Ten-try Maties sound strong warning
Defending champions Stellenbosch produced an impressive performance and sounded a strong warning to the other teams when they smashed NMMU 68-20 in the first round of the 2010 Varsity Cup in Port Elizabeth on Monday.
The Maties scored ten tries to the two of NMMU, as they showed why they are the favourites to claim their third consecutive title in the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
It was a very spirited FNB NMMU outfit that held Maties to a one-point (14-13) lead in the first half-an-hour, but then the Stellenbosch students turned on the power and raced clear inn the remainder of the match.
FNB Maties, after overcoming that early resistance from their Port Elizabeth opponents, took control of the forward exchanges in the latter stages of the first half and opened a handy 28-13 lead at the break. The Stellenbosch students were particularly dominant in the set-pieces and on the drive - as we have become accustomed to from the Men in Maroon.
NMMU played into a very strong wind in the first half and as was to be expected Stellenbosch had the early territorial advantage. And while the PE students had their moments in the early exchanges, you always felt it was just a matter of time before the proverbial dam wall broke.
This game, as has been the case in most matches this year, produced a rash of penalties as the teams struggled to come to grips with the new interpretations of the breakdown laws. It resulted in a stop-start affair, something which initially suited the home team more than the visitors.
In the first quarter the penalty count was nine-two against the visitors. As Maties started to pile on the pressure, they managed to win a few more penalties of their own and in the second half this was balanced out with a stream of decisions going against the home team - as the Maties pack began to take control.
It took all of 13 minutes, but Maties eventually broke the NMMU resistance, with powerful centre Dabeon Draghoender bursting over from close-range after a penalty close to the home team's line. The conversion made it 7-0.
Minutes later Willem Laubscher had a penalty right in front of the Maties posts and he had no trouble slotting the kick to open his team's account - 3-7 - and when Maties lock Rynardt Elsteadt was yellow-carded for repeated infringements in the 16th minute, the home side managed to narrow the gap to just one point - 6-7 - with Laubscher's second penalty of the day.
However, the Stellenbosch students regrouped and started controlling possession much better. A couple of penalties gave them a handy position, from which JP Mostert scored a try set up by some strong mauling. Conrad Hoffmann landed his second conversion to make it 14-6.
The Madibas produced another spirited period and flank Thomaso Farbes burst over for his team's first try after some great close-in passing. Laubscher converted to make it a one-point game at 13-14.
In the 33rd minute, following a very powerful scrum and another strong drive, flyhalf Hayden Groepes scored Maties' third try.
Hoffmann's conversion opened an eight-point gap, 21-13, as the home team started to show signs of faltering under the barrage of pressure from the visitors. And Draghoender scored the fourth try barely a minute later - following another strong scrum and some very shoddy tackling, which allowed the Maties midfielder to step past four would-be tacklers.
The selfsame Hoffmann, again, added the extras to make it 28-13 - a lead they held going into the half-time break.
Laubscher had an early chance for points in the second half, but his penalty kick was a wobbly one that was way off-target.
Another strong scrum set up Maties' next try - Hoffmann breaking blind, off-loading to fullback Jurgen Visser, who kicked ahead, with Hoffmann collecting and off-loading to wing Danie Poolman for their fifth five-pointer. Hoffmann's conversion effectively ended the game as a contest at 35-13.
Draghoender duly completed his hat-trick in the 52nd minute, after the Maties destroyed the NMMU scrum yet again - with the retreating defenders simply no match for the power of the Maties midfielder. Hoffmann made it 42-13, as he slotted another conversion.
Hoffmann, himself, got into the try-scoring act in the 56th minute, assisted by some sloppy tackling from the tiring NMMU defenders, and landed the conversion to take his team to within a point of the half-century mark - 49-13. Draghoender then scored his fourth, as the game moved into the final quarter, and the conversion made it 56-13.
The local supporters finally had something to cheer about as the referee awarded a penalty try against Maties for an early tackle close to their tryline, with Laubscher's conversion making it 20-56.
Jonathan Francke scored Maties' ninth try, as Hoffmann finally missed a conversion, with Hayden Groepes scoring the 10th try - as the final score moved to 68-20.
The scorers:
For FNB NMMU:
Tries: Farbes, Penalty try
Cons: Laubscher 2
Pens: Laubscher 2
For FNB Maties:
Tries: Draghoender 4, Mostert, Groepes, Poolman, Hoffmann, Francke, Groepes
Cons: Hoffmann 9
Yellow card(s): Rynardt Elsteadt (Maties - 16th minute)
The teams:
NMMU: 15 Aluzant Munnik, 14 Oscar Mazaka, 13 Williams Heydenrych, 12 Wade Roos, 11 Darryl Turner, 10 Willem Laubscher, 9 Lusu Booi (captain), 8 Sameul Borsaah, 7 Ferdie Gerber, 6 Thomaso Farbes, 5 Jannie Fourie, 4 Mathew Lutge, 3 Pierre Hammond, 2 Hugo Lampbrechts, 1 Tyron Williams.
Replacements: 16 Werner Kapp, 17 Chariel van Jaarsveld, 18 De Wet De Lange, 19 Kemsley Wesso, 20 JP Kellerman, 21 Hugo van Heerden, 22 Phiwe Lallendle, 23 Chris Dicks.
Maties: 15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Danie Poolman, 13 Stokkies Hanekom, 12 Dabeon Draghoender, 11 Thythan Adams, 10 Hayden Groepes, 9 Conrad Hoffmann, 8 Tertius Daniller, 7 JP Mostert, 6 Boetie Britz, 5 Hugo Kloppers, 4 Rynardt Elsteadt, 3 Lourens Adriaanse (captain), 2 Matthew Dobson, 1 Mike De Neuilly-Rice.
Replacements: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Johan Roets, 18 Andrew Prior, 19 Josh Strauss, 20 Johan Laker, 21 Stephan van der Merwe, 22 Jonathan Francke, 23 Buhle Mxunuywa.
Referee: Mlungiseli Mdashe