NWU Eagles got the defence of their title off to a winning start in the first round of the 2024 Varsity Cup with a hard-fought away victory over Maties.

Last season’s runners up the UCT Ikeys beat UFS Shimlas in Bloemfontein and CUT did the same with UJ while Wits trashed newcomers UWC in Cape Town.  

Varsity Cup champions NWU Eagles got the defence of their title off to an almost perfect start after beating Maties 20-12 in front of a packed Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch.  

Despite it being a rather low-scoring affair, the Eagles were full value for being the more industrious team on the attack. The visitors also put up a staunch showing on defence to shut out a Maties attack that at times seemed toothless and without the real X-factor. 

It was the Eagles who had all the right moves, with the playmaking pair of Aphelele Mdaka (scrumhalf) and Zinedine Robinson (flyhalf) pulling the string. The Eagles also played with a bit of reckless abandon, with flyhalf Zinedine Robinson not afraid to send the ball out wide for his wingers to chance their arm.  

SCORERS:
Maties 12 (7) – Tries:  Vernon Matongo, Zuko Poswa. Conversion: Juan Mostert.
NWU Eagles 23 (14) – Tries: Naiden Jaarts, Ezekiel Ngobeni. Conversions: Zinedine Robinson (2). Penalties: Zinedine Robinson (2), Charles Williams.  

Dogged defending from CUT as well as poor discipline from UJ handed the former a handy 23-19 victory at home in Bloemfontein.

Early penalties by Juan Arnold Smith gave the Ixias breathing room with the Orange Army shut out for the whole of the first half. Speedster Zachery Bester sliced through the visiting defence to score the first try of the game. 

A second-half resurgence from UJ ensured that the game wasn’t without its twists. 

Tries from UJ’s Prince Nkabinde, Likhaya Tengimfene and Marius Coetzee kept the pressure on the hosts. 

Ultimately, Ixias stayed strong at the back to remain unbeaten against their opponents since 2019. 

SCORERS
CUT 23 (13) – Tries: Zachery Bester, Adielson Gouveia. Penalties: Juan Arnold Smith (2), Christiaan Rheeder.
UJ 19 (0) Tries – Prince Nkabinde, Likhaya Tengimfene, Marius Coetzee. Conversions: Rowan Malgas.

It was a near-perfect start for Wits when they outsmarted newcomers UWC 66-10 in Bellville at the UWC Sport Stadium. A healthy 31-10 halftime lead meant the visitors had secured the bonus point when the siren sounded. 

Nine tries to a solo 38th-minute try from UWC’s second rower Louan De Lange is a testament to an all-around clinical and disciplined display of rugby by the visiting side.  

SCORERS:
UWC 10 (10) – Tries: Louan De Lange Conversions: Conwill Conradie Penalties: Conradie.
Wits 66 (31) – Tries: Marno Grobbelaar (2), Kelvin Kanenungo, Ngia Selengbe, Hassiem Pead, Cal Smid, Kabelo Mokheti, Elizee Kwitonda, DeWet Fourie (2). Conversions: Setshaba Mokoena (5), Tireque Apolles.

Photo: Luigi Bennett / Varsity Cup

The post NWU off to flying start, Wits pummel Udubs appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Src: sarugbymag.co.za