Van der Wal leading Pukke's charge

It can be argued that any rugby tournament worth its salt is characterised by the very thin line between defeat and triumph. Monday's FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International semifinal between FNB Pukke and FNB Ikeys was a case in point.

By winning 19-17, Pukke ensured that both teams have now experienced the opposite sides of the line, after Ikeys won the corresponding encounter in 2007 by 32-31. It was indeed fitting that both results were so close, which illustrates the above notion perfectly.

The trip to Groote Schuur for Monday afternoon's semifinal clash was rightfully regarded as a daunting prospect for the Potchefstroom-based side, and they needed some of their stars to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat.

Fortunately, their brilliant captain Willem van der Wal had them all by the ears as he turned in an inspirational performance once again. Humbly, however, the Pukke captain praised all his charges for the momentous, if narrow, victory.

"Considering how we stumbled over this hurdle last year, this was a great victory for us," the elated No.8 told varsitycup.co.za. "I am very happy for the boys, but we certainly can't become complacent now."

A howling wind ruined the game as a spectacle, particularly in the lineouts where possession became a lottery. Van der Wal quite pertinently acknowledged the influence conditions had on proceedings, saying "it was a big factor that made things very difficult".

This was well-illustrated in the first half, where the Men from the North West had a substantial amount of possession that was nullified by them playing into the wind.

But the second half was another story...

"To be honest, playing with the wind in the second half helped us tremendously. We were able to settle into a much better rhythm," the captain said.

"We must not, however, forget our own contributions to the turnaround.

"The guys showed magnificent commitment and character. Our good play just showed that you can actually make your own luck," he added, commenting on a superb, match-winning fightback that saw them outscore Ikeys 19-5 in the second half.

With their sights now on the ultimate prize, Van der Wal was cautious on their prospects when they face FNB Maties in the 2009 Varsity Cup Final at the Danie Craven Stadium on Monday evening.

"We definitely can, and want to, win. It's not going to extremely difficult but I think the fact that we are now reasonably acquainted with Cape conditions will make it easier. We will regroup now and plot the way forward," he concluded.

By Heinz Schenk