Tuks beat Ikeys under wet and windy conditions
FNB UP-Tuks beat the Ikey Tigers 34-27 in their FNB Varsity Cup encounter on February 28 at home.
They overcame the wet and windy conditions to claim yet another win against their old foes.
The visitors scored three tries from the set-piece in the first half. The hosts showed greater ambition from deep and may have scored more points during this period if not for a series of handling errors.
Both teams lost players to yellow cards as half-time approached. FNB UP-Tuks flank Orateng Koikanyang was suspended for cynical play on his try line, while FNB UCT Ikeys fullback Duran Koevort was sent to the bin for an illegal tackle.
The hosts thrived in the 14-on-14 contest. FNB UCT Ikeys did well to keep them relatively honest in this period. The half ended with the scores level at 21-21.
Playing with a strong wind at their backs in the second half, FNB UP-Tuks had taken control. The hosts navigated their way deep into opposition territory and then employed a driving maul of their own. Schoonees crashed over for his second try of the evening.
Just as the game was slipping away from the visitors, Koevort chased down a David Hayes kick and scored under the uprights.
The point-of-origin try, as well as the successful conversion by Koervort, allowed the Ikey Tigers to claw their way back to within a point of their opponents. This kick took Koevort’s tally for the evening to 21 points.
As the rain hammered down, both teams struggled to control the ball. FNB UP-Tuks won a crucial maul penalty, however, and ensured that they spent the final stages on the FNB UCT Ikeys’ try line.
After a sustained period of attack, scrumhalf Bernard van der Linde breached the defence. Stefan Coetzee’s ensuing conversion stretched FNB UP-Tuks’ lead to eight points and ultimately denied the visitors a losing bonus point.
In the Bloemfontein derby, FNB UFS Shimlas fought back from a 10-0 deficit to beat the FNB CUT Ixias 48-27 and merge their position at the top of the log.
In Cape Town, FNB UWC claimed their first win of the season with a convincing 60-26 victory against the FNB Madibaz, who suffered a third straight defeat.
In Johannesburg, FNB UJ came back from 14-0 down to beat the FNB NWU Eagles 35-14 in a match that was delayed for 25 minutes because of heavy rain and a water-logged field.
FNB Maties scored five tries in their 37-10 win against FNB Wits at the Danie Craven Stadium. The hosts led 18-5 at half-time.
FNB Varsity Cup round four fixtures on March 7:
• FNB Madibaz vs FNB CUT Ixias (17:00, Madibaz Stadium)
• FNB NWU Eagles vs UP-Tuks (19:00, Fanie du Toit Sports Ground)
• FNB Maties vs FNB UJ (19:00, Danie Craven Stadium)
• FNB Wits vs FNB UFS Shimlas (19:00, Wits Rugby Stadium)
• FNB UCT Ikeys vs FNB UWC (19:00, UCT Rugby Fields).
