Awesome Maties make it three in a row
The FNB Maties will host a third successive Varsity Cup Final at the Danie Craven Stadium, after smashing FNB Pukke 47-11 in their semifinal meeting at the selfsame venue on Monday evening.
Unbeaten leading up to this FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International semifinal, the Maties showed exactly why they are hot favourites to retain their title in next week's final against FNB UCT - their second finale against their Western Cape rivals.
Aware of the massive challenge they faced in coming to 'Fortress Craven', Pukke started conservatively, choosing to use their big forwards to bash it up and trying to use the wind to pin Maties in their own half.
The Maties played the first half into a strong gust, and they kicked sparingly - opting, rather, to move the ball wide in the early exchanges.
It was a rather subdued start from both sides, but the first opportunity of the game came Maties' way from a brilliantly judged touchfinder by flyhalf André Kemp, who put Stellenbosch within striking distance after a Pukke indiscretion at the breakdown.
A short-arm penalty was given as Pukke miscalculated the numbers at the lineout, and after a strong charge by flank Sam Mabombo was held out, Pukke couldn't keep the massive frame of loosehead prop Mike De Neuilly-Rice from crashing over for the first score of the game after 13 minutes.
Pukke missed a great chance to hit straight back as fullback Theuns Kotzé misjudged a penalty after a Maties player was pinged for taking too long to roll away from a ruck.
Conditions, on the night, did not suit a flowing game, and the first half was a bit of a scrappy affair. And although the Maties were not at their fluent best on the night, one got the feeling that everyone on the field (as well as those in the crowd) were never in doubt as to what the final outcome would be.
Another superb kick from Kemp put Maties in an attacking position. A structured, patient build-up - the hallmark of this brilliantly coached Maties side - was expertly controlled by scrumhalf Johan Herbst, and ended with stocky hooker Matthew Dobson diving over under the poles to make the score 12-0 after 24 minutes.
Pukke responded immediately with a try of their own. They did well to regain the high, hanging restart and after a few powerful carries in the midfield, the ball was swiftly to No.14 SP Marais, who finished well in the corner.
That score got the men from the North-West back in the game, but a touch of misfortune knocked them back out of it a short while after.
Maties fullback Adnaan Oesman made a terrific break from his own half and tried to find support with a speculative ball, but referee Dilbert November made the wrong call in penalising a Pukke player for taking a man out without the ball, when it was clear that whatever contact was made was unintentional.
But a penalty was given, and the usual script did not deviate from there. Kemp knocked it into the corner and the dominant pack went crash, bash, smash until the nippy Herbst dived over to make it 17-5 to the home side on 31 minutes.
The respective kickers traded penalties to turn 17-5 into 20-8 at half-time, which would not be such a significant points' difference had it not been for the fact that Maties would play the next forty minutes with the wind at their backs.
Despite this, Pukke came out flying as the second half kicked off. A searing break by No.12 Wouter Watermeyer (in which he skinned Kemp for pace), was stopped by a desperate tackle close to the Maties line. The try did not come, but Kotzé reduced the deficit to nine with a straight-forward penalty after the Maties transgressed.
That promise from the visitors was quickly snuffed out though, as Maties effectively sealed the game with a superb try just four minutes later.
Dobson showed tremendous skill in popping a deft inside to put fellow front-rower De Neuilly-Rice in space. The big man accelerated with speed which defied his size, drew the final defender and put hugely impressive lock Andrew Prior over to score and end the match as a contest in only the 46th minute.
Dobson then showed tremendous strength to go with the skill that he showed just minutes earlier, shrugging off a couple of weak tackles to bustle his way over for his second try of the match. Kemp's conversion made it 32-11 after 55 minutes.
That score meant one thing - party time at the Danie Craven Stadium. The rampant Maties men turned on the style in front of the jubilant Maroon-clad masses, and it was crowd-favourite Tythan Adams who was next to score.
More silky hands from some of the Maties big men put the speedster into space on the touchline. From there he did what he does best - finish in the corner - to make it 39-11 with a quarter of the game remaining.
Pukke's resistance was crumbling and just five minutes later No.7 Jonathan Arendorf was next to get his name on the scoreboard, profiting from the familiar pattern from an attacking lineout. (44-11)
The game was sewn up, and all that was left was for Maties to toy with their opposition. Kemp popped over a drop-goal to round off the scoring and put the icing on another powerhouse display from the Stellenbosch outfit.
Maties may have lost some classy players in Western Province drafts Conrad Hoffmann and Jurgen Visser, but Kemp and Oesman have proved themselves more than able replacements.
Their forwards though, are the men that really make this team so good, and the combination of skill and power showed by players such as Dobson, Prior, Neuilly-Rice and Mabombo is incredible. It would take a brave man to bet against them making it three from three when another Varsity Cup Final comes to Stellenbosch next Monday.
The scorers:
For FNB Maties:
Tries: De Neuilly-Rice, Dobson 2, Johan Herbst, Prior, Adams, Adendorf
Cons: Kemp 3
Pens: Kemp
DG: Kemp
For FNB Pukke:
Try: Marais
Pens : Kotzé 2
The teams:
FNB Maties: 15 Adnaan Oesman, 14 Wilhelm Loock, 13 Danie Poolman, 12 Charl Weideman, 11 Tythan Adams, 10 André Kemp, 9 Johan Herbst, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Jonathan Adendorf, 6 Sam Mabombo, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Andrew Prior, 3 Lourens Adriaanse (captain), 2 Matthew Dobson, 1 Mike De Neuilly-Rice.
Replacements: 16 Gareth Light, 17 Johan Roets, 18 Marinus Pretorius, 19 Hannes van Wyk, 20 Johan Laker, 21 Hayden Groepes, 22 Jonathan Francke, 23 Andrew Crausaz.
FNB Pukke: 15 Theuns Kotzé, 14 SP Marais, 13 Kempie Rautenbach, 12 Wouter Watermeyer, 11 Johannes Seerane, 10 Neill Jacobs, 9 Janis Terblanche, 8 PJ van Zyl, 7 Thabo Molete, 6 Siya Mdaka, 5 Markus Fourie, 4 Francois Robbertse, 3 Stephanus Bezuidenhout, 2 Stoffel Duvenage (captain), 1 BG Uys.
Replacements: 16 BW van Dyk, 17 Dewald Coetzee, 18 Edwin Hewitt, 19 Jaco Lötter, 20 Willem Barnard, 21 Ghafoer Luckan, 22 Dane Johnson, 23 Johan Coetzee.
Referee: Dilbert November
By Tim Human