Klerksdorp Record, Klerksdorp - The round robin stages of the Varsity Cup have ended and the semi-finalists have been decided in dramatic fashion. The NWU Eagles trampled CUT 117-19, but ended fifth on the log, meaning they will not play in the playoffs.
UFS showed their pedigree by beating FNB Tuks in Pretoria, the Shimlas won with a bonus points to put them in 4th spot just one above the Eagles and Maties cruised past FNB Wits to claim top spot on the log and a home semi-final. This loss sees the Witsies stay bottom of the log to be automatically relegated to the FNB Varsity Shield.
UCT Ikeys triumphed over UJ to end the group stage in 3rd and they will face Tuks who finished 2nd in Pretoria.
NWU Eagles secured a convincing victory against CUT Ixias at the Fanie du Toit Sportsground on Monday night March 31, but it wasn’t enough to earn a semi-final spot.
CUT Ixias opened the scoring through Zachery Bester, taking a 5-0 lead, but the Eagles quickly responded. Tian van Zyl’s try leveled the score at 5-5 before Ntobeko Shezi and Luan van der Walt’s double extended their advantage to 26-5.
Matthew Fortuin, Indiphile Tyeda, and Sean Roulston piled on the points. CUT’s Kevin Strydom scored late to make it 52-12, but the Eagles’ dominance was clear by halftime as they went into the break with a commanding 52-12 lead.
The Eagles continued their dominance in the second half, quickly extending their lead through Matthew Fortuin and Chyle van Zyl. CUT responded with a try from Raydon Swartbooi, but the Eagles remained relentless, with Guhan du Bois, Luan van der Walt, and Naiden Jaarts adding to the tally. By the 65th minute, the Eagles reached 100 points, leaving CUT struggling to keep up.
Indiphile Tyeda and Tian van Zyl added late tries before Stehan Heymans sealed the emphatic 117-19 victory with a last-minute penalty.
Playoffs:
* Semi-final 1: Tuks vs UCT, April 7, 16:45 at Tuks Stadium.
* Semi-final 2: Maties vs UFS Shimlas, April 7, 19:00 at Danie Craven Stadium.
