Aah nice. One thing about the students you can't beat their spirits. They always have fun and are always in good spirits win or lose.Part of Maties 15,000 crowd
Afrikaans article about it
http://www.dieburger.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Varsity-rugbykoors-vat-vlam-20120206
Maties remain unbeaten
2012-02-27 22:04
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Helmut Lehman taking on the Tuks defence (Gallo Images)
Cape Town - Maties won their top-of-the-log Varsity Cup battle with UP-Tuks on Monday evening, whilst defending champions UCT suffered a dramatic last-gasp loss at the hands of the NMMU Madibaz in Port Elizabeth.
The Maties, gunning for a fourth Varsity Cup title after not even making the semi-finals last year, claimed a 23-22 win over Tuks in a hard-fought Round Four encounter at the Danie Craven Stadium.
The score was tied at 10-10 as both sides scored a try each in the first half, but Maties managed to keep their noses in front - winning the try tally three-two in the end and keeping their unbeaten record in the process.
The lead changed hands on numerous occasions, but a second-half yellow card to Tuks' Deon Helberg (for a high tackle) proved costly, with tries by lock Grant Hattingh and replacement prop Hein van der Merwe proving the difference in the final analysis.
Tuks hit back through a late Clayton Blommetjies try, with flyhalf Wesley Dunlop slotting the touchline conversion to make it a one-point game, but time was against the visitors as the men in maroon held out for their fourth win in a row.
That leaves Maties in first place on the log, followed by Tuks and UJ - separated by points' difference only - NWU-Pukke, NMMU, UCT, Shimlas and the TUT Vikings.
UJ, meanwhile, were in no mood for charity as they romped to a convincing 50-18 win over Shimlas in Bloemfontein - condemning the men from Bloemfontein to a third successive defeat. It was also UJ's third successive victory.
Whilst Maties edged out Tuks by just one point in Stellenbosch there was plenty of drama in Port Elizabeth as the NMMU Madibaz scored a last-gasp 23-21 win over the Ikey Tigers with the last kick of the game.
The Ikeys were playing catch-up rugby for most of the game - despite drawing level at 13-13 at half-time - and they again managed to draw level at 21-21 shortly before the full-time whistle. However, UCT were trapped in their own half and penalised, allowing replacement back Bradley Kretzman a long-range effort at goal for the win, which he achieved - despite hitting the crossbar.
It meant a stunning first-ever Varsity Cup - and Monte Taljaard Trophy Match - victory for NMMU over the men from Cape Town who, now, cannot afford to lose another game in a bid for semi-final qualification.
Finally, NWU-Pukke racked up a half-century of points - beating TUT by 52-8 in Potchefstroom. Captain Joubert Engelbrecht scored a hat-trick of tries for the hosts, whilst the Vikings celebrated their first try of the season; a minor high point for the Wooden Spoonists.
* Meanwhile, like UCT, defending Varsity Shield champions, CUT, also suffered another loss - going down 16-20 to Wits in Johannesburg. In other Shield action, Fort Hare caused a big surprise by beating UWC on their own turf - winning 23-21. Wits have now replaced UWC at the top of the Varsity Shield log.
* The Varsity Young Guns competition had a bye this week, but two matches took place in the 2012 Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships, with wins for UCT's Steinhoff Cobras (44-10 over Steinhoff Oppidani - from NMMU) and Stellenbosch's Steinhoff Dagbreek (16-15 over Steinhoff Mopanie - from Tuks).
Results on Monday:
Varsity Cup:
NMMU 23 UCT 21
Shimlas 18 UJ 50
NWU-Pukke 52 TUT Vikings 8
Maties 23 UP-Tuks 22
Varsity Shield:
UWC 21 Fort Hare 23
Wits 20 CUT 16
Mase moer! WTF happened to the Shimlas? 50 - 18? The Shimlas are not a bad outfit and them to get such a hiding. Is the Kings team playing for that uni?
Kings = NMMU, beat the current Ikeys champs and did the same to Shimlas. UJ = old RAU. They have an excellent team this year. Most provinces academy players plays in the Varsity cup teams. Sharks have vokol.
UJ rack up Varsity Cup record
Worsie Kotze (Gallo Images)
Cape Town - The University of Johannesburg (UJ) recorded the biggest ever Varsity Cup victory in the five-year history of the tournament, as they beat the TUT Vikings by a whopping 93-0 in Round Five action in Johannesburg on Monday evening.
Aside from UJ's record-breaking 12-try romp - which included a 33-point haul for Worsie Kotze and four tries for fellow Namibian RWC star Chrysander Botha, there were also fifth-round wins for Maties and UP-Tuks, whilst UCT and NWU-Pukke played out to a dramatic 29-29 draw.
The Ikeys had led by 29-13 with less then 10 minutes remaining in Cape Town, but the men from Potchefstroom scored two tries to come away with a draw - probably putting an end to UCT's semi-final aspirations in the process.
The Maties converted a solid enough 18-0 half-time lead into a 42-26 victory over NMMU in PE - the Madibaz outscoring them 26-24 in the second half - whilst Tuks kept up with the log-leading men in Maroon, and UJ, with a comfortable enough 48-18 win over an injury-hit Shimlas team. Tuks led 24-10 at half-time, scoring three tries in each half.
As things stand now, UCT - the defending champions - are in sixth place on the Varsity Cup log with nine points from five matches.
The Madibaz are a point ahead on 10, with Pukke on 14 points, UP-Tuks on 20 points, UJ on 20 points (ahead of Tuks on points difference), with the unbeaten Maties in first position on the log with 22 points. Shimlas are in seventh place on six points, with TUT on zero log points in eighth position.
With TUT the obvious contenders for automatic relegation at this stage (with the winning Varsity Shield side gaining automatic promotion), one of Shimlas, UCT or the Madibaz could still be forced to play in the promotion/relegation game against the team that loses in the Varsity Shield Final.
Shimlas still have to play against TUT, a game they should win, and NWU-Pukke, with UCT set to travel to Stellenbosch next week to take on the Maties before finishing their league campaign against Tuks on March 19. The Madibaz face TUT in the final round of league action, with a Round Six assignment in Pretoria (to take on Tuks) next on their agenda.
* Meanwhile, there was also a stalemate in Varsity Shield action as Fort Hare and Wits played out a thrilling 10-10 draw in a highly physical encounter in Alice. Defending champions CUT demolished the UKZN Impis by 42-4 in Bloemfontein.
* In Varsity Young Guns action it took an incredible fightback from UP-Tuks' Under-20s to claim a 36-33 victory over the University of the Free State's Under-20s.
* Finally, in Koshuisrugby Championships action, defending champions Patria (from NWU-Pukke) went down 25-28 to a determined Cobras (from UCT) in Cape Town. In other Koshuis action, a dominant Vishuis side inflicted a 26-18 defeat on Mopanie.
Varsity Cup results on Monday: (Half-time scores in brackets.)
UCT 29 (24) NWU-Pukke 29 (5)
UP-Tuks 48 (24) Shimlas 18 (10)
NMMU 26 (0) Maties 42 (18)
UJ 93 (16) TUT Vikings 0 (0)
Vodacom Cup preview: Week 1
2012-03-07 12:26
Vodacom Cup logo (File)
Cape Town - The Pampas XV from Argentina, the defending champions, will get the 2012 Vodacom Cup season, the 15th since its inception in 1998, underway on Friday when they host the EP Kings in Stellenbosch.
The Argentineans were unbeaten last year as they romped to the title in their first season of involvement and will be looking to build on that performance.
They have chosen to base themselves in Stellenbosch this year, as teams no longer play their pool games across sections, but within their own divisions, meaning they will face all the teams in the Southern Section.
The Blue Bulls, who only just made it to the playoffs only to lose by 14-9 in the final to the Pampas XV, open their account at home in Pretoria against Griquas - along with the Golden Lions the most successful side in Vodacom Cup history.
The Lions and Griquas have each won the title four times, followed by the Blue Bulls (three). The Falcons, Free State and Pampas have one title each.
The first round of action sees a number of games between neighbouring unions - WP against the Boland Cavaliers in Cape Town, the Falcons at home against the Pumas, the Golden Lions travel down the N12 to Potchefstroom to face the Leopards and Bulldogs host the Sharks XV in East London.
This year, the Vodacom Cup will aim to provide the ultimate opportunity for those less fortunate with a dedicated Legacy programme in which the fundamental skills of rugby will be taught to eager youngsters countrywide.
This initiative called “Tjovitjo” (meaning ‘it’s all good’), rings true in a partnership between the South African Rugby Union, the TAG Rugby Association and various provincial unions in their effort to take the joy of rugby to all communities within South Africa with the Tjovitjo Legacy Clinic programme.
In order to boost rugby development and grow the game within communities (and give all youth fair and equal chance to share the love and opportunity that rugby holds), the TAG Rugby Association, a registered non-profit organization at the Department of Social Development and a SARU affiliate, will be holding focused rugby clinics throughout the Vodacom Cup tournament.
The initiative will be broken down into five 3-day clinics held in townships, within some of the major rugby playing unions as well as 15 smaller 1-day clinics in other key development areas within the country.
Competition format for 2012:
South Africa’s 14 provincial unions and the Pampas XV from Argentina will play in two sections - North and South - with seven teams in the Northern Section (following the withdrawal of Namibia due to financial constraints) and eight in the Southern Section. All the teams will play in a single round within their own section after which the top sides will progress to the playoffs.
Northern Section:
Blue Bulls, Golden Lions, Griffons, Griquas, Leopards, Pumas, Falcons
Southern Section:
Boland Cavaliers, Border Bulldogs, EP Kings, Free State XV, Sharks XV, SWD Eagles, Western Province, Pampas XV
Round 1 fixtures:
Friday, March 9
Pampas XV vs EP Kings
Kick-off: 15:10
Venue: Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch
Referee: Stuart Berry
Border Bulldogs vs Sharks XV
Kick-off: 19:00
Venue: Buffalo City Municipality Stadium, East London
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Saturday, March 10
Leopards vs Golden Lions
Kick-off: 14:45
Venue: Profert Olën Park, Potchefstroom
Referee: Sindile Mayende
Falcons vs Pumas
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
Referee: Ben Crouse
Free State XV SWD Eagles
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Clive Solomon Stadium, Heidedal, Bloemfontein
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Western Province vs Boland Cavaliers
Kick-off: 16:00
Venue: DHL Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Blue Bulls vs Griquas
Kick-off: 16:45
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe
Maties crush rivals Ikeys
2012-03-12 22:29
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Maties scrumhalf Boela Abrahams (Gallo Images)
Cape Town - Maties officially ended UCT's reign as champions in Stellenbosch on Monday night, but Potchefstroom was the scene of the major drama in Round Six of the 2012 Varsity Cup.
Whilst Maties, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, ended any slim hopes of an unlikely Ikey Tigers semi-final place with a thumping 45-5 victory over UCT, the NWU-Pukke, in turn, booked themselves a place in the semi-finals with a dramatic 34-32 win over the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
UJ, hoping for a second successive Varsity Cup home semi-final, saw their chances all but dashed as they suffered a second away loss this season - that just a week before entertaining the Maties on their own turf in the final round of league action.
The men from Johannesburg trailed the Pukke by 8-24 at half-time, before launching a stunning second-half comeback at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds.
UJ managed to draw level at 32-32, but could only watch as NWU-Pukke No 10 Gerhard Nortier - his team's hero in Cape Town last Monday - landed a penalty on the stroke of full-time to seal a valuable victory.
It means that Pukke cannot be caught in fourth place, but next week's final round of league action - UCT v UP-Tuks; UJ v Maties; NWU-Pukke v Shimlas; TUT v NMMU - will simply serve to confirm the four semifinal fixtures and which team will finish seventh and, thereby, play a promotion/relegation match against the second-placed Varsity Shield side.
The TUT Vikings, despite their brave effort in going down 36-56 to Shimlas, will be relegated from the Varsity Cup - in favour of the winning Varsity Shield team - but any one of UCT, NMMU or the Shimlas can still play in the promotion/relegation fixture; all depending on what happens next week.
UCT's reign as Varsity Cup champions was ended in crushing fashion at the Danie Craven in Monday's second televised match, the men in Maroon running into a 29-5 half-time lead - including claiming the four-try bonus point inside the first 40 minutes.
The defending champions had no answer to Stellenbosch's powerful and faultless play, making them the team to beat as they go in search of a fourth Varsity Cup title in five years.
The teams standing in their way are UP-Tuks, who survived a brief scare against NMMU before running out 42-31 winners in Pretoria, and UJ, despite their loss on the road.
As things stand now, Maties top the Varsity Cup log on 27 points, followed by Tuks (25), UJ (22), NWU-Pukke (19), Shimlas and NMMU (both on 11 points), UCT (nine points) and TUT who collected their first log point of the season by scoring four tries against the Shimlas.
* Meanwhile, defending champions CUT bounced back from a run of poor form to rack up a massive 73-8 win over UWC in Varsity Shield action, whilst Wits were pushed all the way in their 21-12 win over the winless UKZN. As things stand now, CUT top the log ahead of Wits - on points' difference only - with these two teams likely to contest the final for the second year running.
* In the Varsity Young Guns competition, the Maties U20s claimed a big 74-0 win over the Madibaz U20s, the UFS U20s beat their TUT counterparts by 87-20 and NWU-Pukke's juniors claimed a 32-27 win over UJ's U20s.
* Finally, there was a huge win in the Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships for Vishuis (from Shimlas), who smashed their TUT opponents, Monitor, by 133-13. Defending Koshuisrugby champions, Patria, got their season back on course with an impressive 44-21 victory over Bastion (UJ).
All results on Monday night:
Varsity Cup:
Shimlas 56 (32) TUT 36 (18)
Maties 45 (29) UCT 5 (5)
UP-Tuks 42 (24) NMMU 31 (10)
NWU-Pukke 34 (24) UJ 32 (8)
Varsity Shield:
CUT 73 (28) UWC 8 (0)
Wits 21 (8) UKZN 12 (2)
Varsity Young Guns:
Maties Under-20 74 (50) NMMU Under-20 (0) 0
UFS Under-20 87 (50) TUT Under-20 20 (7)
Tuks steal top spot from Maties
2012-03-19 22:17
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Tuks vs UCT (Gallo Images)
Cape Town - UP-Tuks have finished the regular Varsity Cup season at the top of the log, their four-try bonus point victory over UCT earning them top spot, after Maties played to a 10-all draw against UJ in a dramatic final round of league action on Monday evening.
Tuks scored a last-minute try to condemn UCT to a fifth loss of the season, as Tuks won 29-18, but little did the men from Pretoria know that their fourth try would nudge them ahead of the men in Maroon who drew 10-10 against UJ later in the night.
That means that Tuks will now host the fourth-placed NWU-Pukke in Pretoria next week (one versus four), followed by a rematch between the Maties and UJ at the Danie Craven Stadium (two versus three) - Stellenbosch ending the regular season unbeaten but their draw to UJ costing them a potential home final.
The Maties held a 2-0 half-time lead over UJ - don't forget the 2012 points-scoring system, folks! - but found themselves trailing 2-10 deep into the second half thanks to UJ lock Marnus van Huyssteen's try; the only try of the match until the 79th minute.
A Guy Cronjé conversion, followed later by a Worsie Kotze penalty, gave the hosts a 10-2 lead, but a late try - on the full-time hooter - from inside centre Louis Jordaan put his team back in at 7-10 down. Flyhalf André Kemp stepped up and slotted the conversion to draw the game, but it was little consolation in the end for the Maties who had conceded top spot on the log to Tuks by not claiming the win.
Tuks were very impressive in their 29-18 win over the hapless Ikeys, who will now have to play in a one-off promotion/relegation match - against the Varsity Shield runners-up - on the day of the 2012 final on Easter Monday.
The Ikeys led 16-8 at half-time, but lost their way in a frantic final ten minutes, as Tuks not only secured the victory but also top spot on the log through replacement Sthembiso Mlongo's late try.
In other last-round action on Monday, the NWU-Pukke showed that they will be contenders in the playoffs with a whopping 64-24 win over Shimlas - who, like UCT, had a disappointing 2012 season. The Kovsies, however, did enough to finish ahead of the Ikeys and avoid that dreaded promotion/relegation encounter.
Last, but certainly not least, NMMU's Madibaz showed that they were not simply a one-hit wonder by smashing the Varsity Shield-bound TUT Vikings 90-34 in Pretoria - the second time this season that TUT have conceded 90 points or more.
The Madibaz, victors over the Shimlas and Ikeys this season, finished in fifth place on the Varsity Cup log in the process - comfortably their best-ever finish in this tournament.
* In other Varsity Rugby action on Monday night, there will be a repeat of last year's Varsity Shield Final, after Wits recorded a 28-15 win over UWC in Cape Town. In other Shield action, Fort Hare pipped UKZN 16-15 in Pietermaritzburg.
* In Varsity Young Guns action, it was a bitter-sweet night for UJ's youngsters as they beat the Maties Under-20s by 32-31, but it was not enough to see them through into the inaugural tournament's semi-finals. In other action, Tuks' U20s beat UCT's juniors by 66-8 - knocking out the Cape side and ensuring a smooth passage into the knock-outs for the Pretoria youngsters.
* Finally, in Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships action, Patria (NWU-Pukke) racked up a huge 87-8 win over Oppidani (NMMU) to finish top of the Hertz Pool, whilst Dagbreek (Maties) secured a semi-final thanks to their 42-16 win over TUT's Monitor.
Scores from Monday's Varsity Rugby action: (Half-time scores in brackets)
Varsity Cup:
UCT 18 (16) UP-Tuks 29 (8)
UJ 10 (0) Maties 10 (2)
TUT 34 (5) NMMU 90 (37)
NWU-Pukke 64 (40) Shimlas 24 (8)
Varsity Shield:
UKZN 15 (15) Fort Hare 16 (8)
UWC 15 (5) Wits 28 (23)
Varsity Young Guns:
UCT Under-20s 8 (8) UP-Tuks Under-20s 66 (37)
UJ Under-20s 32 - Maties Under-20s 31 – no half-time score available
Koshuisrugby Championships:
Monitor 16 (8) Dagbreek 42 (16)
Patria 87 (26) Oppidani 8 (8)