a consolation try from Maties reserve prop Hein van der Merwe couldn’t dampen the celebrations. The Varsity Cup trophy will leave the Cape for the first time since the tournament’s inception in 2008 and will be based in Pretoria for the next year.

UCT endured a nightmare title-defending Varsity Cup campaign this season, as the champions finished second last on the overall log after losing five of their seven league fixtures. They also drew 29-29 against Pukke in Cape Town, while their only win came against hapless TUT (a 66-2 drubbing in Tshwane).

This saw their Varsity Cup place come under threat as they had to face off against Varsity Shield losing finalists CUT for their place in next year’s competition. However, Ikeys managed to make light work of their Bloemfontein counterparts at Tuks Rugby Stadium, which was one of the curtain-raisers for the Varsity Cup final between Tuks and Maties.

UCT ran in nine tries in the convincing win, while CUT could only score three tries in reply.

Ikeys lock Levi Odendaal was the man of the moment as he grabbed a hat-trick. Wing Mark Winter also completed a brace, while scrumhalf Liam Slatem, prop Wesley Chetty, wing Damian de Allende and fullback Dillyn Leyds also crossed the chalk for the students from the Cape. Flyhalf Nick Holton added five conversions.

CUT secured consolation scores via wing Alec Mhlanga, lock Gavin Annandale and inside centre Leon Pretorius.

Over 14 000 fans are expected to show up for the highly-anticipated Varsity Cup title decider to be played at Tuks Rugby Stadium. The fifth tournament final will see Tuks host the unbeaten Maties.

This clash is an accurate summary of this year’s tournament as these two universities have been the in-form teams during the campaign. Maties, who suffered a disappointing campaign last year, won six and drew one of their seven fixtures, while 2011 losing finalists Tuks won six of their seven league matches. The latter’s only defeat was a 23-22 loss to the Stellenbosch team at Danie Craven Stadium in February.

Tuks have challenged well in the forwards battle and their backs have thrived with this platform set, but Maties have proved to have the most dominant pack in the competition this season, and there’s plenty of quality among their backs to trouble opposition defences. Whoever holds the ascendancy up front will go on to achieve victory.

A historic tournament overview between these two sides see Maties holding the better record as they have beaten Tuks four times in seven matches. Tuks have won two other clashes while there was one draw in 2008.

However, Tuks captain and hooker Zane Botha is confident that his charges can clinch their first Varsity Cup title, especially after falling short against UCT in last season’s final.

‘We deserve to be where we are this year,’ said Botha. ‘We ended top of the log, we won our semi-final and it’s our right to host the final in front of our home fans. We’re really looking forward to it.’

Botha added that they are prepared for a physical encounter against the visitors.

‘It’s [a physical game] what you always expect against the Maties. There’s no such thing as a weak Maties side, excellence is in their culture.’

Maties head coach Chean Roux revealed that his team have also done their homework and have certain tactics in place.

‘As a coaching team we couldn’t possibly do any more… I mean, we know what to expect and I’m pretty sure Tuks will know that we’ll know what to expect,’ said Roux.

‘All we can do as a team is get our execution right and ensure that we stop their momentum. They have two major strings to their bow – their momentum and their kicking game, we need to stop them both, although it won’t be easy against a teaTukm that’s been playing the same game – and doing it very well – for the past two seasons.’

Tuks – 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Deon Helberg, 13 Jerome Pretorius, 12 Dabeon Draghoender, 11 Hayden Groepes, 10 Wesley Dunlop, 9 Lohan Jacobs, 8 Jono Ross, 7 Jacques Verwey, 6 Okkie Kruger, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Mike Williams, 3 Grant Kemp, 2 Zane Botha (c), 1 Sabelo Nhlapo.
Subs: 16 Kurt Haupt, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Sthembiso Mlongo, 19 Wiaan Liebenberg, 20 Rudi van Rooyen, 21 Willie du Plessis, 22 Courtnall Skosan, 23 Basil Short.

Maties - 15 André Smith, 14 Ryan Nell, 13 Wessel Coetzee, 12 Louis Jordaan,
11 Dean Hammond, 10 André Kemp, 9 Donald Stevens, 8 Grant Hattingh, 7 Helmut Lehmann (c), 6 Sam Mabombo, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Reniel Hugo, 3 Os Hamman, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Alistair Vermaak.
Subs: 16 Alfred Ries, 17 Brummer Badenhorst, 18 JP Swanepoel, 19 Nicholas de Jager, 20 Boela Abrahams, 21 Jarryd Buys, 22 Clearance Khumalo, 23 Hein van der Merwe.

Keo.co.za predicition: Maties by 8

It was a close contest at the death in Bloemfontein as CUT trailed Wits by two points after a late try, but the visitors held on to their slender lead and recorded an impressive comeback victory. Wits now replace TUT in the Varsity Cup, while CUT will face UCT in a promotion-relegation play-off next week.

Wits had to overcome a 10-2 deficit in the first quarter as wing Alec Mhlanga and the boot of flyhalf Jannie Myburgh gave the hosts an early advantage. CUT then lost their ascendancy later in the opening 40, and continuous pressure in their red zone saw outside centre Bronson Lange and lock Rinus Bothma secure the students from Johannesburg a 15-10 lead at the break.

Wits flyhalf Kyle Peyper extended his team’s buffer to nine points with two penalties in the second stanza. CUT reserve hooker Danie van der Merwe powered through from close range in the 69th minute, but his side couldn’t find a match-winning score at the death as Wits celebrated victory.

By Gareth Duncan

It has been a predictable road to the play-offs during the league stage, but finals rugby is never certain. Unbeaten Maties and in-form Tuks will be favourite to achieve victory in these semi-final fixtures, especially with home-ground advantage. But don’t rule out UJ and Pukke, who have also made a good impressions this season.

In the first semi-final in Stellenbosch, Maties face the last team to have beaten them at Danie Craven Stadium. UJ recorded a 39-19 win in the last round of the 2011 campaign – a result that eliminated Maties from the title race as they failed to finish in the top four for the first time in the tournament’s history. Thirteen survivours remain from that famous triumph, which will make the students from Johannesburg confident of forcing another upset.

However, Maties have looked a far better team compared to the squad they had last year, which was their worst crop in four years. Chean Roux’s chargers had to depend on a last-minute converted try for a 10-10 draw in Jozi last week, but one can expect a more convincing showing from the hosts on this occasion.

In the second semi-final in Pretoria, Pukke come up against Tuks, a team they haven’t beaten in two years. The latter have developed into a Varsity Cup powerhouse since then, rallying into the final last year and only losing one match in the league phase this season. Conversely, Pukke have regressed and last made the finals in 2010. But North West University have improved with a physical pack, which has been the key influence in most of their victories.

Maties vs UJ, Stellenbosch, 5:30pm

Maties – 15 André Smith, 14 Ryan Nell, 13 Wessel Coetzee, 12 Louis Jordaan, 11 Dean Hammond, 10 André Kemp, 9 Boela Abrahams, 8 Grant Hattingh, 7 Helmut Lehmann (ca), 6 Sam Mabombo, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Reniel Hugo, 3 Os Hamman, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Brummer Badenhorst.
Subs: 16 Alfred Ries, 17 Alistair Vermaak, 18 JP Swanepoel, 19 Nicholas de Jager, 20 Donald Stevens, 21 Jarryd Buys, 22 Clearance Khumalo, 23 Hein van der Merwe.

UJ – 15 Worsie Kotze, 14 JR Esterhuizen, 13 Justin St. Jerry, 12 Luan Steenkamp, 11 Chrysander Botha, 10 Guy Cronjé, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Justin Wheeler (c), 7 Wendal Wehr, 6 Johan van Deventer, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 Marnus van Huyssteen, 3 Heinrich Terblanche, 2 Francois du Toit, 1 Wessel du Rand.
Subs: 16 Shaun Malton, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Shane Kirkwood, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Jacques Pretorius, 21 Divan van Zyl, 22 Aubrey McDonald, 23 Jaco Vermeulen.

Keo.co.za prediction: Maties by 10

Tuks vs Pukke, Potchefstroom, 7:30pm

Tuks – TBC

Pukke – 15 SW Oosthuizen, 14 Andrew van Wyk, 13 Ruan Jacobs, 12 Joubert Engelbrecht (c), 11 Joe Seerane, 10 Gerhard Nortier, 9 Tiaan Dorfling, 8 Spanner Pretorius, 7 Ernie Strydom, 6 Philip de Wet, 5 Victor Kruger, 4 Siyanda Ndlovu, 3 John-Roy Jenkinson, 2 JC Oberholzer, 1 Henry Scharneck.
Subs: 16 Marius Fourie, 17 Martin Dreyer, 18 Lodewyk Uys, 19 HP Swart/Siya Mdaka, 20 Andries Botha, 21 Malan van der Merwe, 22 Terswin Raubenheimer, 23 Mashudu Mafela.

Keo.co.za prediction: Tuks by 8

By Gareth Duncan

On Wednesday, the Varsity Cup confirmed that the two parties were found guilty after the annual auditing process, which was completed on 7 March. It was during this process when the competition’s executive realised that these teams were not filling the competition’s new student quota (16 of the 23 players in the match-day squad must be full-time students). The Varsity Shield’s Wits, UWC, Fort Hare and UKZN, and Tuks and NMMU’s U20 sides in the Young Guns league (which is for students only) were also exposed. A disciplinary hearing was carried out soon afterwards, which was headed by judicial officer Jannie Lubbe.

After the different cases were presented, Lubbe decided that a ‘serious reprimand’ was a suitable punishment for all teams. Bosman said this was when the Varsity Cup’s executive made an appeal because they wanted to see the teams punished via wins or log points deduction.

‘Basically, the start of our competitions and the timing of the universities’ registrations is the major problem,’ Bosman explained to keo.co.za. ‘Players tell their coaches that they do plan to register and study full-time, so the squads are finalised accordingly at an early stage. But when registration comes, it’s realised that some of these players’ academic records are so poor, they can’t be accepted as a full-time student.

‘Because of this and the fact that the rule is new, it was decided that the reprimand was enough. But we appealed this initial decision.’

The appeal was presented to a Saru-appointed committee of advocates Rob Stelzner and André Oosthuizen, and attorney Louis Booyse. The case was carried out last Sunday (18 March) as the intention was to make a final decision before Monday’s last round of league matches. It was decided that according to the tournament’s constitution, the Varsity Cup executive did not have the right to appeal Lubbe’s suggested penalty. Therefore, the initial punishment was upheld and accepted.

‘We wanted a harsher punishment, but the committee in charge of the appeal process made their call. This was not in the Varsity Cup’s hands,’ said Bosman.

However, defending champions UCT, who have failed to qualify for the semi-finals this season, have decided to write a formal letter to the Varsity Cup, to find out why the guilty parties weren’t punished according to the tournament rules.

Line 4.10 in the list of Varsity Cup tournament rules states that ‘Where a member university transgress any of the rules laid down in points 4 or 5 (student eligibility and development), a dispute will declared against them and they stand the chance to:
4.7.1 – Lose all points gained for that match, and/or;
4.7.2 – Also give full points to the other team, and/or;
4.7.3 – Also lose 5 league points from the log as a penalty.’

When asked about UCT’s initiative, Bosman said: ‘I will react formally when I get the chance to read the letter properly.’

By Gareth Duncan

It was mission accomplished for the students from Pretoria as they surpassed a 16-8 half-time deficit for the bonus-point victory, and they will now host Pukke in the semi-finals next week. For UCT, it was a disappointing finish to a nightmare Varsity Cup title defence campaign.

The hosts held an eight-point advantage at the break as fullback Dillyn Leyds and wing Richard Stewart scored a try apiece to Tuks’ only points via fullback Hayden Groepes’s effort.

However, Ikeys could only add a penalty in a poor second-half showing. Winger Deon Helberg started the Tuks fightback as he crashed over from close range. After UCT were reduced to 14 men in the 70th minute when lock Pallo Manuel received a yellow card, the visitors ran rampant with two tries through flanker Wiaan Liebenberg and replacement lock Sthembiso Mhlongo.

This result had great signifance in the standings as Maties and UJ finished with a 10-10 stalemate in Johannesburg. Although unbeaten during the league phase, the draw saw Maties surrender their No 1 spot. Chean Roux’s men will face UJ again next week, this time for a place in the 2012 title decider.

The team from Stellenbosch were lucky to share the spoils as UJ led 10-2 late in the game after fullback Theuns Kotze’s 78th minute penalty. However, inside centre Louis Jordaan crossed the chalk and flyhalf Andre Kemp slotted a conversion in the last movement of the match to level the scores.

In other results, NMMU thumped TUT 90-34 in Tshwane while Pukke thrashed Shimlas 64-24 in Potchefstroom.

Round seven, results:
UCT 18 (16) – Tries: Dillyn Leyds, Richard Stewart. Conversions: Nick Holton (2). Penalty: Holton.
Tuks 29 (8) – Tries: Deon Helberg, Hayden Groepes, Sthembiso Mhlongo, Wiaan Liebenberg. Conversions: Willie du Plessis (3).

UJ 10 (0) – Try: Marnus de Villiers. Conversion: Guy Cronje. Penalty: Theuns Kotze.
Maties 10 (2) – Try: Louis Jordaan. Conversion: Andre Kemp. Penalty: Donald Stevens.

Pukke 64 (40) – Tries: Andrew van Wyk (2), Henro-Pierre Swart, John Roy Jenkinson, Martin Dreyer, Philip de Wet, Siyabulela Mdaka, SW Oosthuizen. Conversions: Gerhard Nortier (6), Tiaan Dorfling (2).
Shimlas 24 (8) – Tries: Armandt Koster, Jamba Ulengo, Pieter Rademan. Conversions: Reinhardt Erwee (3).

TUT 34 (5) – Tries: Ewald Mare, Hansie Graaff, Jakobus Kotze, Rikus de Beer, Zandre Grobler. Conversions: Ruan van Loo (3).
NMMU 90 (37) – Tries: André Goosen, Carl van Niekerk, Eckard Jacobs, Gerhardus Smith (2), Howard Mnisi, Jaco Swanepoel (2), Mayibuye Ndwandwa, Quinton Crocker (2), Ray Godfrey. Conversions: Smith (10).

The Varsity Cup sent out a statement on Monday confirming the news. Wits, Fort Hare, UWC and UKZN in the Varsity Shield, and Tuks and the Madibaz U20 teams in the Young Guns tournament were also found guilty.

During the Varsity Cup’s auditing process, the competition’s executive realised these teams were picking players who were not registered as varsity students, while falling short of the required 16 student players.

Managing director Duitser Bosman said all the teams received a serious reprimand as punishment.

‘We have increased the requirements for the number of bona fide students competing in the competition each season and it remains of critical importance for us,’ said Bosman. ‘We audit all squads, with the assistance of the varsities, which work was completed on 7 March.

‘A disciplinary process was set in motion as a result of which Jannie Lubbe, an experienced international judicial officer, felt a reprimand was sufficient as he regarded the breaches in the nature of an oversight. The Varsity Rugby tournaments start at the end of January, while university registration only takes place in February and some oversights occurred.’

UWC, who started the tournament on a promising note, had to acheive a bonus-point win to stand a chance of qualifying for their first tournament title decider. However, Wits killed off their hopes with a victory created by a strong first-half showing.

The students from Johannesburg led 23-5 at the break as they scored three tries via scrumhalf Brent Crossley, lock Charles Baggot and hooker Piers Cooper. UWC played better in the second stanza, but Baggot completed his brace early after half-time to seal the 13-point win.

In the other fixture, Fort Hare fought back from a 15-8 deficit to beat UKZN 16-15 in Pietermaritzburg.

UWC 15 (5) - Tries: Charlton van Jaarsveld, Godlen Masimla. Conversion: Charl van Vollenhoven. Penalty: Charl van Vollenhoven.
Wits 28 (23) - Tries: Brent Crossley, Charles Baggot (2), Piers Cooper. Conversions: Kyle Peyper. Penalty: Blake Dismore.

UKZN 15 (15) – Tries: Ngcebo Masikane, Yandisa Mdolomba. Conversion: Sipho Evans. Penalty: Evans.
Fort Hare 16 (8) - Tries: Lithabile Mgwadleka, Onke Dubase. Conversions: Masixola Banda (2).

While the semi-finals places are already confirmed (Maties, Tuks, UJ and Pukke have qualified), home ground advantage for the play-offs are still up for grabs. Even unbeaten Maties can fall out of the top two should they lose heavily to UJ in Johannesburg, which makes this fixture the highlight match of the week.

The two teams were involved in a crucial last-round fixture last season, which UJ won 39-19 at Danie Craven Stadium. This was the result that saw three-time champions Maties fail to reach the semi-finals for the first time in the tournament’s history. However, this season, Stellenbosch University will be favourites as they’ve proved that they’re back at their best with a six-match winning streak. UJ also proved that they struggle against a team that plays a physical, direct game plan, which saw them surrender a 16-point half-time lead in their 34-32 loss to Pukke in Potchefstroom last week.

Another important clash will see Tuks visit UCT at the Green Mile – a repeat of the 2011 final. Tuks are expected to win on this occasion, a result that will book the Pretoria team a home semi-final. While UCT are the defending champions, they’ve failed to impress like they did last season.

In other matches in the final round, Pukke entertain Shimlas at home while NMMU travel to whipping boys TUT in Tshwane.

UCT vs Tuks, Cape Town, 5pm

UCT – 15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Damian de Allende, 13 Tiger Bax, 12 Adrian Kritzinger, 11 Mark Winter, 10 Nick Holton, 9 Liam Slatem, 8 Rayn Smid, 7 Brad Bosman, 6 Ntsolo Setlaba (c), 5 Levi Odendaal, 4 Graham Knoop, 3 Francois van Wyk, 2 Dayne Jans, 1 Wes Chetty.
Subs: 16 Matt Page, 17 Digby Webb, 18 James Kilroe, 19 Greg Mallett, 20 Nick Farrar, 21 Paul Cohen, 22 Nathan Nel, 23 Mini Bhengu.

Tuks – 15 Hayden Groepes, 14 Deon Helberg, 13 Jerome Pretorius, 12 Dabeon Draghoender, 11 Courtnal Skousan, 10 Willie du Plessis, 9 Lohan Jacobs, 8 Jono Janse van Rensburg, 7 Jacques Verwey, 6 Wiaan Liebenberg, 5 Nqubeko Zulu, 4 Mike Williams, 3 Grant Kemp, 2 Zane Botha (captain), 1 Vincent Koch.
Subs: 16 Kurt Haupt, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Sthembiso Mlongo, 19 Lee Thompson, 20 Rudi van Rooyen, 21 Fanie Booysen, 22 Gerhardus Kotzee, 23 Basil Short.

UJ vs Maties, Johannesburg, 7pm

UJ – 15 Worsie Kotze, 14 JR Esterhuizen, 13 Justin St. Jerry, 12 Divan van Zyl, 11 Chrysander Botha, 10 Guy Cronjé, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Justin Wheeler (c), 7 Wendal Wehr, 6 Johan van Deventer, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 Shane Kirkwood, 3 Jaco Vermeulen, 2 Shaun Malton, 1 Heinrich Terblanche.
Subs: 16 Francois du Toit, 17 Njabulo Mkize, 18 Marnus van Huyssteen, 19 RJ Liebenberg, 20 Jacques Pretorius, 21 Aubrey McDonald, 22 Luan Steenkamp, 23 Roche van der Westhuizen.

Maties – 15 André Smith, 14 Ryan Nell, 13 Wessel Coetzee, 12 Louis Jordaan, 11 Clearance Khumalo, 10 André Kemp, 9 Donald Stevens, 8 Grant Hattingh, 7 Helmut Lehmann (c), 6 Sam Mabombo, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Reniel Hugo, 3 Hein van der Merwe, 2 Alfred Ries, 1 Brummer Badenhorst.
Subs: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Alistair Vermaak, 18 JP Swanepoel, 19 Nicholas de Jager, 20 Boela Abrahams, 21 Jarryd Buys, 22 Dean Hammand, 23 Os Hamman.

Pukke vs Shimlas, Potchefstroom, 7pm

Pukke – 15 SW Oosthuizen, 14 Andrew van Wyk, 13 Ruan Jacobs, 12 Joubert Engelbrecht (c), 11 Joe Seerane, 10 Gerhard Nortier, 9 Tiaan Dorfling, 8 HP Swart, 7 Philip de Wet, 6 Siya Mdaka, 5 Victor Kruger, 4 Siyanda Ndlovu, 3 John-Roy Jenkinson, 2 JC Oberholzer, 1 Henry Scharneck.
Subs: 16 Marius Fourie, 17 Martin Dreyer, 18 Lodewyk Uys, 19 Spanner Pretorius, 20 Andries Botha, 21 Malan van der Merwe, 22 Terswin Raubenheimer, 23 Mashudu Mafela.

Shimlas – 15 Nico Scheepers, 14 Raymond Rhule, 13 Robbie van Schalkwyk, 12 Stephan van der Merwe, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Franna du Toit, 9 Kevin Luiters, 8 Erik le Roux, 7 Willie Britz (c), 6 Armandt Kotze, 5 JC Astle, 4 Joubert Horn, 3 Ian Potgieter, 2 PW van Vuuren, 1 Charles Marais.
Subs: 16 JC van Wyk, 17 John-Henry Harris, 18 Lebo Zietsman, 19 Oupa Mohoje, 20 Pieter Rademan, 21 Reinhardt Erwee, 22 Divandré Strydom, 23 Carl van Heerden.

TUT vs NMMU, Tshwane, 7pm

TUT – 15 Hagen Mumba, 14 Thabo Mangena, 13 Rikus de Beer, 12 Koos Kotze, 11 Ruan van Loo, 10 Hansie Graaff, 9 Manny Raposo, 8 Wikus Botes (c), 7 Yves Basiya, 6 Tinus van Wyk, 5 Ewald Maree, 4 Gavin Engelbrecht, 3 Zandre Grobler, 2 Nathi Sethusi, 1 Dandre van der Westhuizen.
Replacements: 16 Juan Kotze, 17 Nico van den Heever, 18 Kapena Joel, 19 Vusi Mbonani, 20 Nico Smuts, 21 Melcolm Griffiths, 22 Quinton van Greunen, 23 Ryno van Rooyen.

NMMU – 15 Gerrit Smith, 14 Mayibuye ‘Beast’ Ndwandwa, 13 Quinton Crocker, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Eckard Jacobs, 10 Martin du Toit, 9 Anton Verster, 8 Jaco Swanepoel (c), 7 André Goosen, 6 Ulrich Pretorius, 5 Mzwanele Zito, 4 Schalk Oelofse, 3 Dexter Fahey, 2 Martin Ferreira, 1 Roy Godfrey.
Replacements: 16 Kobus Greeff, 17 Gareth Hartley, 18 Timothy Agaba, 19 Thomasau Forbes, 20 Carl van Niekerk, 21 Bradley Kretzman, 22 Devon Lailvaux, 23 Phillip Nell.

By Gareth Duncan

Maties showed who’s boss in Stellenbosch as they ran riot against the defending champions Ikeys, killing off the latter’s play-off hopes in the process. It was the hosts’ sixth win over their southern-suburb rivals UCT in seven fixtures. Maties scored six tries for the convincing victory, with fullback André Smith and No 8 Grant Hattingh grabbing a brace each.

Chean Roux’s charges are now almost certain of a home semi-final – they will have to lose heavily against UJ in Johannesburg next week to fall out of the top two in the standings.

In Potchefstroom, Pukke survived a late comeback fight from UJ to scrape through for a crucial 34-32 win. After trailing 24-8 at the break, the visitors drew level late in the match with a strong second-half performance. However, a last-minute penalty from Pukke fullback Gerhard Nortier sealed the triumph and his team’s place in the top four.

In Pretoria, NMMU delivered a respectable performance against Tuks, but still lost 42-31 to last year’s losing finalists. The Madibaz needed a win to keep their surprise semi-final hopes alive, but Tuks proved to be too strong for the students from PE.

In Bloemfontein, Shimlas eased to a 56-36 win over hapless TUT. Eleven tries were scored between the two teams, with seven going the hosts’ way.

Maties 45 (29) – Tries: André Smith (2), Grant Hattingh (2), Helmut Lehmann, Wessel Coetzee. Conversions: Smith (2), Andre Kemp (3).
UCT 5 (5) – Try: Rayn Smid.

Pukke 34 (24) – Tries: John Roy Jenkinson, Juan Pretorius (2), Tiaan Dorfling. Conversions: Gerhard Nortier (3), Dorfling. Penalty: Nortier.
UJ 32 (8) – Tries: Chrysander Botha, Francois du Toit (2), Jacques Pretorius. Conversions: Guy Cronje (4).

Tuks 42 (24) – Tries: Clayton Stewart, Dabeon Draghoender, Hayden Groepes, Juan Schoeman, Okkie Kruger, Tobie Verwey. Conversions: Willie du Plessis (4).
NMMU 31 (10) – Tries: André Goosen, Howard Mnisi, Martin Ferreira, Mayibuye Ndwandwa. Conversions: Ozard du Toit (2).

Shimlas 56 (32) – Tries: Armandt Koster, Divandre Strydom, Jamba Ulengo, Raymond Rhule, Stephan van der Merwe (2), Willie Britz. Conversions: Nico Scheepers (7).
TUT 36 (18) – Tries: Gavin Engelbrecht, Hagen Mumba, Rikus de Beer, Wikus Botes. Conversions: Ruan van Loo (4). Penalties: Van Loo (2).

By Gareth Duncan

In Bloemfontein, defending champions CUT enjoyed a 10-try thumping of UWC, who won the first-round clash 37-23 in Bellville. Wing Alec Mhlanga and skipper Inus Kritzinger scored a brace each in the one-sided contest.

In Johannesburg, Wits fought back from an 8-2 half-time deficit to down UKZN.

CUT 73 (28) – Tries: Alec Mhlanga (2), Charles Hitchcock, Francois Harvey, Gavin Annandale, Gideon Gouws, Inus Kritzinger (2), Ruan Lombard, Rudolph Britz. Conversions: Kritzinger (2), Jannie Myburgh (5). Penalty: Myburgh.
UWC 8 (0) – Try: Charlton van Jaarsveld. Conversion: Charl van Vollenhoven.

Wits 21 (2) – Tries: Riaan Arends, Thato Mavundla. Conversion: Kyle Peyper. Penalties: Peyper (2). Greg Blom (2).
UKZN 12 (8) – Try: Willem Rheeder. Conversion: Megiel Botha. Penalties: Botha (2).

The Cape derby between Maties and UCT has been a closely-contested highlight in the Varsity Cup throughout its history: from the annual league meetings at the Green Mile or Danie Craven Stadium to the 2008 and 2010 finals. However, this season’s match should see the hosts win comfortably.

Three-time champions Maties have returned to their best form after a disappointing 2011 campaign, where they failed to qualify for the play-offs for the first time. They’re currently enjoying a five-match winning streak and are on course for a home semi-final berth. Ikeys have experienced a nightmare title-defending run this year, with only one win from their five fixtures. They will be disappointed with their 29-29 draw against Pukke at home last week, considering they led 24-5 at the break, but it’s a result that still gives them slim hopes of finishing in the top four.

Ikeys will need to avoid defeat in the last two rounds to keep their title ambitions alive, but it’s unlikely that the students from Stellenbosch will fold to their southern-suburb rivals, who have been the impostors of the unit they were in 2012. Maties have won five of the six encounters between the two teams and have never lost to Ikeys at home. Expect an easy Maties win.

The other interesting fixture will see UJ travel to Potchefstroom to tackle a physical Pukke outfit. Victory will give the visitors a big chance of finishing in the top two, while the hosts will take a big step towards qualifying for the semi-finals should they win. Pukke have been impressive at home, but UJ haven’t lost since the opening round and have scored 143 points over the past two weeks.

Tuks will entertain NMMU in Pretoria, but the home side should be too strong for the Madibaz. While NMMU have picked up some surprising wins this season, they will struggle to beat a strong Tuks side. The Shimlas-TUT clash is a dead-rubber match, as both sides will not finish in the top four. Shimlas will win comfortably.

Shimlas vs TUT, Bloemfontein, 5pm

Shimlas – 15 Nico Scheepers, 14 Raymond Rhule, 13 Robbie van Schalkwyk, 12 Earl Snyman, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Erick Colyn, 9 Kevin Luiters, 8 Erik le Roux, 7 Armandt Koster, 6 Freddie Ngoza, 5 Joubert Horn, 4 Lebo Zietsman, 3 Ian Potgieter, 2 PW van Vuuren, 1 John-Henry Harris.
Subs: 16 JC van Wyk, 17 Stephan Kotze, 18 JC Astle, 19 Fanie van der Walt, 20 Pieter Rademan, 21 Reinhardt Erwee, 22 Stephan van der Merwe, 23 Carl van Heerden.

TUT – 15 Quinton van Greunen, 14 Hagen Mumba, 13 Rikus de Beer, 12 Koos Kotze, 11 Ruan van Loo, 10 Melcolm Griffiths, 9 Manny Raposo, 8 Wikus Botes (c), 7 Yves Basiya, 6 Ryno Coetzee, 5 Ewald Maree, 4 Gavin Engelbrecht, 3 Zandre Grobler, 2 Nathi Sethusi, 1 Dandre van der Westhuyzen.
Subs: 16 Coert van Gerve, 17 Nico van den Heever, 18 Tinus van Wyk, 19 Peter Matthews, 20 Nico Smuts, 21 Thabo Mangena, 22 Craig van Rooi, 23 Ryno van Rooyen.

Keo.co.za prediction: Shimlas by 20 plus

Maties vs Ikeys, Stellenbosch, 7pm

Maties – 15 André Smith, 14 Ryan Nell, 13 Wessel Coetzee, 12 Louis Jordaan, 11 Dean Hammand, 10 André Kemp, 9 Boela Abrahams, 8 Grant Hattingh, 7 Helmut Lehmann (c), 6 Sam Mabombo, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Reniel Hugo, 3 Hein van der Merwe, 2 Gareth Light, 1 Alistair Vermaak.
Subs: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Brummer Badenhorst, 18 JP Swanepoel, 19 Nicholas de Jager, 20 Donald Stevens, 21 Jarryd Buys, 22 Clearance Khumalo, 23 Os Hamman.

UCT – 15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Damian de Allende, 13 Tiger Bax, 12 Adrian Kritzinger, 11 Mark Winter, 10 Nick Holton, 9 Liam Slatem, 8 Greg Mallett, 7 Zandy Macdonald, 6 Ntsolo Setlaba (c), 5 Levi Odendaal, 4 Graham Knoop, 3 Francois van Wyk, 2 Dayne Jans, 1 Wes Chetty.
Subs: 16 Matt Page, 17 Adriaan Botha, 18 Brad Bosman, 19 James Kilroe, 20 Nick Farrar, 21 Paul Cohen, 22 Nathan Nel, 23 Mini Bhengu.

Keo.co.za prediction: Maties by 12

Tuks vs NMMU, Pretoria, 7pm

Tuks – 15 Wynand Pienaar, 14 Deon Helberg, 13 Jerome Pretorius, 12 Dabeon Draghoender, 11 Hayden Groepes, 10 Willie du Plessis, 9 Clayton Stewart, 8 Okkie Kruger, 7 Daniel Adongo, 6 Jacques Verwey, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Mike Williams, 3 Grant Kemp, 2 Zane Botha (c), 1 Sabelo Nhlapo.
Subs: 16 Kurt Haupt, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Sthembiso Mlongo, 19 Wiaan Liebenberg, 20 Rudi van Rooyen, 21 Fanie Booysen, 22 Courtnal Skousan, 23 Basil Short.

NMMU – 15 Martin du Toit, 14 Mayibuye Ndwandwa, 13 Quinton Crocker, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Eckard Jacobs, 10 Bradley Kretzman, 9 Anton Verster, 8 Jaco Swanepoel (c), 7 André Goosen, 6 Ulrich Pretorius, 5 Mzwanele Zito, 4 Schalk Oelofse, 3 Dexter Fahey, 2 Kobus Greeff, 1 Gareth Hartley.
Subs: 16 Francois Coetzer, 17 Roy Godfrey, 18 Timothy Agaba, 19 Thomasau Forbes, 20 Marlin Ruiters, 21 Carl van Niekerk, 22 Devon Lailvaux, 23 Phillip Nel.

Keo.co.za prediction: Tuks by 10

Pukke vs UJ, Potchefstroom, 7pm

Pukke – 15 Malan van der Merwe, 14 Andrew van Wyk, 13 Ruan Jacobs, 12 Joubert Engelbrecht (c), 11 Joe Seerane, 10 Gerhard Nortier, 9 Tiaan Dorfling, 8 Spanner Pretorius, 7 Ernie Strydom, 6 Philip de Wet, 5 Victor Kruger, 4 Siyanda Ndlovu, 3 John-Roy Jenkinson, 2 JC Oberholzer, 1 Henry Scharneck.
Subs: 16 Marius Fourie, 17 Martin Dreyer, 18 Lodewyk Uys, 19 Siya Mdaka, 20 Andries Botha, 21 SW Oosthuizen, 22 Terswin Raubenheimer, 23 Zander de Kock.

UJ – 15 Aubrey McDonald, 14 JR Esterhuizen, 13 Justin St. Jerry, 12 Divan van Zyl, 11 Chrysander Botha, 10 Worsie Kotze, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Justin Wheeler (c), 7 Wendal Wehr, 6 Johan van Deventer, 5 Sebastian de Chaves, 4 Shane Kirkwood, 3 Jaco Vermeulen, 2 Shaun Malton, 1 Heinrich Terblanche.
Subs: 16 Francois du Toit, 17 Njabulo Mkize, 18 Marnus van Huyssteen, 19 RJ Liebenberg, 20 Jacques Pretorius, 21 Guy Cronjé, 22 Luan Steenkamp, 23 Wessel du Rand.

Keo.co.za prediction: Pukke by 5

By Gareth Duncan

The result in Cape Town is likely to end defending champions Ikeys’ hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals with only two rounds remaining. After UCT’s poor start to the campaign, which saw them lose three of their opening four games, the draw against Pukke sees them trailing in sixth spot – five log points behind fourth place. UCT will hope Pukke and NMMU drop points in their final fixtures, while they’ll need to beat rivals Maties and Tuks to stand any chance of reaching the play-offs.

The hosts will be disappointed with the outcome, considering their impressive start in the opening 40. They scored three tries in the first half through fullback Dillyn Leyds, loosehead prop Wesley Chetty and wing Mark Winter to hold a 19-point advantage at the break. However, Pukke delivered a strong second-half display and managed to salvage a draw in the last movement of the match when flyhalf Gerhard Notier scored a try and slotted the ensuing conversion.

In Johannesburg, TUT were thrashed by a record score of 93-0 by UJ. It was the biggest winning margin in the competition’s history, eclipsing UJ’s 97-14 win over NMMU in 2010. The hosts ran in 12 tries for the convincing victory, with wing Chrysander Botha grabbing four of them.

In PE, log leaders Maties continued their unbeaten run with a 42-26 win over NMMU. The students from Stellenbosch dominated the first half as they led 26-0 at the break. They went on to win comfortably, but the Madibaz managed to pick up a four-try bonus point after a late rally in the match. Hooker Rob Herring and outside centre Wessel Coetzee starred for Maties as they scored a hat-trick and a brace respectively.

In Pretoria, Shimlas slumped to their fourth consecutive defeat as Tuks eased to a 48-18 win. Last season’s losing finalists scored six converted tries, with fullback Riaan Britz and flanker Deon Helberg grabbing a brace each. Shimlas are now unlikely to finish in the top four.

Varsity Cup, round five results:

UCT 29 (24) – Tries: Dillyn Leyds (2), Mark Winter, Wesley Chetty. Conversions: Nick Holton (3).
Pukke 29 (5) – Tries: Gerhard Nortier, Joubert Engelbrecht, Phillip de Wet, Tiaan Dorfling. Conversions: Nortier (3).

UJ 93 (16) – Tries: Shane Kirkwoord, Aubrey McDonald, JR Esterhuizen, Chrysander Botha (4), Shaun Malton, Divan van Zyl, Adriaan Vermeulen, Wessel du Rand, Wendal Wehr. Conversions: Worsie Kotze (11)
TUT 0 (0)

NMMU 26 (0) – Tries: Jaco Otto, Carl van Niekerk (2), Timothy Agaba. Conversions: Martin du Toit.
Maties 42 (26) – Tries: Rob Herring (3), Os Hamman, Wessel Coetzee (2). Conversions: André Kemp (3), André Smith.

Tuks 48 (24) – Tries: Deon Helberg (2), Riaan Britz (2), Juan Schoeman, Sabelo Nhlapo. Conversions: Welsey Dunlop (6).
Shimlas 18 (10) – Tries: Fanie van der Walt, Reinhardt Erwee. Conversions: Nico Scheepers (2). Penalty: Scheepers.

By Gareth Duncan