Maties stay unbeaten
The FNB Maties kept their unbeaten record in this year's Varsity Cup when they defeated FNB Shimlas 26-5 in their clash at Shimla Park in Bloemfontein on Monday.
Despite failing to collect a bonus point, the win kept Maties in second place on the standings in the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.
Shimlas put on a much better performance than last week against the Pukke, but the defeat saw them drop out of the top four on the standings, with Pukke overtaking them in fourth place.
The one positive for Shimlas, who still have a lot to work on, is that they managed to keep Maties from bagging a bonus point.
Morgan Newman was too good for the centre pairing of Shimlas, Earl Snyman and Cameron Jacobs. The centre found gaps in their defence almost at will. He was also named man of the match for his performance.
The home side's coach, Jaco Swanepoel, will be worried about the number of turnovers his team conceded at the breakdown. His side was lucky that Maties did not use the turnovers to greater effect.
Flyhalf Coenie van Wyk almost scored, but knocked on with the tryline beckoning after he kicked a lose ball through after a Shimla-pass found no man's land.
Drew van Coller, tighthead prop of Shimlas, can feel more than happy with his performance for the losing side. It took more than one defender to bring down the burly front tow forward.
Wouter Stieger, wing of the home team, also tried hard.
Matthew Dobson, hooker of Maties, was sin binned by referee Tiaan Jonker after stamping on a player. The blond hooker played his heart out for the winning team.
He was supported well by his captain and No.8 Wesley Wilkins.
The scorers:
For Shimlas:
Try: Adonis
For Maties:
Tries: Minnaar, Eksteen, Bosch
Con: Stevens
Pens: Stevens 3
Yellow card: Matthew Dobson (Maties)
Teams:
Shimlas: 15 Johann Myburg, 14 Wouter Stieger, 13 Cameron Jacobs, 12 Earl Snyman, 11 Llewellyn Adonis, 10 Niel Jacobs, 9 Jaco Colyn (captain), 8 Andries Grobbelaar, 7 Willie Britz, 6 Jean Paul Roux, 5 Frans la Grange, 4 Barry Landman, 3 Drew van Coller, 2 Hans Grobler, 1 Charles Marais.
Replacements: 16 Gert Erasmus, 17 Sewes Oosthuizen, 18 Philippus Steyn, 19 Andre Tredoux, 20 Johan van Niekerk, 21 Marlin Ruiters, 22 Hadley Smith.
Maties: 15 Adnaan Osman, 14 Morné Jooste, 13 Morgan Newman, 12 Paul Bosch, 11 Lewellyn Winkler, 10 Coenie van Wyk, 9 Donald Stevens, 8 Wesley Wilkens (captain), 7 JP Mostert, 6 Chase Minnaar, 5 Jaco Nepgen, 4 Marinus Pretorius, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Matthew Dobson, 1 Johan Roets.
Replacements: 16 JP Koster, 17 Andrew Crausaz, 18 Jéan Rossouw, 19 Erich Laubscher, 20 Jonathan Adendorf, 21 Hayden Groepes, 22 Koos Eksteen.