Share

Maties book their place in their Varsity Cup final

Cape Town - The Maties have secured their spot in yet another Varsity Cup final after narrowly defeating UJ 22-14 at Danie Craven Stadium on Monday evening.

After beating UJ comfortably last week, Maties were made to work much harder when the two sides met again on Monday afternoon at Danie Craven Stadium. Maties narrowly got the better of a spirited UJ, 22-14.

UJ put Maties under immense pressure in the first half, with their forwards asserting control over the Maties forwards. Dominant and powerful scrums meant UJ had the upper hand but unnecessary mistakes let the Joburg outfit down.

The Maties backs looked more dangerous with ball in hand with outside centre, Michal Haznar in particularly running strong lines as Maties had the majority of possession in the first half. Winger, Kyle Steyn, picked up where he left off last week by scoring the first and only try before the break, after Haznar broke through from his own half before offloading to Steyn, resulting in a seven-point try for the men from Stellenbosch.

UJ remained in the contest, however,  thanks to their forwards. Numerous scrum penalties resulted in them getting points on the board through flyhalf, Divan Nel, who also slotted a drop goal. Ill-discipline towards the latter stages of the first half by UJ led to Maties adding to their total.

The second half started well for the home side when Craig Barry sniped through the UJ defence to score his ninth try of the season – the most by any Maties player in a single season. UJ, however, hit back through a try by replacement fullback, Ronald Brown, in the 63rd minute to make the game anybody’s to take. Some tight defence by UJ in the final 10 minutes of the match meant they were still in with a chance and it took some last-gasp defending by the Maroon Machine to eventually win a penalty on their own tryline in the 80th minute.

UJ added to the tension when they played their white card after that penalty decision for Maties but it was unsuccessful as replacement flyhalf, Chris Smith, booted the ball into the stands to send Maties to their sixth Varsity Cup final.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1117 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1283 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 1976 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE