Tukkies win Derby thriller
FNB Tuks were forced to dig deep for a 42-30 win over FNB TUT Vikings in a thrill-a-minute Varsity Cup fixture played in Tshwane on Monday afternoon.
The home team, the Vikings, threw away a good chance of recording their first FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International win since 2008 due to bad discipline.
In the early stages of the match they looked like the team in form, with their forwards leading the charge and dominating at the much talked-about breakdown area.
The Vikings were soon on the scoreboard thanks in no small measure to the boot of Jaco Oosthuizen who scored two penalties for a 6-0 lead. But Tukkies soon levelled the score, with Justin van Staden - their undoubted hero on the day - slotting home two penalties to draw level at 6-6.
Both teams were guilty of committing elementary mistakes, but the Vikings were the first to cross the tryline when winger Thabo Motau received the ball out wide and finished well.
Just before the break the home side found themselves on the back foot trying to defend a deserved two-point lead (14-12), but they managed to keep the attacking Tukkies team at bay.
Thirty seconds after the restart, however, the Vikings struck a huge blow when they went over for a try they desperately needed, which Oosthuizen converted to give them a much-needed cushion.
Oosthuizen was at it again soon after with another penalty and that took the scoreline to 24-12, but it was by no means game over yet...
A yellow card for the Vikings lock, Johan Steenkamp, gave the visitors a fighting chance; with Tukkies taking advantage of their superior man-power to score two quick tries to take a two-point lead (26-24) over their Pretoria rivals.
The lead then changed hands four times, but poor discipline by the Vikings finally cost them the game.
Two consecutive penalties, because of their lack of discipline, handed six points to Van Staden who boasted a 100 percent kicking record on the night through three conversions and seven penalties - a 27-point haul in all for the Tuks No.11.
Van Staden was deservedly crowned as the Varsity Cup Man of the Match (the Player that Rocks!), scoring well more than half of his team's points and the visitors secured the win minutes before the end with inside centre Franco Booysen scoring a try in the corner.
The scorers:
For FNB TUT Vikings:
Tries: Motau, Pike
Con: Venter
Pens: Oosthuizen 5, Venter
For FNB Tuks:
Tries: Smith, Nel, Booysen
Cons: Van Staden 3
Pens: Van Staden 7
Yellow card(s): Braam van der Merwe (TUT, 33rd minute); Bakkies Steenkamp (TUT, 48th minute); Gert Smith (Tuks, 56th minute); Hansie Graaff (TUT, 75th minute).
The teams:
TUT Vikings: 15 Hansie Graaff, 14 Johan Swartz, 13 Jaco Oosthuizen, 12 Lutho Nyeka, 11 Thabo Motau, 10 Jacques Venter, 9 Manny Raposo, 8 Wikus Botes, 7 Emile Verster (captain), 6 Alfred Khoza, 5 Dewald van Deventer, 4 Johan Steenkamp, 3 Braam van der Merwe, 2 Dean Muir, 1 Juan Pike.
Replacements: 16 Eugene Cunha, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Ryno Coetzee, 19 Ryno Lopes, 20 Theunis Cchoeman, 21 Simphiwe Mtkulu, 22 Ruan van Loo, 23 Johann Visser.
Tuks: 15 Gert Smith, 14 Ernie Kruger, 13 Dirk Dippenaar, 12 Franco Booysen, 11 Justin van Staden, 10 Shaun Davids (captain), 9 Zylon McGaffen, 8 Marius Weber, 7 Oswin Mentoor, 6 Lourens Lombard, 5 Joe Walters, 4 Tiaan Nel, 3 Danie Oosthuizen, 2 Chris Crous, 1 Musa Tukela.
Replacements: 16 Robbie Coetzee, 17 Ettienne Breytenbach, 18 Coenraad Pieterse, 19 Tendai Chikukwa, 20 Fanie Booysen, 21 Franco Mostert, 22 Tom Seabela, 23 Hein Viljoen.
Referee: Mlungiseli Mdashe