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AS IT HAPPENED: TUKS 28-21 MATIES
UP-Tuks became only the second university (after Maties) to win the coveted trophy on three occasions and the men from Pretoria did so on a perfect autumn evening in the capital.
It was the visitors who started with a bang as lock Janco Venter crashed over for a seven-point try after a few solid phases of play from the Maroon Machine. Flyhalf Chris Smith added the extras to give the Stellenbosch University a 9-0 lead.
UP-Tuks cut into that lead three minutes later when captain and flank Chris Massyn barged over to claim a try of his own. Flyhalf Tinus de Beer converted to make it a two-point ball game within 10 minutes of the match.
Maties' sharpshooters Smith and Tiaan Swanepoel (fullback) were on hand to punish the home team for their ill-discipline as they slotted two penalties while De Beer nailed a penalty of his own to bring the curtain down on a gripping first half.
Maties kept the scoreboard ticking early in the second half when Smith sliced the uprights within a minutes of play to extend the Stellenbosch students lead to 13-18.
UP-Tuks outside centre Divan Rossouw handed his team the lead when he intercepted a wayward pass to race in untouched and score a seven-point try in the 46th minute. De Beer converted and added a penalty minutes later to give the Pretoria students a handy 25-18 lead with just under 30 minute left to play.
The final lapsed into a period of back and forth play between the two teams as they battled for supremacy with the packed stadium frantically cheering on the home side.
UP-Tuks suffered a huge setback when replacement prop Jaco Holtzhausen was sinbinned which Maties duly capitalised through the boot of Smith to reduce the score to 25-21.
De Beer was on hand to add his final points of the night in the 67th minute when he kicked yet another penalty goal to increase UP-Tuks slender lead over the visitors.
The teams proceeded to throw everything at each other with time running out but it was De Beer who put up his hand as he consistently kept Maties pinned in their own half with his field kicks. Maties had an opportunity to snatch victory from the clutches of defeat but a forward pass brought an end to their movement and handed UP-Tuks the 2017 Varsity Cup trophy.
Player that Rocks: Clyde Davids (FNB UP-Tuks)
Scorers:
UP-Tuks
Tries: Chris Massyn, Divan Rossouw (7 pt try)
Conversions: Tinus de Beer (2)
Penalties: De Beer (4)
Maties
Tries: Janco Venter (7 pt try)
Conversion: Chris Smith
Penalties: Smith (3), Tiaan Swanepoel
Teams:
UP-Tuks
15. Manie Libbok, 14. Dewald Naude, 13. Divan
Rossouw, 12. Joshua Stander, 11. Sibahle Maxwane, 10. Tinus de Beer, 9. Andre
Warner, 8. Clyde Davids, 7. Chris Massyn (captain), 6. Marco van Staden, 5. Aston
Fortuin, 4. Brian Leitch, 3. Neethling Fouche, 2. Corniel Els, 1. Andrew
Beerwinkel
Substitutes: 16. Jan-Henning Campher, 17. Jaco Holtzhausen, 18. Marius Verwey, 19. Eduan Lubbe, 20. Theo Maree, 21. Toko Maebane, 22. Keanan van Wyk, 23. Franco van den Berg
Maties
15. Tiaan Swanepoel, 14. Kyle Steyn, 13. Michal Haznar, 12. Chris Smit, 11. Craig Barry (captain), 10. Chris Smith, 9. Brendon Nell, 8. Devon Nash, 7. Kobus van Dyk, 6. Mitchell Carstens, 5. Janco Venter, 4. Ian Groenewald, 3. Niel Oelofse, 2. Craig Corbett, 1. Wesley Adonis
Substitutes: 16. HJ Luus, 17. Ricky Ngwabara, 18. Wikus Groenewald, 19. Johan Momsen, 20. Stephan Streicher, 21. Remu Malan, 22. Ernst Stapelberg, 23. Duncan Saal
