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Coastal sides make their move

Cape Town - The coastal teams have made a charge up the standings at the conclusion of Round Six of the Varsity Cup on Monday night.

There were important wins for UCT, NMMU and Maties in an enthralling penultimate round of matches before the play-offs, leaving the competition wide open heading into the final week of league action.

The Ikey Tigers ran in four tries against Shimlasto secure their first victory at home on the Green Mile this season and move into second place, just four log points behind pace-setters Pukke.

The Cape team scored three tries playing into the wind in the first half and then went on to claim the bonus point after half-time as they romped to a 25-5 victory.

This result leaves Shimlas down in sixth place after starting the round in third position.

Torrential rain in the northern part of the country had a big say in the other three matches, as UJ and Tuks slumped to defeats at home, whilst Pukke were forced to work hardfor their victory over Wits in Potchefstroom.

Defending champions Tuks suffered their second consecutive defeat at home, as the Madibaz ground out a crucial 19-9 win which saw them move past the Pretoria side into third place on the standings.

It was NMMU's second big scalp of 2014, having beaten the Maties back in Round One.

UP-Tuks are now level on log points with three-time champions Maties who ended UJ's hopes of making the semi-finals this season with a comfortable 24-8 victory.

Points difference is all that separates Maties and Tuks on the log, which sets up their showdown in Stellenbosch next week perfectly.

Pukke were able to maintain their position at the top of the standings, but they were made to work hard for their 16-8 win by a determined Wits side that is still looking for their first victory in the competition.

Next week will see the final round of league action take place in the 2014 Varsity Cup - without doubt the most open competition since the inaugural event in 2008.

Shimlas will take on NMMU, Maties will host Tuks, Pukke will entertain UJ and UCT will face Wits away on March 17 as just ten points separate the top six teams ahead of the semi-finals, with home-ground advantage and play-off qualification on the line.

In the Varsity Shield two-time champions CUT travelled to Alice where they earned a bonus-point 28-18 victory over Fort Hare who are the only team to have beaten them since 2012.

Peter de Villiers' UWC secured a vital 24-17 win over the TUT Vikings in Pretoria to move up to third place, just one log point behind the second-placed UKZN Impi who had a bye.

The Varsity Young Guns showdown between defending champions Tuks and Pukke had to be postponed until Wednesday due to the unplayable conditions, whilst in the other match UJ notched a dramatic last-minute 28-24 win over the Maties Juniors.

In the Koshuisrugby Championship UFS champions Heimat scored five tries on their way to a 37-0 demolition of the Purple Cobras in Cape Town to consolidate their spot at the top of the Hi-Fi Corporation pool.

In the Incredible Connection pool Patria from Pukke edged the Medies Rebels 24-22 in Potchefstroom and the clash between Onderstepoort and Oppidani had to be postponed due to an unplayable pitch in Pretoria.

Results  on Monday:

Varsity Cup:

Pukke 16-8 Wits
UCT 25-5 Shimlas
Tuks 9-19 NMMU
UJ 8-24 Maties

Varsity Shield:

TUT 17-24 UWC
UFH 18-28 CUT
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