TUT take early advantage

FNB TUT claimed a crushing 55-27 win over the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Tshwane on Wednesday evening - a result that puts them in pole position in terms of staying in the Varsity Cup competition next year.

TUT and UZKN are playing two promotion/relegation matches, but with the former having claimed a full-house of points in the first leg (a win and a four-try bonus point), they will move into the second match on Saturday, August 29 with extra confidence.

The hero for TUT on Wednesday evening was powerhouse centre Johan Swartz who grabbed four tries, whilst fellow backs Hoosein Legoabe and Lloyd Dryer scored a try each.

Flyhalf Teunis Schoeman converted three of his team's six tries and also slotted three penalty goals for a tidy match haul of 15 points.

TUT coach Jimmy Watt told varsitycup.co.za: "UKZN started off well and my guys took a while to settle.

"In fact, they led 13-3 after the first quarter, but once we settled we began to take control and those two tries (of ours) before half-time made a huge difference."

Watt was particularly pleased with the strength of his team's scrum on the night.

"In all, I thought our forwards were excellent," he said. "The match ended in uncontested scrums, which benefitted KZN, but I was very proud of the TUT forwards who laid the platform for this win."

However, the TUT boss was not completely satisfied with his team's showing and he admitted that he would be "working on a few things" ahead of next Saturday's return clash in Pietermaritzburg.

"We conceded some soft tries," said Watt, whose charges won the try-count six-three. "We need to make sure that doesn't happen in the second game, as they'll be playing at home and looking to keep their Varsity Cup dream alive."

The scorers:

For TUT:
Tries: Johan Swartz 4, Hoosein Legoabe, Lloyd Dryer
Cons: Teunis Schoeman 3
Pens: Teunis Schoeman 3

For UKZN:
Tries: Gavin Muir, Ralph Eggers, Gavin Scott
Cons: Matt Boylan, Gavin Scott 2
Pens: Matt Boylan 2