Maties, Madibaz turn up the heat

FNB NMMU caused a major Varsity Cup upset on Monday when they downed FNB UJ in Port Elizabeth, whilst Maties continued their unbeaten run with a 37-15 victory over UCT.

The Eastern Cape side maintained their unbeaten record at home this season with a hard-fought 20-13 victory over a competitive UJ side to move into fourth position on the standings.

The defeat saw UJ drop down to third place, with their single bonus point not enough to keep them above UP-Tuks who cruised to a comfortable 52-0 win over Wits in Pretoria.

Earlier on Monday, Maties overcame some extreme heat and a fiery Ikey Tigers team to record a 37-15 victory over their Cape rivals at the Green Mile.

The match was competitive, with UCT even enjoying the lead early in the second half, but the Maties powered away from their hosts in the closing stages, leaving UCT still searching for that elusive first win of the season.

In Bloemfontein, meanwhile, UFS-Shimlas secured their second win by scoring five tries against NWU-Pukke to secure a 38-18 victory in front of their home fans.

The bonus-point win will come as welcome relief for the Free State side after a run of three consecutive defeats. NWU-Pukke, on the other hand, have dropped out of the top four.

CUT kept up their unbeaten record in the 2013 Varsity Shield with a 49-40 victory over UWC in an entertaining, if ill-tempered clash in Bellville which saw 12 tries, four yellow cards and one red card.

In Pietermaritzburg, UKZN did the season double over the TUT Vikings when they held on for a tense 10-9 victory over the former Varsity Cup team. UKZN, who have now won four matches, moved into second place on the standings in the process.

In the Varsity Young Guns competition there were comfortable victories for last year's finalists, Maties and UP-Tuks, whilst UJ and UFS-Shimlas came away with tight wins.

UP-Tuks, the defending champions, romped to a resounding 114-0 victory over Wits in Pretoria, and Maties brushed off UCT who they beat 45-8.

UJ were pushed all the way by NMMU in Port Elizabeth and managed to hang on for a 34-31 win, and there was an identical scoreline in Bloemfontein where UFS-Shimlas edged NWU-Pukke.

Finally, in the solitary Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships game on Monday, UCT's Steinhoff Cobras got their season off to a solid start with a 34-29 win against Steinhoff Bastion from UJ.